[Lucia77]

We are Australians currently living in Hong Kong and are going to be moving over the summer to the US. My husband will be working in Manhattan and as we have two toddlers friends have suggested either Rye or Greenwich might be nice places to live. My only concern is that after Hong Kong, anything outside NYC might seem a bit quiet.

How do Greenwich and Rye compare? Are there many expats? What are the preschools like? Which town is more likely to have more restaurants, shops, access to international grocery items?

Many thanks for all your help - we need it!

[aroundthecorner059]

Originally Posted by Lucia77

We are Australians currently living in Hong Kong and are going to be moving over the summer to the US. My husband will be working in Manhattan and as we have two toddlers friends have suggested either Rye or Greenwich might be nice places to live. My only concern is that after Hong Kong, anything outside NYC might seem a bit quiet.

How do Greenwich and Rye compare? Are there many expats? What are the preschools like? Which town is more likely to have more restaurants, shops, access to international grocery items?

Many thanks for all your help - we need it!

Greenwich is possibly the most well rounded town in all of the NYC area and is considered a top notch town in the USA. Greenwich is more diverse than Rye, and has very low taxes when compared to Westchester County. Schools are great but not as good as less diverse Darien and New Canaan ... but they are still top tier in the USA.

Great restaurants in Greenwich and what you cannot find there, you can find in neighboring Stamford, White Plains or Norwalk.

Welcome to the USA from down under!

[JayCT]

Greenwich is one of the USA's most desirable communities. It has excellent schools (see links below) and a lot of wonderful activities for families. There are many great parks, shops and restaurants and there is a wide range of housing options. Be aware though that Greenwich is pretty expensive. This is because it is so desirable and people are willing to pay more to live there.

Greenwich can be a bit quiet though but it is right next to Stamford which is a larger city with a lot to offer. Also Manhattan is a 45 minute train ride away so if you really need some excitment. As for which community is better, that is purely subjective. You might want to visit the area to see whether it or Rye are more to your liking. I hope this helps, Jay

Strategic School Profiles by District

Strategic School Profiles by School

[nish2006]

Its going to be relatively quiet no matter where you live, among the towns you mentioned. We moved here from HK in '06, and actually needed to visit Manhattan regularly to avoid feeling terribly homesick. Living in Manhattan made no sense though, since my office was in Wilton. Things only settled down when we had our first child, and our haunts became decidedly more suburban...

Depending on where you live in HK and how busy your lifestyle is/was, I would think Greenwich would suit you best, mainly due to its proximity to NYC (though it certainly has other advantages, as mentioned in previous posts). Besides, schools (if you go the public route) are light years ahead of anything in the inner city.

Welcome to Connecticut. Its a long way from LKF and Midlevels on a Friday evening, but it has plenty of other attractions. When I visit HK on business these days, I often wonder how we managed to keep up the pace of life we did!

[Seattle's Best 28]

Can't believe I'm gunna say this but Greenwich is less snobby than Rye. I lived down near Greenwich for awhile and it is a good town if you have a million bucks.

[Antlered Chamataka]

Greenwich.

Rye is boring and gloomy.

[ryebeach]

If you have kids that you plan to send to the public schools steer clear of Rye. The climate is really terrible right now. The negotiations between the RTA (teachers union) and the school board have been at a standstill for what seems like an eternity. The teachers wear BLACK SHIRTS to school that, in my opinion make them look like they are members of some militia group. I wish this whole thing would be over with. It has been too long and it is beginning to stink!

[toddb]

Originally Posted by Lucia77

We are Australians currently living in Hong Kong and are going to be moving over the summer to the US. My husband will be working in Manhattan and as we have two toddlers friends have suggested either Rye or Greenwich might be nice places to live. My only concern is that after Hong Kong, anything outside NYC might seem a bit quiet.

How do Greenwich and Rye compare? Are there many expats? What are the preschools like? Which town is more likely to have more restaurants, shops, access to international grocery items?

Many thanks for all your help - we need it!

What kind of budget constraints are you under? What about the type of home you are looking for? Do you want a large amount of space? Do you want to be able to these shops/restaurants?

Like another poster mentioned, either town will be a very serious shock to the system in comparison to what you are used to in HK. Everything is much more spread out. You may find your lifestyle change as you adjust to suburban lifestyle, so my recommendation would be to pick a town based on budget and town amenities, rent a house for a year and see if you like it, then commit to buying. I would also recommend checking out Westport - I know a bunch of Australians that live there... and the commute is only about 15-20 mins longer than from Greenwich.