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Compare towns

Keene vs Orient

221 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (34.6× in Keene) and street grid (8.8× in Orient).

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Keene, NYAn outdoors townEssex County · 710 people
O ×
Orient, NYHomes around $1.54MNew York · 1,121 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

KeeneAn outdoors town
Outdoors78% conserved land204 miles of trails across 11 parks and preserves SchoolsBetter than 94%of NY districts History12 archive photos & papers10 places on the National Register All about Keene →
OrientHomes around $1.54M
Housing$1.54M typical home192% above the NY typical home Outdoors19.7% conserved land5.9 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves All about Orient →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails34.6×
Keene has more miles of trail
Keene 204.1 miOrient 5.9 mi
Street grid8.8×
Orient has the more walkable street grid
Orient 10.6Keene 1.2
Home values2.1×
Homes cost more in Orient
Orient $973,700Keene $471,400
Growth since 2010+31 pts
Orient has grown faster since 2010
Orient +34.5%Keene +3.5%
Conserved land+58.3 pts
Keene has more conserved land
Keene 78%Orient 19.7%
Average commute13 min
Orient has the shorter commute
Keene 33 minOrient 20 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $5,930 more a month in Orient

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Keene$2,950/mo
Typical home $471K (Census) · tax rate 1.21% · or rent about $1,575/mo · Housing →
Orient$8,880/mo
Typical home $1.54M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · Housing →

The difference: $5,930 a month, about $71,200 a year, between Orient and Keene.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every New York ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
AKeeneBetter than 94% of districts in the state –OrientNot graded
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
KeeneOrient
Snow a year—27″
January low—23°F
July high—81°F
Growing season (days)—182d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th2nd
Outdoors & history
KeeneOrient
Trails204 mi6 mi
Conserved land78%19.7%
National Register places10—
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here6—
Community
KeeneOrient
Library hours a week35 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

221 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

KeeneEssex CountyOrientNY
Keene ↔ Orient221 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

KeeneOrient
People
Population 710Lowest 1,121Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.5%Lowest NY: +4.2% +34.5%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age 59.9±5.9Lowest 51% above NY 64.1±3.9Highest 61% above NY
Orient and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 3.9%±2.6Highest NY: 20.5% 3.7%±4.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
Keene and Orient are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 39.3%±7.7Lowest NY: 17.9% 44.7%±10.2Highest NY: 17.9%
Orient and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 55.4%Lowest NY: 40.2% 56.5%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2%±2.8Lowest NY: 7% 2.9%±3.6Highest NY: 7%
Orient and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $93,542±$40kLowest 9% above NY $94,261±$46kHighest 10% above NY
Orient and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $471,400±$114kLowest 11% above NY $973,700±$107kHighest 130% above NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,575±$566 about the NY average —
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,714Lowest 13% below NY $6,151Highest 7% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36.4%±51.5Lowest NY: 52.1% 100%±100Highest NY: 52.1%
Orient and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 3.8%Highest NY: 14% 2.8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.3%Lowest NY: 54.3% 96.6%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 8 yrs newer than NY 1972Highest 13 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 33 minHighest about the NY average 20 minLowest 38% below NY
Work from home 26.5%±11Lowest NY: 14.9% 28.7%±15.7Highest NY: 14.9%
Orient and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 11%Highest 7.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.8 miLowest 38.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.14Lowest 1.21Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Elizabethtown (22%)Southold (36%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OrientFew work in Keene
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 78%Highest 19.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 204.1 miHighest 5.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.3 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 11Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.2Lowest 10.6Highest
New York average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Keene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Keene’s Town Square.

Orient neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Orient’s Town Square.

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Set another town beside Keene and Orient

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Bordering Keene

+ Compare
North Hudson208 people · $170K homes
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Elizabethtown1,149 people · $175K homes
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North Elba7,540 people · $432K homes
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Jay2,354 people · $197K homes

Towns like Keene

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Hague703 people · $326K homes
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Santa Clara511 people · $389K homes
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Germantown1,681 people · $493K homes
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Kinderhook1,072 people · $372K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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