Wappinger Falls, Poughkeepsie New York Move

[NewYorkDave]

And that just reinforces my point: if you're the condescending sort who uses words like "hicks" and judges people based on the trendiness of their wardrobes, then you're better off elsewhere.

If you want to judge and be judged on factors like income, clothing, what sort of car you drive, etc. then yes, Westchester or Rockland are perfect for you.

My family are "city people" going back several generations and we've gotten along just fine up here. But we're normal working people, not snooty yuppies. I will admit that a city kid would find a place like Wappingers or Hyde Park rather boring, which is why I said Poughkeepsie might be worth a look despite its bad reputation.

This area is racially diverse contrary to what the previous poster says. Sure, some areas are more "white" than others, but this ain't Vermont. After all, we are technically within the "Greater NY Metro area."

[hopewelljunctiongirl]

Lynn -- I grew up in Hopewell Junction (am 30 now), and my experience was really positive. I went to Catholic school until 8th grade, so I can't speak to the elementary and junior high schools (although my little brother had a good experience at Wappingers), but I went to John Jay High School, and it was fantastic. I was a "weird" kid--gay, into alternative music, etc.--and I found my group (the drama club!). I also took 7 AP classes and graduated at the top of my class. I now have a Master's Degree from Columbia, and I think John Jay's academic preparation was fantastic. I also appreciated being in a racially and socioeconomically diverse environment, which John Jay in the early 1990s definitely was.

My brothers were into sports and mainstream stuff, and they seemed to have a good experience, too. My friends and I found plenty to do without drinking and partying. I think growing up in an isolated space turns out some pretty creative kids--you have to make your own fun. (Just make sure you know what they're up to!) When we got our driver's licenses we would go up to Vassar and hang out in coffeehouses, or up to Woodstock or New Paltz to record stores, etc. I also met some kids from Red Hook (waaaay up at the top of Dutchess County) at a summer program in high school and would go visit them.

The proximity to New York was great--especially since you'll be able to take your kids there and show them around. From where I lived, lots of my friends' parents commuted to the city from the Cold Spring or New Hamburg. I did that one summer in college, living at home and interning in midtown.

Anyway, I haven't lived in Hopewell since I was 18, but my parents still do, and I love to visit.

Hope that helps.

[metropolistraffic]

Oh yeah. Get used to, trees.

Sorry, I had to think about that word for a minute, I am so not used to seeing them.

but, seriously. It's all trees and dead grass. .. and hicks.
the kids idolize john deer. D: or whatever his name is.

[Torn2pieces]

Oh My - I don't think some really know what a "hick" is...

I don't live in NY anymore ( I sure do miss it) And have lived in the towns, mentioned in this thread...

[nannyof6]

Originally Posted by Lynn Tucker

Need some feedback. I am considering to move with my children from New York City to Wappinger Falls/Poughkeepsie. I need to be near Metro North I will be commuting from New York City for about the next five years due to my business.


I may want to rent first but homes are selling at good prices so we may buy if we find one.looking to buy a small modest home.
I am looking for a place where the people are friendly and the place is safe. My kids are active and we want to be part of the community. They like sports, maybe near a lake.

We are very social family and outgoing. Give me some suggestions of some areas where community and friendly is important and if you are a part time transplated New Yorker you will be welcomed. I really appreciated it.

My daughter and son in law live in Wappingers Falls for 15yrs. Have 3 girls, 14, 12 and 9. They love the schools, the activities available and the people.

[am87288]

Originally Posted by nannyof6

My daughter and son in law live in Wappingers Falls for 15yrs. Have 3 girls, 14, 12 and 9. They love the schools, the activities available and the people.

What high school and middle school do they go to? Do they mention any problems with overcrowding, fights, etc.?

[Existtoexit]

Just remember, there are hicks (there are trailer parks), and, absolutely nothing to do.

From the start, don't look to rent. Straight up buy a home.
And, Stay away from Poughkeepsie (both, town and city) and Hyde Park should definitely be crossed off your list.
Hyde Park is infested with drugs and is absolutely disgusting. There are hicks everywhere.
Poughkeepsie is the ghetto. It, too, is disgusting.
I'd stay away from those and anything above it.

Hopewell Junction, as previously mentioned, was/is one the best places to live in the country, or so they calculated.
And, again, as previously mentioned, it is of upscale families, and definitely the desperate housewive feel.
Women's night out, barbecues, annual ski trips to mass, block parties, gossiping, having to impress everyone.
(Just remember, one wrong turn, and they'll make your life a living hell).

Also, School can get pretty rough for your kids if you live in the hopewell / east fishkill area.
Wappingers Schools are very social-class diverse, hence, your kids will get hated for simply your address.
And, god forbid they have an "upper class" attitude, it's an instant label of hatred and "*****".
(Which will make them lose friends very quickly, and it'd be hard to make them).
Oh, And, Sports are everything. If you're not on a sports team, you're a loser. Simply put.

Also, Hopewell is linked to the John Jay High School. Which, to their rival (and also in the wappingers district), Ketcham.
John Jay is the "richer" school, where as Ketcham is falling apart and full of working class people.

Either get Arlington Schools, or get the Wappingers sequence of Gayhead, Van Wyck, and John Jay.

If Hopewell doesn't appeal to you, i'd probably suggest the Wappingers Area.
Where live is slower, less drama filled, and, the rural feel.

I say reevaluate and check out parts of Westchester.[/quote]


Are you kidding me? I think you are exergerating people in dutchess ,People in dutchess are far friendlier than westchester . When a soo called hick talks about hunting you probably gave them the whole hunting is wrong deal , Mean while you probably go too outback steak house and have the largest steak while farmers and slaughter houses do your dirty work . I have seen it a million times , Most people from westchester and the city do not accept the country way of life and are arrogant and stupid about it , They don't understand that we have different ideas of entertainment . You have many old time families in dutchess , Many of them are very kind and helpiful they have morals and manors and have decency and will actually talk too you . Westchester has the attitude of this is mine get out of my way or i need something from you soo i will talk too you than try and run you down with my bmw . In westchester you do not get what you pay for!As crappy as many areas are in orange county they are very friendly and helpiful too the nicest people around the tri state area close too nyc i have actually found too be in orange county Why should you pay 4 times more for a house in westchester vs dutchess? Why should you pay 3 times more taxes in westchester? When you can own property gallore in dutchess and have a larger house for a fraction of the price .

Here is my exergeration of nyc - just like yours of dutchess
- Everyone is etheir homeless or a millionare . No one speaks english . You pay 4 thousand dollars a month for rents in an apartment the size of a shoe box that is infested with **** roaches where drunk fights and knife and gun fights happen out side your door step leaving blood on your apartments keeping you up . Everyone is a gangster , Most of the neighborhoods you walk through you have too fear for your life . You have too pay 16 dollars for a burger in a resturant that is the size of quarter for a burger that should cost 6 dollars . You pay 10 bucks for a pack of ciggerettes . The garbage is piled feet high and rats own new york city running around biting people . Eversyone No one talks too anyone , The only time some one talks too you is usually when they are challenging you too a fight or saying give me all your money . IF you try too talk too some one most likely they will not understand what you said because english is there second language. You can not sleep because this city never sleeps , with gun shots and beat boxes of cars on full blast every waking moment passing your apartment . Everyone is etheir like donald trump or 50 cent . You can not breathe because the air is aweful , IF you smell anything you will most likely vomit . And you will most likely end up with cancer because of the high amounts of polutants in nyc .If you see a tree most likely it has brown leaves and dog business littered around it with a homeless person who heckles you for money and if you do not give it too him he will threaten you .

- Now i would agree down town poughkeepsie is terrible . Beacon And Down town Wapingers are soo soo too . But that does not mean all of dutchess is bad . But you can not even compare any area in dutchess too the slums in nyc .

[Existtoexit]

Dutchess is a middle class american area , Dutchess is what most of america is like . Dutchess county is what almost every town in america is like .West chester and manhatten are only an extreme minority maybe 1 percent of america is like westchester and manhatten .in these areas made up Of upper middle class and upper class people . It is not that dutchess is poor or lower class . It is that westchester is in the top 5 richest counties in america . Get your heads striaght people .
The thing with hicks is Dutchess has way less hicks than alot of other places in the country . Besides a few cities in america such as Boston , New york city , Los angeles , San fransisco . Just about every other town in america has hicks! Most of them have agood amount . Many of them have much more than dutchess .

You have some hicks and some judgemental people in dutchess . And in new york city you have rapists , gangsters who go up and down the streets with guns killing kids .
Same thing it is only some people .
I would rather be around some one who is a hick and a little judgemental than some one who might try and kill me .

I find that middle and lower class people from the city fit right into dutchess well . It is the hob nob people who look down on people in dutchess and have attitudes and put down dutchess that makes people dislike city people .

What is soo wrong with hicks and trailor parks? Trailor parks are some of the most tightly knit communities with some of the most genuine good hearted caring people in america .
Hicks are self sufficient they get what they need , they are satisfied with what they have they learn too be happy with what they have .

In westchester very few people are happy , Everyone is only happy when they have things . But they never stop too look at life and really enjoy it .

A rural life with fresh air , Swimming , Fishing , The out doors is a refreshing feeling . I feel refreshed when i go into rural communities and see kids running about in the woods jumping onto swings and swimming in water and enjoying nature . I do not feel refreshed when i go around the surburbs in places like westchester and i do not even see kids . And if i do they usually alone and look bored and lonely .





Now dutchess has many advantages!
Dutchess county has one of the lowest crime rates in the entire nation!
The poverty rate in dutchess is half of that of the u.s average .
Dutchess county has alot of jobs from ibm .
Dutchess county is well run they take care of things pretty well .
Dutchess county has cheap houses and low taxes vs westchester .
Dutchess county has some the chance which has alot of major bands play there , you have soo many different events going on there.
You have a water park . The dutchess county fair is amazing! One of the best fairs around !The best shopping you can find , You have some of the best resturants , bars and even a micro brewery . You have gorgous wineries . You have a few colleges Vasser , marist ,bard , Dutchess community and the culinary institute . Dutchess county has some amazing resturants with cheap prices many of them are in beacon . Beacon has high culture with alot of art galleries , events antiqiue shops . You have gorgous mansions north of poughkeepsie such as the rosevelt , the vander built , and the mills mansion . with some of the best views and grounds in the entire north east .


Now Dutchess has a crime rate lower than both westchester and the city .
Dutchess has affordable housing and taxes . Westchester and the city tend too have expensive housing and taxes
Dutchess has decent schools . The sat scores in dutchess are far higher than nyc . If you do not like the school put them in a private school . Dutchess has large encorportated schools but this gives you much lower taxes . Again if you don't like it put your kids in private school .
Most of the middle class can put there kids in public school at least . In new york the schools are horrible for the middle class .
Now you have the chance in dutchess , Westchester does not really have much like this .
Dutchess has a gorgous rural amazing fair with a very peaciful fun environment . Westchester has the yonkers race way and fair where mostly gangs meet and people are shot .
The average gas prices are often 40 cents cheaper than northern westchester
Dining out i would say is usually about 20 - 30 percent less in dutchess vs westchester .
In northernwestchester you have too drive 30 minutes too get too shopping even close too what dutchess has . In dutchess even the furthest out rural communities can get too shopping in less than 30 minutes .

Now given new york city has some extremely good culture and some of the most fabulous places in the world .
There is also an expensive price too pay finacially . Lacking of space and crowds and crime and many problems that come along too .

I will tell you my self and i live in the imparitial county of putnam . That i etheir shop in jerfferson valley ,danbury, poughkeepsie or white plains . Poughkeepsie by far has the best shopping there are soo many stores . I also find shopping in poughkeepsie ocasionally people will bother you but not as bad as jefferson valley -york town or as white plains . Everytime i go too the jefferson valley mall i have people staring me down , with out even getting out of my car i have people yelling at me cursing trying too start fights , in jefferson valley i have never gone shopping there with out some one starting trouble and i have had some people about too attack me. In white plains you alot of gangs and hoodlams that roam around the malls and stores starting trouble and ganging up on kids , In white plains you have kids who do not even shop and just go too the shopping areas too try and start fights and rob people ect .

[Existtoexit]

You make me laugh! Yeah they worship john deer? Kids in the city worship 50 cent? I am sorry but a tractor is much more respectible than some dumb , gangster who has fame for getting shot .
At least a tractor can make things and do jobs! All 50 cent does is make america a terrible place . With dumb music , Stupid lyrics . And a culture that will be the death of america.
I am sorry but 50 cent is much more laughable than john deer.


Trees and grass are beautiful much more beautiful than humans are ,were ,or ever will be . Trees are gorgous graceful . They give us oxygen - paper - wood - housing . They give us shade and protection . Trees don't intentially kill people! IF they do it is rare and from them falling . People are dumb , arrogant , selfish ., and hostile Sorry but i am good i do not need too rely on darelics for my entertainments only good friends are needed . Fresh air is beautiful . Trees with gorgous mountain tops are one of the most beautiful things . Mountain lakes for fresh swiming and fishing is great . Rowing boats deep into lakes and catching a huge bass ! Or kayaking along the hudson . OR river rafting along huge rivers is awesome! Snow boarding along mountain ridges . Hang gliding into the sun is awesome too .

Even if you get bored . Large high ways too drive you cars on are beautiful . Or playing paintball on many acres for many hours . Or hunting or fishing intill you catch the pefect catch! It is an awesome feeling . Driving off road with dirt bikes , quads and cars is one of the most awesome things too doo !

What does nyc have? A constant smell of garbage? Side walks of urination? Having trouble breathing? Hoodlams with bandanas and homeless people making up much of the " scenery " Constant noise .

the only decent part of the city are the artistic centers , the museums the theatres and the clubs and the concerts .

The rural entertainment is low budget and lasts much longer . I think the rural entertainment is far superior .