NYC - Family moving from London. (New York, Rye: apartment, to rent, crime rates) - New York City - City-Data Forum

drofulf · 08-30-2008, 01:23 AM

Just for starters guys, would anyone have any opening suggestions re. areas to live when my husband is relocated to NYC?

We'd like to find a 'family friendly' area - with schools we can get into (happy to pay, as guess the company will do that)

This I know, is a bit of a difficult question, but although we've visited NYC as tourists loads of times, we'd never thought of living there with a child.

Obviously safety and crime rates of prime importance...then schools and supermarkets; transport.... and we like parks and greenery (which we know NYC has loads of ..)

Many thanks

?

Viralmd · 08-30-2008, 04:51 AM

Many questions for you before we can help: are you looking to rent or buy? What is your budget? How old is your child (ie, does he/she need a school NOW)? How long a commute will you tolerate? Do you have to have a house or is an apartment acceptable?

ddarnell · 10-02-2008, 04:42 PM

Hi, we moved here from Surrey about 18 mths ago. We have 2 kids so chose to live in Rye, Westchester County which is a great area & has loads of expats (I help to run a club, so get in touch if you are interested in joining). Schools are great in the area & its by the sea (Long Island Sound) so its a great place to live in the summer. the commute to Manhattan is 38 mins.

biggyboy · 10-07-2008, 08:40 PM

what part of nyc will your husband work? if you want to live in manhattan, there are plenty of good (and rather competitive) private schools on the upper east side, also a few on the upper west side. if he works downtown and you prefer living close by, greenwich village and tribeca have fewer private school options but theyre pretty family friendly too. if you prefer living outside manhattan, it would be harder to find the really great schools, but generally speaking queens, brooklyn, and even staten island public schools are preferred over manhattan public schools. in westchester county (not part of nyc), schools are generally good and neighborhoods are very family-friendly but can be sometimes long to commute to/from. you also have a ton of magnet school options if you choose not to pay for school, and new york city is the place to go for great magnet schools.

jerseypro · 10-07-2008, 08:48 PM

Montclair is a great community with a significant expat population from the UK. It's located about 12 miles west of NYC. It is frequently referred to as "the urban suburb" because of it's walkable downtown, unique mix of shopping, culture and the arts.

Mcli7kg2 · 10-08-2008, 09:56 AM

What ever you do, dont live in MANHATTAN with a child, any big city with a child is completely impossible, schools, childcare etc is very very expensive and hard to come by

I would recommend living in somewhere like Hoboken, it is near to Manhattan but is located in New Jersey and 10 minutes to Manhattan Midtown by the PATH(train)

schools tend to be more family orientated and parents in New Jersey and also pstate Mahattan can take a mroe proactive role in PTA stuff etc as inner city schools do not mostly allow

I think Upstate New York is beautiful but its expensive, and it sint as near to Manhattan as Hoboken and surrounding areas in New Jersey are.

Hope this helps!!

Viralmd · 10-08-2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mcli7kg2

What ever you do, dont live in MANHATTAN with a child, any big city with a child is completely impossible, schools, childcare etc is very very expensive and hard to come by

I would recommend living in somewhere like Hoboken, it is near to Manhattan but is located in New Jersey and 10 minutes to Manhattan Midtown by the PATH(train)

schools tend to be more family orientated and parents in New Jersey and also pstate Mahattan can take a mroe proactive role in PTA stuff etc as inner city schools do not mostly allow

I think Upstate New York is beautiful but its expensive, and it sint as near to Manhattan as Hoboken and surrounding areas in New Jersey are.

Hope this helps!!

I respectfully disagree...I was born and raised in Manhattan and I think it's a GREAT place for kids.

Hoboken has absolutely DREADFUL schools. With no alternatives.

In what area of Manhattan is your husband going to be working? That's important, as another poster has already mentioned.

drofulf · 12-02-2008, 06:47 AM

Husband to work in Time Square area.

Struggling as clearly many views regarding Manhattan or not Manhattan. I prefer NOT to be very high rise, and I don't like the subway (I know I know - I struggle with this in London so it's a pain) THinking of Brooklyn Heights or Park Slopes? Any views?
Also I need to know Pre-K schools with spaces (I keep being told there are NO spaces anywhere - is this true?) I'm finding locating anything from this distance with lack of information very very stressful and feel like giving up at the moment and staying here without my husband.
If any expats out there have managed this move any hints would be much appreciated.
Thanks so much for all your comments so far. I disappeared as we didn't get a firm decision - until now.

Viralmd · 12-02-2008, 06:52 AM

Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope are nice. Expensive, but nice. Brooklyn Heights was the area in which 'Moonstruck' was shot - lovely old brownstones, gorgeous views of the Manhattan skyline.

But it could well be true that the private pre-K schools are full. There's intense competition in NYC for slots in the better schools. The only thing you'd have to find out about is the public schools associated with each area, because after pre-K, your children can go to the public school kindergartens and beyond and you'll want a decent school at that point.

clevedark · 12-02-2008, 03:30 PM

Tribeca. The best place to live in NYC with kids.