Tri-State Relo Advice - walkable with good schools (Great Neck, Great Neck Plaza: apartment, rental)

[RJS12]

My wife and I and 2 young children currently live in a rental in Cobble Hill Brooklyn. We love everything about the neighborhood except we've outgrowing our apartment. We are ready to buy but can't afford Cobble Hill. We're looking for alternatives that meet the following criteria and would love any suggestions:

- good schools
- someplace walkable (not the 'burbs; my wife doesn't drive and wants to be able to access most of what she and the kids need in a day without driving)
- not far from Manhattan as I commute to midtown

Would love any suggestions...we are open to Northern, NJ, Long Island or lower Westchester. Finding good school districts isn't very hard...it's determining how suburban various town are that's tricky.

Thanks!

[LINative]

Originally Posted by RJS12

My wife and I and 2 young children currently live in a rental in Cobble Hill Brooklyn. We love everything about the neighborhood except we've outgrowing our apartment. We are ready to buy but can't afford Cobble Hill. We're looking for alternatives that meet the following criteria and would love any suggestions:

- good schools
- someplace walkable (not the 'burbs; my wife doesn't drive and wants to be able to access most of what she and the kids need in a day without driving)
- not far from Manhattan as I commute to midtown

Would love any suggestions...we are open to Northern, NJ, Long Island or lower Westchester. Finding good school districts isn't very hard...it's determining how suburban various town are that's tricky.

Thanks!

Several suggestions.

Forest Hills, Bayside, and Douglaston-Little Neck come to mind in Queens. Also, you might want to look at Great Neck just over the Nassau border, especially dense Great Neck Plaza. For a suburban area you may be pleasantly suprised.

All of these places are connected by the LIRR to Manhattan and of course Forest Hills has the subways. Forest Hills is the most urban but has nice suburban areas as well. All have downtown areas. The best schools (especially on the critical High School level) are in Great Neck.