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Old 05-20-2019, 08:24 PM
 
3 posts, read 2,763 times
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My wife and I are looking to purchase a home in the next 2-3 years and I will be working in Poughkeepsie. We are planning on having a family soon and I was wondering what people's thoughts were on commuting an hour each way for a better school system for children?

Chappaqua is 10-15 minutes to my wife's work (she has a more flexible schedule allowing for dropping off/picking up kids, etc). Other option is to continue to rent, let wife work remotely most days of the week and enroll kids in a private school (Poughkeepsie Day School) and move when children are closer to middle school (hopefully fully automonous cars will be available in the next 7-8 years). Any advice on this would be appreciated! Thank you.
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Old 05-21-2019, 06:32 AM
 
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Did you look into Arlington school district ? Close to Poughkeepsie?
Lot of folks liked it , private catholic school may be an option too I think

I commuted for part time from tarrytown to Poughkeepsie, it is doable , and I had a friend commute from chappaqua. But TSP is a bit too much in Putnam because of the curves and also during winter commute is hard

I used to take 287 / 684 just to avoid TSP and that further added to my commute
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Old 05-21-2019, 07:43 AM
 
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Chappaqua to Poughkeepsie is insanity. Check out Spackenkill it's a pretty good school district.
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Old 05-21-2019, 10:11 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spgnerd View Post
My wife and I are looking to purchase a home in the next 2-3 years and I will be working in Poughkeepsie. We are planning on having a family soon and I was wondering what people's thoughts were on commuting an hour each way for a better school system for children?

Chappaqua is 10-15 minutes to my wife's work (she has a more flexible schedule allowing for dropping off/picking up kids, etc). Other option is to continue to rent, let wife work remotely most days of the week and enroll kids in a private school (Poughkeepsie Day School) and move when children are closer to middle school (hopefully fully automonous cars will be available in the next 7-8 years). Any advice on this would be appreciated! Thank you.
Chappaqua to Poughkeepsie is an difficult daily drive, especially during the winter months. Non-rush hour its over an hour in very good weather. In the basic rain, add 10 - 15 minutes each way, and that happens a lot. I think the majority of the year it would be close to two and a half hours round trip. You are looking at basically more than an extra work day, maybe 12+ hours per week, in the car. That can be tough.

In the winter, this is a nightmare commute. The Taconic State Parkway is the shortest and fastest route, but in the winter, you are going through the worst section of the Taconic. Mostly 2 lane, but some single lane areas where traffic will move at 40 mph for long stretches. It is closed in part on a lot of the snow/ice days and you are diverted to insanely longer and slower routes. I would say from December through February, it would average close to 80 - 90 minutes each way on average.

Also, consider that you are looking at a minimum of 24,000 hard miles on your car per year with just getting to and from work. Leasing is not an option, and it will beat the hell out of your car. Heavy salts in the winter and potholes all spring. It is doable, but it is not something I would choose. That said, get a satellite radio and listen to you favorite tunes, talk, Howard or ESPN every day. Whatever you do, best to you in this decision. Lots of nice towns with good schools between these two to also consider.
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Old 05-21-2019, 03:36 PM
 
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Doesn't make any sense. If wife can work remotely most days and you need to be on site in Poughkeepsie, move to Dutchess or Ulster and buy in one of the top districts there. You'll save a bunch of money and aggravation.
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Old 05-22-2019, 07:57 AM
 
Location: NYC
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Can you use the Hudson line train to get to Poughkeepsie? If so you can live in Westchester along the river towns and your wife can drive to Chapp. I hate that Taconic parkway up there. No shoulder, winding roads, speed demons. And forget the winter. Especially doing that trip Daily!?

Or maybe the other train line, Harlem-line, to Putnam County. Then you can drive to work and she can train it to Chapp.

Tough decision being so split North and South. I went to school in Dutchess County so I may be impartial to them ;p
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Old 05-23-2019, 04:35 PM
 
Location: Fields of gold
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You really haven't factored in your children's lives.
What happens as they make friends, after school activities, clubs, etc. ?
You could also move to northern westchester and commute to Poughkeepsie.


PS, work on having kids first. Then work on parenting. If your child is smart and has decent parents they will succeed no matter the school district. You are overthinking this.
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Old 05-26-2019, 09:06 AM
 
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Thank you for the advice. I do agree parents/environment make a huge difference and the intrinsic ambition of the child. I am looking at % of kids that end up at Ivy League schools and its a LOT more in Chapaqqua/Scarsdale, etc. versus in Dutchess County where a very select few get admission to top universities.

Will not be able to use the train. This has been very helpful but still a very tough decision.
What towns have better schools than Chappaqua in northern westchester (including private schools) or are there private school shuttles that can take kids further south?
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Old 05-26-2019, 03:20 PM
 
1,928 posts, read 2,029,452 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spgnerd View Post
Thank you for the advice. I do agree parents/environment make a huge difference and the intrinsic ambition of the child. I am looking at % of kids that end up at Ivy League schools and its a LOT more in Chapaqqua/Scarsdale, etc. versus in Dutchess County where a very select few get admission to top universities.

Will not be able to use the train. This has been very helpful but still a very tough decision.
What towns have better schools than Chappaqua in northern westchester (including private schools) or are there private school shuttles that can take kids further south?
Ok, I think you are putting the cart far before the horse here.

Talking about buying a house based on the schools attended by the district's HS graduates? That is a ton of pressure to put on kids that don't even exist yet.

It is also a total red herring that fewer kids from Dutchess end up at Ivies. The families in Chappaqua can afford to pay sticker price.
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Old 05-27-2019, 01:19 PM
 
Location: Fields of gold
1,360 posts, read 1,383,156 times
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I have to ask, did you and your wife both graduate from Ivy League schools? You can't afford to live there( you work in Poughkeepsie), and you want to "sneak" your kids into the school system?

What is that teaching? Is that what is taught in Ivy League schools these days? Lol.

Again, you are not thinking of a child's life. About play dates after school, ballet , karate, music lessons. Etc. you are setting them up to live double lives. They can't make "out of school " friends with classmates, because they don't live in the area. Don't you think quite possibly they will be teased as the "poor" kids from Poughkeepsie?

You are asking a lot of children you don't have. Maybe the wiser adult decision would be for you to move into chappaqua and commute to Poughkeepsie. Roughly the same commute for chappaqua residents to Manhattan.
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