People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

Any info you can provide on your area would be great. We are in contract to sell our current co-op in Westchester and these are areas we are looking at...

Just looking for some conversation on the areas above...

Where are you exactly?
What do you like about your town/area
Did you move from someplace else? Why?
Where do you commute to for work if at all?
Do you have kids - would you recommend your area for a young family?

We are priced out of Westchester - we want a nice size home with a yard... and can not afford 500K and the avg taxes in Westchester. School district is important as my son is going to kindergarten soon.

I work in Middletown, NY so I am familiar with the commute to Westchester I guess in a perfect world - I would like to be able to still have the option to commute to westchester or NYC if my job situation was to change.

DH works in the south bronx for DOE and could conceivably look for something in a neighboring district after we are settled. Till then he understands he will commute.

People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

Have you thought about Rockland? I grew up in North Rockland and homes are still more affordable there for a good size property. Yes commute to Bronx sucks but my Dad did it for many years.

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

I live in Southeast, but everyone calls the ares Brewster. There are two distinct areas- the Village of Brewster and the Town of Southeast.

I like this area a lot. It's way more rural than LI and lower Westchester. We came from Queens because for the cost of a condo we could get a house, and at the time DH and I both worked in Westchester/the Bronx. I also wanted to live in an area with more of a country feel. When we bought, in 2005, houses were less than LI but only marginally. But taxes were also a little lower. Now, houses have not rebounded here the way they have on LI which is good for people looking now. The schools are good, there are nice parks for the kids, Little League, sports, dance schools, lots of recreation. There are hiking & biking trails and preserves all over the place. It's a nice place for families with kids.

I am a former DOE teacher- I worked in the Bronx and took the train from Brewster to Melrose and then walked 2 blocks to my school. I was very lucky that worked out for me. Now I work in Brewster but not teaching. Your situations are tricky in terms of the best place for you- I would not recommended Dutchess for your DH, at least not eastern Dutchess. He'd have to travel a ways just to get to a highway. When I drove I took 684 which is a decent commuting road, much better than the Taconic IMO. Also Brewster has 2 train stations (Southeast is the other).

Your commute to Middletown would be long and you'd have to deal with a bridge- I do not know what 84 is like going in that direction in the morning. I had coworkers who lived in Orange county and it seemed like a tough commute for them.

If you end up in central/eastern Putnam (Carmel is nice, but Brewster's schools are slightly better I think, and it does not have the easy access to the train) or eastern Dutchess I would suggest to your DH that he look into CT certification- it seems like Danbury schools are frequently hiring and it might be easier to get in than NY- the Putnam districts are small and do not hiring many people each year.

People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

My SIL lives in Montgomery. Her and her DH commuted into the city NYPD. They like it up there. Have a great house and nice property.

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

Yes ! Thanks I meant to add that. We would consider rockland and lower Fairfield CT. Thanks for the reminder!

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

I'm in Yorktown heights, we moved here from queens and we love it. Housing prices really vary as well as taxes. I have 1 acre and pay approx $10k for a 2600 sq ft home. Let me know if you have any questions :)

People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

We briefly considered it but the commute was too much for us (work in the city). Our ideal was also Westchester but we caved and came to LI because it was significantly cheaper. If I had to do it over I would have waited and saved so we could afford Westchester. We regret our decision every day.

People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

My parents are in Dutchess in Hopewell Jct. I have some family who lived in Orange, in the Middletown area, now in Montgomery. If I had to choose any of the areas you listed, it would be Dutchess specifically in the Fishkill/Wappingers/Hopewell areas. My mother commutes on the Metro North every day to Brooklyn, she doesn't mind the commute. You get a lot of property for your dollar, and the houses are not insanely priced. There seems to be a lot to do in the area, more so than the other areas you listed.

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

Commute wise I'd consider Rockland as a good in between. You'll have an easy commute to Middletown and then your husband can continue travelling to the Bronx or look in Rockland, Westchester, Orange ect. Most towns are close to the Palisades or Thruway so you have good highway access. I would have looked in Rockland vs LI but unfortunately my DH works in the city needs the train which while there are options in Rockland it is more convenient on LI.

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

I live in Rockland and do like it, but I'm not sure you'll find much that's all that much cheaper than Westchester (at least not in the better school districts). In Rockland, areas like New City, Congers, Pearl River, Tappan/Blauvelt, Orangeburg, and West Nyack are all in great school districts and are very desirable towns to live in. I would try to stay away from Nyack, Valley Cottage, Spring Valley, and anything in the East Ramapo School District. North Rockland (Stony Point, Tomkins Cove, Garnerville, and Pomona) are generally cheaper than other parts of Rockland, but the school district is not as desirable and they have been having a major tax crisis the past few years....I would steer clear of those areas as well honestly...the taxes are astronomical and only going up, which is why many people are moving.

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

Posted by HomeIsWithU

I live in Rockland and do like it, but I'm not sure you'll find much that's all that much cheaper than Westchester (at least not in the better school districts). In Rockland, areas like New City, Congers, Pearl River, Tappan/Blauvelt, Orangeburg, and West Nyack are all in great school districts and are very desirable towns to live in. I would try to stay away from Nyack, Valley Cottage, Spring Valley, and anything in the East Ramapo School District. North Rockland (Stony Point, Tomkins Cove, Garnerville, and Pomona) are generally cheaper than other parts of Rockland, but the school district is not as desirable and they have been having a major tax crisis the past few years....I would steer clear of those areas as well honestly...the taxes are astronomical and only going up, which is why many people are moving.

Yes... you just took all the words out of my mouth.. My search area gets smaller and smaller...

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

Posted by MrsBurgos09

Posted by HomeIsWithU

I live in Rockland and do like it, but I'm not sure you'll find much that's all that much cheaper than Westchester (at least not in the better school districts). In Rockland, areas like New City, Congers, Pearl River, Tappan/Blauvelt, Orangeburg, and West Nyack are all in great school districts and are very desirable towns to live in. I would try to stay away from Nyack, Valley Cottage, Spring Valley, and anything in the East Ramapo School District. North Rockland (Stony Point, Tomkins Cove, Garnerville, and Pomona) are generally cheaper than other parts of Rockland, but the school district is not as desirable and they have been having a major tax crisis the past few years....I would steer clear of those areas as well honestly...the taxes are astronomical and only going up, which is why many people are moving.

Yes... you just took all the words out of my mouth.. My search area gets smaller and smaller...

We live in new city and really like it. Clarkstown schools are excellent. DH and I both grew up in rockland and have lived in several towns over the years. If you have any questions, feel free to FM me. I'd be happy to answer anything I can. It's tough in this area sometimes to figure out the best school district/town combo. We also had a phenomenal real estate agent that was so helpful that I'd be happy to recommend to you if you do decide to look in rockland

Re: People that live in Orange, Putnam or Dutchess county

My DH's coworker lives in Orangeburg (Rockland) with his family and he seems to like the area. He commutes into manhattan but he also drives at night, not sure what the commute would be like during the day.