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People like to raise families in the suburbs because you often get more bang for your buck. Compare a $6 million home in Scarsdale to a $6 million APARTMENT in Manhattan. You will never have a situation where all people completely give up their desire to have more space with a family. Also consider the schools. I'm not totally sure how there NYC school system works, especially with the high schools, but I understand it's far more complicated than Westchester. Westchester it's simple. Move there, pay taxes and your kids are able to attend the (top rated) school where a high percentage of the kids end up going to an Ivy or top 20 college. There will always be families that want space and educational simplicity for their kids.
Also, I think there is a myth that Westchester is for the mega rich. I've always seen it as a place for the well to do but not the über wealthy. So as someone else pointed out, there aren't many billionaires in the county. All you need to do is look at the incomes for some of the wealthier towns to see that fact.
You have it right re. the schools. In NYC there are some of the best high schools in the nation. However, you only get into them if .....you get into them - there are no guarantees. Most of the top NYC schools are now Asian-majority, which is quite a thing since Asians are the smallest minority in the city. On top of that very competitive entry, whilst some of the good city high schools have excellent academics, certain things, like proper sporting facilities etc. are just diabolical or plain absent. You move to Westchester, your kid goes to a great high school period, no studying for the SHS test for example. Westchester school budgets are good, but parents are directly paying for them through half of their property taxes (more or less) and they vote in the budgets. You feel closer to your tax dollars showing results than in the city.. who knows where your city income taxes go! - its a big hole. Its a fairly transparent process in the burbs, especially considering how most NYS budgets are completely opaque. Having said that, there are still plenty of kids in Westchester who go to private schools, their parents driving them to Horace Mann, Riverdale etc. They have different reasons, connections, exposure to other things, the horror of "Public schools"..!
If your kids excel academically, they can get a fantastic education in NYC, if they get into the top schools. In Westchester, and other suburbs, its not so much of a crapshoot.
Kids do belong in the 'burbs. The 'burbs were explicitly built for families with children. Look at the issues of educating kids in the city. Unless you happen to be in the catchment for one of the few good schools in the city, the public school your kid is likely to go to will be mediocre at best, and likely worse than that. If you're a parent that cares, you'll then have to look at private school, which is a terrible idea financially. If you have two or more kids, your talking $40K+ a year in tuition. You can move to a 'burb with a top public school system, and between what you'd save in tuition, and the cost of housing your family in the city, you'd be able to afford housing (and likely better housing) out there.
It's silly to portray the choices for "a parent that cares" as either $40K in tuition or a move to the burbs. Even for high schools, there are quite a few good options for selective schools outside of the specialized system - even better for people who can afford district 2 or live in Manhattan since a lot of good schools give priority to those students.
I had read somewhere that the stimulation of growing up in the city is beneficial to a child's brain. Also, kids are less likely to be in a car accident if they live in the city and mostly get around by public transportation.
But in the end, the kids will probably be happy where the parents are happy. If mom and dad are miserable, then that will affect them. If you are happy in the burbs, that's great and good luck to you.
Oh give me a break. The heroin problem started in the city, where it's still raging. Some of it has migrated out there, but I'll bet you dollars to donuts it still worse in the city.
Kids do belong in the 'burbs. The 'burbs were explicitly built for families with children. Look at the issues of educating kids in the city. Unless you happen to be in the catchment for one of the few good schools in the city, the public school your kid is likely to go to will be mediocre at best, and likely worse than that. If you're a parent that cares, you'll then have to look at private school, which is a terrible idea financially. If you have two or more kids, your talking $40K+ a year in tuition. You can move to a 'burb with a top public school system, and between what you'd save in tuition, and the cost of housing your family in the city, you'd be able to afford housing (and likely better housing) out there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yodel
It's silly to portray the choices for "a parent that cares" as either $40K in tuition or a move to the burbs. Even for high schools, there are quite a few good options for selective schools outside of the specialized system - even better for people who can afford district 2 or live in Manhattan since a lot of good schools give priority to those students.
I had read somewhere that the stimulation of growing up in the city is beneficial to a child's brain. Also, kids are less likely to be in a car accident if they live in the city and mostly get around by public transportation.
But in the end, the kids will probably be happy where the parents are happy. If mom and dad are miserable, then that will affect them. If you are happy in the burbs, that's great and good luck to you.
As to living in "the city":
Who says that "the city" must be Manhattan? They can just as well consider the better parts of Queens or Brooklyn or The Bronx or Staten Island if they are concerned about finding "better" school options for their children -- as well as along New Jersey's Gold Coast and nearby citiies across from or very close to Manhattan such as Englewood, Fort Lee, Teaneck, et al, with the PATH subway, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, New Jersey Transit, and other reasonable transit options into Manhattan. . . if it is of concern at all to be able to commute into Manhattan during each week. After all, not everyone works in Manhatan or has other reasons necessitating that they commute into Manhattan most days of the week. Some work there; some work elsewhere . . . and some work from home or on-the-road.
Who says that "the city" must be Manhattan? They can just as well consider the better parts of Queens or Brooklyn or The Bronx or Staten Island if they are concerned about finding "better" school options for their children -- as well as along New Jersey's Gold Coast and nearby citiies across from or very close to Manhattan such as Englewood, Fort Lee, Teaneck, et al, with the PATH subway, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, New Jersey Transit, and other reasonable transit options into Manhattan. . . if it is of concern at all to be able to commute into Manhattan during each week. After all, not everyone works in Manhatan or has other reasons necessitating that they commute into Manhattan most days of the week. Some work there; some work elsewhere . . . and some work from home or on-the-road.
Good points for the outer boroughs. You even have houses with yards in the outer boroufhs and some of these are close to public transportation. But believe it or not there are buildings with backyards in Manhattan itself.
In the long run burbs are a better value especially coupled in with great public schools compared to here in NYC while also sending 2-3 kids to private or parochial school that can cost anywhere from 20k-40k per child a year. It would be no brainer to move out to the burbs in the grand scheme of things. Its also funny that cost of living is rising faster than in the burbs not only in NYC, but in DC, Boston and SF. Eventually families will decamp and move back to the burbs.
I would have to disagree that it is better. The schooling is quite bad with bus routes, Usually the schooling is overcrowded in my part of Nassau, so your paying money now for your busing and the schools are dirt cheap being that not enough money is handed to the schools. Usually only the private schools would support students like me with reliable tools and equipment to get our work done but not the case. The other issues of moving out to the suburbs of New York is that children tend to not go out enough and see the real world being that there are no nearby activities. (I am lucky I live two blocks from a public space). Usually this stuff is driving distance rather in the city there are enough nearby activities to make it walking distance. I believe once I get old enough and I have my own children I shall live in the boroughs being that everything is close and is more community proactive.
Actually, "upper class culture" made New York what it is today. New York was backwater compared to Paris and London until the Roaring 20s and rise of Wall Street which created a massive upper-class that built NYC into the iconic city it is now. That era gave way to New York's glamorous skyline and architecture, and a flourishing high culture based on many philanthropists, museums, galleries, universities, artists, writers, publishers, magazines and journalists. In other words, New York City rose to super-power status because of the super-rich.
...and these people were "breeders" back then too.
That's nice, why all that for what I said though? THIS era of upper class breeders have ruined NYC. The cult-of-the-baby types, you know full well what I am speaking off. It's gross. Perhaps it's because i've been living in Park Slope for so long lol. Thank **** it's beach season to get away from this crotchfruit ghetto. Sorry, didn't mean to unload like that in this thread.. It's been a rough day.
That's nice, why all that for what I said though? THIS era of upper class breeders have ruined NYC. The cult-of-the-baby types, you know full well what I am speaking off. It's gross. Perhaps it's because i've been living in Park Slope for so long lol. Thank **** it's beach season to get away from this crotchfruit ghetto. Sorry, didn't mean to unload like that in this thread.. It's been a rough day.
Let me guess. You are an angry old gay men upset his glory days of bathhouses and street cruising us over? Those wealthy people with money were always the ones who paid for everything. Someone had to breed to create a wretch like you so have respect for people with children. Or explain what your parents ruined when they bred.
That's for a specific ethnic-driven niche market. Not really relevant.
And Brookyln ain't no "outer" boro" no more!
"outer boro" is a transplant term. It is "the boros". I real NYer is not hung up on Manhattan.
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