Rockland County NY (New City, Nanuet, Pearl River: low income, townhouse, school districts)

[esciar1]

We are looking to relocate for a job in the Bronx. We are wondering if anywhere in Rockland county, 10-15 min from the bridge would be a good (possibly cheaper than Westchester?) option for us.

Its really important to live in a area that is walkable. Sidewalks on main streets leading to shops, restaurants ect. We would like to stay below 500,000 if possible and would need 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. We are not interested in older homes therefor newer townhouse communities are desirable.

Any suggestion of towns?

Thanks

[havoc315]

10-15 minutes from *which* bridge? Half of Rockland County is within 10-15 minutes of the Tappan Zee bridge, but crossing the bridge is a nightmare during rush hour traffic.

Yes, you can likely get a decent home in your price range. Definitely much more affordable than Westchester (and definitely a longer commute for you).

But most of Rockland County is *not* walkable. Nyack is probably the most walkable town, and it is right by the Tappan Zee bridge.
Parts of Pearl River are walkable, and that's at the southern tip of the county. (20-30 minutes from the George Washington Bridge). There is a bit of a walkable area in Suffern (in the more western part of the county)

There are also bits of walkable areas in New City, Congers, Nanuet, etc. But for the most part, most of the county is suburban sprawl and strip malls, requiring driving.

[esciar1]

Thanks for the response. I was talking about the Tappan Zee bridge. We were thinking that crossing it and then going down would be better than living in Bergen co and trying to cross the GW bridge. Is that not the case?

Is Nyack more expensive that the other town in the county? Is it still less expensive than Westchester?

Thanks

[Viralmd]

The Tappan-Zee bridge is truly horrendous on weekday mornings. You could grow old trying to cross.

[havoc315]

I can't really say which bridge is worse, but the Tappan Zee during rush hour ranges from bad, to horrendous. It can easily take you 20-40 minutes to cross the bridge during rush hour.

No, Nyack is not more expensive than the rest of Rockland. Nyack schools don't have the best reputation. It's a very diverse town, in terms of socio-economic diversity, and racial-ethnic diversity. You have multi million dollar homes on the river, and you have low income housing in town as well.

I lived there for a few years when I was single, and I liked it alot. I never felt unsafe or anything, but there are a few less comfortable streets.

Decent homes within the walking area of Nyack -- Cheaper smaller homes probably start in the 400's. Real nice homes would be in the 600's.

Don't get me wrong, the schools are not horrible. They receive perfectly decent ratings. But not the high ratings of some other school districts in Rockland or Westchester.

The drive from Nyack into the Bronx should only be 35-40 minutes-- With NO traffic. But with typical Tappan Zee Bridge rush hour traffic, I would estimate an average of an hour for the commute, longer on some days.