Moving from Uk to New York advice please. (Ossining, Monroe: real estate, condominium)

[mad_jacqui]

Where do i start with looking for a rural type town with a good high school, within 1 hour of Grand central sation for husbands communte? I have 2 teenagers 13 and 14 and would also be eventually working as a visiting nurse myself so would like to get it right first time. I have noticed that the real estate costs are amazing along this area ! we have about 550000 to spend and need min 4 beds and about 2000 ft. Help am i just dreaming?
regards

[Viralmd]

You'll find suburban within an hour of NY, but not really rural. Where is your husband working (address), as it makes a difference whether he's working on the East side or the West side?

[BovinaCowHateWindTurbines]

I poked around a few real estate sites and I would concentrate on Westchester County since the train goes into Grand Central unlike living on Long Island which if you are working near GC is a much better option.

Long Island I would skip entirely, there are plenty of reasons why on the Long Island Forum. Number one is Cost and two is the Penn Station train station. Having commuted in and out of there for many years, to put it nice it is kind of a hell hole and the LIRR is absolutely the worst train service in the Country. Grand Central on the other hand is absolutely a much better experience. There will be times when for a variety of reasons you will be stuck waiting and GC is a MUCH better place to be stuck than Penn Station and the service is better than the LIRR. And although those areas are suburban it is intermingled with more of a country feel than LI which it is very hard and not commutable to find anything close to country living. http://grandcentralterminal.com

There is a high speed ferry no idea what that is like:

MTA Metro-North Railroad Raillink

And this is the train information so you can get a sense of commuting times when you find a location.

MTA Metro-North

Google map of the area

train loc: Tarrytown, NY - Google Maps


I found some nice homes around your budget in Tarrytown, Ossining which is 50-60 minutes on the train. Also look at Sleepy Hollow, Pleasantville, Bronxville (not the Bronx). You may also need to consider a condominium since you will find more homes in your budget. I am not going to post the real estate sites. I just Googled Tarrytown, NY real estate and it will give you a feel for the area. All these areas have some downsides; that is a part of living within commuting distance to NYC, and why it costs A LOT to live well in these areas. SO good luck if you hone in on something perhaps others will share more detailed knowledge which I don't have a lot of. I used to visit family in the area and I always like it.

gl!

[n2ubp]

Nothing rural will be found within one hour of Grand Central Terminal.
If willing to take the bus into the city consider places in Rockland County, NY
like Congers, Valley Cottage, West Nyack. If it has to be the train consider the Suffern area of Rockland County, NY. Rural areas can be found 2+ hours out from Grand Central.

[Logan11]

If you want to be along a direct train connection to GC Station then I'd say the Harlem Line (named for the valley ..not the neighborhood) takes you into to most idyllic still semi-rural enclaves along the border between New York and Connecticut. I'm talking from upper Westchester through Putnam to southeast Dutchess County. Its obviously lovely with farms etc. as far up as eastern Dutchess but your commute is at 90 minutes by then certainly...probably close to 2 hours from the northernmost terminus of this line at Dover Plains (which is 80 miles north-northeast of NYC). Maybe I could deal with that if I was just sitting on a train..but you'll have to decide.

Another option is the areas in Orange County not that far over the NJ line such as Goshen, Warwick, Town of Florida, etc. There is a mix of suburbia and still rural feel in that area...some farms hanging on. There you would have to drive somewhat south to the nearest direct rail link via NJ Transit into Penn Station I think. Metro North goes into Orange County, but I don't believe it goes directly under the Hudson into Penn Station whereas NJ Transit may do so.

[primeline31]

Don't forget to check out Google Earth for aerial views of towns that sound interesting. Most major places, like NYC, have Google 3D and street views too. Street view = see what's across the street from the address you enter!

[Viralmd]

She's not looking in NYC- that's the only place that has Street View in Google.
You can get a satellite view of places with Google Earth, but that's not going to help if nothing's known about the area. I think she needs to figure out where she wants to live (Westchester or NJ or CT) first and then narrow things down.

[mogut]

Orange County is a good choice.Monroe,Central Valley,Cornwall,Harriman,.Goshen.Excellent Schools.550,000 can buy you a house with 4 bedrooms.In this market you can actually get new construction!Trains to path to lower nyc or cross over Secaucus NJ to penn.1 hour to 1hour 20 min...

[randye]

Orange county is a great spot for your family. There are excellent schools and a good quality of life. If you want more info regarding what towns and which schools work best for your childrens needs, get back to me.

[Viralmd]

Again, Orange County is suburban, and the OP asked for rural...