Engaging Getaways and Venues for:
Irvington, N.Y.
Irvington was an agricultural community from the late 1700s to the early 20th Century. It then became a weekend getaway for New York City moguls and wealthy businessmen such as railroad developer Jay Gould.
The New York Times once wrote, "Irvington is the kind of village, that when you sneeze, 50 people will say, ‘Bless You.’” This may not be far from the truth.
Scenic Irvington is unpretentious with no supermarkets or shopping centers. Main Street and Broadway house a handful of small shops, delis and restaurants. The town has some excellent restaurants in a converted factory complex on the Hudson River across from the railroad tracks, and several good restaurants line the main street. There’s a nice assortment of gift, craft, antique, and other boutques.
Like the other Rivertowns, Irvington is rife with parks and fields for outdoor activity. There is also the 432-seat Irvington Town Hall Theater, an exact replica of Washington D.C.'s Ford Theater, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The theater hosts concerts, shows, meetings, and acting workshops year-round. In the same building is the Tiffany Reading Room, which is open to the public.
The Irvington Union Free School District consists of four schools: Dows Lane School, Main Street School, Irvington Middle School and Irvington High School. The newly renovated middle and high school share a sprawling campus with a panoramic view of the Hudson River. The high school was recently ranked in the top 100 by U.S. News & World Report.
While one of Westchester County’s wealthiest towns, Irvington has a less pretentious feel than Scarsdale, Bronxville, or Rye, which helps explain why it is home to celebrities in film and television who wish their children to grow up in a more down-to-earth environment. It has beautiful, residential neighborhoods with very old homes, and some newer developments further from the river that actually share services with the village but are part of the town of Greenburgh.
