5 pros and 5 cons about Kingston, NY. Thinking about moving to the area Thanks! (New York: low income, apartment complex)

[LynneAnnW]

I am a Kingston area native and can say that the actual city of Kingston is can be a bit rough. Just like many cities, the Broadway area is really the worst (which of course the hospitals and the Kingston H.S. are located). Most of the Kingston elementary schools are very good -- I had attended E.R. Crosby in Lake Katrine as a child. I can say the Kingston H.S. does have it's issues, particularly because of where it is located. There is Coleman H.S. (which is now "non-denominational" Catholic school - it's not funded by the Archdioses anymore). There are a few private elementary/middle schools that are in the area that are very good if you want to avoid your child someday attending the K.H.S. (Kingston Catholic School, St. Joseph's School, the Kingston Christian Academy and St. Mary's of the Snow in Saugerties). I had a really good laugh at the person comparing Kingston to south central Los Angeles! I noticed that the person doesn't even live in this area, so, I'm not sure how he came to that conclusion. It's really not THAT bad! I personally wouldn't live in the general vicinity of the Benedictine (which is a good hospital) because it I prefer living in the rural areas. My sister-in-law lives in an apartment complex just below the Benedictine and has never had a problem. I can recommend the Ruby area, which is a small hamlet between Kingston, Saugerties & Woodstock. It's about 10-15 minutes away from the Hospital and is a very lovely area. Most of my family lives there and I grew up there, so I am partial. Again, as others have mentioned you could live in other communities just outside of the city. Rosendale and Hurley are nice areas too and not too far from the hospital. Taxes in this area are on high side, which made me & my husband move to the Twn of Catskill, which is about 25 min. away, but I do work in Kingston. In the private sector. I hope I've helped you in making a decision! Good luck!

[Untouchable]

I'm a senior in Red Hook High School, which is literally 15 mins away from Kingston. I would recommend moving to Red Hook, because, although Kingston is definetly not like south central LA, crime does seem to be on the rise there, especially around the area the hospitals and high school are. Let's just put this way, I'm not scared to go to any part of Kingston, but I wouldn't want to raise a family there. The perks of Red Hook? It's very rural, historic, quiet, and, best of all, the school system is one of the best in the country, there are some families that move here just for the schools. There's two mansions where you can walk the grounds, Clermont and Montgomery Place, parks, some with nature trails, and there's nothing like the view of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains that you'd get every day going to work in Kingston. It's a great place to raise a family. The down side of Red Hook? The pricing is very high for houses and the taxes seem to be increasing every year.

[barefoot14]

If you are still checking out school districts, check out greatschools.com. One of the readers pointed it out to me and the site seems to have pretty reliable info regarding test scores... However, you never really know about a town unless you talk to those who live there. Good luck with your search..

[totallackofreason]

I was born and raised in Kingston and graduated from Kingston High in the 70s. Currently live in Saugerties and still spend much time in Kingston with friends and relatives.
Crime/gang activity in Kingston has increased over the years but is not out of control as some of the posts would make you believe. Crime rate in Kingston is about the national average. There are many neighborhoods in the city which are safe and secure. The Broadway corridor is the trouble spot, always has been. The high school and Kingston Hospital are on Broadway, almost across the street from each other. The Benedictine hospital is not. It is located several blocks off Broadway in a relatively safe neighborhood. Most all areas of the city are safe during daylight hours, the exception being central Broadway and the nearby streets (crack-town). This section does not include where the hospital and school are. Basically, if you stay out of bad areas, you will have few problems. The small villages and towns surrounding Kingston have less crime, naturally.
Taxes - it's New York, taxes are high. Ulster County is considerably lower than Dutchess County, which is directly across the Hudson River.
Activities - Summer offers a lot of options, winters can be long and dreary. If you enjoy the outdoors, choices are many. Catskill and Shawangunk Mtns offer great hiking, mtn biking, camping, canoeing, rafting, hunting, fishing, and skiing. Hudson river is great for boating. Lots of locally owned non-chain restaurants in the area, mostly due to the fact that the Culinary Institute of America is a short distance away in Hyde Park. A decent number of summer festivals take place in the area.
Culture - Woodstock is pretty unique and is very well known for it arts and music community. Kingston has some galleries and a performing arts center that has a few good shows a year. New York City is a 2 hour drive away. Saugerties is loaded with antique stores, if your into that.
Education – all the schools systems in the area are decent, even Kingston. They should be for the amount of school taxes we pay! State University of New York has a university in New Paltz and a 2 year community college in Stone Ridge. Vassar and Marist colleges are in Poughkeepsie (about 15 miles from Kingston). Bard is just across the river near Red Hook.
Jobs - not much. Kingston and immediate area offers little in private industry. If your in the medical profession, you got it made. Otherwise, its slim pickings. IBM is still in the area, across the Hudson in Poughkeepsie and Fishkill, but they have been downsizing their plants for years. There use to be an IBM plant just outside of Kingston, but it was shut down in the mid 90s. There are some county government jobs, Kingston is the Ulster County seat.
History - lots. Kingston was the first capital of NY, was burned by the British during the revolutionary war but many colonial buildings were either not burned or restored. Many old historic places in the city and surrounding area. Kingston has the only street intersection in the nation that has 17th century buildings on all four corners.
Overall - I believe this area is still a good place to raise a family, but your kids will probably leave once they have grown for better opportunities, mine did. I probably will be doing the same myself, but will still continue to return often for visits.

[mcmartian]

price of housing is low in kingston because the job market is bad. every time I go through there I see so many boarded up businesses. usually the restuarants I had enjoyed during my last visit through.

kingston's boring though, oh soo boring. but close to Canadian border if you like to travel.

[xquartzx]

Think about it, there are always many pros and cons to living ANYWHERE. Kingston is not a bad place to live at all. Im sixteen and have lived in this area my entire life. My friends and I all talk about leaving here when were done with high school, but so many of us wont. Kingston is a safe place to live as long as your not looking for trouble. I wouldnt reccomend walking down Broadway by yourself at midnight, but there are many surrounding towns around here to live in and still work at Benedictine. I go to the High School rite across the street and there are many security gaurds to watch the kids. The only ones who ever get into serious trouble are the ones who look for it. There are drugs and fights and gangs but most of the stuff is kept quiet. Id highly reccomend living in Kingston. Its a great place.

[xquartzx]

Ps. New York schools are the best in the country and I dont care what anyone says, Kingston is a challenging school that really educates its students.

[rubygreta]

Other than some crappy areas in midtown, I really like Kingston. It is in a beautiful part of the Hudson Valley. And for such a small city it has an incredible variety of restaurants. One of the best Italian restaurants I have been to was in a farily non-descript shopping center on the main commercial drag (9W?).

[sweetana3]

you might check out Cantines Island Cohousing. They have an opening and it is in Saugerties. www.cohousing.org has the listing info under Marketplace. I would think that cohousing (not a commune but a group of like minded people with their own houses) might give a lot of support to a family with small kids.

Nice moving into an already established family community with lots of support.

[Port Ewen Boy]

I have lived in Port Ewen my entire life. Let me tell you how it is. It's a good place to live. Beautiful area especially the mountains during the fall and winter. Port Ewen is in the outskirts of Kingston and is a safe wonderful place. Like I said before I've lived here my entire life. I'm 23 years old, and have never had a problem with anybody. The schools in kingston starting with elementary are Robert Graves in Port Ewen, Crosby Chambers Myer Zena in Kingston/Town of Ulster. It is a big area all the Towns are connected to the city of kingston. A lot of stuff to do that is for sure and you're not far from other major areas. Such as Pughkeepsie, Albany, or NYC. Granted there are bad spots in kingston, but it contained in a small area. This area is the uptown side of broadway. Benedictine hospital is in a good area. Kingston High School is a good school, and because it is so big a lot more oppotunities are given to the students. Overall i would recommend living in Kingston it's a beautiful place.