Page 46 - The Business Council of Westchester - 2018 Relocation Guide

LOWER HUDSON VALLEY
ROCKLAND
R ockland County is proof positive that great things sometimes come in small packages. Considering that Rockland is literally in NYC’s backyard – just 30 miles south – it doesn’t need
to be big. But it is special.
It begins with Rockland’s amazing walkable towns,
several of which offer incomparable Hudson River views. Clarkstown was ranked among the top-10 small cities by Money magazine not long ago, while the village of Piermont, with its mile-long pier on the Hudson, was declared a “hidden Rockland County gem” and one of the best places to live by Hudson Valley Magazine.
You like parks? Rockland has parks. In fact, roughly one-third of its territory is devoted to parkland, with sites like Bear Mountain, Harriman State Park (the second-largest state park in NY), Nyack Beach and Rockland Lake drawing both locals and visitors from all over. Collectively, they provide the ideal springboard for fun activities like swimming, fishing, hiking, boat- ing, camping, horseback riding, skiing, golf, tennis, ice skating, sledding and much more.
Rockland also boasts an elite academic presence, with Iona College, Long Island University, St. Thomas Aquinas College, SUNY Rockland Community College, Nyack College and Columbia University all having set up primary campuses or satellite locations here. On the primary-school level, Clarkstown Central School District recently won a U.S. News & World Report Silver Award, and Suffern Senior High School even more re- cently made the Niche.com “Best Public High Schools” list for the state and nationally.
As the locale of Stony Point, Rockland is certainly steeped in history going back to the Revolutionary War and before, but the county is also making history with its robust dining scene. There are great restaurants throughout the county, but some must-dos include Communal Kitchen in Nyack, with its trendy locavore menu; the seafood-heavy Hudson Water Club in Haver- straw, with its 250-seat outdoor deck; the creative Japanese-fusion hotspot Wasabi in Nyack; and of course, the world-class Restaurant X in Congers, which boasts not only James Beard Award-winning celebrity chef/restaurateur Peter X. Kelly but also one of the best Sunday-brunch fares to be had anywhere.
Rockland County is also emerging as an exciting cultural hub, led largely by the Rockland Center for the Arts in West Nyack. Known commonly as RoCA, the multi-arts facility was founded in 1947 by such re- nowned artists as Aaron Copland, Helen Hayes, Paulette Goddard and Kurt Weill. The region is further enriched by such cultural institutions as the Garner Arts Cen- ter in Garnerville, Edward Hopper House Art Center in Nyack, and a wide variety of art galleries, theater
companies, dance troupes and academies, and music ensembles – from jazz bands to symphony orchestras – all within Rockland’s cozy 174 square miles.
Add to this fantastic shopping at the Palisades Center in West Nyack and the Shops at Nanuet, to say nothing of the countless independent shops lining its downtown areas, and it’s easy to see that there is something for everyone in Rockland.
KEY FACTS
Top: Congers is the home of the world- class Restaurant X, which boasts one
of the finest Sunday brunches you will ever have. History and art come alive in the im- maculately preserved Edward Hopper House.
36
LIVING IN WESTCHESTER AND THE HUDSON VALLEY | RELOCATION & MOVING GUIDE
POPULATION DENSITY: 1,796 people per square mile MEDIAN HOME VALUE: $422,400
MEDIAN ANNUAL PROPERTY-TAX PAYMENT: $9,522 MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $84,855