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I'm looking for homes that are not "on top of eachother" with lots of childrens activities, great schools and in close proximity to the city. Beaches would be nice.
I can't speak to Mamaroneck, but both Croton and Yorktown have areas with a more rural feel and minimum lots ranging from one to 4 acres (and many properties with a lot more than that). In Croton you can find larger lots in the Mt Airy section and the Teatown area, which straddles Croton and Yorktown. Also in Yorktown the Huntersville, Kitchawan, Crow Hill, and Croton Heights areas are all more rural and and have large properties. Both towns have tremendous natural beauty and plenty of great parks and hiking trails. I'd say both towns have a good deal of socio-economic diversity and tend to attract people who care about being surrounded by natural beauty and close to outdoor acitivies. Both also have a lot "creative professionals" and artists, as well as a broad spectrum of other professionals.
For beaches, there's the beach at Croton Point Park on the Hudson. Croton residents have Silver Lake, which is a beach on the Croton river, and Yorktown residents have a beach at Sparkle lake (which is actualy a lake). (Yorktown also has 2 pools and Croton residents can use the Cortlandt town pool.)
Both schools are certainly "great." We're in Yorktown and love it. The area has a tremendous number of activities for kids. Teatown Lake Reservation in Yorktown is amazing, with great activities, classes, and camps year-round. There are lots of places for music and arts classes too, and plenty of sports activities. Both towns offer a variety of regular (and very cheap) classes and programs during the day and after school. We never run out of things to do.
As for the commute, the train from Croton is 43 to 48 minutes (depending on which one you catch.) The areas I mentioned in Croton are about 5-10 minutes from the station. Some of the areas I mentioned in Yorktown are 10-15 minutes from the Croton station and others are 5-10 minutes from the Mt. Kisco station (which is a slightly longer trip.) The weekend drive into Manhattan is 40-50 minutes from Yorktown.
I'm looking for homes that are not "on top of eachother" with lots of childrens activities, great schools and in close proximity to the city. Beaches would be nice.
I'm not sure what you'd consider "on top of each other," but Mamaroneck is pretty dense everywhere, it's a matter of degree. Upcounty spreads out very fast after you get outside the downtown areas & hamlets.
A little more specificity with your criteria would help get more responses - your budget, what you consider proximity, etc. Your desires are too general to be of much guidance.
There is really little to compare between Croton and Yorktown vs Mamaroneck. Mamaroneck is very close to the city, there is diversity, neighborhoods with multi-million dollar homes and some very not desireable areas. It shares schools w the affluent village of Larchmont and is on the water. There are no rural areas, great restaurants and the neighboring towns all run into eachother- kinda one after another. There is the village area, which is busy during the day and at night. Train to GC is about 30 minutes. Homes are much more expensive than in Yorktown and you will literally get half the house and a tenth of the land for same price. Someone who would desire to live in Mamaroneck would not be interested in Yorktown and vice versa- that's my opinion. good luck
Yorktown, Croton and Mamaroneck are 3 pretty distinctly different areas.
Mamaroneck is the most "urban" of the 3, and it's the closest to the city. It has a pretty vibrant and commercial downtown, with a mix of regular shopping, combined with dining, theater, etc. The schools are generally very well-regarded, though the high school is very large. There are some affluent residents who avoid the public schools, especially at the high school level. There is a fair amount of racial and socio-economic diversity, owing to a significant Hispanic immigrant population. In terms of parks, you have a park and beach right on the LI Sound.
Croton is much further north, but the commute into the city is quite similar. The Croton trainstation is a hub, offering multiple express trains that are 45-48 minutes into Grand Central. Croton has a "small town" vibe, with many residents active in the town politics. The school district is very small, but well regarded. The inner village is very walkable, filled with parks and homes on less than quarter-acres. As you move out of the village, you get into more spacious suburbs. The downtown, while quite walkable, is pretty sparse. A few too many empty storefronts. The village really has kept the chainstores out -- THere is no Starbucks, but there is the "Black Cow" coffeehouse. The Ice Cream parlor is the local "Blue Pig." Croton is somewhat known for its diversity of parks, including parks on the Hudson River, as well as the Croton Reservoir.
I don't know Yorktown as well. It's basically north and east of Croton. It does not have it's own trainstation, though parts of Yorktown are pretty close to Croton. I believe it has a good amount of parks. To me, Yorktown is a more typical sprawling suburbia. It's a rather large geographic area. Homes in most neighborhoods tend to have a good amount of land. Though you do have localled owned businesses, you also have plenty of stripmalls, the Jefferson Valley Mall, and big-box stores. The schools are fairly well regarded, though they lack the prestige of some other Westchester districts.
Overall, Mamaroneck is the most expensive area. Croton is cheaper, though taxes can be pretty high. Yorktown is similarly priced to Croton, maybe a bit cheaper, with slightly more reasonable property taxes. (Thanks to a fair amount of commercial contribution).
Overall, I don’t think Croton and Yorktown are that “distinctly different.” If you want a village vibe, parts of Croton are a better pick. If you want more of a rural vibe parts of Yorktown will be better for you. But as far as general lifestyle goes it’s all the same area. We have a pretty equal number of friends in each of the two towns and we run into Crotonites doing shopping and going to restaurants and parks in Yorktown all the time--and vice versa. The kids tend to go the same camps and after-school activities and groups too, so our son’s friends are also from both towns (as well as other nearby ones). There's far more flow between the towns than not. I’d also say that you’ll find a far greater “cultural” difference between the Mt Airy section of Croton and the Harmon area in Croton than you will between the Mt Airy section and any number of areas in Yorktown, for example. Both towns have a lot of socio-economic diversity and different areas have different vibes. Yorktown, which is about 40 square miles, has a number of different areas in itself. There are seven hamlets and 5 "business districts" in the town, as well as 2 school districts. The northern part tends to be more "suburban" and the southern part tends to be more "rural" and not at all what I'd call typical suburban.
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