Ossining P O but Yorktown Schools... (Cortland, Dobbs Ferry: houses, school district, living in)

[mclairch]

Hi so despite having thought we'd found a place in Cortlandt Manor and that we'd finished our search we're back at it again. (House fell apart due to septic expansion issues and our need to add on to fit our whole family in there...)

So, we're looking at a house that is in the Ossining PO but with Yorktown schools. I was just wondering if any one could give feedback about this area. Will we be too isolated from the Yorktown community? (something I feel know with a Dobbs Ferry PO but in Ardsley schools- really don't feel a part of the Ardsley community or the Dobbs Ferry community at all). There are a handful of houses nearby but then mostly just country. We love the nature space but are a bit worried about how we connect with people in the community and make new friends etc.

Any feedback anyone has would be great appreciated!

Thanks!

[dma1250]

Originally Posted by mclairch

Hi so despite having thought we'd found a place in Cortlandt Manor and that we'd finished our search we're back at it again. (House fell apart due to septic expansion issues and our need to add on to fit our whole family in there...)

So, we're looking at a house that is in the Ossining PO but with Yorktown schools. I was just wondering if any one could give feedback about this area. Will we be too isolated from the Yorktown community? (something I feel know with a Dobbs Ferry PO but in Ardsley schools- really don't feel a part of the Ardsley community or the Dobbs Ferry community at all). There are a handful of houses nearby but then mostly just country. We love the nature space but are a bit worried about how we connect with people in the community and make new friends etc.

Any feedback anyone has would be great appreciated!

Thanks!

In terms of your PO being different from your school district, that shouldn't be any problem socially. We have friends in Yorktown school district with Chappaqua, Mt Kisco, and Cortlandt addresses. I think it is actually a plus, since you have access to two sets of pools. Other than school and pool, which town you live in is basically irrelevant since everyone can access pretty much everything else. Everyone hops from town to town to town for different things, and plenty of people live in one town but are actually much closer to another town.

As to getting to know people in a more "rural" setting, our experience has been that living in a more spread out place makes people go the extra mile to get to know each other and develop a sense of community. We live in the Huntersville area of Yorktown, which is pretty rural but has a very tight community association, and we met neighbors right away. I know that the Croton Heights area has a strong association too. Other more rural parts of Yorktown are Crow Hill, Kitchawan, and Teatown (you're probably in either Teatown or Kitchawan). I'd ask the realtor or sellers if there is a formal association. But again, we found that being farther apart physically makes neighbors more neighborly. I forget your exact situation, but if you have kids you will find local play groups, parent groups, and loads of activities--all of which are great ways to make friends. Plenty of our adult friends are indeed neighbors, but we've also made lots of friends who live in other towns that we've met at coffee houses, music performances, parks, and so on. Hope that helps...

[mclairch]

Thanks dma1250, good to hear that. That particular house probably isn't going to work but that doesn't mean we won't see another one that fits that same category. And yes we've got kids (four of 'em) so I assume that'll going some doors in and of itself...

[czarinalex]

When we were relocating within Yorktown, I avoided those houses outside the school district because of the distance to the schools. Keep in mind that your children will be getting up earlier and spending much more time on the school bus the further out you live. My children are active in after school activities & sports. The after school activity buses were out of the question for us.... it would take my kids almost an hour to get home. There were days when I would make 3 round trips to the school for pickups/dropoffs. Something to consider, especially when your children are in high school.