Ossining (Sparta: townhomes, schools, closing)

[SpecialEducator]

I've heard mixed reviews about Ossining. Some people have said that because of the prison there are some really sketchy areas. Can anyone give me advice about where to look if I'm interested in looking at houses/townhomes in Ossining?

[MomOfToo]

I would look in the area closer to Briarcliff. Stay away from the actual town (Main St)My sister lives in Ossining and it is really nice and residential in that area. I also heard that they will be closing the prison but don't quote me on that.

[mfenimore]

there are definitely some sketchy areas but also some really nice townhomes if you look further away from the river closer to 9A. The closer to Briarcliff usually means nicer area. Schools are not very good though, not sure if thats important to you or not

[MomOfToo]

The schools are good its just that the high immigration brings the scores down. They do offer alot for the children. My sisters children love the schools.

[dma1250]

I've heard good things about Ossining schools too. I totally agree with MomofToo that the relatively low test scores are due to the large population of second language learners. When we were looking I spoke to a lot of educators in the area and the general consensus was that Ossining schools were quite good. And many parents want their kids to go to racially and socio-econimically diverse schools, which is definitely the case in Ossining.

There are gorgeous old houses throughout Ossining. The "nicest" area in my opinion is the Sparta historic district, which has a lot of really great homes from the 1700's and 1800's. Those can be a bit pricey, of course, so that depends on your price range.

[dma1250]

Just to clarify--my comments above on areas were about Ossining Village only. The Town of Ossining is huge and includes many lovely areas, such as parts of Teatown, which I personally prefer to the village. But I assumed the poster meant the village...

[AnNYYankee]

Ossining has many nice areas; generally the ones that are down by Sing Sing or in that general area are the rough ones. And anyway, you don't want to live in a house where your lights dim once a week (that's a very old joke, Lord forgive me...).

Drive southbound on route 9 and use that as a dividing line. The areas to your left are generally better than the ones to the right. There are areas out by route 9A that are gorgeous.

This being said I dig all of Ossining. It has great character. I went to a barbecue one night at a friend's house who lived across from the prison gate. We heard them calling the guys in from the yard over the loud speaker.

There are great cafes, restaurants, places to hang out, a great library and a metro north stop to get you into Manhattan. And don't forget to visit the Ossining Museum.

I can't help with the school system, I don't know much about except that its got diversity which is good for kids.