Why?

What we left.

After we moved to Beacon, people we met were often surprised that we hadn't moved from Brooklyn (where the vast majority of newcomers to this fair city are from - more on that in a minute). When we told them we had moved here from Santa Fe, New Mexico, the response was almost invariably a blank, uncomprehending stare, followed by the question: "Why?" (As in, why would anyone in their right mind move from somewhere so beautiful to, well, Beacon?)

Most folks who move up here from the city (as in New York city) are moving from Brooklyn, and most of those emigrated from Williamsburg before it became nauseatingly full of hipsters. We were already pretty sure we didn't want to live in Williamsburg because it was already full of said hipsters in 2005. As one of our friends from Santa Fe said about her visit there, "It was chilling: I got off the train and everyone looked just like me. " That and high real estate prices were enough of a deterrent for us. But for many newly transplanted Beaconites, most of them artists or other designer-y types, this little city was attractive because it wasn't near Ground Zero; real estate prices were much more affordable; it seemed like a good place to raise kids (you could have an actual yard, for starters); there was a burgeoning art community (some even call it a renaissance); and all still close enough to NYC (about an hour and 20 minutes on the Metro North line, a beautiful ride along the Hudson) to not feel totally out of touch with what you left. Many of our friends still commute to the city for work at least part-time.

So, then, why Beacon for us? More on this soon. Stay tuned.

What we gained.