Yorktown

Yorktown is a wonderful mix of neighborhoods, ranging from Countryside where trick or treating is a sport, to Huntersville where if you blink you may think you are in Vermont! The socio economic mix of people creates opportunities to fully participate in sports (a hotbed of lacrosse) or culture (very active garden club, library and local theatre) On a beautiful day riding the bike trail through town and over the reservoir on the tressel bridge is magical. If hiking is more your style going up the white trail of Turkey Mountain, picnicing at the top with the NYC skyline in the distance and hiking back down the blue trail is both a great workout and nature at it's best. All in all a great town for a variety of options to enjoy.

Yorktown was settled in 1683 and is rich in unusual Revolutionary War history, as a local crossing of the Croton River was guarded by troops including both African- and Native Americans. Incorporated in 1788, it was named in honor of Yorktown, VA, where the British were finally defeated (although the war would last for another year). Today Yorktown, NY is a forty-square-mile area in Northern Westchester, only 35 miles from New York City, with a many beautiful parks and a wide range of housing opportunities.

Here you can find everything from large houses with acreage to small, single family homes, condos and rentals. Yorktown has about 36,000 residents, spread out between five hamlets: Mohegan Lake, Shrub Oak, Jefferson Valley, Crompond, and Yorktown Heights. The train to Manhattan takes a bit under an hour; there is no Yorktown train stop, but there are Metro-North stops in Mt Kisco and Croton-Harmon (both about 20 minutes away) and Chappaqua (a few minutes longer.) There is also the Bee-Line bus, which will take you to various Westchester destinations, including Playland Amusement Park in Rye during the summer. There is also an express bus to Manhattan.

Yorktown is a busy community with many groups and societies to offer, such as Alliance for Safe Kids, the American Legion, Boy Scouts, Elks Lodge, Irish-American Social Club, Knights of Columbus, VFW, Yorktown Garden Club, Land Trust, Lion’s Club, and Rotary Club. There is a Senior Citizens Nutrition Center, a Teen Center, and the town government encourages residents to volunteer for boards such as Open Space, Community Housing, Landmarks Preservation, and Conservation. The Yorktown Community and Cultural Center offers programs, entertainment, rooms for town clubs and organizations, and will rent space out for private groups.

There are six children’s summer camps, lifeguarding programs, and the Jack Devito Gazebo hosts a summer music series, including a high school Battle of the Bands, as well as various tribute bands which are great fun to watch on a warm summer night.

Yorktown is more multicultural than many of its surrounding towns, as evidenced by its 23 churches – among them Quaker, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Islamic, Jehovah’s Witness, Episcopal, Jewish, Methodist, Unitarian, as well as others.

Residents use either the Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco or the slightly closer Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortlandt Manor. The Medical Center at Yorktown offers outpatient and testing services, and the Westchester Medical Practice and the Mount Kisco Medical Group both have offices in the area.

Though not a quick commute to Manhattan, Yorktown offers a nice mix of busy suburbia with enough protected land to satisfy the outdoor enthusiast.

Yorktown is an affordable and friendly town in Westchester County. It has a hodgepodge of housing including large scale estates, modest homes, townhouses, condos and apartment rentals which do include assisted living options. The town itself is very walkable with sidewalks and bike paths and you will often see people milling about on warm, sunny days making for a congenial, community atmosphere. Yorktown is surrounded by idyliic landscape and makes for pretty country living with modern amenities still close at hand. It is definitely the best of both worlds.

Grocery shopping in town includes Turco's in the Turco's Shopping Center and A & P in the Triangle Shopping Center. The Triangle Shopping Center also houses a T.J. Maxx, Greens Nature Market, a CURVES for women, a hair cutters, and a My Gym. In and around town also exists a Build-a-Bear Workshop, a jewelers, a Gap Kids and Gap Baby, an appliance store, a cool consignment shop and a gift shop. There is also a K-mart in the Yorktown Green Shopping Center. Then, of course, there is the nearby Jefferson Valley Mall with Macy's, Sears and 90 other specialty shops.

Yorktown does have a decent restaurant selection with something to suit everyone's taste. There is the requisite Starbucks replete with a lovely outdoor pation, Peter Pratt's Inn, Edwin's Gourmet Deli, Gaudio's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, Matilde's International Restaurant, Tommaso's Bistro Italiano, Okinawa, Friendly's and Panera Bread.

The Yorktown Community and Cultural Center is a wonderful facility that prides itself on its varied educational, arts-based and fitness programs as well as a nutrition advisement center for seniors. The center is home to the fantabulous Yorktown Stage, which shows big blustery Broadway musicals and often offers special dinner packages with local food eateries. It makes for a fun and light-hearted night on the town.

For outdoors enthusiasts, there are several wonderful parks. Turkey Mountain is 831 feet above sea level and makes for lovely hiking with a breathtaking panaromic view of Croton Reservoir, the green iron bridge, the majestic Hudson River, and on a good day, at the far horizon, a glimpse of the New York City skyline. FDR State Park is also nearby and is brimming with family-friendly resources including a lake, a pond, fishing, row boat rentals, picnic areas with volleyball nets, multiple playing fields, basketball courts, a golf course, a playground, two concession stands and a mammoth swimming pool that is twice the size of an Olympic regulation sized pool! It is a great way to pass a full day with family and friends and make some joyous ever-lasting memories.

Another Yorktown treasure is Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center which is a regional education center that has programs on sustainable food production and even teaches courses on small scale suburban and urban farming for kids and adults alike!

The nearest train station to Yorktown lies in Croton-Harmon, Mount Kisco and Chappaqua and the commute to NYC takes a good one hour and fifteen minutes.

Yorktown is relatively safe with some crime but not an overwhelming amount.

The Yorktown Central School District is considered very good. The median SAT score of its high school students is 1633.

The median houshold income is about $88,648. The median home value is about $386,894 and the median rental rate is around $1,300.

The population of Yorktown is approximately 36,081 and is roughly 82% White, 9.5% Hispanic, 5% Asian and 3% Black. The median age is 40.

Yorktown is a great place to raise kids. It is located halfway between the hubbub and excitement of New York City and the natural tranquility and adventure of the Catskills. This means that living in Yorktown can include weekend trips to enjoy the museums or Central Park in NYC or the possibility of skiing in the Catskills. It means that you get the best of city living and the joy of the country experience.
It is relatively more affordable than some of the neighboring towns because it does not have a train station although it is close to Croton-Harmon and Mt.Kisco stations for those looking to commute.

The town is fairly spread out and includes two high schools – Yorktown High School and Lakeland High School. Both the high schools have good records and tend to send many graduates to reputed colleges. The Mildred E. Strang Middle School is a Blue Ribbon school, which means that it’s nationally recognized for its excellence.

Yorktown offers a variety of exciting opportunities for children. Yorktown is a big sports town for families with kids interested in sports; it is particularly big on lacrosse. There’s the Yorktown Theater which offers options to explore live theater in the form of summer camps and productions including children. Yorktown is extremely family-friendly and the track and field in the middle of town, the Jack DeVito Memorial Field, is the center of a many town events and celebrations.

North County Trail, Turkey Mountain, Teatown Lake Preservation, Hilltop Hanover Farm and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Skate Park are among the various options for those who enjoy the outdoors. The Trailway is very popular for biking on warmer days, as it connects across the different towns.

Traffic is generally predictable and not a major hassle although US 202 can get a little clogged during peak commute hours as it is a two lane road cutting across the heart of town.

Shopping can be a mixed bag because while there’s the Jefferson Valley Mall, it doesn’t have the choices that you’ll see in Danbury Mall or the Westchester Mall which are both more upscale. TJ Maxx and Kmart are the big stores in town. There is a range of restaurants in Yorktown from Friendly’s to Piatto Grill, from the Yorktown Diner to Peter Pratt’s Inn. While pizzerias are ever-popular, Okinawa and Empire Hunan offer interesting alternatives.

Yorktown is a place where one can enjoy the suburban dream!

As a long term resident of Yorktown, I can testify that it is a great place to live. It's a lovely mix of country and suburbia, and there's lots of places to eat and shop. You have lots of restaurants to choose from, anywhere from Peter Pratt's Inn to Maria's Italian Restaurant to Empire Hunan to Southside Inn Sports and Grille to Panera Bread, Inc. (There's the old school restaurants like Friendly's too!) There's a Mrs. Greens for the health nut in you, and plenty of shopping centers to get to.

Houses are relatively affordable for Westchester, and the schools are high-quality education. Personally I have lots of teachers that I still remember as taking the time to truly care where you're at, from your self-esteem to academic status, and all are very professional.

There's also lots of medial offices for any kind of medical issue, right in the heart of town.

For Nature Lovers, there's Hilltop Farm, which has different youth programs to teach about algriculture and is open to the public. There's also Turkey Mountain, a lovely nature reserve where you can hike either around the base or to the top, where you can get an excellent panoramic view and, on a good day, even see the far-off skyline to NYC. It's a great place to spend on the 4th of July, because you can see the fireworks from all directions!

A couple of "unique" things to do in Yorktown is the Starbucks in town, which is the only one I know of in Westchester that has an open patio, where you can sit and relax and take in the beautiful grounds, complete with blossoming cherry trees. Lots of different people congregate here, whether you're young or old, and I've met lots of interesting folks from all over the area! Service is top-notch and the staff are very welcoming. It might just be your home away from home.

The second unique part of Yorktown is the Grange, where the Grange Fair takes place annually, and there's the Fireman's sponsored Carnival that takes place every year as well, right near the Starbucks (a blessing in Summer).

Yorktown is right near the Taconic Parkway, as well as 202, which takes you to the Bear Mountain Parkway and also includes a bike path that takes you to other towns in Westchester. (The bike path was once the old railroad.) It's app 45 mns to an hour from NYC.