Need recommendation - Small town feel, accessible to city, some land... (Irvington: transplants, house)

[Scott99999]

My wife and I are living in Nyack, NY right now and we're looking to either move to northern NJ, stay in Rockland or move to Westchester. We're planning to start a family soon.

We like the "small town" feel of Nyack, and the various parks and river access. But the commute is rough for me (I work on the Upper West Side), prices are high and the housing inventory is pretty thin.

Here's another tough constraint: I work with animal rescue groups and do some light carpentry, so we need a house that affords us some outdoor space (anything from a quarter acre to an acre or more). The house itself can be relatively small and something we can grow into.

Can anyone recommend some towns that meet the following criteria?

- Small-town feel with a distinct or cute commercial district / walking town
- Ability to find something with .25-1.0 acre for $650k or under
- Access to a bus or train that can get me to Manhattan in 45 minutes or so. My commute is 1.5 hours now and I'd like to get that down to 1 hour door-to-door.
- Good school district

Things we also like:
- Homes with some historical style (i.e., not all 1940s bi-levels)
- Local parks for jogging or cycling

Towns we like: Nyack, Ridgewood, Cold Spring (NY), Piermont (NY) We like the feel of the Hudson Valley river towns, but the commute and high Westchester taxes can be prohibitive.

Even something outside of a town (i.e., a town near Ridgewood, but able to utilize Ridgewood buses) would be considered.

THANKS!

[Scott99999]

**bump**

Hi folks, I know that this is a really tough find, but suggestions are still appreciated. We can be flexible on some items.

We've taken a look at Ridgewood, Montclair, Essex Fells.

I don't know much about Allendale, though it is close to Route 17 train station (which is an express stop).

Pricing and taxes in Bergen are still a bit ludicrous, though.

Thanks!

[wileynj]

Have you considered Maplewood? Midtown direct..nice historic downtown???

[Scott99999]

I've heard good things about Maplewood, but my wife works in Rockland, so it's a bit too far south for us - it would be about 50 minutes for her to commute and we've got a baby on the way.

Superficially, this seems to be an unsolveable problem, though I'm hoping the experience of the board will help out!

Maybe Palisades/Piermont would work for us with the bus to the GWB station and a transfer to the 1/9, but I worry about the inconsistency of the commute with traffic.

[LalaMoves]

Hey Scott,

If you move to Montclair, she will have to contend with getting past traffic to Route 3. After that it's not too bad, but not great. I looked into it as my husband worked in Upper Saddle River at the time and it was too much for him.

Have you looked at Suffern in town? It's not quite Nyack, but there is so much potential there. A great movie theater, a very decent farmer's market (on a saturday no less rather than the Thu in Nyack), a train station, a few good restaurants and a terrific bagel store and older diverse housing stock. And there is talk of revitalizing parts of Orange Avenue with mixed use buildings across the road from the train station. You didn't mention kids, but the Suffern schools are very good especially once they're into the middle school and high school. If you're willing to drive 5 minutes there is an amazing rec center that is newly built in Hillburn. You will maybe have to drive to a bike path somewhere, but you are also close to some really nice hiking paths tha abut Harriman State Park.
The Suffern Village pool for Suffern residents only is a nice amenity too for only $50 per person age 5 and over.

It's very under the radar, but there are a few, scant Brownstone Brooklyn transplants who for a variety of reasons didn't end up in Montclair or Maplewood. I think Suffern could be ripe for the picking and has such potential. And you could definitely get something for way less than your budget.

I also think that they are building a new Shortline commuter bus terminal right on the Suffern/Mahwah border. If anyone is reading this, can anyone confirm?

Good luck! I know how hard it is to find just the right place!

[stevemorse]

upper west side, you got not a bad commute right now. Westchester is a little close no Tappan Zee but still traffic to west side and when you see the tax, its alot higher so not worth it. Northern NJ really get close to GWB , so howabout Tenafly, Cresskill, Northvale, Norwood, and CLoster are alittle better do to 9w or Palisade right to GWB, but your still gonna have traffic. I would stay put its not that bad of a commute, your not gonna get too much closer. The closest is Fort Lee, Englewood, Leonia but still dealing with a bridge but alittle better.


Just noticed the train or bus, go to Hillsdale, Westwood, Ramsey, Allendale, Park Ridge, Montvale.

[Scott99999]

Originally Posted by LalaMoves

Have you looked at Suffern in town? It's not quite Nyack, but there is so much potential there.

Thanks. Suffern is where I normally catch the train and where my wife works. I think my biggest issues with Suffern are still the "drive > train > train > subway > walk" commute (though it's arguably an express stop, which is good), the high taxes and pricing of nicer areas, and the fact that the town just isn't as vibrant as we like (we're spoiled by Nyack and Long Island, I think).

Part of what attracts us to Montclair, Nyack, Piermont, Cold Spring, Katonah, Irvington (and other parts of Westchester) is the mix of historic homes and either woods, larger land parcels or a vibrant walking town. I even considered Pomona because of the woodsy-ness, but you lose good schools.

I'll take another look at Suffern. We've got a baby on the way....the commute is the biggest (and toughest) issue to solve.

Suggestions are continuously appreciated and I've been looking anywhere that's suggested. Information on the commute is especially helpful.

Thanks!

[majesty318]

Try Ringwood, although it doesn't quite meet every single one of your criteria. I grew up there and went through the Ringwood public schools. I got a great education, and there is definitely lots of land, parks, trails, and a small-town feel. The express bus takes 45 minutes to Port Authority, but it only runs during standard rush hour. Other times, it is a local bus, which takes longer. The other downside would be no walkable downtown. However, my family recently sold my grandparents' house, a 4BR, 2.5 bath split level with 1-car garage and a HUGE yard, for $350,000. It needed some work, but if you can go up to $650,000, you certainly could find something similar but better.

[LalaMoves]

I hear you Scott. I'm a "Montclair, Nyack, Piermont, Cold Spring, Katonah, Irvington" kind of person myself. I know Suffern isn't there yet, but I can see it being there. There is potential. And it seems as though you either have land and a drive to a commuting point, or a walk to where you start your commute and sacrifice land. Historically, towns built around trains were more dense pre-auto. If you want land, you may have to drive anyway to your point of departure.

Are you a 1 car family?

There is no magic bullet I have found when it comes to finding the right place to live.

Good luck. I will be following this thread as I am curious about what you find. I'm looking to move to a town such as you're looking for, but commute is not as much of a concern as we work from home.

[HalfFull]

You might want to look at Glen Rock. Good train access, decent little downtown, might get a little more land for less $$ than some of the other places.