When a home goes on sale in downtown Troy, it doesn't stay on the market very long.

The city's center is seeing a boom in wine bars and pubs selling locally brewed beer. It boasts a collection of boutique shops, a thriving arts center and a very popular farmers' market. All of that activity makes downtown and the Washington Park neighborhood, as well as the areas immediately around them, a very popular place to live. Demand for homes there far exceeds availability.

"People don't want to move," said Anne Carroll, a Realtor who sells property in the city. "When something comes on the market, it moves quickly. There is action in other neighborhoods, but most of the growth is downtown."

Another Realtor, Barbara Higbee, agreed.

"Downtown and Washington Park is very hot," she said. "Our downtown has gotten so lively and fun. At first, it seemed it was just young people, but I am also seeing empty-nesters, too."

They are drawn to the city's nightlife, she said. Troy has a number of restaurants that cater to a crowd that enjoys a night out where they can sample wine rather than at a boisterous bar.

She also has seen interest in the areas around Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Emma Willard School and Russell Sage College.

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Higbee also had one buyer who specifically wanted a home near the Sanctuary for Independent Media.

That's not to say all of Troy is booming. The city's North Central neighborhood remains plagued by poverty and crime, and the South Troy and North Troy areas are not nearly as popular for new arrivals as the other neighborhoods.

Sandra Rouse first arrived in Troy to see her daughter, hired as a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

"I came to visit her last fall and fell in love," she said.

Born in Rhode Island, she had lived in Georgia for 33 years. A poet and short story writer, she had taught writing in Emory University's adult education program before spending two years working as an adviser to a writers' group.

Although she had never lived in Troy before, she had another family connection other than her daughter: Her great-grandfather, John Bernard Linehan, was born in the city. She's long had a portrait of him she that she now plans to hang in her home on First Street, a block away from historic Washington Park and two blocks from the Hudson River.

The brick townhouse was built in 1840, but had fallen into disrepair when the previous owners, Michael and Carol Gerrish, bought it, gutted it and renovated it. After selling Rouse the house, they also left her with photos of what the building looked like before their work,

"I am a beneficiary of the previous owner," she said. "They saw the vision. The whole thing was a mess. They put their heart and soul into this house. It was a labor of love."

Rouse and her 19-year-old son moved in during a snowstorm in February. She has swiftly become an active member of the neighborhood, where residents recently voted to change the name from the "Think First" neighborhood, a play on the street's name she said felt more like a slogan than a description, to the Riverside Historic District.

"I love this neighborhood," she said. "We are very sociable."

She talks eagerly about the work other neighbors are doing on their properties and the proximity of Carmen's, a neighborhood restaurant.

"This is a vibrant neighborhood," she said. "There are a lot of neighbors who are constantly working on the inside of their houses."

She likes the combination of young people and older residents, the diversity of jobs they hold, and the varied viewpoints they have.

Rouse said she adores living in a historic house with modern amenities inside. She points out the original brickwork in her entry hall and living room. Where possible, the Gerrishes had preserved the original wood flooring. Rouse has both a second-floor room to do her writing and a third-floor studio where Gerrish once painted.

"I felt like I was getting an 1840 brownstone, but inside it was the 21st century," she said. "I love the feeling of the home. I feel the deep history of it, but I don't feel like I am living in the dark ages."

Year over year, Troy sales are up 4 percent, from 131 homes to 136, according to data from the Greater Capital Region Association of Realtors. September saw a 24 percent drop year over year, 13 homes sold compared to 17 last year. In August, the number of closed sales rose year over year from 11 to 13.

Not all of Troy's neighborhoods are sharing equally in the boom, Realtors say, but the downtown area is thriving.

September is traditionally when sales slow down, as the school year begins and people settle in for the winter, said Laura Burns, CEO of the association.

"A lot of people who move after October, they are moving because of a job," she said.

Burns said Troy could follow a path similar to that of Hoboken, N.J. Long a declining city, she said it has rebounded and is now an attractive spot for young people.

"I am hoping that Troy does something similar," she said.

While Albany's river access is cut off by Interstate 787, Burns said, Troy's is much better.

"Anybody who has water should take advantage of it," she said.

The median price of a home in the city is $138,000, and sellers are getting 92 percent of the asking price. The average it takes a Troy house to sell is 84 days, slightly less than what Realtor.Com says is the national average of 90 days. Statewide, the average is 89 days.

"They are doing pretty well, and I am really watching Troy," Burns said.

tobrien@timesunion.com • 454-5092