Tell Me About Peekskill ??? (New York, White Plains: middle-class, leasing, condos)

[VTP]

Is there a part of Peekskill that is known as Cortlandt Manor? I have an acquaintance who used to have a Peekskill mailing address, but around 10-15 years ago it changed to CM. What's up with that? Is it nice?

[dma1250]

The area now known as Cortlandt Manor used to be called Peekskill. Parts of it is very nice. It is the semi-suburban area around the city of Peekskill. Some of it has Hendrick Hudson schools and some of it has Lakeland schools.

[ttimmer]

Well Dave the H, when all is said and done, I think you made the right choice. I hope you feel the same. I truely believe that Peekskill's past is rich and her future is bright. Good luck.

Tim, whose love and sweat returned to that house the rightful description of 'surpassingly lovely'. :-)

PS One of the true gems of that neighborhood is your #7 reply. That tall guy named Finktown lives across the street from you. Get to know him. He embodies all the wonderful things about Peekskill.

[alexei27]

Originally Posted by VTP

Is there a part of Peekskill that is known as Cortlandt Manor? I have an acquaintance who used to have a Peekskill mailing address, but around 10-15 years ago it changed to CM. What's up with that? Is it nice?

Grew up in Cortlandt Manor close to the Yorktown line. I went to Walter Panas High School which is in the Lakeland school district. It is a nice area....very woodsy with windy streets. There are (or at least were) some beat up neighborhoods but none I would call "ghetto". If you want specifics that I can remember fell free to PM me. Thanks!

[ACS228]

[SIZE=5]Sanctuary Cities: What are they? [/SIZE]
Despite a 1996 federal law [the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act ( IIRIRA )] that requires local governments to cooperate with Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), many large urban cities (and some small) have adopted so-called "sanctuary policies." Generally, sanctuary policies instruct city employees not to notify the federal government of the presence of illegal aliens living in their communities. The policies also end the distinction between legal and illegal immigration--so illegal aliens often benefit from city services too.

Peekskill is listed...check it out here

http:/ojjpac.org/sanctuary.asp

[dma1250]

ACS228--Interesting. Another reason Peekskill is such a cool city!

[writerj]

hi,

Ok, my fam is from peekskill...I was born and raised, traveled extensively and no longer live there. here goes:

Peekskill/Cortlandt Manor is clean. CM is home to many over priced houses in very quiet,clean and safe 'hoods. NO issues.
HOWEVER, housing market is god awful now. Homes sit and sit. in the 90's, the housing market was artificially inflated and small homes were going for top $$. Now, even houses worth the $ sit on the market. average houses are 500,000 easy. Good luck trying to buy. Young people are NOT welcome due to the fact that nearly everything is out of reach and though jobs exist, the artificial cost of living cannot be supported by average salaries. Nearly everyone commutes to NYC to work=expensive.

When I was a kid, Peekskill had a lot of issues, downtown blight with closed storefronts, drugs, some violence on main st. Now, new businesses have been coming in and Peekskill is attempting to market itself as an artist community.
There is: Bruised Apple Bookstore(only place of this kind in entire area), Peekskill Coffee House(boo starbuck's..), Paramount Theater(no Hollywood garbage here), numerous open mic poetry readings. HOwever, prices of new apartments don't match a true artist's income, ha ha. HOusing for apartments has increased and does not reflect in what you get. Drugs still go down, but I don't feel unsafe walking around. no worries.
Hispanic communities have been heading to Peekskill. Hop right on MetroNorth to NYC, $17.50 roundtrip.

Bear Mountain and surrounding areas like Cold Spring etc. offer nice hiking and views.

a few years back, we used to put on diy rock shows at VFW Halls, scene was quite strong. It's been coming back; shows in downtown Peekskill have opened up new creative outlets for the kids

Powers that be: stores, gov. officials do little to promote jobs. ONLY jobs for teens to mid 20's are dead end retail and fast food 'opportunities'.
Rich, white residents are welcome in the area; they're responsible for welcoming Home Depot and Wal-Mart with open arms. spend spend spend.
Condo communities have also sprung up, lots of $$$ to live there.

School system is fine. quality teachers abound. Taxes are high: property, water, etc.
affluent county, I'd say.
MAJORITY of people that grew up here now wanting to buy homes and settle down have been financially shut out.

hope this helps! bottom line: you have $, fine location, very safe for families.

[Peekskillnative]

A few years ago,I moved back to Peekskill, where I was born and raised. I enjoy the small city feel of this town. I wanted to live in a town with an actual "downtown" area. I grew up on "mortgage hill" and it has some beautiful houses and is a quiet, friendly area. The coffee house is great for meeting friends or just hanging out reading The NY Times.Across the street from the coffee shop,The refurbished Paramount Theatre shows interesting indie films as well as hosting live shows. Restaurants like Zeph's, Susan's and Division Street Grill have an interesting range of food and small ethnic restaurants dot the downtown area as well. Ruben's comes to mind.Jazz nights and open mic nights are common at some of these spots and if you are looking for culture, this is the place. But, you have to look! My biggest complaint is that the arts are not very visible at ground level. The HVCCA museum is outside the downtown area and the artist lofts are mostly on the second floor. The open studio days are great because they have maps to the studios and make it easier to see the wonderful creativity that abounds.It's the kind of place where people chat with each other on line at the bank. Summers bring to the downtown our farmers market on saturdays and a small but growing flea market on sundays. The commute to the city is an hour but I guess we are used to that here. I can't really comment on the schools as my children attended Hendrick Hudson schools (a small part of Peekskill falls within that district). I have always felt safe here and I take adult ed classes downtown at night. Now, of course, I use common sense,lock my doors and don't wander alone on the dowtown streets in the dark. This isn't Scarsdale, but the crime rate is low for a city this size and most people are just trying to live their lives in peace. This city is not for everyone but if you want a little diversity and an interesting slightly urban feel, why not spend a day downtown and chat with a few residents? Good luck with your home search!

[mikamae17]

have lived here all my life, left in 1994 to chicago looing for more. came back to peekskill in 2000 to find it changing. not so much though..still has the same (1) project building which by the way is at the other end of town and there is nothing down that way of interest to anyone except the people who live in the building, lots of shops nearby, and i have two children in the school system, they aren't rated the best, however as a teacher in one of the schools i will say that parents also make a difference in their child's education. I think its a lovely town and will never stray again.. lots of summer activities, blues festivals, lots of stars come to peekskill's river front green in the summer to perform, and also at the paramount theatre. I say in another 4-5 years peekskill will be different in any way i can remember it as a child. I also would like to state my opinion in saying that buying a home now would be smart because the plans for peekskill in another 4-5 years will make it completely unaffordable then. great investment op. happy in peekskill

[NJGirl12]

Can anyone tell me which area of Peekskill is Mortgage Hill?

Thanks.