beacon profiled

Beacon is profiled in a "7 Hot Hometowns" story in the current issue of Hudson Valley Magazine. The site requires registration, so I'm pasting the Beacon entry below:

Beacon: An Arts-Fueled Transformation

This once-gritty community’s manufacturing past laid the foundation for its recent dramatic revival. From the late 1800s through the 1950s, Beacon was a bustling factory town (bricks and hats were the main exports), but it fell onto hard times in the late 1960s as manufacturing collapsed and Americans abandoned Main Street for the mall.

But in 2003, a 24,000-square-foot decaying Nabisco box factory was purchased by the Dia Foundation and eventually transformed into Dia:Beacon, one of the world’s largest museums of contemporary art. Beacon’s renaissance was on. While some local communities have flirted with creating an artists’ district, Beacon got the job done: artists’ lofts are available throughout town, galleries dot the main drag, and works by local artists hang on many restaurant and coffeehouse walls. Several years ago, a new generation of residents, many priced out of New York City, arrived in town, snatching up much of the large Victorian housing stock at bargain-basement prices. The Metro-North train line, which runs a packed 75-minute express into Grand Central several times a day, as well as Beacon’s proximity to Route 84 and Stewart International Airport, add to the city’s appeal.

But Beacon is about far more than the arts. Situated at the northern end of the Hudson Highlands, the city is beautifully nestled between the river and its namesake mountain. Stunning 1,503-foot Mt. Beacon attracts locals and visitors who want to hike its steep trails, gaze at the ruins of an old hotel on the summit, and marvel at the remains of what was once the world’s steepest incline railway. Outdoor buffs can also wander around a variety of state parks, take a kayak on the river, or venture out for a free weeknight trip on the Woody Guthrie — a sailboat originally owned by folk artist (and longtime Beacon resident) Pete Seeger and now run by a local sloop club.

“I love living here. The proximity to the river, to the mountain — and still having the train to hop on to the city — is just wonderful,” says Debra Adamsons, owner of World’s End Books and a recent transplant to the area.

Beacon still has a way to go — we wouldn’t recommend walking down Main Street by yourself in the middle of the night — but the city is working hard to secure the resources that will make its renaissance permanent. A brand-new, state-of-the art high school opened in 2002, and a huge waterfront “green” hotel and conference center are in the works. Housing prices have risen dramatically in the last few years, before leveling off in 2006. Nonetheless, with median prices just around $300,000, Beacon remains among the most affordable towns in Dutchess County. And many residents treasure its “rough-around-the-edges-cum-quirky” appeal. “I love the funky aspect of the town,” says a two-year resident. “I feel like something is going on here.”