Question about Mt. Kisco/pros/cons (Ossining, Yorktown: middle-class, fit in, apartments)

[dreamofmonterey]

has the area changed?. I always liked the area near Ossining/ Mt Kisco. Last time I was there was in the late 80's. We are looking into areas where you could still take the Hudson line into NYC for work. Thanks in advance.

sunny.

[ontheroad]

Haven't been for awhile, but last time I was there, say about 3 years ago, it looked good.

However, I've always wondered about the politics in Mt. Kisco.

[brahmos]

Mt. Kisco is okay. I do not too much about the area around Ossining but you would be better served to take the Harlem line station at Mt. Kisco.

I would not recommend the area round Lexington Avenue. This part is really dumpy and full of illegal immigrants. This area is like Little Juarez...so stay away from it..it is gettoish area.

But on the other side near Kisco Avenue or towards Millwood is better. overall the town is not bad, just has a huge illegal immigration problem.

Mt. Kisco kids eventually are all in the Fox Land school district, which is coupled with wealthier towns such as Pound Ridge and Bedford.

Hope this helps

[dreamofmonterey]

wow- really?- when I was there (ages ago I guess) Ossining was still rather unspoiled- I am thinking of Hoag Cross Rd area- there were restaurants and such; Mt Kisco is a little west and then Pound Ridge?. I was just wondering what residents thought about the area. Thanks for the help, I will check out Millwood.

sunny.

[brahmos]

Well Mount Kisco is not bad...in terms of things to do it is the activity hub of northern westchester.

But all I have to say going against it is the huge illegal population. Mount Kisco still has many of the old school residents and has not really suffered a flight of residents.

This also applies for Ossining...

The villages are generally affordable compared to the towns...


Geographically speaking. MOunt Kisco is West, then following East on Rt. 172 you go to Bedford, and then eventually to Pound Ridge.

[mead]

All of Westchester has problems with illegal immigrants. Mostly Mexicans, but smatterings of Central and South Americans. I think Port Chester is the worst example of this.

[UrbanQuest]

Originally Posted by mead

All of Westchester has problems with illegal immigrants. Mostly Mexicans, but smatterings of Central and South Americans. I think Port Chester is the worst example of this.

Tell me truthfull, if after all the court rangling goes on and the Supreme court agrees with Hazleton, Pa that they can uphold the laws that basically aim to keep illegals out, then what. Would the economy really tank without these guys or what. I imagine the day before illegals started arriving people where running around crazy and yelling I don't have time to cut my lawn and all the restaurants are closed due to labor shortage.

[dreamofmonterey]

Would the economy really tank without these guys or what.
_____________________________________
good question. Probably not. Wal-mart may have to start paying people a living wage though, lol. Seems all the fodder we get on Fox News is how bad this could be- in the 60's and 70's we did fine- mowed our own lawn, or hired Johnny from next door. Not to go o/t though.

Portchester was known as not a good area in the 80's; I was interested in knowing how it is in Ossining/Mt Kisco now.

[brahmos]

Helena,

Portchester is definetly not a good area. Mt. Kisco and Ossining are not bad....but relatively speaking to areas with NO crime we would see in Mt. Kisco/ Ossining ocassional larcenies, stabbings, and very rarely a murder.

Generally these crimes are not random and tend to be in the bad area.

If this is any consolation, people from neighboring towns (i.e. Chappaqua, Armonk, Bedford, Briarcliff) do not try and avoid the Mt. Kisco or Ossining areas. People go there to do shopping. So these places are generally SAFE compared to say Mt. Vernon. It also is located in a pretty respectable


As far as illegal immigration goes...I am not for 30 people fitting into a one bedroom apartment. We are supposed to be a country offering a high standard of living. Take a look at some of the drunk drivers and other criminals in the area and they tend to be undocumented workers. They have access to our healthcare and education system which our taxes pay for. I have seen nice middle-class neighborhoods go down the tubes once they started converting houses into apartments so 100 people can fit inside. This is supposed to be 21 century America. It brings us back into 19th century when the first immigrants LEGALLY came in.

Who are the people supporting illegal immigrants? Contractors and Business Owners, because of course these people have a humanitarian agenda . They want to continue to exploit these workers for less than minimum wage and force them into conditions that would be far beyond what Jacob Riis found deplorable.

But my personal politics aside, I strongly suggest visiting the area. You will quickly see what I am talking about.

[artsfan]

Mount Kisco is full of chain stores -- Gap, Banana Republic, Starbucks, Target, Borders, you name it -- and serves as a shopping village for the wealthier towns around. The village, although it includes some lovely Victorians, is for the most part densely populated and is not like Hoag's Cross Road, which you mention. If you are looking for a pretty and charming town you might consider Katonah, which is now on the electrified Hudson line and has some pretty housing, although it has grown like crazy and the schools are having trouble coping. You might also look at South Salem for a more rural feel.

Ossining's village continues to improve, with a nice tea room, antiques and gift shops, Starbucks, a huge new library, and many areas of the town being fixed up beautifully by the Ecuadorian population. Spring Street, which was once a place many people in town avoided, now has housing worthy of its stunning river views. The "town outside" and the New Castle and Yorktown parts of Ossining, which is where Hoag's Cross is, are still beautiful and wooded, with more houses now but still on one- and two-acre plots. The schools serve a diverse population, always sending a strong group to elite colleges and winning many awards in the Intel science competition and others. Since property values are still lower than in Briarcliff, etc., young couples with children find it appealing for the setting along the river, the Hudson line commute, and the schools.

Re illegal immigrants, Mount Kisco has had a big problem with bar fights and other violence among this population. Ossining has built a waiting-place for the dayworkers with restrooms and access to educational materials. The immigrants are hard-working and, in a very short time, have raised their standard of living phenomenally.