is Buchanan westchester ny a nice place to live (New York: for sale, house)

[mark 12345]

I found a nice house for sale in Buchanan, westchester. Unfortunately do not know much about the village, the commute from the city, or the schools. Is the village on the up or down. Terrified to move my family without having all the relevant information. need help. Thanks

[Dave the H.]

I live not far away, in Peekskill, but have not lived in the area that long. So take my impressions with the proverbial grain...

That part of the county, west of Route 9, including the villages of Buchanan, Montrose, and Verplanck, does not feel at all like the rest of Westchester. When my wife and I go up there, which we have for restaurants (love Portobello) and parks (like Oscawana Park) and food shopping (love Cole's Market), it feels like two things:

1) We've gone back in time, somewhere to the 1970s or 1980s

2) And we're in upstate New York, much further upstate than we actually are

Now, these two gut impressions are not bad impressions -- we like the feel of upstate and time travel -- but like any impression, they are subjective and partial.

The commute is not bad; depending where in Buchanan, you're relatively close to either the Peekskill or the Cortlandt train stations; about an hour from either to Grand Central.

Otherwise, I'm curious to read what others on this message board say about the area, especially others who actually live there.

[karen824]

I lived in Peekskill for almost 7 years, but didn't spend much time in Buchanan--still, I can echo what the previous poster wrote; it does feel very different from lower Westchester.
Someone should probably mention that the Indian Point nuclear power plant is located in Buchanan. This may or may not be an issue for you. I never felt nervous living so near it in Peekskill, but others might find being in such close proximity unacceptable.

[pattylg]

people in buchanan are so down to earth, and like the previous posts. great location with that upstate feel to it. Just check the cancer rates of the population, and you can call Indian point daily to check on the radioactive releases from Indian Point to be sure you're okay with that. go to riverkeepers.org for the negative aspect of living in the back yard of the oldest nuclear power plant in the nation, or go to safesecurevital.org for the positive side of nuclear power. Careful what you say in that area, lots of employees live right there too, and it's a hot emotional subject for many. Good luck on finding a place to call home!!

[rfayhallock]

I was born in Buchanan. I graduated from HHHS in 1952. In 1961, I left Buchanan to attend college in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

When I left there was plenty of work. IBM in Yorktown, Poughkepsie, and Kingston; General Motors in Tarrytown, Standard Coated in Buchanan and Fleishmans in Peekskill. There was local work for everyone. NOT Now

In 2004 my wife and I drove through Peekskill, Montrose and Verplanks. I thought that Buchanan and Verplanks looked great. Your right. They belong in northern NY.

Bob Fay
Dewey, Az