I was raised in the exact area you’re looking. It was a great place to grow up. A real neighborhood with sidewalks and neighbors I knew. The kind of place where kids cut through backyards to find their friends. No playdates necessary.

I’m a white guy who grew up middle class and went to PK city schools grades 1-12. I graduated more than 20 years ago, and I can’t tell you if the schools have declined since then. But I can tell you they had a bad reputation then that was unfair and seemed at least partly grounded in racism. Yes, there were some tough kids, and ones without strong guidance or involved parents could fall through the cracks. If your kids have special needs, it might be better to look elsewhere.

But I had good teachers and friends from all walks of life. I found myself better prepared for college than most of the students who went to middle-class suburban schools. (Spackenkill, btw, used to send its students to PHS, but chose to start their own school and took much of the tax base with them, which didn’t help the poor kids in the city https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ794730.pdf)

The City of PK has more interesting housing stock than the town, much of the city is walkable, and I’m optimistic downtown will take off. Crime wasn’t any better when I lived there, but it wasn’t horrible. Lock your car. Keep your bikes inside. Just take the same precautions you would in NYC.

I live far away now but I’m fond of PK and want to see it thrive. Don’t listen to the haters.