Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Keene’s subject grades are an A− for schools and health and an A+ for history; the weakest is a D for cost of living. Keene’s July high is 67°F, below both New York’s towns (81°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Of the 759 New York towns we compare, none has a lower January low than Keene. 78% of the land in Keene is conserved, above both the New York town median (5.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is High Peaks Wilderness, 45,650 acres with 115.5 miles of trail. Keene has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Keene beats most towns.
Census counts: 605 in 1820, 1,144 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1881 and 4 maps from 1896 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Keene is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Keene, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Keene.
210 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The trail density in Keene is 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. High Peaks Wilderness | 115.5 mi | 45,650 |
| 2. Adirondack Mountain Reserve | 24.4 mi | 5,813 |
| 3. Giant Mountain Wilderness | 21.4 mi | 11,558 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Keene Central School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keene Central SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 170 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
31% of Keene adults sleep under 7 hours. Keene beats the New York average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 11% of Keene adults smoke cigarettes.
| Keene | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Keene | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.7% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.3% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keene has cold winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Keene for work: only 11% work in town. Keene’s average trip to work is 33 minutes. Jobs based in Keene grew to 404 in 2023, 111 more than in 2013.
| Keene | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Keene.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Keene. Close and well known come first.
in town MountainMount Marcy
in town LakeLake Tear of the Clouds
Big draw39 mi LakeLake Champlain
Big draw31 mi LandmarkFort Ticonderoga
24 mi State parkAdirondack Park
17 mi MountainWhiteface MountainMount Marcy: Daniel Tripp, Public domain · Lake Tear of the Clouds: TheKilimanjaro, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Champlain: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Fort Ticonderoga: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Adirondack Park: Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia Later version(s) were uploaded by, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Keene; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Keene residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
10 places in Keene on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Keene.
Town in New York, United States
Keene is a town in central Essex County, New York, United States. It includes the hamlets of Keene, Keene Valley, and St. Huberts, with a total population of 1,144 as of the 2020 census The town is part of the Adirondack Park, and includes 15 of the 46 High Peaks, including Mount Marcy, New York's highest mountain, and the rest of the Great Range. It also includes the Ausable Lakes, the source of the Ausable River. Trailheads for many of the High Peaks are located within the town, along with the Johns Brook Lodge of the Adirondack Mountain Club.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
5 notable people were born here, including Beth Edmonds and William Morris Davis.
