Cheapest neighborhood with best public schools? (New York, Albany: best neighborhood, real estate, condos)

[colonialsfan]

My requirements are really simple: good public schools, affordable housing, and close to public transportation.

I realize Manahttan is not a possibility, so we are willing to live ANYWHERE in Queens or Brooklyn that is near public transportation. I'm asian and my husband is white, but we don't really care about racial demographics as long as the housing is affordable and the schools are good.

Our income will only be between 80-100K, so Park Slope and the like are out of the question.

Would Flushing meet these criteria? Bayside? Whitestone? Little Neck? Any recommendations/comments would be greatly appreciated!

[jacktravern]

Originally Posted by colonialsfan

My requirements are really simple: good public schools, affordable housing, and close to public transportation.

I realize Manahttan is not a possibility, so we are willing to live ANYWHERE in Queens or Brooklyn that is near public transportation. I'm asian and my husband is white, but we don't really care about racial demographics as long as the housing is affordable and the schools are good.

Our income will only be between 80-100K, so Park Slope and the like are out of the question.

Would Flushing meet these criteria? Bayside? Whitestone? Little Neck? Any recommendations/comments would be greatly appreciated!

Sadly in NYC, safe affordable housing and good public schools generally dont run hand and hand because theyre are so few good public schools in NYC, at least at the Middle/High school level. The NYC public school system outside of Detroit and Baltimore is the worst in the country.
Yes flushing, bayside and Little neck are relatively nice areas to live in but they are not cheap.
I would say spend to to live in the higher end neighborhood or live in a poorer neighborhood and alot money aside for private school.
The difference should be about the same anyway

[colonialsfan]

I saw a lot of 2 br condos for around 250-300K on trulia that were located in Flushing, Queens w/ good public schools. Am I missing something -- like, are those in really dangerous areas (despite the good school districts) or really run down or something?

[jacktravern]

Originally Posted by colonialsfan

I saw a lot of 2 br condos for around 250-300K on trulia that were located in Flushing, Queens w/ good public schools. Am I missing something -- like, are those in really dangerous areas (despite the good school districts) or really run down or something?

No, flushing is fine but if you saw something for 300 k in that neck of the woods, there mustbe more than meets the eye. That 1997 rates right there

[bluedog2]

Probably the cheapest neighborhoods with good schools( elementary,middle) are in The Bronx.Riverdale and Woodlawn for sure.
That would leave a potential problem at high school level but you will have that problem almost everywhere in the city...even some pretty pricey neighborhoods.

[gradstudent77]

I'm probably going to catch some flak for this because it's not in the city, but there are a bunch of 2BR's in co-ops in Fort Lee, NJ listed for $200-$275. So, your mortgage would be somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500. Maintenance would be at least $1,000 or so, including taxes. That works out to about $24,000-$30,000 per year. The schools are good, the transportation isn't bad if you're working in midtown, it is safe.

If you are dead set on actually living inside nyc, then this won't help you, but Moderator cut: No links to individual real estate companies, please has good listings so you can browse nj property.

[ckhthankgod]

What about the area around this school? P.S. 91 Albany Avenue School - Brooklyn, New York - NY - School overview (Has good test scores)

Here is a list of the schools in that geographical district(Brooklyn #17): http://www.greatschools.net/new-york...oklyn/schools/

[bmwguydc]

Bayside in Queens, District 26, has good schools and is relatively affordable for a good neighborhood in NYC. With your income, you should be able to find a place there, and it's a safe area that has some of the best neighborhood schools in the entire city. It's the same district as Little Neck, Douglaston, Floral Park, etc., so if you find something in a neighboring area that works, it's well worth the extra commute hassle, since the majority of that area is not easily accessed via subway.

That's the same problem with much of Riverdale, too, but you do have the option of express buses and LIRR/Metro-North from Bayside and Riverdale, respectively.

[Brooklyn_QueenBee]

Do you know you could get a variance to have your child attend school out of the district? We used to live in Crown Heights Brooklyn, but my child attended The William Harris School (P.S.11) and Baruch Middle School. It was my job to get her to school daily.

My child had to have an IQ test to get in, but once she passed, it cleared the way for the variance and getting into several schools in district two.

[Brooklyn_QueenBee]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

What about the area around this school? P.S. 91 Albany Avenue School - Brooklyn, New York - NY - School overview (Has good test scores)

Here is a list of the schools in that geographical district(Brooklyn #17): Schools in NYC Geographic District 17: Brooklyn | GreatSchools

I wouldn't recommend that school or any in the neighborhood. That was my local school and I choosed to send my daughter into Manhattan.