Irvington

Irvington is one of the famed New York Rivertowns of the Hudson River Valley. When Washington Irving penned his famous adventures like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow about quirky Northeastern settlers roaming these haunted and forested bluffs, Irvington was called Sunnyside. And that’s still the name given to the famous author’s former residence, a massive French-gothic colonial near the river that now hosts tours for inquisitive fans of his renowned fiction. It wasn’t until Irving died that town leaders renamed the town after him. Julie Alcée, a local associate real estate broker with Berkshire Hathaway and resident of Westchester County, says the Rivertowns draw “a lot of artsy people, a lot of Brooklynites who want to move out of the city. It’s very literary.”

But even if you’re not a famous writer -- or even a reader – the homes in Irvington will appeal to you. Attractive and woodsy four-bedroom split levels can be found for downright bohemian prices, starting at $700,000. Midcentury modern homes built to blend in with the forested landscape use century-old stone retaining walls and feature windows of windows looking out on waves of greenery. For $1 million, you can find one of these with five bedrooms on a third of an acre. Washington Irving may have found one of the most beautiful colonials in the area, but there are plenty more, both original and recreations, built this century with detailed period designs. Two-acre estates with new constructions of colonial-Tudor revivals featuring multiple bedrooms, bay windows and coffered ceilings are listed for up to $10 million.

Alcée gushes about downtown Irvington: “It’s on a slope, and you can walk down to the train station or Matthiessen Park overlooking the river. It’s like a little village out of time.” Their proximity to the Hudson River is one of the things that makes these Rivertowns so desirable. In fact, Irvington is sometimes known as Irvington-on-Hudson, and aside from the views and the lookouts available at the local riverside parks, there’s a boat launch for kayakers and canoers to enter the windswept waters of America’s Rhine, as the Hudson is called, in Scenic Hudson Park.

The restaurant scene in Irvington is as exceptional as the rest, with Michelin Bib Gourmand winner Chutney Masala serving locals an array of dishes from the Indian subcontinent. Alcée recommends strolling down Main Street for any number of pleasurable experiences at the local shops and eateries. Sambal Thai and Red Hat on the River sit beside the Metro-North Railroad station. Not far, the Irvington Library does justice to the town’s literary heritage by housing an extensive collection inside a lovely and cavernous federal-style former factory building. The Irvington Theater has shown a mixture of high and low art since 1902. Across the street, the Irvington Farmers Market sells a curated collection of local produce, meat and dairy year-round.

According to the school rankings website Niche, the Irvington Union Free School District is among the best 850 school districts in the country. With under 1,750 students, this district has an average student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1 and received an A-plus for its college preparatory program from Niche. Dows Lane Elementary School is a kindergarten through third-grade school half a mile from the Hudson. It received an A-minus from Niche. The Main Street School serves students in fourth and fifth grades and received an A from Niche along with Irvington Middle School. With its envied student-teacher ratio of 10 to 1, Irvington High School is among the top 100 public high schools in the State of New York. The Irvington Metro-North Rail Road station is in the center of downtown. Riders can be in Grand Central Station in Midtown Manhattan in under 50 minutes. If you’re looking for beauty, peace and excellent amenities with access to the big city, you won’t do much better than this sleepy hollow.

Written By

Abbot Street

Photography Contributed By

Leon Cato

Video By

Paris Lape