Putnam County - House Hunting Help (Poughkeepsie, Yorktown: low crime, houses, safe neighborhoods)

[bx1968]

Hello everyone.

My wife and I are in our mid 30's. We're from NYC and have 2 boys w/ special needs. One is a 3 y/o and the other is a 22 month old. My oldest is receiving services from NYC and is in the CPSE program. My youngest has already been approved for Early Intervention services and we are now in the process of checking out different schools for him. They both have developmental delays requiring Speech/OT/PT & ABA services.

We are "town browsing" in Southern Putnam County (Mahopac, Carmel, Putnam Valley) as well as northern Westchester (Yorktown Heights). We prefer these areas since they are affordable. We have not lined up with a realtor yet, but plan to do so soon.

We'd like to get some feedback from people who currently live or have lived in Putnam County. We're interested in learning which towns are the most desirable, which school districts are at the top of the list....etc etc

We're also curious if anyone else on this forum has any kids who are in a similar situation as ours and what their experience has been like in Putnam.

Here's a list of our requirements:

- I work in Midtown, wife is an at home mom
- Interested in Single Family Homes only (max is $400k)
- 3+ BR, 2+ BA, Garage, (would prefer a home on Nat Gas vs. Oil)
- Looking for good to excellent Elementary school districts
- Downtown area/Shopping is somewhat important, but not a deal breaker
- Safe neighborhoods. Would prefer to stay away from questionable towns (i.e. ones that have a jail)
- any info on the demographics of certain towns (would prefer towns/neighborhoods with kids similar in age)
-I would prefer to be close to Metro North (don't want a 30 min drive to the station)
- Train ride not to exceed 1 hr 20 min to Grand Central (I think this is doable from this area.. Correct me if I'm wrong)

We could really use the help. Thanks in advance.

[bx1968]

Anybody..... ???

[Torn2pieces]

I grew up in Putnam County - Lake Carmel, is the town.

The schools are good... There is no elementary school in Carmel. It's located in Patterson or Kent... There's a middle and high school..

Shopping - there's some grocery stores, and a Plaza with different type of stores.

Houses - Nice houses - but property tax is high.

Lake Carmel also has a big lake, where you can go swimming...

Low Crime...

Family orientated - in my opinion.

From Lake Carmel to the Train is about 10+ minutes.....

There's also Brewster, Mahopac, Kent, Patterson.. Which are nearby...

You would be about 20 or so minutes from the Malls - Danbury CT and Poughkeepsie Malls.

[TeaJay]

We live in Brewster. If you commute to NYC via train, Brewster/Southeast has the best access to the train IMO, with Carmel a close second. Travel time to GC from those stations is about 1 hr 20.

My experiences with Brewster schools are limited as my child is in K- but I have been really happy so far. The school is very welcoming and her teacher is great- in fact- all the K teachers seem great. My experience with special ed is limited though my child does get intervention and I have been impressed with her progress. It seems like they keep close tabs on all the children's progress and don't hesitate to jump in when needed.

There is no real downtown area- Brewster village is a bit neglected- but there is ample shopping. It's pretty easy to take care of basic needs and Danbury is nearby with plenty of options. It's a great place for outdoorsy types as it's very pretty and there are great parks and lots of things to do.