New York or Long Island? (Huntington, New Rochelle: real estate, apartment, rental)

[mrobnor]

Hi everybody. We are a Swedish/Norwegian family of 4 (2 kids ages 8 and 10)and might take a job in Manhattan. We would really appreciate any advice on where to live. We are looking for a decent size house and have a decent budget. Up to 7,000/month. Our kids speak a litte english but it's not their native language. We have looked at Rye, Manhasset, New Rochelle and Huntington. I really prefer to keep the train/subway ride under 45 minutes if possible. Is there anyone who has some advide?

[boomvang]

Welcome to the forum. You may receive many different opinions about which is the best place in the N.Y. metropolitan area to put down roots. Each area has its high and low points.

Long Island- for the most part is very highly developed, with no clear demarcation between towns, at least until you travel at least 60 miles from the NYC area. Has wonderful beaches, nice parks and terrific shopping opportunities. It is said that shopping is the official sport of Long Island. Traffic can be unbearable, and working in the city will entail either enduring hellish rush hours on the road, or being captive on the Long Island Rail Road, which has it's own travails. The greatest problem is the fact that as an island, trying to leave via the bridges or tunnels can involve some fancy planning. Finding yourself stuck in traffic for hours is a very real possibility. Real estate is expensive, although your $7000/month budget will pay for some pretty fancy digs.

Westchester- In my opinion, has a less developed aura, with greater delineation between towns. More affluent, and easier to get around traffic wise, although just marginally so. Commuting is still a hassle, you would be using the Metro North Railroad, the Long Island's sister line. Rush hour is going to be a problem anywhere around Manhattan. Real Estate is at least as expensive as the Island, but again with your budget it should not be a problem.

There is also Connecticut to consider, which has some very nice areas as well. I would advise you to peruse these forums at length, they are an invaluable resource.

Good luck in your search.

[ABQConvict]

Personally, I would prefer Westchester, especially if you plan to explore the region, go hiking, take trips, etc. From Westchester you can access both the city and the hinterlands with relative ease and there is a lot to do in New York State and New England that would make it worth it. Also, I consider Westchester to be far more scenic.

Long Island is a little bit 'cut off' from everything. Unless good swimming beaches are your first priority, go for Westchester.

[BovinaCowHateWindTurbines]

I agree with ABQ. I don't want to bash Long Island (ok yes I do), but it is a complicated place to live and finding a rental home can be difficult. Even on the best day from Huntington, while it is a very nice place to live especially Cold Spring Harbor the commute to Manhattan is not pleasant by any means. Unless they go to Cold Spring schools or a private school your kids will be at the mercy of Long Island Public schools, a real crap-shoot with quality. The Traffic on Long Island is also epically Horrible.

The train is on a good day about an hour, that is after you drive to the train station (10-15m), then park (unknown time), walk to the train platform (3-8m), wait and hope, board, try to find a seat, and go! Then you have to go to Penn Station not so pleasant and walk or take a subway to your destination. So two hours on a good day.

The Long Island Rail Road is one of the worst commuter trains in the US. I would also avoid New Rochelle, while it is a fairly short commute you might find yourself in culture shock. Metro North is quite a bit better and a nicer view as you ride to the city, not perfect either though.

With your budget maybe even consider the Upper East Side of Manhattan as your budget would allow you to find a nice place, close to Central Park and the East River, nice parks. Schools maybe more difficult and expensive, your commute would be short. It is an easy and quiet place to move to.

Also look at Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Pleasantville and Towns up 9a in Westchester.

Lykke til!

[Walter Greenspan]

mrobnor, in case you are unfamiliar with the local geography:

What people refer to colloquially as "towns" are actually villages and hamlets, which are within actual towns; and, because villages and hamlets are referred to as "towns", then, many times, the error is compounded when actual towns are referred to as "townships".

Also, many colloquially refer to a "downtown business district" in a hamlet as a "village".

NYS Geographic Glossary may be of some help to you in understanding the geography of New York.

You can get a fact sheet for any city, village or hamlet in New York by going here American FactFinder and input the name of the city, village or hamlet for "city/town" (leave out the ZIP Code) and New York for "State", and then click "GO".

You'll get a lot of demographic, and some economic, statistics for the city, village or hamlet you selected, and if you click on "Reference map" (it's on the right hand side), you'll get a map.


When you do find a house or apartment that you like, you can find out in which community (city, village or CDP) that place is actually located, which is oftentimes different from the community named in that place's mailing address, by using the Census Bureau's online address search function. (CDP, or Census Designated Place, is the Census Bureau equivalent for a hamlet in New York State.)

And, very importantly, among other things, the Census Bureau's online address search function also indicates in which school district an address is located.

[winchm]

Originally Posted by mrobnor

Hi everybody. We are a Swedish/Norwegian family of 4 (2 kids ages 8 and 10)and might take a job in Manhattan. We would really appreciate any advice on where to live. We are looking for a decent size house and have a decent budget. Up to 7,000/month. Our kids speak a litte english but it's not their native language. We have looked at Rye, Manhasset, New Rochelle and Huntington. I really prefer to keep the train/subway ride under 45 minutes if possible. Is there anyone who has some advide?

Try Staten Island is has Swedish/Norwegian community and the ferry to the city is a refreshing ride to start the workday.

[BuffaloTransplant]

Some parts of Staten Island are almost like you are outside of NYC -- until the building of the Verrazano bridge about 50 years ago, the ferry was the only way to get to NYC unless you went to New Jersey and back to NYC. It is still a nice relaxing commute on the ferry.

Remember, the schools are still NYC and you may want to consider that before you choose.

[OrangeHudson]

I would look in Westchester. It has more to offer than Long Island + the commute is somewhat better. Metro-North is a more reliable railroad than the LIRR plus you go into Grand Central, which is 100 times better than Penn Station.

If you like shopping and beaches Long Island is the place otherwise Westchester is better.

[cortlandtmanorresident]

Unless you really really really need to be near an ocean beach then move to westchester. The ocean beaches on Long island are great, but unless you go to the beach all the time the traffic, ppl, density is So not worth it. move to westchester, or western Ct. good luck!