Middletown-advice Needed Please

[Bellmes]

Originally Posted by Gatita

hi
i know the posts in this topic are old but i have a similar situation so i decided to write here too. We are about to close on a house in middletown. we are from the city and my husband is a nypd officer so he will commute to work every day....now that i've read about all you guys have to say i'm pretty worry about where i'm going to live....we were searching around for a while but didn't find much in our price range that we liked, we searched in warwick but i didn't like that it was so quiet and than we found the house in middletown and we said this or no other......i agree that some areas are little shady and the town looks a little old but i also see that some areas are beeing renowated.we have a toddler so i'm not worry about the schools yet, but i'm worry about people in the town. as far as i read people got a lot of concerns about hispanics moving in the town...i wonder why??..i am white but my husband is hispanic.....with those opinion i'm more worry about the "hi class" white people lhaving problem with my husband or my son than about those homeless people or the bad teenagers on the streets...in my mind if a hispanic person or any other race is comming from a bad neighbourhood to live upstate just mean that they want to change their life for the better and they have to start somewhere....to me it matter more what you have in your head than what skin color you are, so maybe everybody should look at themself and make sure they are doing good. hope i won't be dissapointed when i move up there...i'm a city girl so i don't think a lot of things can suprise me anyway.....

Hi Gatita,

If you dont mind me asking where exactly are you moving? I have to say that I agree with you 100% plus! We were in a very similar situation. We built a house in a new devlopement behind another community called Presidential Heights. I have to say that the area is a very lovely area and I cannot complain. Yes-there are some really shady areas that I have discovered. Having come from the city myself-we came up from the bronx which as you know can be quite shady depending on where you are. I went thru the same feelings as you. We were building our house and I would read these posts which really kind of scared me and had me having 2nd thoughts. But at the point where we were with our house -there was no turning bk. I would have taken a huge loss and been penialized had I backed out of the contract. We moved in 2 weeks ago and I really cant complain. Yes-if you drive thru those creepy areas you might some homeless or teenagers around. But us-coming from a place where this is everyday norm to see homeless ,teens running making noise till all hours ,gun shots going off while your sleeping,police up and down your street... I find it alot different than where I was. You just have to be aware of your surroundings. So far Im pleased. Its a lot different than the city. But Im adjusting. I commute everyday to midtown for work so its a big change. We have 2 children one in elemenatary and my little one is enrolled in the New Beginnings Montessori school which so far she loves!

[2leftfeet]

If you are considering a move to Middletown check things out for yourself, do not believe 3/4 of what you are reading here. The poster above is correct, the presidential heights area is beautiful, check google maps specifically satelite pics and see for yourself, to help you out enter: Eisenhower Dr, Truman Ct, Oakridge Rd, Davidge Rd.

Watts park is in this area & that is where little league games are played

Other quiet areas, are Highland Ave, Jimal Dr, Beers Dr, Mt. Hope Rd, Whipple rd, Daly Rd, Old Timers Rd, VanBurenville Rd, California Ave. Ext, Camp Stadie Rd, Pocatello Rd. Canterbury Knolls, The Meadows

The high school was recently remodeled, and looks great. They are building a new football stadium & track. There are middletown police officers assigned to almost every school, but it is a crime prevention measure, it isn't because the students are criminals. (Although some of the posters here recommend Monroe Woodbury, they have more riots, fights & lockdowns than any other school in Orange County, and First Student bussing in Valley Central is horrible, my neices & nephews go to school there and they don't get home until almost 5 on a regular school day)

Your children can get a good education in Middletown-if they want it. If you live more than a mile from school, the bussing is excellent. The high school has late busses that run as late as 545, and the elementary after school programs also have late bussing (as far as elementary after school programs are concerned, they won't let your kids off the bus, unless an adult is there to meet them).

The downtown area isnt pretty, but I have lived here all my life, and have never been nor have I ever felt threatened. The majority of the downtown area is populated with mexicans, but mexicans are a peaceful people.

The areas you have to be wary of is North St, Linden Ave & Amchir Village (specifically Walnut Drive & Dogwood Dr) most of the people who live there moved from nyc, and the crime came with them.

The shopping is unlimited and you wont be disappointed. Davidge park is beautiful in the summer, there is a huge playground, lake & a softball field. Maple Hill park is also nice & both areas are clean & safe.

The post office, thrall library, dept of motor vehicles, city hall, police dept etc are all within a stones throw of each other. There are plenty of churches for all denominations.

The cities services are good, trash pickup & recycleable items are picked up on a regular schedule. They could do a better job plowing in the winter

The train station, park & ride is nearby- Shortline is in Middletown but you couldnt pay me to ride one of those . If you travel Stewart Airport is 20 minutes away-easy to get to, and the service there is excellent.

The Middletown Police Dept & Fire Dept are very reliable-anyone who has a problem with the police are usually criminals anyway. The majority of the crimes commited here arent even newsworthy

Really the only problem I have is the water is sometimes brown, I should say was, because it seems that issue was resolved but they are building a new water treatment plant.

[dtp1988]

middletown schools are actually not that bad except for maybe high school north but high school south on the other hand is great so if you make a move to middletown i would move away from the north middletown area a bit

[Eartha Dickerson]

I have lived in Middletown for almost 2 years. I moved here from Brooklyn. I bought a townhouse near California Ave. and love it. My son and niece just started High School and love it too. It is a beautiful school with so much to offer as long as your kids want to be involved. Monhagen Middle School was also great last year. I still commute to work in Queens (only 3 days/wk)- definitely couldn't do 5 days. I take Shortline Bus and it is actually pretty clean, decent, timely and cheap (if you're buying a package). It also gets to the city quicker than the train. Downtown does look pretty grimy, but the people out on the street don't bother you, they're into their own thing. Personally, I think that that a renovation of the bus terminal on Railroad Ave. would do great things for this town. Every park and ride on the way up is clean and renovated, then you get to Middletown and looks run down and abandoned. Whoever is responsible for this terminal (I think it is Orange County) really should invest some money here. It is also unsafe. The buses pull up on the sidewalk which keeps it full of pot holes. When you get off the bus you can easily fall and hurt yourself. The parking lot in the back is very dark. If anyone knows who I can contact regarding this eyesore, please let me know @ earthadickerson@yahoo.com

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-y...#ixzz0R6yFt4Mr

[lindag12]

we have lived in middletown for over 15 years and have been very happy here. we live near the high school and have never had a problem of any kind.middletown is a small city with everything you need great shopping ,good schools and easy access to any type of transportation. like any other city we are not perfect but we are still a great place to live, so come and look for yourself and see all that we have to offer.