MY NEW PROJECT: 1 Kynor Avenue,
Hopatcong Heights, New Jersey 07843, one hour west of New York City on Interstate 80. It is about the same commute from Newark Liberty International Airport where I work, using a less boring way that combines Routes 78, 24 and 10. This foreclosure cottage, on almost half an acre of land 1000 feet above sea level, is a stone's throw from the beach at
Hopatcong State Park. It will be a nice, peaceful place to live and write after I finish redoing the floors and the roof (and later on, build a fireplace and swimming pool for the kid after I save enough cash.) There are oak trees, black bears and deer that materialize out of my window in the early morning mist. Too bad I can't keep a tomato patch, but it is world apart from the other house in Maspeth, Queens. And at $60K, a bargain that can't be beat, considering that the area used to be a "summer get away for the wealthy in NYC."
A bit of Hopatcong history from
Wikipedia: "The town of
Hopatcong has a rich history given its relationship with New York City. It borders
Lake Hopatcong, a partially man made lake that is now a source of much recreation and desirable real estate, and is the biggest lake in New Jersey. The town, just 40 miles west of New York City, began as a summer get away for the wealthy in NYC who primarily sought access to the lake. An amusement park sprung up called
"Bertrand's Island" which was accessible via the lake, trolley or by car through Mount Arlington. The construction of Interstate 80, a highway that stretches from Teaneck, New Jersey all the way across the country to San Francisco, California, triggered rapid growth in New York City's suburbs and led to Hopatcong becoming a permanent residential community."
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| Sandcastles on the beach at Lake Hopatcong |
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