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It really depends on the kid. If he or she is very precocious, self-confident and independent, New York offers unparalleled learning opportunities. However, if he or she prone to peer-pressure it's very easy to fall in with the wrong crowd (drugs, etc.). If that happens it's difficult to correct because much harder to supervise your child's time and friends in the city. My boss makes $2 million a year and sends his son to the best schools (he's been kicked out of one) money can buy (as well as tutors, psychologists, doctors, etc.). With all that he has a very hard time keeping his son (16 year old) sober.
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^^that's a very good point. It really depends on the parents and also the kid's personality. Where I teach in the south Bronx, I have some excellent students who never ever get into trouble and are very smart. But then I have the opposite end of that spectrum. Not the greatest place to raise a kid, but it all depends on the parents and what the kid is like.
HA! I was born and raised in NYC and now I live in a rural town in SC where I'm raising my 12-year-old son. When I was growing up I lived in a 3 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. I took 2 buses to get to school and I traveled no matter the weather. Here, my son is scandalized because I force him to walk to school (less than a mile away). If it snows (rarely) they shut down the whole daggone state! Anyway, I liked the city--all the exciting things to see and do. I survived quite nicely even though I was somewhat gullible and impressionable. I was, however, a city kid through and through. No "sir" or "ma'am" for me! It was "lady" and "mister" if that! Kids here are so corny it's cute. My own SON is a little cornball and I like it like that. Right now he's not exposed to too many cultures in our neighborhood and he's not nearly as sophisticated as I was at his age. He says ignorant stuff, using offensive and inaccurate generalizations that he got from his equally unsophisticated friends. I have to constantly correct him about that. On the other hand, he's a sweet, trusting kid who's honest and respectful. There are definite trade-offs, but I think I'm in the opposite position than you--we live in a nice house with a nice yard and a nice dog. Very little crime, and a generally safe area. Yes, I lock my doors, but none of that fire/kick/shotgun-proofing we had in NY. I'll encourage him to leave here when he's older (college age) and needs to see the world. But right now he's enjoying his childhood and that's why we're here. Hope this helps.
^^that's a very good point. It really depends on the parents and also the kid's personality. Where I teach in the south Bronx, I have some excellent students who never ever get into trouble and are very smart. But then I have the opposite end of that spectrum. Not the greatest place to raise a kid, but it all depends on the parents and what the kid is like.
Agreed. I grew up in Bed-Stuy and my siblings and I turned out great. We all went to college or went into the military and never arrested. A lot of the kids I grew up with that ended up in trouble had no one to guide them in life I mean daddy was gone and mommy strung out on drugs. But due to the fact we had two caring parents we never fell to peer pressure.
I am 17 years old and soon to turn 18 and I lived in NYC my entire life. It was a mixed bad for me but ultimately it would have been better if I got to live somewhere else and Im moving to Oregon, either Euegene or Portland as soon as I can because I cant go on here anymore and Im fed up.
I got alot of exposure here but it turned out to be overstimulation and its an overwhelming place so it really wasnt worth it.
My personality chnaged from 9th grade to 12th grade and thats when my attitude with the city chnaged. In 9th grade I loved the city, going on the train, the street activity, and I felt like myself. But by now I despised all this hyperactivity Its hard to be content and that could cause alot of problems in teens. I also feel very tense and think this city was neevr a good fit for me. And to be honest, what I liked in 9th grade felt superficial even then.
It could be different depending on the person and what the person went through but a good number of people I know who are around 15-18 want to get the hell out of here for their own sanity, including me. I feel like everyone needs chnages in their life so what matter where someone groew up theyll eventually want to go somewhere else.
Do you think diversity makes everything better? It doesnt always and it could be very exclusionary diversity which is what i see in the city.
This density and all the chaos can also wore people out and then they are too worn out to really appreciate the city.
What do you mean by sheltered lifestyle? People can have sheltered lifestyles here too and soemtimes a lack of sheltered lifestyle could cause SERIOUS problems like it did for me and a lot of my friends who grew up here that I didnt notice in my suburban friends.
Suburbs have chnaged since the 1950s and they are more "diverse" and have more activities going on.
If you still decide on NYC, its best to go to a good neighborhood but usually the good nieghborhoods recquire an upper middle class salary or higher. Park Slope is my favorite neighborhood to have lived in.
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It seems like you want to give your future children a certain kind of beneficial stimulation? am I right? You can do that without having to go to a chaotic place like NYC. Where you live with them, you can always expose them to what you think they should be exposed to.
There are smaller cities and also suburbs and small towns that have what you are looking for but you have to research a bit.
I really think you should look into Boulder, Colorado, Portland Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, Seattle/Seattle suburbs, Flaggstaff, Ariozona, Taos, New Mexico, Boston suburbs, Denver, Colorado.
Out of those Boulder would probably be the best for you and your family! Its far away enough from the closest major city of Denver to have its own distinguished self-sufficient identity but its still half an hour away. The rocky mountains begin as soon as the western outskirts of the city.
It is a city of 100,000 people but has so many cultural/art/outdoor activities within its borders and really closeby. It will feel a little bit like a city, a rural area, and a suburban area simultaneously.
It doesnt seem to be as diverse racially as Denver but Im sure its getting more diverse than it ever was before. It has a buddhist inspired university and many foregin restuarants. Its also a youthful, lively college town with the buddhist inspired Naropa University and University of Colorado. Both of those colleges bring even more added life and activities to the city. Sometimes someone's race determines where they want to live because of comfort reasons or paranoia related reasons. Whether you are white or not, I would still say Boulder is the best place.
(And Boulder doesnt have any earthquake risks the way most of the western US does) (And of course almost any coastal area south of Maryland has the constant threat of hurricanes)
NYC is not the best place to raise kids. I LOVE NYC, but it's best lived in by professionals. The city of Manhattan itself is not suited for childrens needs. It is dirty, there are very few nice parks or grassy areas compared to any other city, dogs pee all over the place which makes it a nightmare if your kid ever falls down - which happens all the time, the city has a very hectic non-stop emotion to it -- which I love, but for kids, it's not ideal. They need peace and room to roam. The school options are sooo limited and even if you send your child to private, it's still not as good as some public schools outside of the city! NYC is amazing, it's unlike any other place. Live in the suburbs for your child's sake. Let them have grass and a yard, a pet, the quality of life for a child is much higher outside of Manhattan. Childcare is outrageous for no reason at all. Go to the city to visit, ride the subways for fun. The suburbs offer lots of diversity as well.
Depends on the neighborhood. I don't think many places within a few blocks of Times Square or 34th st are ideal for raising kids, but people do it. I would try to pick a nice and fairly peaceful neighborhood. I think kids being raised in NYC should be grateful that they are being brought up in such a great city.
Well if you are a really good parent you can raise kids in the city... I was raised in the city and I did not come out bad.. Even though that there were kids that smoke drugs. My mom taught me from right to wrong. And she was always close with me. As long as you are close with your kids you should be fine.
Wow that is a sweet and romanticized story of growing up in NYC that may be accurate for some kids, but in reality this is a crazy city to grow up and you must be very vigilant and on top of every move your kids make or believe me, there is a LOT of trouble to be gotten into. This place can be literally WILD to grow up in. I'm sure (and hope) that things have changed dramatically since I grew up here in the 80's (and in the 1990's in my 20's). But I believe kids still grow up really fast here. I plan to move my family to Westchester so my daughter can live the quiet life with good schools yet we'll be minutes from the city so she can experience the good things about NYC that you mentioned (with her parents though, not alone!). I dont want her roaming around here by herself the way I did as a kid, its just too crazy a place. And honestly, unless you've grown up here and you lacked strict supervision so that you were doing things outside without "grown ups", you probably have no idea what I'm even getting at..
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