Northern Westchester - What do people do up there?

[havoc315]

The "necessities" are never very far. There are fairly large supermarkets in every town, as well as pharmacies, etc. You will never have to drive more than 5 minutes or so for a gallon of milk. You might have to drive 15-20 minutes for a movie.

Yorktown is a large geographic area. If you are in the southwestern corner of Yorktown, you are pretty accessible to the Croton train station. From some other parts of Yorktown, you may have access to the Golden's Bridge train station. Though, you could be talking about a 10-20 minute drive, to reach the closest train station with parking.

In terms of the best town that matches you... There are pros and cons of each area. If you are willing to consider a townhouse or small house, it will open up options in Central/Northern Westchester.. shortening your commute, and putting you closer to commercial centers. Chappaqua, Briarcliff, Pleasantville -- All have exceptional schools, and aren't that far north. But you would have very few options in your price range.

Croton would be a very good fit for a couple of reasons. You will find decent houses in your price range, and the commute is fairly easy -- Croton is a train hub, and runs a lot of express trains to/from the city. So as long as you stick to express trains, the train ride can be under 50 minutes. Also, there are decent houses in some neighborhood of Croton, where you can still walk to the pharmacy, ice cream parlor, coffee house, etc. And Croton does have well-regarded schools.

[dma1250]

Originally Posted by hominamad

On a related note, how do people who live in Yorktown commute to NYC? Not only is it the northernmost place we were considering, but it is also not on a train line. Is this a major downside? In general, what would people recommend as the best Northwern Westchester town with good schools that is not obscenely expensive. We're looking to spend around $500-$550k for a 3BR. Is this doable?Thanks again!~H

Yorktown is massive and has 7 distinct "hamlets." The commute will depend on where you are. I live in Huntersville, which is on the western side of town on the northern banks of the reservoir. I have a 10 minute drive to the Croton station. I do the commute daily and it is pretty easy. The same will be true from the Teatown area and from parts of Yorktown Heights. From Kitchawan, Croton Heights, and Crow Hill you will have a 10-15 minurte drive to the Mt Kisco train station. Some parts of YH will be a short drive to the Katonah station, and others will be close to the Cortlandt station. The northernmost parts of town will be a 10-15 minute drive to either the Peeksill station or Golden Bridges.

Your price range is tight but doable, even in the more expensive towns. Prices have dropped a lot and many sellers are in dire straits and are pretty flexible (others aren't, of course!). As for what town is best, I think that totally depends on the type of house and neighborhood you're after. They all have pros and cons. And they're all very close to each other, so you'll definitely be "living in" all of them no matter which one your house is in.

[bmwguydc]

In Katonah-Bedford, the budget is going to be very tight, even for a smaller house. Some properties listed as Katonah are actually in Somers, which is fine, except when it comes time to get a train station parking permit for Katonah or Bedford Hills stations. Bedford Hills has some less expensive, yet still nice family neighborhoods near Bedford Town Hall, though not all elementary schools perform uniformly in Bedford Central district (spans Bedford, Mount Kisco, and Pound Ridge). Katonah-Lewisboro is a very good school district, as well, but you must be within the Town of Bedford or Lewisboro to be in the district, not an adjacent area of Somers with a Katonah zip code.

[kletter1mann]

Here's another comment on the upcounty vibe, and a generalization at that. East of I-684 and the Saw Mill Pkwy the general look and vibe tends to be distinctly more New Englandy. To the west it's a more upstate NY feel. The distinction is quite real.

Drive a circle from Mt Kisco to Bedford Village and on to Scotts Corners, South Salem and Katonah (loop 1). Then continue from Katonah to Somers and Yorktown. Keep going west to Peekskill and down through Croton to Ossining (semi-loop 2). The difference will be as obvious as horses vs ATV's.

[wordlife]

I don't live in northern westchester, but I can say all year round the scenery by the lakes around croton and somers is incredible. If you have a car you'll be perfectly fine up, there's lots to do and its not hard to find a balance. Is it just me, or does it feel like when your in the northeast part of the county..the air quality suddenly improves?.

its always nice to get up there, especially in the summer.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by wordlife

Is it just me, or does it feel like when your in the northeast part of the county..the air quality suddenly improves?.

its always nice to get up there, especially in the summer.

I think it does. It may be the altitude, which ranges from 400-600. Ridgefield CT goes as high as 800 ft if I recall. The whole area is substantially cooler than anywhere downcounty, often as much as 10 degrees. In summer it doesn't seem to me that the Long Island Sound or Hudson provide any cooling on nearby towns, more like a humidity-raising effect instead.

[newtoli]

Mount Kisco is the "hub" of Northern Westchester. Tons of stuff to do there, including a movie theater.

[arielmina]

would you consider CT? You could be in Ridgefield in your price range with excellent schools, a great Main Street and downtown area, yet very close to Danbury and Westchester. If you commute to NYC, you'd take the same trains in upper Westchester, including Katonah, Purdys, Brewster, Southeast, Golden's Bridge, depending on where in Ridgefield you live. AND the taxes are SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER.