5 pros and 5 cons about Kingston, NY. Thinking about moving to the area Thanks! (New York: transplants, real estate)

[jeffsuzuki]

Originally Posted by Leonsadc

We are an asian family with a 3yr old daughter and another child coming up this May, we are currently living here in Maryland....

A few quick words on the ethnicity issue (which others seem to have missed...). You don't say where in Maryland and, of course, there's a big difference between Eastern Shore and Baltimore...

Our experience: we moved to Kingston from Boston; if you've ever lived in or near a major city, talk about the crime rate in Kingston strikes you as laughable. (But there are parts of Poughkeepsie that are scary, even for someone who's lived in a major metropolis)

It's has been quite a culture shock; my wife often jokes that I am the ethnic diversity of the town...We've never had any real problems except for the impossibility of finding good food: there's a lot of really bad Chinese food (and one good place); tourist Japanese (and one reasonably good place); no Vietnamese; no Korean (oddly enough, since both Japanese restaurants are owned by Koreans); no Thai worthy of the name. The only Asian market in town is open "when the owner feels like it," and the closest real Asian grocery store is in Albany (an hour north).

All in all...if we had the opportunity to move to the City, we'd take it. But we would not move from Kingston to any of the surrounding towns (too rural). If you do end up in the area, let us know (we have 3 year old twins, one boy and one girl).

Jeffs

[RosaGneco]

Hi there, I don't live in Kingston but have visited numerous times b/c of it's proximity to me (approx 40 min north) and some friends who live there.

In my experience I've noticed bad areas as well as nice areas. I'm originally from NYC and, in my opinion, there is no area in Kingston that is nearly as bad as any rough area in the NYC. I walked the streets of Kingston (on Broadway which is considered a bad area) and felt safe. In a nutshell, it has bad areas but they are not so bad relative to other areas.

I have also visited nice areas in Kingston.

Unfortunetly, I can't tell you much because I haven't spent much time there.

[kwxj61b]

Hi!
I'm planning to buy a house around west of Washington Ave between Linderman Ave and Elizabeth St. Is this place downtown or midtown of kingston? Is it a safe place to live? I have read on this forum concerning the crime level in kingston, especially broadway but everytime I go there, it seems to be a quiet and peaceful neighborhood. How is the crime level for this year in Kingston?

kwxj61b

[kwxj61b]

I forgot to mention. I saw the statistic in Kingston and I saw a whopping 41 registered sex offenders. That's a lot. Is the Ulster county shoving the sex offenders into Kingston or what?

[blazingcontent]

I moved to Kingston a year and a half ago and am happy as a clam. I live Uptown and find the people friendly and open. Yes there is crime Mid-Town as there is in most New York towns. This is not a yuppie town. Business Week rated it one of the ten up and coming cities in America for artists. So that's why I feel comfortable. There is a real live and let live attitude. I feel safe and fine. I moved here from NYC and love it.

There is crime, however, but the police say it is going down. Call them and ask their opinion of the neighborhood where you are thinking of moving.

But I don't have children so don't know about the schools.

[blazingcontent]

Someone posted how poor the Chinese food is in Kingston. THAT much is true. There is a Thai place out by the Mall that is good. We really need a great Vietnamese Pho place Uptown. I think it would do great.

[Chez.Brown]

OK listen up. I know Kingston through and through and I want to agree with about 50% of the things said thus far about the city.

Crime seems to be the biggest concern, so lets start there, and with the facts. Kingston is only about 10 square miles, with about 24,000 people. This makes for a very small city. So relate the crime to the national average, as someone else said, but also relate it to the size. This place is not a "war zone" and I will tell you right now which places to avoid:

Downtown:
- Springbrook Village (formerly Broadway East) Low income apartment complex, largely comprising of welfare and drug dealers.
- Rondout Gardens same as Springbrook Village
- The Ponchockie area of downtown.
- Delaware Ave
- Hudson St

Midtown:
- Henry St (a 16 y/o was chased from the HS and shot and killed here, over a girl that the two boys were fighting over.)
- Franklin St
- Cedar St
- Liberty St
- Van Buren St
- Van Deusen St
- Furnace St
- Prospect St
- Elmendorf St, Downs St, Oneil St, Cornell St between Broadway and I would say Tremper Ave
- and Broadway in Midtown from Cedar St to Albany Ave, but use common sense. The place is safe even at night if you mind your own business.

Uptown:
- Elizabeth St (houses Elizabeth Manor, home to riffraff)
- Greenkill Ave
- Green St (from North Front to Pearl St)
- Wall St, Fair St, and Clinton Ave, where they intersect with Midtown Streets

That may seem like a lot, but look at a map of Kingston. There are still many, many parts of the City that are beautiful and wonderful to live in- Check this out!

Downtown:
- Hudson Valley Landing
- Lower Broadway (the Rondout)
- Hone St, Wurts St, Spring St
- Presidents Ln, East & West Chestnut Streets (some of the most gorgeous houses you will ever see, complete with a gorgeous view at the end of W Chestnut)
- Livingston St, Levan St, Brewster St, Andrew St, Hoffman St, W O'Reilly, Mary's Ave and other dead ends off Mary's
- Colonial Village Apartment Complex
- Crane St, Chapel St, Dunn St, Wilbur Ave (rt 213)

Midtown:
- Bruyn Ave, Wyltwick Gardens, Tremper Ave, Smith Ave, Progress St, Ten Broeck Ave, N and S Manor Ave's, and of course Albany Ave (stunning homes), Roosevelt Ave, Madison Ave, Lipton/Amsterdam St, Harding, Kiersted, Plainfield, Charlotte, York, Savoy
- Emerick, Stephan/Sylvester, Derrenbacher, Schufeldt, Foxhall, Abbey, Stanley, Wynkoop, Farrelly, Florence (beautiful), Cassidy, Tubby, East Chester, Van Gaasback, Wood, Hemlock, Hasbrouck Ave, Grant, Meade, Hayes

Uptown:
-St. James, Maiden Ln, N. Front St, Fair & Wall off N Front, John St, Crown St, Len Ct, Lindeman Ave (where I live), Pearl St, Main St.
Now, once you go past Washington Ave... you will encounter some of the nicest homes and neighborhoods in Kingston.
- Pearl St, Janet St, Main St, Johnston Ave, Emerson St, Sharon St, Mountainview, Lounsbury, Burgevin, Rockwell, Linderman, Fairmont, Grandview, Noone Ln, Valentine, Wilkie, Holiday, Hillside, Arnold, Lynette, Norma, Millers, Lucas, Boulder, Merritt, Merilina, Catskill, Golf, Voorhees, etc etc etc.
- Fairview Gardens & Fairmont Estates

Whew!! Now compare the two lists, and you will see which areas outweigh each other.

Now, what's IN Kingston? All Within 10 Miles:
- About 50 or more good places to eat, no lie!
--American, Italian, Indian, Afgan, Mexican, Chinese, Carribean, Japanese, Greek, Southern
- Like 10 parks, Hasbrouck Park even has caves you can explore.
- The Kingston Point Beach (Hudson River) with a playground and "Pretty Park:" trails, waterfront, lighthouse walk to, pavillions, bbq)
- Forsythe Park has a nice big wooden playground, a small zoo, and is right next to Dietz Stadium, with a track, basketball and tennis courts, soccer field, and public pool.
- Best Buy, Macys, JCPenny, Sears, Barnes & Noble, Modell's, Marshalls, Homegoods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Victorias Secret, Hot Topic, Pacific Sunwear, FYI, Sports Authority, Dicks, Sleepy's, 2 Chinese Buffets, Little Gym, Panera Bread, Starbucks, Subway, McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, Friendlys, Applebees, 99 Restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, GameStop, Walmart, Shoprite, 2 Hannaford, Mother Earth & Natures Pavillion (All Natural/Organic), Aldi, Adam's, about 20 gas stations, DSW, YMCA, Planet Fitness, MAC Fitness, The BEST Pizza Anywhere (Savona's Plaza, Angela's, Luigi's, Lorenzo's), Autozone, 2 Advance Auto Parts, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Just a Buck, Benjamin Franklins, Home Depot, Lowes, Rent A Center, Aarons, Zumiez, Famous Footwear, A Dialysis Center, Burlington Coat Factory, Staples, Office Depot, H&R Block, PetSmart, Gander Mountain, Kohls, Michaels, Ruby Tuesday, Taco Bell, CVS, Zales, Lane Bryant, Gertrude Hawk, Hallmark, Radio Shack, Walgreens, Eckerds, and dozens of unique locally owned and operated stores and boutiques.
- AT&T, Sprint, T Mobile, Verizon
- Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, Budget 19, Super 8, Hampton Inn, Courtyard Mariott, Skytop Motel
- Night Life: Marinars, Ship 2 Shore, Rositas, Snappers, Basement, JJs, Arties, Grand Slam, Flow Lounge, Chics Sports Bar, Buffalo Wild Wings, Rolling Rock....
- And if your a boater: Rondout Yacht Basin, Robertis Marinas, and a couple other marinas to dock at.

Most of the time, you can walk around and say hi and talk to the people you meet. There is a big sense of community here. There's a few festivals that happen every year. It's really a nice city. It's the best of both worlds really, you get the small town charm with city and rural life. It's up to you. You really just have to come here to experience it.

[DH5429]

You can buy a great house in Kingston for a reasonable price. The school offers more diversity for your kids. The city is very manageable and safe! We have lived here for 5 years. The waterfront area is very nice, downtown (waterfront area) and uptown Kingston have gorgeous houses, and it is a lot more affordable than Rhinebeck or Woodstock. Stay away from mid-town and Broadway area. The housing around Benedictine is modest.

The school is diverse and good. They have advance programs for bright kids.

Don't listen to the fear mongers. They don't live here.

[ghk3]

What about Clifton Ave is this a safe area?

[littlejeanz]

moving to colonial village apartments.. how is it. i am a single female moving from far away for a job opp.