Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi all. I'm thinking of moving with my husband and elementary school aged son to Woodstock. what is life like there? Will it be a hard adjustment for Long Islanders? What are the schools like? Any areas better suited for families than others? ANY info would be helpful...we want to leave behind lofty taxes, congestion, etc....and think woodstock is beautiful.
Woodstock is a quiet little town. It is out in the middle of nowhere as you have already found out.
Any time you have a really rural town you have to keep extra tabs on your kids because when teens get bored they can do the dumbest things.
Never heard anything bad about the schools up there.
All of NYS has high taxes. Would you believe that little Liberty NY (Sullivan county) has a tax rate of about 5,000 dollars for every 100,000 assessed value??? Same for Neversink?? Sullivan County has some of the HIGHEST taxes in NYS. Ulster is generally a little more reasonable.
I would say that Woodstock taxes MIGHT be cheaper, but sometimes the lesser populated towns also have higher taxes becaue the tax base needed to maintain the schools and town is spread over less people. Check with a local realtor.
Other nice towns? Kerhonkson, Accord, Gardiner, Cairo (green county), Saugerties...
Also check out Northern Orange County, Southern Ulster. I like Wallkill for raising a family. Pine Bush, Bullville, Goshen..let me know what ya think!
Winnie, thank-you for your reply. I was beginning to think I was at a dead end for info.on Woodstock. Though I'm attracted to the area and feel comfortable there having visited so often, I'm inclined to think it's an ideal area for retirees and/or familes desiring a second home.My next area of interest is Rhinebeck/Dutchess County. So many MLS listings for rhinebeck mention community park/pool/playground that I sense it's more family friendly. I do have concerns though of fitting in. We're jewish and I don't want to feel alienated. I want an area that is ethnically mixed. I believe it will be a healthy environment for my young son. Do you know much about
Rhinebeck and the surrounding areas??
You are a tremendous help on this board. Your time and knowledge are much appreciated!
Big Jewish area upstate are near Hunter mountain, Monticello, there are a lot of Jewish people in the town I grew up, in Walden NY. But the rest of "upstate" is still pretty diverse and accepting.
Reason there are so many Jewish people up here is back in the 60's and even through today, well off Jewish families used to go to the summer vacation homes and resorts all through the Catskills! The husband would send the wife and kids up to these resorts or campgrounds and go back to the city to work during the week and come back on the weekends. Many of them decided to retire up here or bring their families up here full time. So I think that you should have little to worry about as far as fitting in!
Most of the upper Hudson Valley is very family friendly.
I don't know very much about Rhineback, I know that in Dutchess county you would do well to stay away from Poughkeepsiee and Wappingers Falls, Many people don't care for the Beacon area either. Much of Dutchess county is pretty rural, especially when you get north of Poughkeepsee.
The southern Catskills are very nice. I would suggest taking a ride out to western Wallkill while you are exploring the area(techinically the town of Shawangunk). The school district is very good, there are public areas for the kids to play, the school district south of Wallkill has a very nice indoor pool, the taxes are more reasonable and there is nice housing that would seem really reasonably priced to you since you are coming from LI LOL! It is a pretty, safe, family orientated area. There are apple orchards, farm stands, a riding stable, day camps for the kids, wineries, and lots of dance/music/arts lessons in the Walden area which is a quick drive south.
Woodstock is not bad at all. It is just quiet. Lots of farms (or used to be) and it really has not grown much over the last 10 years because it is not really commutable to NYC. The only school districts you really need to avoid in the Northern Orange/Ulster area are NFA, Kingston, Middletown districts. The rest are quite good, and have little problems with disruptive behavior.
Are you planning to rent or buy up here? What is your price range/wish list for a house or apartment??
Lady, I just want to warn you that your son might hate you for moving him away from the city. I'm 23 years old, originally from Rego Park; my Mother moved me to a farm in Michigan for 4 years of high school, and I still haven't forgiven her. The schools are worse, there's absolutely nothing to do, and while you enjoy the country scenery (sp?), he's be bored out of his mind. I'm talking about if you move to Woodstock. I spent my summers out in East Durham (near Cairo -- Catskills) and I have been to Woodstock, and while being a kid there in the summer was fine...I wouldn't have enjoyed living there year round. At all.
Just warning you -- I feel for you kid because I've been there.
We have many city/LI transplants that move "upstate" that do quite well.
You can't run down the block to do things. You have to go and explore.
There is rafting on the Aesopus river, there was a waterfall in Cairo we went to frequently. Minnewaska state park, orchards, skiing - you just can't look for a street sign telling you where to go.
I can understand why a kid would be upset at ANY move, but the bottom line is that the family's financial well being and the lower crime rate are big reasons families are moving out of those areas. Not easy to understand when you are a teenager.
The schools upstate are more than adequate. Different - yes. But in Orange, I went to school and knew kids in other schools that were highly sucessful.
Perhaps you know the show about Orange County Choppers?? Paul Jr went to my high school. Our top kids were personally invited to schools like Yale, NYU and West Point and BU. It is nice for the kids to be able to study and persue academics without the distractions more congested areas provide.
Hi,
I read your message and wanted to get things right?
Woodstock today is very expensive .. gone are the $50to$100 a month rents..i've lived in Woodstock for the last 18years and outside (2miles from town
for 5years).
today most of the towns homes sell for $150,000 to $300,000 and can go up to $2,000,000/ famous musican are still around ?
the Mayor, Jermey Willbur is a long time fixture ( and the only mayor in ulster
to run a town under budget).
there are many summer homes.. owned by wealthy persons.. the rents are
in the range of $800/month for 1 bedroom apartment to several thousand per.
most old time Woodstockers live in outlying towns.
the towns very quite ,low crime. you'l find it unusual .. it's changing , but
in spite of the great influx on Nyc. it's still woodstock , and the town changes
the "newbees" not the other way around?
if you need more ideas write me?
best wishes ,
J.Paycut
Lady, I just want to warn you that your son might hate you for moving him away from the city. I'm 23 years old, originally from Rego Park; my Mother moved me to a farm in Michigan for 4 years of high school, and I still haven't forgiven her. The schools are worse, there's absolutely nothing to do, and while you enjoy the country scenery (sp?), he's be bored out of his mind. I'm talking about if you move to Woodstock. I spent my summers out in East Durham (near Cairo -- Catskills) and I have been to Woodstock, and while being a kid there in the summer was fine...I wouldn't have enjoyed living there year round. At all.
Just warning you -- I feel for you kid because I've been there.
OUCH I felt that from here! what a culture shock? get out of that farm state as soon as you can. RUN, RUN LIKE THE WIND.
My family was also looking for someplace in either upstate new york or the Berkshires but with tax rates like that NYS doesn't sound feasible. Are they really that high?
Yes. Taxes are that high. New York has the highest property taxes in the country. It's outrageous. Forget about Albany fixing it. Albany hasn't been able to get anything significant done since the state was founded. They couldn't even decide what instructions to send our delegates to the Continental Congress so they never sent any. The state government has been ranked as the worst in the country for its total inability to do anything. Everything is done by what we call, "The Three Men in a Room" method. The Senate and the Legislature are just for show. As one Legislator put it, "212 Legislators having an equal voice in the legislative process would lead to chaos."
I don't mean to discourage you but do keep in mind that Woodstock is a great place to visit. Great restaurants, funky boutiques, a somewhat active arts scene, but has a very large number of summer and weekend houses kept by people from the city. Many of them with a lot of money and attitude. Having worked and lived in the Hudson valley my entire life I have to tell you I dreaded getting clients from the Woodstock area at my place of business. Very rude, even exceptionally rude, very demanding, and unaccomodating. Many Woodstock inhabitants do not understand that living in the boonies means some goods and services aren't available within hours or even days no matter how much money you throw at the problem and so take it out on whomever is at hand. Tuxedo clients have loads more money and are much more polite so it's not a money thing. I have a suspicion why it is but I won't voice it here lest I offend.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Long time resident of Woodstock ....
