What can you tell me about Croton (Poughkeepsie, Cortland: movies, school district)

[josmyth]

on Hudson? What is the town vibe like? What type of people make up the general population? How are the schools? Is there bussing? Is there any town Recreation?
Thinking of leaving So Westchester and the commute to NYC looks good from Croton.

[fyrisle]

We just visited Croton-on-Hudson (also thinking of moving there). There is a lot to do there if you like the outdoors. We stopped at the 500 acre Croton Point Park which has beaches and picnic grounds along with scenic views of the Hudson and palisades. We then walked above the Croton Dam which also has beautiful views. Just north there is the 1500 acre Blue Mountain Reservation with miles of trails, playgrounds and impressive views. There are also bike/walking paths along the Hudson and further inland where an old railroad track was. I'm sure there is even more I don't know about.

We visited the schools in 3 villages we are looking at and liked the elementary school in Croton the best. The school district gets pretty good scores on the NYS assessments and was rated around 120 of about 1350 schools in NYS (according to Newsweek). The elementary school class size was about 23 (smaller in kindergarten).

One of the reasons we are looking there is the commute, 42-45 minutes on the express train. We haven't taken the train to Croton but one time when I took the train to Riverdale (from Manhattan) the scenery just made the trip shorter.

[global_gal]

I know Croton is the last stop on metro north (hudson line I believe). I used to work in Irvington, but I live in Riverdale.

The river towns, as they are called, are very refreshing. To me, the residents, many who've been there for some time, are very comfortable in their own skins and love NYC but are content with living along the Hudson.

I've met famous actors/artists who live in Irvington/Tarrytown/Ossissing and they are great. I don't know about the schools, but many folks are into local happenings and there is a great community sense.

[dma1250]

Originally Posted by global_gal

I know Croton is the last stop on metro north (hudson line I believe). I used to work in Irvington, but I live in Riverdale..

Actually, Poughkeepsie is the last stop on the Hudson line MetroNorth train. One of the benefits of Croton is that it is an express hub stop and there are multiple trains that stop there. Croton is the first stop on the express to Poughkeepsie and the last stop on the semi-express (which goes straight to Tarrytown and then makes 4 stops). It is also the last stop on semi-express trains that stop at Irvingon (which is probably what global-gal was thinking about). The train to Poughkeepsie is the fastest, and the semi-express trains are about 5 minutes longer. But there are oodles of choices.

Croton has a very relaxed, mellow vibe. There lots of former city residents (and a large Park Slope and Upper West Side contingent). There are also lots of aging hippies who came up for the Clearwater festival eons ago and never left. In addition to the parks that "fyrisle" mentioned, there are a number of other parks and nature reserves in the area. (Teatown Lake Reservation is awesome and has excellent programs for kids and adults). Croton residents also have Silver Lake (a small beach on the Croton River), Senasqua Park on the Hudson (which has live music and outdoor movies in the summer), and use of the Cortlandt pool, which is very nice. The schools are supposed to be quite good--and yes, there is busing.

Check out this blog for information upper Westchester and the Croton area:

Northern Westchester Home

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Originally Posted by global_gal

I know Croton is the last stop on metro north (hudson line I believe). I used to work in Irvington, but I live in Riverdale.

The river towns, as they are called, are very refreshing. To me, the residents, many who've been there for some time, are very comfortable in their own skins and love NYC but are content with living along the Hudson.

I've met famous actors/artists who live in Irvington/Tarrytown/Ossissing and they are great. I don't know about the schools, but many folks are into local happenings and there is a great community sense.

Actually Poughkeepsie is the last stop on the Hudson line. Years ago Croton was a blue collar town. Now that has changed it is more yuppish but a very nice little town. It is close to transportation. I worked in Croton for years, but did not want to live where I worked.

[global_gal]

dma-1250, yes I was thinking only of the semi-express train.