It's hard to believe, but the same river that cuts through the heart of the buzzing Big Apple is the one that gently winds through the Hudson Valley -- often called "The Rhine of the Americas" -- a comparatively more peaceful landscape highlighted by the town of Poughkeepsie. Poughkeepsie is joined by other river towns in Dutchess County, including Catskill, Hudson, Kingston, Beacon, Newburgh, Ossining, and Peekskill. Most of these towns exude a strong Dutch influence, reflecting the area's original settlers.

The Hudson River, of course, serves as the focal point for various recreational activities in the valley -- ice boating and ice fishing in the winter, sailing in the summer. Nearby West Point -- the United States Military Academy -- brings a young contingent of residents to the area each fall.

The Hudson Valley, home to one of the nation's leading computer companies, IBM, enjoyed prosperity until it was shaken in the mid-1990s. At that time, thousands of IBM employees were laid off, and among those who were allowed to keep their jobs, morale dropped, and many transferred out of the area for fear of the unknown. As a result, the real estate community suffered; demand dropped, and the number of prospective home owners decreased dramatically.

Today, however, the boom is back. The region's economy has diversified far beyond IBM -- the valley has attracted many new businesses of both large and small size -- and is more prepared to roll with the tide should any setback occur again. More commuters than ever before arrive here each day to work, and many are becoming home owners as they discover that real estate here is comparatively less expensive than in other upper-class New York and Connecticut communities.

The Hudson Valley's roster of famous residents reads like a "Who's Who" directory of history's most influential leaders: Presidents Martin Van Buren and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Clinton, Nelson Rockefeller, Robert Livingston, Averill Harriman, author Washington Irving (remember the Headless Horseman?), inventor Samuel F.B. Morse, artist Frederic Edwin Church, philanthropist Matthew Vassar, and many others. Many of these individuals lived in mansions, which have been well preserved and continue to attract visitors today.

Hudson River Valley residents more likely to ring a bell with younger tourists are New York Gov. George Pataki, actress Mary Tyler Moore, actors James Earl Jones and Eddie Murphy, and famous journalists Edward R. Murrow and Lowell Thomas.

Among the valley's historic mansions and estates are: the Philipse Manor in North Tarrytown, Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, the Van Rensselaer homes in Claverack, East Greenbush, and Fort Crailo. At Boscobel Restoration, you'll find the architecture and decor of the Federal Period (1800-1820). Alexander Jackson Davis, one of our country's most influential architects -- and one of its earliest -- designed Lyndhurst in Tarrytown and Montgomery Place in Annandale-on-Hudson, both "Gothic Revival" in style. And Andrew Jackson Downing, founder of the mid-19th-century landscape architecture movement, designed Springside, Matthew Vassar's home located in Poughkeepsie.

Following the Civil War, when robber barons rose to prominence and spared no expense, they built such splendor as Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Mills Mansion in Staatsburg, and Wilderstein in Rhinebeck. And last but not least, the oldest of Hudson Valley's historic estates is the Clermont Mansion in Columbia County, owned by members of the Livingston family from 1730 until 1962. The most noteworthy among them was Robert Livingston, who signed the Declaration of Independence and negotiated the Louisiana Purchase.

If you're passing through the valley either as a tourist or a potential new resident, check out one of the following driving routes through eastern Dutchess County if time allows: Tour 5 includes Union Vale, Beekman, Pawling, and Dover. The tour comprises approximately 53 miles and will take you about two hours to complete. Along the way, you'll see the John Kane House, which once served as the headquarters for George Washington; and the cave where Pequot Chief Sassacus is thought to have hid from English soldiers following a New London massacre.

Tour 6 takes you through Pine Plains, North East, Amenia, Washington, and Stanford. The tour comprises 85 miles and takes about three hours. You'll see Nine Partners Meeting House, the first Quaker co-ed boarding school in America; as well as the Cagney Farm, former home of actor James Cagney. For more information about either tour, call (914) 463-4000.

History buffs should head to the following Web site: The Poughkeepsie Journal . The site contains lists upon lists of links that outline in detail the proud history of this jewel of New York.

Published: September 21, 1998

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