Croton and Pleasantville (Peekskill, Cortland, Hastings: relocate, condos, rent)

[lhc]

Hi again. We're still consdiering Westchester! We just for our first time drove through Hastings. Lovely town, but the train was by the river and the nice homes were in the hills. And there was a big parking lot near the train station so we assume most people drive to the station, and we are not about to move the burbs and buy two cars. We will need to be within walking distance to the train, so I think that puts Hastings OUT of our search. Or did we miss something? What about Croton? Are there nice homes in the 700K range (4 bedrooms) walking distance from the train? I believe there are in Pleasantville. So can anyone tell me what they think are the main differences between Croton and Pleasantville? Is one town more progressive than the other? We would prefer to live in a liberal town with plenty of culture and sporting. Thanks for any comments! - LHC

[fyrisle]

We are thinking of moving from Manhattan to Croton or the general vicinity. It impresses me as being a rather liberal area with a lot of relocated city dwellers. You can get a rather large house for that price with scenic views (note the taxes would probably be greater than $15,0000). The natural scenery is one of it's strong points. There is a 500 acre park on the Hudson, a 1500 acre park in the mountains, scenic views from the top of the Croton Dam and more. There are waterfront townhouse condos adjacent to the train and I believe there are other parts of Croton that are within 5 or 10 minute walk of the train station.

[dma1250]

As Fyrisle says, Croton is very liberal and has a large, active population of artists, 'creative professionals', and lots of former city folk. It is very laid back and friendly and rather progressive. While I know lots of people who live in Croton, I only know one person from Pleasantville, so I won't compare the towns on that front.

On walkability, both towns will do the trick, but Pleasantville is a bit better since the station is smack in the center of town, whereas the Croton station is on the edge. But you can definitely get a house within a 5 minute walk of the station in both towns (and there are buses, though how frequent they are I don't know).

The big plus of Pleasantville is the Jacob Burns Film Center, which has wonderful art films. Croton does not have anything like that, although you'd be just 10 minutes from the Paramount Art Center in Peekskill, which has great movies and live performances, as well as the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art. Both towns have good libraries with lots of events, readings, art shows, etc. Both towns have some good restaurants. I'm not sure of the shopping in Pleasantville. Croton has Zetyina, which has an excellent array of gourmet goods, meat, fish, and prepared foods. Pleasantville has a nice farmer's market, though not as good as Peekskill's.

The big difference is the surrounding area. Croton is in a truly stunning spot and has amazing nature and huge nature preserves around it. It is fabulous for biking, hiking, cross-country skiing, etc. You can walk from the village to the town hiking trails and to the Croton aqueduct and hike for miles. It has a nice beach on the Croton River for swimming, and access to the Cortlandt town pool. Sesanasqua park on the Hudson is great and has concerts and movies in the summer. There is also the Croton Sailing School, and marinas where you can dock and/or rent boats. The Teatown Lake Reservation is just outside of Croton and has great hiking and lots of nature programs for kids and grownups. While I do spend time in Pleasantville, I am not familiar with it's recreational facilities.

Personally, Pleasantville is very sweet and really 'pleasant,' but it just feels very "suburban" to me, which Croton doesn't. But that really is personal and you may have a different take on it.

Check out this blog for info on events and amenities in the area around both towns:

Northern Westchester Home

[lhc]

Wow, great descriptions of both towns. Croton sounds dreamy, if only I could walk to the train station.

[ponytrekker]

Originally Posted by lhc

Hi again. We're still consdiering Westchester! We just for our first time drove through Hastings. Lovely town, but the train was by the river and the nice homes were in the hills. And there was a big parking lot near the train station so we assume most people drive to the station, and we are not about to move the burbs and buy two cars. We will need to be within walking distance to the train, so I think that puts Hastings OUT of our search. Or did we miss something? What about Croton? Are there nice homes in the 700K range (4 bedrooms) walking distance from the train? I believe there are in Pleasantville. So can anyone tell me what they think are the main differences between Croton and Pleasantville? Is one town more progressive than the other? We would prefer to live in a liberal town with plenty of culture and sporting. Thanks for any comments! - LHC

We lived in Hastings and have moved to Pleasantville. HOH is definitely more of an artsy community though the people are exceptionally cliquish. Pville people seem to be more down to earth.

HOH is more walkable than Pville because basically, all the HOH streets have sidewalks. I think your thought of living in the burbs w one car is unrealistic. Hence the concept of a station car -- $2-5k beater -- should be on your radar.

You will get more house for your money in Pville. Schools are essentially the same though HOH tends to focus on the middle of the bell curve more.