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My husband and I are considering making a move to Yorktown Heights some time in the coming year. We currently own a home but since I recently gave birth to our second child we're looking for more room. We're also looking for a nice quiet neighborhood that is kid-friendly and where the education is top priority. I've heard much about Yorktown in this regard however I was wondering if any of you live in the area, or know of it, and could perhaps provide more hands-on information or advice about this location.
Yorktown Heights is quite large and encompasses three or four distinct hamlets and lots of different types of neighborhoods, so its hard to generalize. YH has everything from semi-rural country roads with large properties and horse farms to suburban neighborhoods to the village center. Prices vary a great deal from area to area, but you can probably find the type of setting you're looking for. The town has great amenities and a remarkable bounty of nature preserves and parks. My favorite town spots are Hilltop Hanover Farm, Turkey Mountain Nature Preserve, the North County Trailway, and Teatown Lake Reservation. Depending on where you are in YH, it's a 10 to 15 minute drive to the train station in Croton or Mt Kisco. The town has great shopping (especially Turcos and Meadows Market) and some good restaurants, and you're very close to lots of restaurants in Mt Kisco, Peekskill, and other nearby towns.
We've been very happy with the schools and have found them to be set up to teach each child on his or her own level whether they need extra support or extra challenges. There are lots of great programs and opportunities for kids to really push themselves. The middle school was just named a National Blue Ribbon School (which is mostly based on test scores, so it doesn't tell you too much).
On the con side, the downtown commercial center of YH was "redeveloped" in the 60's and most of it was bulldozed and replaced by ugly buildings and a strip mall. There's still the original street grid and it is very walkable, but it ain't the prettiest downtown at all. (The residential area just outside of the commercial center retains its 1800's and turn of the century homes and is quite nice.) Another con is that there is no train station in town, so you need to drive to one (again, that will vary depending on where in town you are; my daily drive to the Croton-Harmon station is 10 minutes). On the pro side, I love the town's centrality--its a quick drive to the Hudson and to the towns of Katonah and Mt Kisco, and the Taconic runs straight through town.
Last edited by dma1250; 10-16-2011 at 09:49 PM..
Reason: added a point
I don't live in London Woods but very close to it. Do you have any specific questions? dma1250 gave a very good overview of the town.
My children are in high school so we've been through the whole system. Let me know if I can help.
London Woods typically always has been a sought after subdivision. Some of the homes in there have been updated, some have not. There is a small ball field near the entrance to the site. Its convenient to both the Shrub Oak hamlet of Yorktown as well as Yorktown itself. You would be minutes from the Jefferson Valley Mall. There are cul-de-sacs throughout the site. All homes are on town water & sewer.
Yorktown Heights is blue collar and working class all the way. Not as big with the NYC commuters. Think Italian contractors and cops. Either people who were priced out of lower 914 where they grew up, or people who never left Yorktown and inherited their family home. Think large screen TV and SUV, but no library room.
Yorktown Heights is blue collar and working class all the way. Not as big with the NYC commuters. Think Italian contractors and cops. Either people who were priced out of lower 914 where they grew up, or people who never left Yorktown and inherited their family home. Think large screen TV and SUV, but no library room.
That describes 10% of the population, at most. It is a very socio-economlcaly diverse town. I live in Yorktown Heights and I and the majority of people in my neighborhood work in NYC and moved up from NYC. Most of the people we know here are architects, editors, lawyers, writers, and people in finance. And plenty of people who work in the local IBM research facility. There are certainly a handful of contractors and cops, but they are a small minority of the town population. And we do know people who were born and bred here, but they are far outnumbered by those who moved up from the Upper West Side and Park Slope.
I grew up in the Northeast Bronx in a very working class area. Almost everyone I know who moves to Westchester moves to Yorktown (in addtition to Mahopac) so there has to be way more of a working class element than 10 %. When I joined facebook years ago, half of my classmates growing up live in Mahopac or Yorktown and they are not white collar college graduates. I am not passing judgment on that and I know some wonderful people that move to Yorktown but I know many,many, many Verizon workers, trade workers, cops and firefighters that move there. I am sure there are tons of white collar workers as well but blue collar workers that move for space and better schools tend to go to Yorktown. I am not saying it is a bad thing but if you want less of blue collar atmosphere, I would not suggest Yorktown.
I grew up in the Northeast Bronx in a very working class area. Almost everyone I know who moves to Westchester moves to Yorktown (in addtition to Mahopac) so there has to be way more of a working class element than 10 %. When I joined facebook years ago, half of my classmates growing up live in Mahopac or Yorktown and they are not white collar college graduates. I am not passing judgment on that and I know some wonderful people that move to Yorktown but I know many,many, many Verizon workers, trade workers, cops and firefighters that move there. I am sure there are tons of white collar workers as well but blue collar workers that move for space and better schools tend to go to Yorktown. I am not saying it is a bad thing but if you want less of blue collar atmosphere, I would not suggest Yorktown.
That sounds like northern Yorktown, especially Shrub Oak, Jefferson Valley, Mohegan Lake. Not like Yorktown Heights. The 10% estimate is based on my 10 years living here, being a member of the community, going to town events, and meeting parents at school and sporting events and parties. That I recall, I've met two cops, three firefighters, two guys who own construction companies, no trade workers or Verizon workers, and loads of lawyers, finance people, and "creative professionals." I love the town's socio-economic diversity, but in the fairly random sampling of my son's many classes and sports teams the parents have been pretty uniformly white collar. And as Park Slope refugees with liberal politics and locovorian leanings we certainly haven't had any trouble meeting similar like-minded folk.
Yorktown Heights is blue collar and working class all the way. Not as big with the NYC commuters. Think Italian contractors and cops. Either people who were priced out of lower 914 where they grew up, or people who never left Yorktown and inherited their family home. Think large screen TV and SUV, but no library room.
Really? I've lived here for 28 years. I know lots of people who commute to NYC. I was one for 15 years. Lots of white collar workers here. I don't know where this snobbish stereotype comes from.
I also have to laugh at the comment about people priced out of lower Westchester. Believe it or not, there are many, many people who wouldn't live in lower Westchester if they were giving homes away. Count me in as one.
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