burbs vs city (Union, Harrison, Pearl River: townhouses, transfer to, to buy)

[rlp123]

hi there. can someone help?
my husband and i both work in manhattan and have been living in queens for the past 5 years. before that i lived in manhattan. my husband is european and was there before here.

we are looking for a place to buy and eventually start a family -- only problem is we're are having trouble finding an area that suits us both. I'd like to own a house in a nice town, i think he would too but what we've seen so far has felt too suburban/upscale for him. We checked out montclair and that felt while it's beautiful and affordable for us and has that cute town area (we're looking in the low to mid 400s) it actually felt a little too fancy -- we're pretty casual people.

are there any areas in the nyc metro area that are within a 45 minute train ride where the people and area are a little less upscale, there's a young population like us (30s) and the schools are very good?

i've heard great things about nyack?

Thanks!

[bmwguydc]

The Nyacks do have some nice areas, but the commute can be very difficult across the Hudson River, longer than going further north in Westchester, for example. Your price ranges does go a lot further in Rockland, and most of the area is more relaxed. Nyack has a bus that links it with the Tarrytown MetroNorth on the Hudson Line for travel to Grand Central.

Pearl River is even more what you describe, especially for the schools, which rank higher than Nyack's district. The problem with Pearl River is that it will definitely be a longer commute, since it's a few miles west of The Nyacks. Travel from Pearl River is via NJ Transit, as it's right over the border from Northwestern New Jersey (Montvale area), and there's a station in Pearl River. The train would go from Pearl River to Secaucus Junction and then you'd transfer to the train to go to Penn Station.

Either commute, however, would be over an hour, and they're roughly the same time commute to the respective stations. Now, getting from Penn or Grand Central to your office would take another few minutes, depending upon where in Manhattan.

Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester is also somewhat less stuffy than other areas, but $400k does not go very far in the good school districts surrounding Croton. This station benefits from express trains that keep travel time during rush hour to around 45-50 minutes from the station. Under $500k in this area, you can find some cozy houses and/or some townhouses as it's the lower end of that market, and you won't find a huge number of homes from which to select, but it's worth a look.

[john_starks]

burbs suck

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by rlp123

hi there. can someone help?
my husband and i both work in manhattan and have been living in queens for the past 5 years. before that i lived in manhattan. my husband is european and was there before here.

we are looking for a place to buy and eventually start a family -- only problem is we're are having trouble finding an area that suits us both. I'd like to own a house in a nice town, i think he would too but what we've seen so far has felt too suburban/upscale for him. We checked out montclair and that felt while it's beautiful and affordable for us and has that cute town area (we're looking in the low to mid 400s) it actually felt a little too fancy -- we're pretty casual people.

are there any areas in the nyc metro area that are within a 45 minute train ride where the people and area are a little less upscale, there's a young population like us (30s) and the schools are very good?

i've heard great things about nyack?

Thanks!

Check out Harrison, Kearny, and North Arlington. They are all non-pretentious and safe little towns that are close to the Harrison PATH Train station to the World Trade Center - a 20 minute ride! Another place to consider with a fast commute (but by commuter train) is Union.

[BXGEAR]

Kew Gardens, Briarwood

[john_starks]

eh, i live in Philly. i posted NJ Turnhpike b/c i'm a slave to having my parents in So CT and all my friends in NYC. i hate the train
teh NJ TPKE is my life...

[Rachael84]

why not Long Island...it's closer than you think. Nassau county to be exact.

[bmwguydc]

You've got to watch the schools in some close-in, aging first suburbs, since some of these districts have had radical shifts. Some in close-in New Jersey, Westchester, and Long Island towns are not on par with some further out, that have the same sort of town atmosphere. Also, some of these areas are very dense. If you're looking for a house for an eventual family, I'd recommend looking at the schools first and second to commute, since a slightly longer commute, not to marathon levels, can make a real difference in the school district. Buy the best district that meets the price range and whose community atmosphere you like.

Summit, NJ is another place that I would consider, especially the city of Summit since it has nice older homes and you can get into that area for under $500k. The schools are good as well, and some houses can be found that are close to 100 years old in good condition. Insofar as cities go in New Jersey, Summit is wealthy, but the mix of older homes and the downtown area makes for a charming community. Berkeley Heights might also be within your price range, and is worthy of consideration, though there might not be a huge selection under $500k, and it's a few minutes extra added to the commute.

[crisp444]

I would not recommend Berkeley Heights for what they have said they want. There aren't a lot of young people there, it is pretty expensive (hard to find homes for $450,000 and under - which is their budget), and doesn't really have a small-town atmosphere (it doesn't really have a walkable town center). Union and Kearny are good candidates for them because they meet their criteria and have commutes that are under 45 minutes to the City. I could go on and on about nice towns like Millburn, Westfield, Chatham, Summit, Scotch Plains, Metuchen, etc. but I don't think the OP is looking for a place like that.

[bmwguydc]

I agree, but for schools I'd not recommend Union or Kearny. There are great areas, but when you're shopping for schools, the percentage of areas with a younger crowd and nightlife drops off significantly.