NYC lover confronted with Orange County Move

[BlueLily]

There are a lot of choices in all areas for townhomes. There are some beautiful new townhomes called Brighton Green in the Town of Newburgh. Blooming Grove is an excellent commuter location. When checking out real estate, take note that BG is in both Washingtonville and Monroe school districts. Both are decent. Washingtonville has lower school taxes than Monroe. Capital Hill is a nice, older neighborhood. Watch out for flood zones in BG.

[thelazyone]

if your gonna be commutting in brooklyn. be prepared for a very long commute.

[Nestlequik]

I live in Riverdale now so my commute is 2 hours and 15 minutes to work one way. I'm totally used to a crazy commute. And eventually i would look for a more local position. As a social worker there are usually jobs available everywhere.

[BlueLily]

The commuter bus stops in front of the townhome neighborhoods of "Windsor Crest, Washington Green, and the newest ones; Patriot Ridge" all are located on Rte 32, east of Vails Gate, all in Newburgh School District.

[chrismarcmom]

My husband and I live in the Bronx, we have 2 kids( 4 & 7 yrs) we were looking to move to Middletown but, as of recent I'm hearing the schools are not good. we looked at Brighton Green in Newburgh (liked the close proximity to the school) but, we also liked Woodside Knolls we found it to offer more amenities with a lower price. Would like to hear from anyone who purchased in Woodside Knolls, is it any good? how are the schools? should I go by what I'm hearing regarding the schools?

[thelazyone]

Originally Posted by chrismarcmom

My husband and I live in the Bronx, we have 2 kids( 4 & 7 yrs) we were looking to move to Middletown but, as of recent I'm hearing the schools are not good. we looked at Brighton Green in Newburgh (liked the close proximity to the school) but, we also liked Woodside Knolls we found it to offer more amenities with a lower price. Would like to hear from anyone who purchased in Woodside Knolls, is it any good? how are the schools? should I go by what I'm hearing regarding the schools?

Depending on your finances some would say check out monroe, warrick, goshen area. Or you could come up north a bit and check out the valley central school district which borders the town of newburgh, village of walden, maybrook, montgomery and the town of montgomery. Property taxes aren't as high as those in the southern part of the county. BTW Middletown school district isn't as good as those of the area I mentioned. Also, with all the work going on 17, the commute can be a pain in the butt during the morning commute.

[Meglion]

I live in Florida, NY now - between Goshen and Warwick - and am actually about to put my home on the market because the commute is killing me. Practically speaking, from OC you have two choices: the NJ Transit train which runs very infrequently, or Coach Line buses from Monroe, Chester, or Middletown. One shortcoming to both these options is where they leave you off: the train goes either to Secaucus Junction where you can transfer to a train to Penn Station, or to Hoboken, where you can get the PATH that runs along 6th Ave. in the City up to 33rd Street. Buses go into Pt. Authority. No matter what, you are looking at an hour and a half commute into the city, and a 2+ hour commute into Brooklyn.

That said, it's perfectly beautiful up here 3 seasons a year. Winters I have found to be very long and isolating. Warwick is a funky, cool town with very progressive people but it's not easy to get to - 17A is very windy and not fun on a busy evening. Where I live the taxes are much lower and it has more of an agricultural feel, but the schools are still very good from what I understand. Goshen is adorable and has one of the best Farmer's Markets in the area. Good luck! Please write back if I can answer any more specific questions.