5 pros and 5 cons about Kingston, NY. Thinking about moving to the area Thanks! (Albany: renting, crime)

[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. There was a job oppurtunity in Benedectine Hospital in Kingston, NY. Can you folks up north share us your ins and outs from Kingston. We would really appreciate the honest opinion possible in regards to housing, buying, renting.... also considering of course the school system and crime rate. Please if possible, we can point out 5 good and 5 bad things people consider about Kingston, NY to make it fair. Thanks guys and God Bless!


p.s. we are also considering surrounding areas , 5-10 mile radius due to my on-call duties in the hospital. Thanks!

[Joe L]

Originally Posted by Leonsadc

Kingston, NY. Can you folks up north share us your ins and outs from Kingston. radius due to my on-call duties in the hospital. Thanks!

Steer clear of Kingston to many gangs, drugs not a safe place for Anglo kids let alone Asian kids.
The Kingson police are out numbered by the gangs, its getting like south central Los Angeles up there.

Whoever recomended this "job oppurtunity" in a war zone likley lives there or is crazy.
-Joe

[JustSayNo]

Oh come now. To work in Kingston it is not necessary to LIVE in Kingston. There are plenty of nice upstate-towns within 20-30 minutes of Kingston. I live an hour from Kingston and can assure you deer and wild-turkey in the road is far more dangerous than LA-like gangs around here. I know nothing about Kingston itself, but can promise areound Kingston is fine. Come take a look up here, spend a weekend with a realtor. We got about 2 feet of snow today, though, so we prepared with 4-wheel drive and a good attitude!

[Leonsadc]

thank you guys for your honest opinions about kingston. is it really that bad? (concerning gangs). hmmmm. no wonder prices of houses in kingston is that attractive. anyway, thanks folks and please don't hesitate to post more opinions.

Thanks!

p.s. How about Port ewen or red hook, rhinebeck.... etc....

[Yavel]

I would check out Saugerties. It's about eight miles from Kingston.

[KellyFG]

my aunt & uncle lived in Kingston for almost 30 years. They both own big businesses in Kingston. Their two kids always went to private school. Their adult son has gotten jumped & mugged on two seperate occasions. Last year they sold their family home & are trying to sell their businesses. Their son moved to Florida, daughter to Georgia. Neither kid said they could live there for another minute. My aunt & uncle bought a house in Florida but are currently living in their vacation home at Lake copake about an hour away from Kingston & commuting to work. They had a great life there, but in the last 5 years things have gotten so out of control they just had to get out.
I NEVER thought they would sell their home, they loved it & we all spent many holidays there over the years.
Honestly, I don't think its a good place to live right now.

you asked for postives though so here's what I remember most-
The historical district, senate house & stuff like that is nice to visit.
They have WAY better shopping then they did years ago.
Its very convenient to the thruway.

[D&T]

PROS:
Several retail stores in the area
Multiple restaurants to choose from
Currently two hospitals are located in Kingston NY - though the state commission has recommended that they merge
Beautiful area - not far from the Catskill Mtns - loaded with plenty of opportunities for outdoor sports/camping/tons of family fun!
Location - About 1 1/2 hr north of NYC, a few hrs from the ocean, close to mountains ~ who could ask for more?
Kingston does have some history behind it - at one point it was the capitol of NYS, before Albany became the state capitol. Uptown Kingston is very historic...

CONS:
The Broadway area of Kingston is rough - and that is the general area where both hospitals are located. Benedictine is located a block or two from Broadway (I'm pretty sure) - while Kingston Hospital is right on Broadway.
I, personally, would not send my children to the Kingston City Schools. Like mentioned before, there is gang activity (just how much, I'm not sure) and I'm just not comfortable with it.
Like with most cities, there is more crime than surrounding areas. I'm more into country living.
Not sure of exact tax rate, but living w/in city limits = higher taxes

In regards to the other areas you mentioned, I believe Port Ewen would still be part of Kingston City School District. Red Hook and Rhinebeck are very nice neighborhoods - and more $$$. When looking for a home to purchase, watch how much your taxes add up to be. Both Red Hook and Rhinebeck are on the East Side of the Hudson River - where your job is on the West Side. You could check into Saugerties, or, if you are willing to travel a bit further, Palenville is a nice, small hamlet just over the Ulster/Greene county line.

[Leonsadc]

Seems like what you guys are saying is the same as what i see in the web-stats. anyway, please do not stop on giving your honest opinions. Good day and God Bless your families!

[ushighlanders]

Benedictine Hospital is very good, I hear. I visited someone there recently and everyone working there seemed really nice. Unfortunately, Kingston is not where you will want to live. "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." Lots of history, but it's still a city. My step-son and his family live in Kingston and they are trying to sell their house to move further upstate. It's a small, older house, but it's only 5 minutes from the hospital. I am not sure what school district they are in. If you are interested, contact me privately and I will get you in touch with him. Port Ewen is good. I hear the schools are okay too. It can be very artsy in some places like New Paltz. Many people from all over the world go to the State University of New Paltz there. We have a lot of colleges in this area: Vassar, Marist, Bard, DCCC, UCCC, Mount Saint Mary. Rhinebeck and Red Hook are considered upscale towns. Try looking for a place in a radius acceptable to you outside of the hospital, because many towns might be too far for you to be on-call. If you are on-call and need to get to the hospital quickly, I would suggest the south-east side of the city near the hospital. My husband says that the western part of the city is bad, but he says that Kingston is like every other city, good parts and small bad parts. We live about 30-40 minutes south of Kingston, depending on the traffic on 9W. I like living here, but my husband and I want to move where it's warmer soon. It is a SMALL town. The schools are really good! We have no crime to really mention. Except for the cities (Poughkeepsie, Kingston, and Newburgh), the area is mostly European-American. I agree with D&T about watching where you move because of taxes. The property/school tax base is spread pretty evenly and most of this area is high. My parents live in Southampton on Long Island in a house/property the same size as mine here and they pay LESS in taxes. The school districts here are having a tough time passing their increasing budgets. I would contact a realtor and ask about the school districts on the outskirts of Kingston. I student taught at E.R. Crosby in Lake Katrine and that was a small school with no apparent problems. I liked working there. I think any place outside the cities would be good. It takes about 5 minutes to get "outside" the cities. They're very small.
I have driven through/around Maryland and you would probably like it here if you like it there, very similar geography, I think.
Good Luck!

[tommylori2001]

Leo,I think the description of kingston being as bad as south central LA or being a gang ridden war zone is very extreme and very funny!! Maybe Joe has been fortunate enough to never live in a really bad neighborhood! Kingston in a whole is not bad there are very few bad areas most of it is very nice Lake Katrine the town of Ulster are kingston school district and are all nice! It's a VERY small city I don't even consider it a city. Saugerties is a very nice town excellent schools, If your child is only 3 every elementary school ( In kingston) is very good except one or two The High school is good also unfortunately its in a crappy location and that scares alot of people ....If you have a good job oppurtunity trust me I'm a mother of six who is concerned about safety the kingston area is NOT a gang infested war zone. It has its bad neighborhood just like everywhere else Alot of people upstate live in secluded areas and think anywhere else is dangerous