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.... I have NEVER EVER heard anyone say anthing spectacular about Yorktown Schools....wonder why??
Why? Probably because you don't know anyone who has been involved with the schools in the last 10 years. I have heard many people say great things about the schools because I know people who are involved in them and whose kids go to them (including my own, of course). I've also heard people say negative things about them, as I have about Chappaqua, Katonah-lewisboro, Briarcliff, and others. Come to think of it, I've never ever heard anyone say anything great about those schools. But I wouldn't give that much weight since I only know a handful of people whose kids go to them or who work there.
I was born and raised in Mahopac but the only I can share is the memories because I went back to visit in 2011 and it's not the place I grew up in. Mahopac Farm has been closed down, Marcus Dairy in Danbury is gone. My uncle used to take me there on Sundays for breakfast and we would watch all the motorcycles show up. The Jefferson Valley Mall I can remember being built and when I returned for an Army game in 2012 I stopped by there and it's soul is gone. It wasn't like it was back in the 80's when that place was packed on a Saturday. Of course the Danbury Mall isn't far so you at least got that.
If I had to live back in New York today I would probably live in Carmel or Patterson. Patterson has grown over the years and really is a quaint little town. It's also right off 84 so if you wanted to spend a weekend in Pa or Ct it's basically right there. Take the kids to Hershey Park or Christmas Shop at Danbury Mall. Patterson is where I would go.
Westchester stop picking on blue-collar towns. Listen, Virginia Tech, Agriculture, requires a 4year degree, and is a blue-collar job. Registered Nursing, requires 4 year degree, and is a blue-collar job. Northwood University, 4 year degree, automotive technology and dealer management, blue-collar job.
I've also heard people say negative things about them, as I have about Chappaqua, Katonah-lewisboro, Briarcliff, and others. Come to think of it, I've never ever heard anyone say anything great about those schools.
Now you are just being silly. Lets face it, people settle for Yorktown because they can't afford the other areas we are talking about. By Westchester standards Yorktown is middle class. Nothing wrong with that, just accept it for what it is. I personally like the area and if I did not have the means to send my kids to better school districts would be happy there.
Now you are just being silly. Lets face it, people settle for Yorktown because they can't afford the other areas we are talking about. By Westchester standards Yorktown is middle class. Nothing wrong with that, just accept it for what it is. I personally like the area and if I did not have the means to send my kids to better school districts would be happy there.
You're making broad generalizations about a large and diverse area, which is frankly absurd. While I imagine that price is a major deciding factor for people in the lower end of the market in Yorktown Heights, it certainly is not for those in the higher end of the market. When we looked, we found plenty of houses that we loved in Chappaqua and Bedford but we rejected them both because of the schools. My favorite house was in Katonah, but we didn't like the cultural feel of the area. In YH we were able to get more land for the same cost, but price wasn't the deciding factor. As I said in an earlier post, lots of people I know who've moved to YH in the last few years paid enough for their homes to have afforded a great house in Bedford or Chappaqua or Katonah, but they chose Yorktown Heights for the schools, location, and lifestyle.
In YH we were able to get more land for the same cost, but price wasn't the deciding factor.
but they chose Yorktown Heights for the schools, location, and lifestyle.
No, they chose Yorktown for the same reason you did, feeling like they're getting more for their money.
And the schools are "good enough".
No, they chose Yorktown for the same reason you did, feeling like they're getting more for their money.
And the schools are "good enough".
I just love these posters who seem to think that they know all about people they don't know and towns that they appear to have no real knowledge of.
If you've read my posts you'll know that I'm a former educator who works in the educational solutions field (what used to be called educational publishing). Not to toot my own horn, but I've got a pretty deep knowledge of educational pedagogy and I know how schools operate. Picking an excellent school district was my number one criteria in selecting a town. Since I know enough to not put much weight in test scores and SAT scores I focused on other criteria and school visits. I also had the benefit of being able to call a lot of sales and marketing reps who had intimate knowledge of how the local districts operate and function. Finding a district that was "good enough" most emphatically didn't cut it for me.
As for getting more for my money, as I said in a previous post, my favorite house of all the ones we saw (and we saw over a hundred!), was in Katonah. On a "house for the buck basis," that one was the winner. We did get more acreage in YH, but I would have selected the Katonah place if I had wanted to live in that area.
Cortlandt Manor..just south of 202. Great New Housing, Safe, Excellent schools (Lakeland - Lincoln Titus Elem., Cooper Beach Middle, Walter Panas High), Beautiful area. ...and NO snobbery!! Taxes are still on high end but that's Westchester!!
Dma1250, I suppose you are more knowledgeable than everyone else. I guess we are not sophisticated enough to realize the Yorktown is the place to be. Afterall, Yorktown is always ranked as one of the best places to live in Westchester, isn't it??
Answer: NO NEVER...unless you count your Yorktown school board meetings...lol
To the OP, if I was moving to the county from elsewhere, Yorktown/Mahopac are probably good choices. Some of the other districts are over the top and everyone wants to send their kids to the Ivys. I know Mahopac and imagine Yorktown are a little more down to earth. Kids have enough stress these days. I don't want to badmouth these fine areas of NYS.
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