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My family may be relocating to the Westchester area from Virginia. I have been doing a ton of research(almost obsessively) on the internet regarding schools, neighborhoods and looking at homes. We have a 3rd and 5th grader so schools are very important to us. We would also like about 1 acre of land but would like a home with a neighborhood feel. We are well educated but consider ourselves pretty down to earth people. Outdoor recreation ie summer pools,hiking,and biking trails would be great too.These two districts seem to be pretty comparable to me. Any suggestions?
I live in Yorktown Heights but we looked in Katonah, among other places, when we were house-hunting. Personally I love Katonah. We're under 15 minutes away and go there often. Generally speaking Katonah is more "desirable" and more expensive. Both towns have a large range of home prices, but in YH the top of the market is generally around $3 to $4 million, whereas in Katonah homes can easily go for well over $15 million. So you'll find a lot more money in Katonah. Katonah has perhaps the prettiest village in Westchester, whereas the center of Yorktown Heights in not very attractive. On the other hand, YH has perhaps better food shopping and while the town is on the utilitarian side, it is extremely walkable. Yorktown has 2 town pools, Katonah has 1. Both are close to hiking and biking trails. Yorktown (which is, by the way, about 40 square miles and has many distinct areas) has some great parks and excellent hiking. I think Katonah schools generally do better on SAT scores and are more sought-after, but when we were searching lots of educators and teachers told us that both systems were pretty equal in quality. For what it is worth, we've been very happy with the schools so far.
In the end, we decided against Katonah because it felt a little too New Englandy and too upper-class for us. Also, the commute seemed daunting. We're now 10 minutes from the Croton-Harmon station and the trip, including the drive, is still shorter than the train from Katonah. We also felt more comfortable being on the western side of Westcheter, which feels more down to earth and arty than the eastern side. One of the things we love about being in southern Yorktown is that we are under 15 minutes from Croton, Peekskill, Katonah, Mount Kisco, Pleasantville, and Chappaqua. The centrality is a big plus. But the final deciding factor for us was the house.
So I recommend both. You might want to look into Croton, too.
dma1250 thanks for the reply. I have read several of your posts and have found them very informative. My DH would be working in Tarrytown. I think the commute from Yorktown or Katonah would be about the same. I am worried about the snooty factor. Hope I am not offending anyone here. That is a concern for me. I would like to live in a town that it will be easy for my kids and myself to make new friends. I too like the arts and I am drawn to befriend those kinds of people. I did look at Croton on Hudson but many of the houses have very little property. My husband would really like at least an acre. Thanks for the input.
Katonah is not a snooty town, despite the wealth of many of its residents, although I should preface it with stating that I am using Bronxville/Scarsdale as a benchmark in that regard. The only problem you might encounter with your budget will be the acreage, unless you can deal with a smaller house that might need some renovation. I would encourage you to expand your search to the Katonah-Lewisboro district if you are interested in Katonah schools, including places like Cross River, Waccabuc, and South Salem in addition to Katonah proper.
Also, be careful of Katonah addresses, 10536 zip code, that are actually zoned for Somers schools. These areas are not Katonah, despite the postal address and while the Somers schools are not bad, they are not as sought-after as Katonah-Lewisboro.
Yorktown Heights definitely will give you more value for your money in a larger home and more property, but there are draws to Katonah as well that might make it worthwhile to investigate your options. You can sometimes find a period house with only one bathroom and a smaller size on the acerage that you want for under your budget, which would give you the option of adding a bathroom/powder room, expanded kitchen and family room. I would not worry about recommending such extensive renovations in Katonah, since the property will retain much of the money spent to upgrade it. Again, that's only if you have a mindset to deal with the interruptions of renovating a period house, since it can be a chore. It is possible to find some 1960s and 1970s era houses in the hamlet proper and its immediate environs that are approaching an acre in property size at the higher end of your budget, but there might be condition issues to be factored, since Katonah is an area where one can easily spend over $800k on a town sized lot that is host to a smaller house in renovated condition.
Look at both areas, and see what one works with your budget and perseverence. If you are looking for more subdivision type of development, there are more of those in Yorktown Heights as opposed to Katonah that consists of a hamlet with a great downtown and surrounding areas. Expanding into Lewisboro, however, might give you some more options to meet your needs, but don't be surprised to find yourself looking at a 1970s raised ranch, split foyer, on an acre that could potentially need some work at over $700k in that area.
Asil65, thanks for the compliment. While houses in the village of Croton will have small lots, there are plenty of houses on the outskirts (but officially in Croton and with Croton schools) that have more land. The Teatown area and Mount Airy both have homes on well over an acre and you can still be just a few minutes from town.
The same is true of Yorktown Heights. We live in the Huntersville area in a 1700's farmhouse on 4 acres. The homes in our area are mostly from the 1700's and 1800's, with some 50's and 70's contemporaries and a few newer houses. Properties range from 2 acres to 40 acres and there are a number of horse farms. Bigger homes on larger properties sell for well over a million or 2, but there are some very nice houses with a few acres in your range. You'll find similar options in most of southern Yorktown.
On the snooty issue, I think that that is in the eye of the beholder and only you can decide what feels comfortable. Overall, Yorktown is extremely diverse socio-economically and, in my experience, people are very friendly and outgoing. Our friends and neighbors are largely artists and 'creative professionals' who work in the city, and I know lots of artists and creative people in Croton, too. I personally know few people from Katonah, but the town has an excellent art museum and a long-running poetry series at the library.
In general northern Westchester is wonderful and full of great areas. My advice is to explore everywhere. And remember that no one spends all their time in their town--every town has things that the others don't and no matter where you end up, you'll spend lots of time in other towns too.
Thanks BMW & dma. I really appreciate your help. I will look into the lewisboro area. My concern is that it is moving farther away from Tarrytown. One of the realtors that I talked with mentioned Pleasantville. That looks like a sweet town but there you do not get much for your money.Or I should say you do not get much for 750,000. That would be really close to my DH's job. It actually makes more sense for us to look in the Croton on Hudson area. That would enable my DH to take he train to work. How does train station parking work? I am imagining it is tough to get a spot at the station. What kind of expense are we talking about? The schools do not look quite as good there as in YH or Katonah. They still look better than in some other areas.
It only took us a few months to get a permit to park at Croton-Harmon, and I believe that village residents are guaranteed one. And there is always room in the daily parking area, no permit required. I can't remember the cost, though I pay it--maybe $500 a year. Croton schools are supposed to be very good.
True, Croton does offer a great option for commuting on the train, which can be a more pleasant experience, especially in inclement weather. The schools in Croton-Harmon district are slightly below performance of Yorktown or Katonah, but it's not somthing that would be that significant for the majority of students. Plus, some parts of Croton do have houses that have around an acre to a couple of acres in your price range, though there many not be a huge selection of those over an acre.
Another area to consider is Briarcliff Manor. You can still get a property between half an acre and a little more than an acre for around your price range, though the upper end of the Briarcliff Manor market does get to around $7M. The schools are excellent, but the train station has little in the way of parking, which is not a factor if you are in walking distance of the train or if your husband were to drive to work. It's about a 20 minute drive from Briarcliff Manor to Tarrytown. The downside is that parts of the area can be a little more stuffy and pretentious in comparison to Croton, Yorktown Heights, and even Katonah (though Katonah has more expensive properties and more money on average). That's the main reason why I would hesitate to recommend it, since I see that you're looking for a friendly community where you can enjoy yourselves and not be keeping up with a scene.
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