Katonah, Garrison, or Croton? (Peekskill, Somers: mortgage, houses, school districts)

[Pilgrim324]

Hi all,

We're an artistically-inclined couple in our early 30s, now living in Brooklyn. Preparing to move out of the city soon, and focusing on northern Westchester and southern Putnam counties. We're looking for a decent commute, plenty of nature, and a few kindred creative spirits. Oh, and good schools, in case a little one appears.

So far, we've narrowed it down to Katonah and Garrison....but have heard good things about Croton-on-Hudson, too, and plan to take a look up there. The main drawbacks I can see for Croton are the taxes and the proximity to Indian Point.

Garrison is attractive for its nature, and its low taxes, but there's no real town center. Not sure what the population is really like; it's hard to tell from driving around. I also don't know much about the school system, except that the elementary school is very small.

Katonah has a nice town and nature, too. I've heard it said that it's a fairly laid-back place, for Westchester, and that there's somewhat of a "creative" population. The schools are supposed to be great. But the taxes are high, naturally.

That's about all the info I've got so far. I'd welcome any insights into any of these three towns, so that we might get a better handle on what the true differences are....

[Other towns we're considering are North Salem and Somers, if the right house appears.]

Thanks in advance for any guidance you might provide!

[Viralmd]

Very important: what is your budget?

[Pilgrim324]

Right. Budget is about $500-700k. We've visited a few houses in that range in Garrison and Katonah; but there's not a whole lot, it's true.

[havoc315]

Of the Westchester towns you mentioned, you can potentially get the most for your money in Somers, especially in the sense of lower taxes. The problem with Somers, is depending on where in Somers, you can be far from a train station, with a far commute.
In Katonah, you will pay pretty high taxes, with few houses in your budget. But you will be able to find something decent. The schools are good. And it has plenty of "open spaces" for Westchester. The train commute from the Katonah station is about 60 minutes.
I'll give Croton a ringing endorsement. Yes, taxes are high-- But no worse than Katonah. Houses are a bit cheaper in Croton, you can find quite a few options in your budget range. Schools are excellent, with many "creative types" in the fairly close-knit community. You have lots of nature with parks, the Croton reservoir, etc. Right on the river. And, the icing on the cake-- Express trains for a 45 minute commute.
Yes, Croton is near Indian Point. But if something were to really go wrong at Indian Point, you would still be in the danger radius in Garrison or Katonah.

[LarryJ]

Hi,

I would not consider Katonah Artistically Inclined. That being said, if you are an artist, Katonah would be a great place for a shop. The only Artistic area I know of is the Art District in Peekskill. Croton on Hudson does have some very artistic people living there, but no more so than any other town. In general, my artistic friends live all over the place. Most of them opt for remote homes away from the hustle and bustle. They also tend to gravitate toward college towns across the river. New Paltz for example.

I think every town around here has some kind of public event for artists.

Now as far as schools go. Everyone wants a good school for their kids to attend. If you do not have children currently in the school system, picking out a home based on the schools performance is futile. School performance standards change yearly. If you had a baby today, it will be 5 years before he/she even gets into kindergarten. Most of the High Performing schools are in high tax areas. Makes sense since the school portion of the tax makes up more than 1/2 the taxes you pay with the house.

Lastly, your budget. A $500-$700k range is a huge swing and the areas you are looking at vary greatly within that swing.

A housing budget should be much closer together. ie: I only want to spend X amount per month including taxes for housing. Forget what you get approved for. That number is usually inflated and does not include taxes which make up a huge portion of your mortgage payment in Westchester/Putnam Area.

Get your numbers closer together, then look at type, style and acreage that you like. That will help you narrow down a locations. At this point in your life you should pick schools last.

Finally. With a budget between $500k and $700k, there are, as of right now, 373 homes that fall into that criteria in Northern Westchester and Putnam alone.

[dma1250]

All of the towns you mentioned are very appealing and each has something the other's don't. That said, I'd suggest Croton because it is the most down-to-earth and artistic of the bunch. While it's true that Peekskill is the only town in the area with an artist district, galleries, and a really large population of artists, Croton does have a pretty large and active artist population. Check out the Croton Council on the Arts. But you will find artists and 'creative professionals' throughout northern Westchester.

Re Indian Point: Garrison is really just as close as Croton. And every place you mentioned will be far too close if anything ever happens.

[Pilgrim324]

Thanks for your replies, Havoc & SLP.

Sounds like Croton really is worth a look.... I like the idea of a close-knit community - and an express train. And I won't fret about Indian Pt.

Yes, our budget is a wide range. For the purposes of this forum, I'll narrow it to $550-650k.

As for house styles - for what it's worth - we gravitate toward modest contemporaries and more rustic-feeling house styles. Not big on ranches or colonials, though there are exceptions!

How about Garrison? I'm finding it hard to get a reading on the place...

[Pilgrim324]

Thanks for your reply, too, DMA! We will go check out Croton, pronto.

I know I'm not supposed to be thinking about schools, but I have the sense that Croton's schools are comparable to Katonah's, yes? At least at this moment in time.

Aside from lacking a real village center, is Garrison much different than the others? What does it have that the others don't, for instance? More of a rural/country feeling, would be my guess...?

[havoc315]

I will respectfully disagree with SLP. If you are looking for a house to carry through a young family, you should think about the schools, even if its 5 years away.
Exact rankings between school districts might change (Scarsdale could slip from 1st place to 3rd place one year, Ivington might jump from 4th to 2nd), but low-tier drugs are not going to jump to the top, and top-tier schools are not going to drop to the bottom in five years.

As to the price range, you need to be honest with yourself in terms of affordability. But as long as you're honest, there is nothing wrong with a wide range. There are people who can legitimately afford 700K, but wouldn't mind saving money and spending 500K. Though in my experience, once you start comparing homes, you will want to max out your affordability.

As to quality of schools, Katonah and Croton are approximately on the same tier in terms of quality. Still, they are very different school districts. Katonah is a rather large district spread over a wide geographic area. Croton is a relatively small district, just comprised of Croton and a bit of the surrounding area. So while the schools are on the same tier, they have very different "vibes."

Before you get completely sold on Croton (my own family has strongly considered a move to Croton-- we have two young children), Croton does have some drawbacks especially for a childless couple. TAlthough the town has great train access, the town is somewhat isolated. There is not great highway access. The town itself lacks major retail commercial activity.

[dma1250]

Garrison is definitely more rural than the others. And more isolated. One really feels like one is "upstate." There are also many second-home owners from the city, and there is more serious wealth than in most of the area. But you'll also find many people living there who commute to the city daily. It has a nice art center: Garrison Art Center Index Page

We looked in Garrison/Cold Spring when we were moving from Brooklyn. We loved the area, but in the end it simply felt too isolated for us. And the commute is quite long. But that is all very subjective--you should definitely check it out.