For New Yorkers tired of the crawling traffic on the Long Island Expressway and the ever flashier, younger party scene of the Hamptons, there is now a more serene weekend oasis for those looking to escape the heat of the city.

Hudson Valley has long been a favorite destination for artists and writers, and with the opening of Halstead Property’s new Hudson Valley office, city dwellers can browse property in the region without having to leave the city.

“The Hamptons now to me is Paris Hilton,” said Robin Horowitz, co-director of the new office in the town of Hudson with her sister Nancy. “The Hudson Valley is the opposite of that. It’s not a place to come and party. It’s a place to come and take back some of the power in your life.”

Halstead opened the office in response to growing interest in the region – at least a third of the broker’s New York buyers are interested in purchasing property in the Hudson Valley, Ms. Horowitz said.

The region, once home to Washington Irving, William Faulkner, Edgar Allan Poe, and Franklin Roosevelt, continues to attract creative individuals. Caleb Carr, Robert De Niro, and Alanis Morissette spend time in the valley, along with many other writers, artists, actors, and filmmakers.

Ms. Horowitz said the area fosters creativity in part because it is so relaxing and rural.

“Here you can get away from the city for the weekend, and in those two days you feel like you can be heard,” she said. “It’s a different mentality. You can read a book or ride a horse, go kayaking or climb a mountain. It was somebody’s big secret for years and now it’s not.”

Halstead is the first New York City broker to open an office in the area. Because the company has offices both in the city and in the Hudson Valley, customers can browse property without leaving the city, streamlining the process, Ms. Horowitz said.

“Now you can research from the city, then come up here and just buy,” Ms. Horowitz said. “You can use your time much more intelligently.”