Putnam County, NY (Carmel, Monroe, Warwick: school district, college, living in)

[GinaFromQueens]

Hi, my husband and I are thinking of relocating to Putnam County or Orange County with our 2 young kids. They are in Pre-k and1st grade and receive special education services. We live in Queens now. How are the public schools, especially for special Ed? Which area is most convenient for catching buses and metro north? I work near Penn Station. Any other info would be greatly appreciated!!

[red4tribe]

Originally Posted by GinaFromQueens

Hi, my husband and I are thinking of relocating to Putnam County or Orange County with our 2 young kids. They are in Pre-k and1st grade and receive special education services. We live in Queens now. How are the public schools, especially for special Ed? Which area is most convenient for catching buses and metro north? I work near Penn Station. Any other info would be greatly appreciated!!

I don't know much specifically about special education in Putnam, but when it comes to take the train you'd be best off looking at Brewster or Cold Spring. Both are around an hourish train ride from Manhattan. Brewster is a nice little town but Cold Spring is gorgeous. It's right on the Hudson River and has a really nice and lively downtown for such a small village.

[GinaFromQueens]

Thanks Red4Tribe! I appreciate your suggestions!!

[Dreamshot]

How long are you willing to commute?

What is your budget?

The Cold Spring/Brewster suggestions are good ones for Putnam, and you can probably lop Carmel and Mahopac on that list.

There are more numerous options in Orange County and the cost of living is a bit cheaper. Some of those options include: Monroe/Woodbury, Chester, Goshen, Middletown, Washingtonville, Cornwall, Montgomery among others...

Since you work near Penn Station, the commute from either the east (Putnam) or west (Orange) side of the Hudson is basically the same. If entering NYC from the east side of the Hudson using MNRR's Hudson Line, you'd be traveling into Grand Central and then either walking/bussing/subwaying to Penn Station. From the west side of the Hudson, you'd be traveling to Secaucus Junction, NJ on Metro North's Port Jervis line and taking a separate NJ Transit train to Penn Station.

This map should help you to visualize the commute: http://web.mta.info/mnr/gifs/mnrmap.png

[red4tribe]

Originally Posted by Dreamshot

How long are you willing to commute?

What is your budget?

The Cold Spring/Brewster suggestions are good ones for Putnam, and you can probably lop Carmel and Mahopac on that list.

There are more numerous options in Orange County and the cost of living is a bit cheaper. Some of those options include: Monroe/Woodbury, Chester, Goshen, Middletown, Washingtonville, Cornwall, Montgomery among others...

Since you work near Penn Station, the commute from either the east (Putnam) or west (Orange) side of the Hudson is basically the same. If entering NYC from the east side of the Hudson using MNRR's Hudson Line, you'd be traveling into Grand Central and then either walking/bussing/subwaying to Penn Station. From the west side of the Hudson, you'd be traveling to Secaucus Junction, NJ on Metro North's Port Jervis line and taking a separate NJ Transit train to Penn Station.

This map should help you to visualize the commute: http://web.mta.info/mnr/gifs/mnrmap.png

I can second this. Things do tend to be a little bit cheaper on the west side of the river. I would not advise looking at Newburgh, Middletown or maybe Walden, but beyond that there really aren't any choices in Orange County. If you are looking to take the train still, Cornwall, Washingtonville and Hamptonburgh/Campbell Hall might be worth checking out. Cornwall and Washingtonville are both close to the Salisbury Mills train station while Hamptonburgh is near the Campbell Hall station.

[GinaFromQueens]

Dreamshot, thank you! I am willing to commute about an hour to an hour and 15 mins. We haven't settled on a budget yet, but cannot afford the housing prices in Queens (600,000-800,000). We also need good schools with special education services.

[GinaFromQueens]

Thanks Red4Tribe, I'll look into those areas. Maybe Orange is better than Putnam in some ways, but Putnam seems safer, no?

[red4tribe]

I wouldn't say Putnam is safer at all. Honestly, if you were to take out the CITY of Newburgh and Middletown, they are basically the same. Newburgh especially tends to get a bad rap from people who have never lived there. I lived in Newburgh for 10 years, went to college there for 4 years and interned in the city government for a while. Would I ever want to live in the city? Absolutely not. Would I feel safe living in the city of Newburgh? Absolutely not. But is the danger of it overhyped, especially by locals? Yes. It's also important to know the distinction from the City of Newburgh and the TOWN of Newburgh. They are two separate governing bodies. It's like night and day between the two locations. You could be in the town, about 10 minutes from the city and essentially be a world away. This being said I would not advise the Town of Newburgh as a location for you to look into, as a good chunk of it does fall under the Newburgh school district, which includes the city.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that don't let what you hear about Newburgh or Middletown(Which isn't really bad at all) make you think the whole county is unsafe. Once you are outside of Newburgh or Middletown the county is extremely rural, and I don't think you could be more safe anywhere. Lots of farms, the famous Warwick black dirt onion fields, picturesque views of the Hudson River and much more. Come take a look sometime. I fully encourage you to look into Orange County, and if you have any specific questions about any locations, feel free to ask.

[Dreamshot]

Originally Posted by GinaFromQueens

Dreamshot, thank you! I am willing to commute about an hour to an hour and 15 mins. We haven't settled on a budget yet, but cannot afford the housing prices in Queens (600,000-800,000). We also need good schools with special education services.

There are plenty of safe options in both counties.

Just avoid the City of Newburgh in Orange County. You could probably avoid the City of Middletown in Orange as well, but the Town of Wallkill, which surrounds the City of Middletown on all sides, is quite safe.

However, I don't think you should really be looking at Newburgh or Middletown at all; I think your budget allows for much more. I'm assuming that you can afford something in the 300-500K range, which opens up some of the nicer communities in both counties.

To hold down the commute time, you should stick to southern Orange; appealing towns/villages here include Goshen, Chester, Central Valley, Cornwall, Monroe/Woodbury, and perhaps Tuxedo. As for Putnam, the previously discussed locations still stand: Cold Spring, Carmel, Mahopac, and Brewster.

As far as I know, schools are all good. Generally, schools in the Hudson Valley are top tier (that was my personal experience).

I suggest setting aside a day or two to travel north and scope out some of the listed destinations.

[GinaFromQueens]

Thanks Dreamshot!! We plan to start looking when we have a chance. I have to research the schools.