YORKTOWN HEIGHTS vs. YORKTOWN (Mount Pleasant, Somers: fit in, for sale, real estate market)

[BKLYNGIRL]

What is the difference? I see alot of houses for sale for reasonable prices why is it so affordable to live here? Do they make up for it with the taxes?

Is 1 side of the Taconic better or newer than the other? Where are flooding areas? Do they have sidewalks? Are there areas to avoid due to major traffic? Are there areas that have an older community vs. a younger one?
Any information would be helpful. How is Somers? I see aot of different school districts - is 1 better that another?

Live in Town of Mount Pleasant now, enjoy it but getting a little pricey and busy. Became a very popular area within last 5 years, alot of new construction going up along with taxes.

Please someone respond and help me choosed my future residence. Thanks!!

[J&Em]

Tried sending a DM but you have it blocked....

[BKLYNGIRL]

Hi Sorry, I Am New To This, Don't Know How To Set Up Screen - Please Try Again I Would Love Some Answers To My Questions.

[J&Em]

To make sure you can receive a direct message here you will need to click on the box in the upper right below your name where it says

Direct Messages


This will bring you to a page where you can read messages as well as send them. On the left side are various functions. One is "Edit Options" where you can check the things you want. Under the third category down (Direct Messaging)you will see you need to check off the first box to enable messages to be sent or received by you. Before you close the window or do anything else scroll all the way down and make sure that you click on the save changes button or it won't "stick" for you. That should let mail through!!

I am retiring from the area and moving south but thought I would give you a little info on Yorktown. The message was more detailed and I can try resending it if you would like once you have set up your Direct Messages.

Briefly, Yorktown and Yorktown Heights are 2 names for the same place... the Township of Yorktown. The "heights" came about when the train began coming through a portion of Yorktown that was not, at the time, the center of the actual town. Yorktown is also comprised of many smaller "hamlets" such as Shrub Oak, Kitchiwan, Mohegan and so on. In general the south end of town is the most spread out with larger properties and therefore higher real estate costs, and in general the north end is more compact with smaller homes and properties. Note I say in general because there are exceptions on both ends. Generaly, in the middle you will find a mix of homes that can range from the $400,000- over $1million.

I've lived in Northern Westchester for a long time but am not aware of flooded areas, although the water table is fairly high throughout the area (not just Yorktown but in neighboring towns as well).

Some at Citi Data have posted some rather unfavorable messages about the taxes. From town to town it does vary a bit but overall it is high in the region. Yorktown is no exception because it is primarily what is known as a bedroom community. This means little or no industry and commercial development to pay a higher portion of the taxes. This also means more of the burden falls on the homeowner.

It has always been a family friendly place with good schools.

[dma1250]

Generally speaking, homes with a "Yorktown" address are in the northern part of town and in the Lakeland school district, while homes with a "Yorktown Heights" address are in the southern end and in the Yorktown Central school district. The biggest concrete difference is the school districts. Yorktown Heights is one of 7 hamlets in Yorktown, but homes in many different hamlets have a Yorktown Heights PO address. As J&Em said, northern Yorktown tends to be more densely developed and suburban, while the southern areas are generally less dense and more rural. Much of southern Yorktown has 2 and 4 acre zoning, and a lot of it is around the reservoir and has very strict rules on development. There are also a number of large nature preserves in the south (Teatown, Kitchawan, Turkey Moutain, Hanover Hills, and FDR Park to name the biggest). This is a very broad generalization, but socially northern Yorktown tends to be more lower-middle to middle class and more conservative/Republican, while southern Yorktown is generally middle to upper-middle class and more liberal/Democrat. Which is "better" depends on who you are and what you're looking for. Hope that helps.

[J&Em]

I am not sure why people keep repeating that there are different names and zip codes for the two halves of the town when it is not true. There is no "Yorktown" zip code as opposed to a "Yorktown Heights" zip code. It perpetuates the belief of one being somehow better than the other when people invent a difference. Please check with the USPS website to see for yourself.

USPS - ZIP Code Lookup - Search By Address

Use the search by city tab and enter just the word Yorktown and the state and you will find it does not exist and Yorktown Heights is recommended. The town calls itself the *Town of Yorktown* and refers to the sub areas as "businesses hamlets" (shopping areas where mostly small businesses have clustered). Note, one of the hamlets is Yorktown Heights and it is what is considered the downtown area where several shopping centers, Town Hall, and a small industrial park reside. If I still haven't cleared up the confusion... try the town's own website and look at the map provided under "maps and directions" (about 2/3 of the way down on the left side). You'll see "Yorktown" is the name for the entire town, and Yorktown Heights is located in the center where Town Hall is. If you check maps by companies like Hagstrom's (Upper Westchester map) it conforms to historical names as well. The entire town is covered with Yorktown, then in smaller caps the "downtown" area is labeled Yorktown Heights and the original town center located at the intersection of route 202 and route 35 where the historic Presbyterian Church sits is labeled Yorktown.


You will also find that there are different zips for some of the hamlets (for example: Mohegan Lake, Shrub Oak, Jefferson Valley) and that some residents on the edges have zips from other towns or hamlets. Some residents on the edges may also have kids in Yorktown School but have other town addresses.

Schools under the "Yorktown" label cover the southern 2/3 of the town and the northern 1/3 is part of the Lakeland School district which draws students from 6 other towns as well.

Hopefully now you will see why there is so much confusion because even many residents as well as the real estate agents make it a muddle!! My recent work has taken me to several of the local town halls where it was important to become familiar with both history and maps to do my job. It bothers me when things that are not true are repeated. Hopefully this clears up the misconceptions!

[dma1250]

J&Em, I don't think I actually said anything that contradicts anything you wrote (or vice versa). The fact is that when looking for real estate listings, as the OP is, some homes are listed as having a Yorktown address and others as Yorktown Heights. I was trying to explain why that is and what it indicates, as well as the basic differences between the northern end of town and the southern end.

Yorktown is huge (40 square miles, which is 18 square miles larger than Manhattan, or just 4 smaller than Queens). Almost all residents identify where they live by the hamlet--Croton Heights, Crompound, Shrub Oak, Yorktown Heights, etc. Each hamlet is distinct and has a different character -- saying you live in "Yorktown" doesn't mean that much to a resident. Say that, and they’ll respond “But where?”

As I said in the previous post, the biggest concrete difference is school district, which breaks more or less slightly north of Route 202 (with zigs and zags here and there).

By the way, Yorktown Heights is not the historical "downtown" of all of Yorktown. There are a number of historic downtown areas, including those in Shrub Oak and Mohegan Lake. There used to be a village center in Huntersville too, but that is now under the Croton reservoir. Most of the shopping today is in the north, along Route 6.

[J&Em]

I had hoped this wouldn't turn into that kind of posting I find so repugnant. For goodness sake the town is a good one with lots of wonderful people, events and places to visit and doesn't need all the snobbery seen in so many Westchester communities. I am fortunate to live in the "right" half but I still cannot see why people need to make any designation.

I'm sorry I did not quote the original reply which did mention zip codes for the two names. Wonder why it isn't so now?? It was, however, the reason for posting a link to the USPS site rather than arguing the point further. It is sad enough that the real estate market has created a perceived snob appeal to one end of the town, and painted everything north of there as the wrong side of the tracks. Sadder yet when it is perpetuated by those who buy into it. Thankfully I have had the pleasure of being friends with people from both ends and all points in between, and most are not so wrapped up in whether or not the live in the "Heights." Most describe a neighborhood or being near a landmark for their location, and not a Hamlet unless they feel it impresses others. Maybe I don't know the "right" people.

Since there is a difference in SAT scores and some other issue with Lakeland schools that might make them seem less desirable to those with kids, I can certainly understand the distinction you will see on some sites (like that of Houlihan Lawrence) where the distinction is not Yorktown vs Yorktown Heights but between the school districts when looking for listings.

As I said in the previous post, the biggest concrete difference is school district, which breaks more or less slightly north of Route 202 (with zigs and zags here and there).

This description is also not helpful to someone who does not know Yorktown very well as it would eliminate a lot of good homes from being looked at that are part of the Yorktown School district. It perpetuates the feeling that the only "nice" places are south of the main part of downtown Yorktown Heights and Route 202, which is far from true. It would include homes in places (London Woods for example) which are hardly lower middle class, conservative or whatever else you feel and it would mean that one of the 4 elementary schools (Crompond) would somehow be out of the district!

By the way, Yorktown Heights is not the historical "downtown" of all of Yorktown

I said nothing of the sort, far from it. Reread the following:

The entire town is covered with Yorktown, then in smaller caps the "downtown" area is labeled Yorktown Heights and the original town center located at the intersection of route 202 and route 35 where the historic Presbyterian Church sits is labeled Yorktown.

The church celebrated it 250 year anniversary a while back. It figured prominently in several events before/during/after the Revolutionary war and was the center of the town that would eventually be named Yorktown in honor of Yorktown, VA and victorious revolutionary battle fought there against the English. There are still vestiges of the town in the older homes that made up the town up and down rte 202 and rte 132. It was called Crompond Corners before the Revolution. 'Yorktown Heights' did not exist as a name until nearly the 20th century, after the train began coming through further east in the town. It became the new center of commerce and travel and is where the current Town hall was built. Each of the other hamlets have their own distinctions, many from the post revolutionary era but none were the nucleus of what is now known as Yorktown.

[dma1250]

Moderator cut: edit My comments were intended to give the lay of the land to someone asking for help in understanding the differences in a huge town encompassing many different areas and hamlets. Making distinctions in a town of 40 square miles isn't snobbery, it is necessary. And it is actually respectful of the many distinct hamlets and communities. Pretending that a town the size of Queens is somehow identical and without variation is absurd.

My comments never mentioned zip codes--and if there is a way to change published posts, it is over my head. Moderator cut: edit

I never said that one school district was better than the other, so I don't see how pointing out the general dividing lines between the two districts implies that one side is better than the other. Moderator cut: edit As for Crompound, it is in one of the northern "zigs," as is Brookside.

Moderator cut: edit

[J&Em]

I didn't realize only one booster was allowed to speak about the town and only one sided opinions count.

Moderator cut: editI've lived in this area a long time and am saddened by the newly created need of some residents to make parts of the town seem more than they are. It used to be Yorktown residents could proudly say the Town was not like many of its more snobby counterparts 'down county'. Moderator cut: edit

As a long time resident I have had the opportunity to be involved in volunteer groups, sports teams, PTA and and the like. Actively participating in this town has given me a wonderful chance to meet and befriend people from all parts of the town, as well as neighboring towns. None of those people fit in the generalizations about income or even political affiliation. More than half would be best classified as independent, if anything. The former Supervisor was Republican and lived at the southern end of town - and I know she isn't an aberration for the area, even though I don't live as far south and don't know everyone. Maybe you can enlighten me on where you found the information on political affiliations? The consensus has been among people who make politics their business that the Town is more Democratic Party leaning overall, including the parts you label as lower middle class. This is reflected by the make up of the Town Council over the past decade and even more so with the present Democratic Supervisor. The local Republican party has pretty much gone defunct and is in negative funds from the last report I saw. The lone Conservative, Councilman Bianco, is popular for his active and sometimes loud protectionism (or activism depending on your point of view) for the part of town he resides in, not because the area is heavily republican or conservative.

Which part of the facts did you not likeModerator cut: edit? The general description of where and what Yorktown Heights and Yorktown are? The actual history of how they came to get their names? The information I gave conforms to how the town, and its hamlets, are thought about within Town Hall, how they are named on maps and their origins as seen in the history book written by the former Supervisor and present Town Clerk. If you actually deal with people from all over the town you will know that most people don't identify themselves by hamlet (with the exception of Mohegan and Shrub Oak, and sometimes Jefferson Valley because of proximity to the mall), especially in the middle 1/3 of the town, so much as by location in an area or subdivision. As in "Countryside" or London Woods" "Farm Walk" or Hunterbrook, or off of a main artery or relative location to a landmark like Turkey Mountain, Underhill or Hanover Farm. It is also a fact that the school district division does not zig zag close to Rte 202 at all and that students attend the Yorktown schools from areas that extend into the upper 2/3 of the Yorktown border.