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In Bayside, you want District 26, as part of the area is District 25. District 26 is the highest-ranked zoned school area in the city. Outside of Queens, you could look in The Bronx, in Riverdale. You can sometimes find buys in Riverdale that have good schools, but you have to be up the hill, not in adjacent areas of Kingsbridge that some try to make part of Riverdale.
You can take the express bus all the way to 34th Street, as well, so it would not be a hike to the subway and/or MNRR to Grand Central and subway, although that is not a bad option, either, as you can be in Midtown in 30 minutes, but it's much more expensive than the subway-only commute. That's the same issue you would have in Eastern Queens, a longer bus-to-subway commute, or the expense of LIRR. On $70k gross, that would be a huge bite out of your family budget, such that it may not be realistic, though the commute times are attractive. It is easier to keep a car in Riverdale and Eastern Queens, though, but check with your insurer, as off-street parking might be another hit to the budget that would not make it attractive.
I also think that even if you found a decent buy in Riverdale or Eastern Queens, you would be in 1BR territory, based upon your gross income. You might find a JR4 in some parts of Riverdale, but you might have to hunt for a 2BR that's realistically affordable. Sure, at $80k, you could qualify for up to $2k in rent, but for a family of three? When you add in city tax, commuting costs, etc., it might very well be easier to live in NJ right now.
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how about Staten Island? Very affordable and your dollars willl go much further there. My friends earn 75K and they are a family of 4. Their rent used to be $1000 for a 2 bedroom in one of the nicer sections.
how about Staten Island? Very affordable and your dollars willl go much further there. My friends earn 75K and they are a family of 4. Their rent used to be $1000 for a 2 bedroom in one of the nicer sections.
The commute from SI is a horror show. I would recommend Bay Ridge (good schools, good community). But even from there the commute wouldn't be great.
Definetly Northern Queens. Bayside or Auburndale (a section of Flushing next to Bayside) will put you very close to the LIRR which is about 30 minutes to Penn Station. I did the commute for two years so it is very manageable. He will not want to drive into the city!
The area is one of the better areas in queens, near the water with some nice parks around and you should be able to rent a decent sized place for a good price. I lived on Ashby and Utopia PKWY for 2 years in a 3 bedroom, 1500 sq ft house for abouut $1300 a month. That was about 5 years ago.
I might be a bit biased, but I would pick the ditmars part of Astoria. Takes about 20minutes on the subway to penn station, parking is good in the area and look up PS122Q for public school. You guys should manage fine on that salary here
If im not mistaken, PS 122 requires testing to get in, it's a gifted school. For the general populace, they would attend PS 85, which is a pretty average school. After Elementary, school quality deteriorates. Middle Schools are IS 126 and IS 141. 126 is horrible, and 141 isn't that great. Don't get me started on High Schools in the area. Long Island City and William C Bryant High Schools, both terrible and near several housing projects. Those are pretty much the options for an Astoria resident looking to attend neighborhood schools.
If your address puts you into the zone for PS/IS 178, it's performance is strong and it goes from KGN - 8th grade.
That would be Jamaica Estates/Fresh Meadows/Holliswood but check out the exact zoning for the school as the border of the zone is a little tricky.
The area is suburban-like but there are transportation alternatives including express buses, and although it's in a zone where you cannot walk to the subway, the bus ride to the subway isn't too long.
Cunningham Park is close by with baseball fields, tennis, bicycle trails, outdoor cooking facilities, there are concerts and other shows in the summer too.
If im not mistaken, PS 122 requires testing to get in, it's a gifted school. For the general populace, they would attend PS 85, which is a pretty average school. After Elementary, school quality deteriorates. Middle Schools are IS 126 and IS 141. 126 is horrible, and 141 isn't that great. Don't get me started on High Schools in the area. Long Island City and William C Bryant High Schools, both terrible and near several housing projects. Those are pretty much the options for an Astoria resident looking to attend neighborhood schools.
ps122 requires testing only for junior high, if you set your kids on the correct path they should be able to get in. After that most kids in that program go onto the specialized high schools. At the end of the day it's up to the parents to make a "good" student. Too many parents blaming schools, teachers, blah, blah, blah. A good student will make the best of any school, imo
NE Queens, especially Bayside, might have what you're looking for. Middle class and (I think) decent schools. I met someone who grew up there, went to public schools, though a magnet for high school. Lived walking distance to a LIRR station, train ride to Penn Station was under 30 minutes.
If they are relying only on his salary, $70k for a family of 3 in Bayside doesn't seem feasible. I can't remember the last time I saw rent in that area or Flushing that was under $1500 month. The parts of Bayside you're referring to is very pricey because of the bus and train convenience. Also, aside from rent, other expenses need to be factored in such as car and gas (OP mentioned her husband's job may require driving). The way gas costs these days, it's become a larger expense. Also, I found parking in Bayside has always been horrendous. Unless you live farther away from the shopping and restaurants, you can drive around for 30 minutes looking for a parking spot.
Definetly Northern Queens. Bayside or Auburndale (a section of Flushing next to Bayside) will put you very close to the LIRR which is about 30 minutes to Penn Station. I did the commute for two years so it is very manageable. He will not want to drive into the city!
The area is one of the better areas in queens, near the water with some nice parks around and you should be able to rent a decent sized place for a good price. I lived on Ashby and Utopia PKWY for 2 years in a 3 bedroom, 1500 sq ft house for abouut $1300 a month. That was about 5 years ago.
Wow! How did you score that one? 2 Bedroom apt's have always gone for more than that in that area.
If they are relying only on his salary, $70k for a family of 3 in Bayside doesn't seem feasible. I can't remember the last time I saw rent in that area or Flushing that was under $1500 month.
But are the suburbs much better? Long Island can be very pricey too.
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