Upper Nyack offers a nature-heavy alternative to urbanized Nyack
Upper Nyack trades the artistic and retail scenes of the other Nyacks for a distinctly natural atmosphere. “You walk through and there’s a nature preserve, there’s trails along the river up to the most majestic mountain, Hook Mountain – you can get lost for hours,” says Catherine Hotaling, a real estate agent with Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty who has sold more than 20 homes in the Nyacks. “You can walk from the city to Haverstraw and beyond on the Long Path.” The village has long been nicknamed “Goosetown” due to a Civil War colonel’s unusual habit of driving a herd of geese between his Gilded Age mansion and the Hudson River. Today, homes built in that era are still shaded by the dense trees of the Hudson Palisades, and state parks form Upper Nyack’s northern border. More than 2,000 people call Upper Nyack home, with education, health care and retail providing the most jobs.
Trails, parks and golf courses lay beyond Upper Nyack's village limits
Parks surround and fill Upper Nyack. “There’s River Hook, the nature preserve in Upper Nyack, and it’s filled with artists’ sculptures and sheep who help graze and take care of the landscape. It’s a pollinator’s paradise,” Hotaling says. “They’re trying to restore the natural habitat.” At the village’s northern edge, the Nyack Beach Trail branches off from a major road and runs along the banks of the Hudson into Nyack Beach State Park. The riverside path leads north to Rockland Lake State Park, home to all kinds of outdoor activities. Rockland Lake itself is open for fishing, while the park also includes a large public pool, playground, and nature center. The Rockland Lake State Park Golf Course includes an 18-hole championship course north of the lake and an executive course south of it. Both are open to the public. “You can walk down Broadway to the beautiful, historic mansions that line the Hudson River, and you can walk all the way up to Hook Mountain,” Hotaling says. Hook Mountain State Park occupies the high ground above the Nyack Beach Trail, offering commanding views of the Hudson Valley and steep trails for hikers.
Hilly roads feature homes of diverse styles, ages and sizes
Upper Nyack’s diverse housing stock includes restored Victorian homes built from the 1870s to the 1890s, ranch-style homes built in the first half of the 20th century and construction from the 2010s. Properties on half-acre lots or larger sell for $1,000,000 to $3,150,000, while smaller houses go for $520,000 to $1,000,000. Residential streets branch off from major roads like Broadway and Midland Avenue. Most roads are hilly and lack sidewalks, and streets in the northern half of Upper Nyack tend to feature much more foliage than the sections closer to Nyack . Upper Nyack’s median sale price of $733,000 is much higher than the village’s $588,000 and neighboring Congers’ $650,000.
A handful of local restaurants complement Nyack Village's retail scene
Though Upper Nyack is almost entirely residential or parkland, it’s home to a handful of local restaurants. The Golden Mushroom serves as the local Chinese takeout and sushi spot. Farther down Highway Avenue, Little Vietnam Bar & Grill specializes in pho and other Vietnamese classics. La Promenade, a New Jersey-based bakery, has a second location along Broadway and offers grab-and-go pastries and coffee. Nearby grocery stores include the Foodtown of Valley Cottage and the Nyack Fresh Market in Nyack Village. Upper Nyack is also a three-mile drive from the Palisades Center, a large mall that includes an AMC movie theater, chain restaurants and big-box stores like Target and The Home Depot.
Nyack High School provides opportunities for community involvement
Students can start at the Upper Nyack School and Nyack Middle School, both of which receive A-minus ratings from Niche. The A-rated Nyack High School offers community-oriented extracurriculars like a Young Achievers Club that mentors middle schoolers, Project Warmth for helping the homeless and Youth Against Cancer for research fundraising.
New York is accessible by highway or train
New York City-bound commuters can reach Midtown Manhattan within a 35-mile drive via Interstates 287 and 87 or the Palisades Interstate Parkway. Across the Tappan Zee Bridge, Tarrytown offers a Metro-North Railroad link to Grand Central Terminal, accessible within an hour’s train ride. The Montefiore Nyack Hospital is two blocks south of Upper Nyack, and it’s one of the region’s main employers as well as the local health care center.
![Jacob Adelhoch]()
Written By
Jacob Adelhoch
