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My family and I currently live in Central Illinois and we may be moving to New York with my job. We know that we will be making some compromises with our possible new living situation, but at the same time the opportunities are seemingly endless, in terms of things to do, culture, etc. Just like everyone else with a family looking to move to NY, we have our "ideal" situation and our "realistic" situation. If anyone can give their two cents on where we should live given our "realistic" criteria, that would be great (I don't think there exists an ideal situation given our income).
Background:
Family - Dad, Mom, 12 year old boy, 9 year old boy
Work - Dad will be working by 8th and 34th; Mom will stay at home for the first 6 months or so until we are semi-settled then will work part-time
Buy/Rent - We are looking to rent at first for at least 1 year
Rent - $2200 max
"Realistic Criteria"
Safety - need my wife and kids to feel safe walking around at night (top priority)
Schools - need at least better than average PS and JHS/MS (top priority)
Living space - at least 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Commute time - less than 45 mins door to door
Car - we could be without one if close to public transpo
Greenspace - within walking
Restaurants, shops, etc - within walking/bus/subway
Nightlife - none needed
NY/NJ - doesn't matter
My family and I currently live in Central Illinois and we may be moving to New York with my job. We know that we will be making some compromises with our possible new living situation, but at the same time the opportunities are seemingly endless, in terms of things to do, culture, etc. Just like everyone else with a family looking to move to NY, we have our "ideal" situation and our "realistic" situation. If anyone can give their two cents on where we should live given our "realistic" criteria, that would be great (I don't think there exists an ideal situation given our income).
Background:
Family - Dad, Mom, 12 year old boy, 9 year old boy
Work - Dad will be working by 8th and 34th; Mom will stay at home for the first 6 months or so until we are semi-settled then will work part-time
Buy/Rent - We are looking to rent at first for at least 1 year
Rent - $2200 max
"Realistic Criteria"
Safety - need my wife and kids to feel safe walking around at night (top priority)
Schools - need at least better than average PS and JHS/MS (top priority)
Living space - at least 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Commute time - less than 45 mins door to door
Car - we could be without one if close to public transpo
Greenspace - within walking
Restaurants, shops, etc - within walking/bus/subway
Nightlife - none needed
NY/NJ - doesn't matter
Look at Rutherford, NJ. Decent NJ suburban town, safe, affordable, train station and bus service to NY. Walkable downtown area with shops and restaurants. You'd have to look up info re the schools, but most NJ public schools are probably better than a lot of other places. You should be able to find something in your price range.
Just FYI -- your biggest, most unrealistic constraint in your wish list is the commute time. Manhattan is on an island, and there are a finite number of ways to cross the water to get onto that island, and a whole lot of people are trying to do the same thing at the same time every day (approximately a quarter million people from NJ alone commute to Manhattan, for example.) Sometimes it takes almost 30 minutes door-to-door even for people who live in one of the cities on the Jersey side of the river.
Rutherford falls within that 45 minutes, but only because you'll be working right near Penn Station, and Rutherford is one of the closest of the types of NJ suburbs that you are looking for. There are more options for you if you adjusted your commute time to a more realistic hour - hour + 15/20 minutes.
Other folks on here can comment on NY options for you.
Agree with the above. The combination of things that make this impossible are "good school", 45 minute commute, and $2200. If you could spend a lot more money, the other two things could be dealt with, probably. And if you're willing to commute rather more (and since you work near Penn Station, Long Island is a possibility, if you want to live in the suburbs) you can get the other things. But I don't know of any place with all of those things.
When reading your post, as Mightyqueen did. A longer commute is a reality for most people living in the NYC Metropolitan area. Even if you were to live inside the City of NY, his door to door commute will be at least a half hour to forty five minutes. When my children were young, my husband's drive time to NYC was 2 hrs., minimum, one way.Our mortgage was very low, but gas prices were lower then, and the salary in NYC was so much higher than what he would have made in the far reaching suburbs that it worked out. Thinking back, I would have put off home ownership for a few years and lived in an apartment community, because we would not have needed two vehicles, and we could have availed ourselves of all of the cultural opportunities afforded by an "inner ring" suburb.
I think Mightyqueen has pointed you in a good direction. She is very familiar with NJ, and I have heard good things about Rutherford. A few options from the NY side are Bayside, Forest Hills. Kew Gardens, Rego Park and Beechurst are a few other suggestions.
It will be a wonderful opportunity for you and your family to enjoy all that NYC and the Metropolitan Area has to offer! Your attitude appears to be both realistic and enthusiastic! These qualities will really help to to adjust to your new environment.
You mention "green space" and that tells me that you are open minded about living in an apartment, rather than a private house, which if you want to be close to NYC, will be a good thing.
There are some family friendly garden apartments complexes that might suit your needs for your initial move. Typically these are low rise apartments, with access to the outdoors (hence the name garden apartments - they are called different names in other places, I have found out since moving to PA, so I am not being condescending)
I am thinking that this may provide an easy transition for you and your family, because there is a sense of community there, people who have been transferred to the area, and locals. Many of them have amenities in the complex such as a swimming pool, playing fields, gyms, tennis courts etc. All have laundry facilities either in the unit or very close, which will be one less thing to concern yourself with.
It seems like an easier place to transition, for you and your family to meet others, and for your boys to play outdoors in a safe environment.
Again, I concur with Mightyqueen about schools in NJ. I would also add most areas of Long Island and Queens (NYCs most family friendly borough) also have high standards, and schools that are rated "average" by locals are still superior to those in other regions of the country. I took this for granted before moving to Pennsylvania, where I have enrolled my kids in an independent school, because the schools are not safe, don't offer much, and lag behind NJ, LI, and the better parts of Queens, academically.
One other question - are open to having your boys share a room? If so, that will increase your "bang for the buck" I was thinking that was another thing that you had in your favor, that your kids were the same gender and close in age.
Thanks for the info, Sheena. I appreciate it! To answer your question, yes, our boys will share a room so a two bedroom is all that is needed. While I would love to have two bathrooms, I don't think our budget will allow for it given our criteria. As you pointed out, Forest Hills looks like a place that would meet all of our criteria. I'll keep looking!
In the city, I'd also add Riverdale to your list. You can take an express bus to 34th street, which is a coach bus, not a regular city bus. $2200 might be enough for a 3BR, but not in an apartment building, more likely in a divided townhouse-style building. There are apartments that are more family-oriented than luxury where your budget might also work for a 3BR. A 2BR is definitely in range, and the local schools are respectable for the city. Eastern Queens has the highest rated local district in the city, District 26, but this area is easier served by the LIRR to Penn Station to meet your commute requirements. Both the express bus and LIRR are more expensive than an area that has subway access, but the commutes can be easier, as you do not have to change lines/modes of transit.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
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