Beacon, New York 12508

Beacon named to commemorate the historic Beacon fires which blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains to alert the Revolutionary Armies about British troop movements.

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The City of Beacon is located in the southwest corner of Dutchess County, in the fast growing Mid-Hudson Region. It sits just over an hour north of New York City, about 59 miles, in its northern suburbs. It is also located approximately 90 miles south of Albany.

History

The area occupied as Beacon was originally settled as the Villages of Matteawan and Fishkill Landing in 1709, which were among the first communities in the state. Beacon incorporated as a city in 1913, annexing the two villages and a small portion of the Hamlet of Glenham from the Town of Fishkill.

The city served as a focal point during the Revolutionary War. It manufactured war supplies, and served as a fort and signaling point. The city's name is from signal fires that were atop nearby Beacon Mountain. During the 1800s, the city became a factory town and was known as "The Hat Making Capital of the US" With nearly 50 hat factories at one time.

Starting in the late 1990s, with the opening of one of the world's largest contemporary art museums, Beacon began to have a rebirth.Dia: Beacon. Beacon is striving to become the art capital of the state, with large commercial businesses, art galleries, and numerous residential developments to support growth. New development continues to grow the city. The two largest planned projects are a waterfront hotel and conference center, and "The Rivers and Estuaries Center" on Dennings Point. Both facilities will be LEED certified, showing Beacon's leadership in the GREEN Building industry.

The Mount Beacon Incline Railway

From 1902 to 1975, The Mount Beacon Incline Railway was one of the steepest incline railways in existence (a 65% grade). It took an estimated 3 million people up to the 1,540-foot summit of Mount Beacon. Fire and vandalism destroyed the incline railway. There is now a movement to restore it.

Geography.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.7 km?(4.9 mi?. 12.4 km?(4.8 mi? of it is land and 0.3 km?(0.1 mi? of it is water. The total area is 2.25% water.

Located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River, Beacon is noted for its proximity to numerous historic sites and large cities. It is located minutes away from Bannerman's Castle and West Point. Beacon also sits with the famous Mount Beacon as its backdrop and the Hudson River as its front door. The city also is located across the river from its larger sister city, Newburgh. Beacon is just 20 minutes south of the Hudson Valley Region Capital City, Poughkeepsie. In addition Danbury, Connecticut is located about 45 minutes away and New York City is located just over an hour to the south.

The city includes the following neighborhoods:

Main Neighborhoods

Secondary Neighborhoods

• North Tree Streets
• South Tree Streets
• Groveville
• Business District (Main Street Area)
• "Davies" or "The Apartments" (Section of City with a Concentrated Area of Public Housing on South Ave)

Professional Sports

• Hudson Valley Renegades - Class A Minor League Baseball Team for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Team plays out of Dutchess Stadium located in neighboring Fishkill. (3-5 Minutes North of City)

Museums and Institutes

• Dia:Beacon - Contemporary Arts Museum. (In City)
  
• The Beacon Institute of Rivers and Estuaries - A major river and estuary research institute. (In City)

Parks

• Memorial Park - Located in the center of the city and serves as the city's "Central Park". It is the city's primary park and many events are hosted in the park. (In City)
  
• Riverfront Park - City's riverfront park that is a peninsula into the Hudson River. A very active park that hosts numerous events. (In City)
  
• Green Street Park - A neighborhood park located in the Mountain Side Section of the city (In City)
  
• Hammond Field - A neighborhood park located in the River Side Section of the City that is primarily used for the city school districts funcitions. Is the home of the "Beacon Bulldogs" Track and Football venues. (In City)
  
• South Ave Park - A housing project park for the Forrestal Heights Houses. Primarily used for the Beacon Hoops program, a city youth basketball program. (In City)
  
• Hudson Highlands State Park - The state park located behind and just south of the city. A very large state park that covers Mount Beacon. (1-3 Minutes East and South of City)

Farmers' Market

• The Beacon Farmers' Market - Open year-round, Sundays from 10-4. Located on the Waterfront, adjacent to the Beacon Sloop Club in warm months and inside the building during the winter. Several local growers as well as bakeries, local wine-makers, and cheese-producers are represented. (In City)

Transportation

Beacon's major route is Interstate 84, which passes through the city's northside, providing a connection that is minutes to the Taconic State Parkway, New York State Thruway, and Stewart International Airport. The city also has the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge which carries the interstate over the Hudson River.

Although Interstate 84 is the city's major route, NY Route 9D serves as the city's arterial. It starts at the city's northside where it intersects with Interstate 84 as the Interstate's Exit 11 and wraps around the city to its southside. The city also has New York State Route 52 Business that runs down the middle of the city and begins in the city's westside at NY Route 9D.

Commuter service to New York City is available via the MTA Beacon Train Station, served by Metro-North Railroad.

Beacon is also serviced weekdays by a commuter ferry, The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry, over the Hudson between both cities to help alleviate traffic to the Beacon Train Station from Orange County commuters. The ferry docks between Beacon City Harbor and Newburgh City Waterfront.

In nearby Wappingers Falls, the Dutchess County Airport services local commuter flights. The nearest major airport to Beacon is Stewart International Airport about 10 minutes away, in Newburgh.

Municipal bus service is provided by the county's Dutchess County LOOP Bus System, which provides commuter service throughout the county. Its main line from Beacon travels from Main & NY Route 9D up Route 9D to the Poughkeepsie Galleria and South Hills Mall in the Town Of Poughkeepsie.

Notable people

Born and Raised

• James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy 1944-1947 and Secretary of Defense from 1947-1949. One of the city's four elementary schools and one of its federal housing projects is named in his honor.
• Melio Bettina, World Light Heavyweight Champion Boxer in 1939. A small street in the city's center is named in his honor.
• Robert Montgomery, famous actor who served as head of the Screen Actors Guild in 1935 and 1946. He also was a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy during WWII.
• Digger Phelps, head basketball coach at Notre Dame (1972-91), won more games (393) than any coach in Irish history. Coached junior varsity basketball in Beacon before moving away. A small street off west Main Street is named in his honor.

Residents at one time

• Joseph Howland, civil war officer and philanthropist.
• Bruce Molsky, old-time fiddler, guitarist, and singer
• Gloria Swanson, famous actress who was filmed in Airport (1974) and Killer Bees (1974).

Movies Filmed in Town

Major Motion Pictures

• War of the World's (2005) - The movie's production studio, Paramont, claims that a scene was shot in the city during it's 2004 filming, unsure where though. Confirmed via the Internet Movie Database that a scene was shot in the city.
• Drowning Mona - The movie's production studio, Code Entertainment, cliams that the movie was based and partially filmed in the city during it's 1999 filming. Confirmed via the Internet Movie Database that the movie was based in the city and scenes were shot in the city.
• Super Troopers - Film was based in the city and the "Town Cop" scenes as well as most of the inside scenes were filmed in the city in 1999. Started out as an underground film and then became a very popular "teen comedy" movie.
• Nobody's Fool - Many scenes were filmed in the city in 1994, most notably were 3 or 4 scenes that showed Main Street's "Main St USA" appeal. The movie featured an all-star cast with Paul Newman and Bruce Willis; it was also Jessica Tandy's last film.

Short Length B&W Pictures

• The Red Man's View - A cowboy and indian movie filmed entirley on Mt Beacon in 1909.
• Down the Mountainside, Turning Panorama of Mt Beacon, A Stern Chase, and Down the Mountainside - A release of 1902 B&W short films of views from the "World's Steepest Incline Railway", Mt Beacon's Incline Railway.