An hour and fifteen minute trip from Penn Station, Beacon is located approximately 65 miles north of New York City on the eastern shore of the Hudson River. The city is noted for its proximity to numerous historic sites, large cities, and breathtaking natural scenery. It sits with the famous Mount Beacon as its backdrop, the Hudson River as its front door, and was named to commemorate the historic beacon fires that blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains to alert the Continental Army about British troop movements.
As of the 2010 census Beacon had a total population of 15,541 on 4.9 square miles.