Tell Me About Peekskill ??? (Yorktown, Mahopac: crime, mortgage, how much)

[dma1250]

Originally Posted by NJGirl12

Can anyone tell me which area of Peekskill is Mortgage Hill?

Thanks.

It is the hill south-east of downtown. The northern boundary is route 202. The core of the area is east of Maple Ave--Riverview Ave and Elm street, and a few other streets that come off of those. But I think of Mortgage Hill as also including the area north of Hudson, between Maple Ave and Walnut street--I'm not sure if that area is officially part of Mortgage Hill, but it does have lovely houses which have been renovated and/or well-cared for.

[lynnmc]

Peekskill is not far from Tarrytown. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes. I grew up in Katonah, but moving to Mohegan Lake to start a family and I spend quite alot of time in Peekskill. Here are the pro's and con's.

Pro's-

-It's right by the Hudson, and the views are VERY NICE. On any given day you can look to the water and see bear mountain and "upstate" in the distance.

-It's a city that has gone through it's bad time and there is alot of effort now to "bring it back up" although it's coming along slowly. In the summer time they have something going on outdoors almost every weekend. Last year they had an awsome jazz and blues festival. They shut down the streets and everyone just listens to good music, eats good food, and has a good time.

-There's definetly something "magical" and "historical" about it. All the buildings are old, and you can picture what it was like "back in the day."

-Your very close to major highways and roads, there is alot of shopping on route 6. There isn't alot of high-end or great stores (you will have to go to white plains for that) but you can pick up necessities without going very far.

-It is cheaper than other towns (but more about that later).

-It is more "artist friendly" than other towns (again, more about that later.)

-The Peekskill coffee house is great, and there are some nice little restaurants.

-It is up and coming. Hopefully, in five years it will be alot nicer. There are alot of plans in place including a more thriving artist district and more leasing to mid-size employers.

-The Facts of Life was supposedly to take place there.

Cons-

-It's Peekskill. While there are definetly some nice developments going on (have you checked out riverbend yet?) and cute areas, Peekskill still has somewhat of a stigma in the socially conscious Westchester world. If people haven't spent alot of time there, they just think of it as some forgotton run down town in the upper corner of Westchester. But if you don't mind a couple of "oh..Peekskill...I see" from yuppies (which I certainly don't) then don't even worry about it.

-There ARE drugs deals going on at all hours of the day and night. You can turn a blind eye to it, but they are there.

-While there are SOME good things going on to make it "better" like more restaurants and such, Peekskill is REALLY lacking a decent nightlife. There are a couple of places to go, but they pretty much book the same bands all the time. And there is virtually no good nightlife close by either. You will have to go down county to find a more happening scene. If your not into going out on the town this shouldn't be a problem.

-While Peekskill IS in fact lower cost housing than other towns....not by much. Even Peekskill is showing the signs of a SERIOUSLY OVERPRICED housing market.

-From what I hear the school system sucks. But since you mentioned you have no kids...this shouldn't be a problem.

-While Peekskill is TRYING to become the Soho of Westchester....it's still got a LONG way to go. What's happening is this: Artists can't afford the rent. It's that simple. The lofts that they advertise go for AT LEAST $1500 per month and most $2000 and upwards. Only corporate people can afford that kind of rent, and if your corporate why would you want to live in Peekskill when you can afford the more expensive Yorktown or Somers which is closer to major employers. The artist lifestyle is very hard indeed, but Westchester County (even Peekskill) makes it impossible to afford to live there. So the whole artist thing isn't as good as it could be, and is a much slower go then they had planned.

-While Peekskill does have it's charm it still looks somewhat run down. They have done nothing....or very little to beautify the city, and it can look rather depressing at times. If they fixed up some store fronts a little bit and planted some green here and there it may have more of a pull.

-There are NO JOBS up there. Unless you are a social worker or healthcare person, good luck. With rising gas prices, and a ****ty commute on the Taconic to White Plains, plan on commuting to your job.

Bottom Line:

I like Peekskill, and I would consider living there myself. It really comes down to what your preferences are. Good Luck.

[AnNYYankee]

Originally Posted by VTP

Is there a part of Peekskill that is known as Cortlandt Manor? I have an acquaintance who used to have a Peekskill mailing address, but around 10-15 years ago it changed to CM. What's up with that? Is it nice?

Yes, very nice. And expensive. From Wikipedia:

Cortlandt Manor is the designated name of an area located in the Town of Cortlandt in Northern Westchester County, New York. Cortlandt Manor is situated directly east, north and south of Peekskill, and east of three villages of the Town of Cortlandt, Croton-on-Hudson, Crugers, and Montrose. Most of the area is made up of middle-class residential homes.

Until 1991, this area shared a mailing address and ZIP Code (10566) with the city of Peekskill. Although it now has its own ZIP code, 10567, many directories and censuses still do not include Cortlandt Manor, because it is unincorporated. Residents move here for the unpretentiousness (as compared to much of lower Westchester County), good schools, housing values, and scenic beauty. The town contains the Blue Mountain Reservation which has many acres of hiking trails and part of the Appalachian trail. The term "Cortlandt Manor" was created by the United States Post Office to differentiate this part of the town of Corlandt from Cortland, New York.

The name Cortlandt Manor is derived from the estate of Van Cortlandt (actually located in Croton-on-Hudson), the colonial aristocrat who originally owned much of the area.

[NJGirl12]

Originally Posted by lynnmc

Peekskill is not far from Tarrytown. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes. I grew up in Katonah, but moving to Mohegan Lake to start a family and I spend quite alot of time in Peekskill. Here are the pro's and con's.

* * *
-There ARE drugs deals going on at all hours of the day and night. You can turn a blind eye to it, but they are there.

Thanks for the information, this was really helpful. Most of those cons don't deter me, but I do have a little bit of concern about safety/drugs in the area. How much of an issue is this? I used to live near a park in LA where there was clearly a certain level of drug activity going on - we used to come across various left over paraphernalia from time to time as we walked our dogs and you'd somtimes see people hanging out later at night - but it was not something that really impacted us or made us feel unsafe -- I guess it seemed to be limited to recreational users, if that makes sense. Is the Peekskill issue similar?

Thanks again.

[Torn2pieces]

Oh geesh - I was in Peekskill last year and It was purdy dumpy....

Illegals hanging out on the cement walls, near businesses.

I know some parts might be ok but Really - I wouldn't want to live there.

There's other places, towns that are so much nicer and safer...

[dma1250]

The drugs, crime, and people (whose legal status we do not know) hanging-out on the sidewalks is pretty much completely isolated in a specific part of town. Check out the police blotter (available in any local paper) and you'll see that the crime in Peeksill is very mellow and sporadic for a small city--and that it is almost always in the same few blocks.

We go into Peeksill at night to the Paramount Center, restaurants, and music at the various hang-outs and I've never been even slightly nervous or uncomfortable. Peekskill is a great town undergoing a major revival. On top of all that it already has, there is a new brewery coming, a massive renovation of the waterfront parks in development, and new artist live/work housing in development (not to mention two new large-scale developments). It seems that some people who aren't that familair with cities tend to find it too 'edgy,' while those with more exposure to cities usually love it.

[NJGirl12]

Thanks dma, appreciate the info. We are actually looking for something a little "edgier" than where we are living now. I will look for the police blotter next time I am up that way.

[samyn on the green]

The one time I went to Peekskill it was during summer. I went to check out some former convent being turned into a condo right by the river and the train station. After checking out the apartment I went to the park by the river. The park looked okay and maintained well. However the crowd was rough. There was a large crew from the projects chilling in the park by the river smoking blunts and downing some forties. There was also many illegal immigrant type looking people in the park and it was about as crowded a park I have ever been to. To the north was the foothills of the catskill mountains a beautiful vista. However to the south, through the ganja smoke was a silhouette of the Nuclear power plant. It was sort of like east New York on Hudson with a Nuclear Power Plant thrown in for good measure.

[dma1250]

Originally Posted by samyn on the green

The one time I went to Peekskill it was during summer. I went to check out some former convent being turned into a condo right by the river and the train station. After checking out the apartment I went to the park by the river. The park looked okay and maintained well. However the crowd was rough. There was a large crew from the projects chilling in the park by the river smoking blunts and downing some forties. There was also many illegal immigrant type looking people in the park and it was about as crowded a park I have ever been to. To the north was the foothills of the catskill mountains a beautiful vista. However to the south, through the ganja smoke was a silhouette of the Nuclear power plant. It was sort of like east New York on Hudson with a Nuclear Power Plant thrown in for good measure.

That would be "edgy." I've never seen the above scene in that park, but I'm sure it does happen on occassion. I've been taking my son (now 7) to that park practically every weekend for 5 years now. It has a great playground, nice beach, wonderful dock, and awesome views. The crowd at the park and playground is extremely diverse (lots of white folks, latinos, and African Americans), which I love. Lots of families come from all over the area. After the park, we cross the street to the homemade ice cream parlor or get lunch at the restaruant in the old train station. The new brewery/restaurant will be across the street too. And check out the City of Peekskill website for the plans for renovating the park and building a new boardwalk all way down to Charles Cook Point. The plans were just approved and work is scheduled to start soon. As for the nuclear power plant, it is certainly there. But it looks like it won't be there for long. If you are uncomfortable with black people smoking reefer or latinos, then chances are you won't be happy in any city, no matter how small.

As for calling Peekskill a slum, I've lived near slums and they usually don't have galleries, restaurants, performing art centers, art museums, and antique stores. Condos and houses in the two newest developments sell for up to $1 million and the gorgeous vicotrians and tudor homes in town are currently selling for 400K to 800K. Quite cheap for Wetchester, but hardly a "slum."

[balancing]

if I'm looking for the morgage hill area, what is an interection i would want to plug into a GPS?

thanks