Advise on great places to raise kids in NYC area (New Rochelle: apartment, to rent)

[Veve0308]

Hi all,

I was hoping you can help me make decison. I have two young kids who will reach school age in 3 years. I am researching locations that would be great to raise kids but within half an hour of NY. I work in Nassau county and hubby works in Queens. We are preferably looking to pay no more than $2600 for a town home or a house to rent in good school district. We prefer some where diversed. What do you think of the places below? If you have opinions on other locations please feel free to share. We are trying to avoid trying to pay for private school.

Thanks

Whitestone NY,
Douglaston NY
Little Neck NY
New Rochell, NY
Fort Lee NJ
Teaneck NJ
Paramus NJ
North Bergen, NJ
Rutherford, NJ

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by Veve0308

Hi all,

I was hoping you can help me make decison. I have two young kids who will reach school age in 3 years. I am researching locations that would be great to raise kids but within half an hour of NY. I work in Nassau county and hubby works in Queens. We are preferably looking to pay no more than $2600 for a town home or a house to rent in good school district. We prefer some where diversed. What do you think of the places below? If you have opinions on other locations please feel free to share. We are trying to avoid trying to pay for private school.

Thanks

Whitestone NY,
Douglaston NY
Little Neck NY
New Rochell, NY
Fort Lee NJ
Teaneck NJ
Paramus NJ
North Bergen, NJ
Rutherford, NJ

Am having trouble making any sense of this list.Why,with one of you working in Queens and the other in Nassau,would you consider for even 10 seconds the idea of living anywhere in NJ ? That would be impossible.
I can understand New Rochelle to a certain extent because the commute to Queens or Nassau wouldn't be impossible but still,why ? That leaves Douglaston,Whitestone and Little Neck.Not much difference there, so take your pick.
Why do you list places in NJ and Westchester but no place in Nassau County which is where you work and is right next to all those other places ?

[Veve0308]

Originally Posted by bluedog2

Am having trouble making any sense of this list.Why,with one of you working in Queens and the other in Nassau,would you consider for even 10 seconds the idea of living anywhere in NJ ? That would be impossible.
I can understand New Rochelle to a certain extent because the commute to Queens or Nassau wouldn't be impossible but still,why ? That leaves Douglaston,Whitestone and Little Neck.Not much difference there, so take your pick.
Why do you list places in NJ and Westchester but no place in Nassau County which is where you work and is right next to all those other places ?

Hi Work in Roslyn Heights which is quite expensive and neighboring are also very expensive out of my price range. However if you know places in Nassau or even Suffolk that is within my price range yet still close to work with good school district please share. I'm am trying to avoid paying for private school. The NJ locations I listed are within 25 miles to my job.

Thanks

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by Veve0308

.... The NJ locations I listed are within 25 miles to my job.

They may be within 25 miles but would be the longest,most expensive and most grueling 25 miles you could imagine....twice a day.You would be ready to slit your wrist after 1 week.
I have never investigated so I can't say but is either Douglaston or Little Neck substantially cheaper than Roslyn,Glen Cove,Port Washington and other similar places in Nassau ?
If all of Nassau really is too expensive then you really should confine your search to eastern Queens.NJ just won't work.What about Bayside,Floral Park,even Flushing ?
There are good elementary and middle schools scattered throughout NYC and you might be better off concentrating on making sure that your kids perform well in one of those and then get into one of the specialized high schools like Stuyvesant,Brooklyn Tech,Bronx Science,LaGuardia,etc.

[Cyclops99]

The NJ locations I listed are within 25 miles to my job.

They may be within 25 miles to your job but traffic will be crazy so its not worth the commute.
The neighborhoods you listed in Queens are fine...so is Bayside which is in also near the Queens/Nassau border. I don't know about neighborhoods in Nassau but I'm sure there are nice ones with good school districts.
Manhasset? probably expensive right? I don't know, maybe you can also ask your co-workers who work out in Nassau.
I would definitely rule out New Jersey.

[Veve0308]

Thanks this is good to know, I wasnt sure what the commute would be like. I think I will check some more neighborhoods in Nassau and see what I find. With a family of 4 I was looking to rent a house or town house not just an apartment something with back yard and stuff. Any further input you have would be greatly appreciated.