Years in Croton Distribution by Age 38.8 4 0.6 Number of Years in Croton Residents were asked how long they have lived in Croton. To facilitate analysis, year categories were created of five-year increments. Of the 97% who responded, most (21%) have lived in Croton for less than five years, followed by 15% of respondents who have lived in the Village between five and ten years. Age Residents were asked to identify which of the following four age categories they belonged to: Under 25; 25 – 45; 45 – 65; Over 65. With 97% of residents responding to this question, the age distribution breakdown was as follows: 40 3 1.7 Household Size Gender 50 24.1 8.2 9.3 7.6 7.9 4.7 4.8 3 2.7 0.9 0 Over 65 1.1 0.7 1.4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Age Group Years Lived in Croton Key: 1 = 0 – 4.9 2 = 5 – 9.9 3 = 10 – 14.9 4 = 15 – 19.9 5 = 20 – 24.9 6 = 25 – 29.9 7 = 30 – 34.9 8 = 35 – 39.9 5 9 = 40 – 44.9 10 = 45 – 49.9 11 = 50 – 54.9 12 = 55 – 59.9 13 = 60 – 64.9 14 = 65 – 69.9 15 = 70 – 75 3.2 Resident Preferences Residents were asked to identify what three characteristics of Croton they like the best and the least and to identify the reasons they like or dislike their part of the Village. Village character and open space amenities were cited most frequently as positive aspects of Croton, while sidewalks appears very frequently as a negative aspect on both a Village-wide and neighborhood level. Croton Characteristics: What Do You Like Best About Croton? 950 out of 956 respondents (99% response rate) answered this question. Of the 12 choices offered, including a write-in option, the characteristics most frequently selected were: Rank 1 2 3 Characteristic Small town character Hudson/Croton riverfronts Parks & open space Frequency 659 650 376 Percent (%) 69.4 68.4 39.6 The 274-person difference between the second and third ranked choices shows that village character and the riverfronts were overall more important than the category of Parks & Open Space. A close fourth to Parks & Open Space was Regional Rail and Road Access, selected by 373 (39%) of the respondents. The remaining responses to this question are summarized below: Rank Characteristic Frequency 4 Regional rail & road access 373 5 Residents' volunteerism & participation 192 6 Artistic community 131 7 Diverse population 127 8 Greenery/Tree City USA 111 9 Water quality 105 10 Proximity to employment centers 67 11 Other 60 12 Cultural opportunities 17 Percent (%) 39.3 20.2 13.8 13.4 11.7 11.1 7.1 6.3 1.8 Sixty respondents (6.3%) opted to write in a characteristic. Written responses were categorized as follows: accessibility/regional location; community facilities; environment/open space; housing; small town character; socioeconomic issues; village services; and visual appearance. Accessibility/regional location, especially proximity to New York City, small town character, and community facilities were those write-in categories most frequently commented on. Croton Characteristics: What Do You Like Least About Croton 941 out of the 956 respondents answered this question (98%). The characteristics most frequently selected are listed below. No clear majority was visible between the top two responses. Rank Characteristic Frequency 1 Sidewalk condition/lack of sidewalks 363 2 Rate/pattern of new development 341 3 Appearance of commercial areas 310 6 Percent ( %) 38.6 36.2 32.2 Below is a summary of the remaining choices. Rank Characteristic 4 Housing opportunities/rising costs 5 Quality of commercial uses and centers 6 Other 7 Lack of recreational facilities for kids 8 Speeding traffic 9 Older sewer and water systems 10 Inadequate car parking 11 Traffic congestion Frequency Percent (%) 293 31.1 286 30.4 285 30.3 209 22.2 205 21.8 145 15.4 105 11.2 83 8.8 30%, or 283, of the respondents opted to write in their own responses. Write-in responses were grouped into the following categories: commercial amenities; community facilities; environment/open space; financial; government; housing/zoning; population diversity; rate/pattern of development; Indian Point; riverfront development; socioeconomic issues; tax rate; transportation/parking; village character; village services; visual appearance. The write-in issue cited most frequently by residents was the high Village tax rate, followed by commercial amenities and issues relating to environment and open space. Residents complained of a lack of commercial diversity and amenities, noise from the train and highways and the deer population. Village Neighborhood: Strengths and Weaknesses Respondents were asked whether they liked or disliked their part of the Village and why. 938 residents responded (98%). A large majority of those who responded to this question (95% or 888 respondents) stated that they liked their part of the Village; only 5% said that they did