House within a decent commute to NYC? (Yonkers, New Rochelle: condo, low crime)

[stasiia]

I'll start off by saying that I do not know a whole lot about the areas right above NYC, but recently someone made Beacon, NY sound very appealing. She also said Newburgh, NY is up and coming, but I read a bunch about it not being the safest place..

She also recommended:
Wappanger Falls, Cold Spring, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow.
Can anyone give me information about these or other towns that would be good for us?

I am not opposed to NJ or PA, etc, as long as it's a decent commute(train, bus, I don't want to drive by car) to NYC and has some of what I am looking for.

My boyfriend and I want to get a house and get out of the city. First of all, things I am not a fan of in nyc: sharing walls, not having a yard, not being able to have pets, noise from traffic (especially bad on the street we live), noise from people (hah), people ..., living off the G train which adds time onto my commute and having to wait longer than 5-10mins for a train, not being able to have a car (unless I want to deal with traffic and street parking), pollution, dirty/smellyness, etc.

So here is what I am looking for:

*a house around $300,000 or less (no condo/sharing walls)
*place where I can have a decent size yard/garden, not super close to neighbor, woods as my backyard would be nice
*close to train/commute to nyc (that is less than 1 1/2hrs preferably)
low crime rate or at least able to stay away from crime/ safe for families
cost of living (groceries, etc) not on the (extra)high end
artsy/creative types/activities
strong small businesses
shopping center nearby
somewhat of a nighlife (we're still young)
home town/ farmland feel/atmosphere while also being close enough to a city
place to have & raise family (good schools, activities for children)
good amount of 'young' families
near a body of water, parks, pretty scenery
Activities (outdoors), events, farmer's market, library, museum
green/eco-friendly outlook, low pollution, liberal stances
near cosmetic/body/fashion OR animation industry type jobs would be a huge plus as I'd rather not commute into NYC honestly

Names of towns would be great and any information on them! Thank you!

[havoc315]

Your two main issues are going to be price and commute.
For commute, you say less than 1 1/2 hours. Do you mean less than 1 1/2 hours door to door? Also, are you okay with driving yourself to work? Train? Bus?

In terms of house, your budget is very constraining. Would you be willing to accept a 2 bedroom "starter" house (around 1200 square feet), or do you insist on the more typical 3 bedroom, 1800+ square feet?

Of the 2 Westchester towns you mentioned-- Pleasantville and Sleepy Hollow: Pleasantville will not fit within your budget. I think the cheapest house currently listed in Pleasantville is asking 399. You may find something in Sleepy Hollow, but it will be a very tiny, fixer-upper. Furthermore, it won't have any land -- you would be very close to your neighbors in that price range. And the schools aren't considered especially good.

[Minathebrat]

I grew up 1/2 hour north of the city by train, in Westchester. Even my parent's modest house is in the 600-700k range nowadays, and you don't even want to know the yearly taxes, but they're creeping up towards 20k a year. Less than a handful of the kids that I grew up with still live in town because it's just too expensive. I had extended family members who wanted inexpensive housing buy houses in Montgomery NY and Pennsylvania...and commute to the city! I think that's nuts, but oh, well. Some people I knew from school moved across the river to Jersey to get more house for the dollar.

I posed the question to my parents and a few people I know for you, about how far north you would have to go to be able to get a house for 300k or less, and the consensus was "past Duchess". Now, you can get older houses in many communities as close as Yonkers and Mt. Vernon, maybe New Rochelle, but they'd definitely be fixer-uppers in luck-of-the-draw neighborhoods. Schools wouldn't be an issue if you went private. However, to fulfill your complete list of requirements comes with a hefty $$ tag.

Cold Spring is a really pretty town, btw. I've been up to walk around there a few times, you can see West Point across the river, and the old houses are pretty. Some haven't been fixed up yet, but many have. Seems to be pretty active in warm weather.
I've always liked Sleepy Hollow, just because they have Phillipsburg Manor and the old Dutch Cemetery are there, but I have no idea what things are like to live there. I do know it used to be a rather sleepy town, no punning, but the past few times I've been there the traffic has been nuts, and like alot of those places, the roads were not built for the sheer volume they have now.

[stasiia]

havoc- I know those two towns you mentioned are more expensive because theyre closer but I was more so looking at Beacon. I looked at some houses online and found some that seemed pretty nice for 200,000-300,000 range. I would like a decent house..but nothing amazing. Mostly I want something that wont fall apart and has a nice yard ; ). I would like 3 bedrooms/2 bathroom typical type deal. I heard Beacon is about 1hr 10min to grand central or so..I would really not like to have a 2 hour commute door to door, but that will probably be all I can get with the price. I guess I would vote against anything over 2 hours. But I don't even really want to work in the city, just think it might be my only option- I'm in the fashion/cosmetics field.

[stasiia]

and about commuting, I'd drive to the train station if I had to (assuming I'll have to) and am fine with a bus or train taking me to the city. Dont think I want to drive in everyday and deal with traffic/parking fees

[havoc315]

Beacon is a 70-80 minute train ride. I know very little about the town, except that the schools are poorly rated.
In your budget, it is going to be difficult to fulfill your wishlist. I have heard good things about Cold Spring, so it can be worth a look. You may also want to look in Orange County.

You may want to consider certain townhouses, which would open up a few more options. I understand your reluctance about townhouses, but some are built in a staggered manner so that there are minimal shared walls, and some developments have quite a bit of open land.

We have lived in a towhouse for 7 years, and have never heard a peep from our neighbors through the walls. We have a quiet wooded area in the back and my wife keeps a garden.

[Thosepeskyfacts]

If you removed the $300,000 requirement you could get a list a mile long. The price is the sticking point.

[tewplanman]

Pike county PA, drive to NJ every day and take the bus or train, commute is 2hrs but you can get a home with all of the above for $150,000.