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Hey all. I've been checking this forum for a year or so and it's really helped me narrow down my home search.
currently, my wife and i live and work in Manhattan. i will continue to work in NYC (i'm an actor), but eventually my wife (lawyer) would like to practice closer to our home.
we're looking at spending between $600-900k. i grew up in Rye, NY, but as pretty as it is, my wife cant stand the country-club feel. we've heard great things about Hastings, Irvington, Old Greenwich, and a couple of other towns.
we love the taxes in CT, but the commutes in Hastings, etc are also awesome! plus, those river towns seem "hipp-er". starting to hear bad stuff about tarrytown schools. any help would be much appreciated. thanks team
If you're concerned about school district, the more sought-after areas on the Hudson banks are going to be Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, and Irvington. Irvington tends to be the stuffier of the river areas, with vestiges of older money still in the town, which may or may not be an issue, compared to Rye. Hastings and Dobbs Ferry are more liberal and artsy, and the commutes are very easy from all three areas.
Tarrytown schools are more to the average in terms of performance, though motivated students can do well in the schools. And, there are some expensive properties in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, so that would not be a sole reason for the performance gap, but the area is a bit larger, and has more economic integration than the smaller villages of Dobbs Ferry and Hastings.
From a commute perspective, you are correct in that the Hudson Line, that part of it, is easier than the New Haven Line from CT. The taxes will also be significantly higher in Westchester, due, in part, to the smaller village/town, and lack of large commercial tax bases in many areas which makes school and municipal services funding depend more on local real estate taxes. So, if the schools are the important issue, and you do not mind the extra taxes, I would look to Westchester.
As for a practice closer to home, your wife could work in any number of areas, such as White Plains, which would allow her not to have to leave the county to commute to work.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I would also recommend looking at Ardsley, Eastchester, White Plains and Mamaroneck. All still good commute times into NYC, close to White Plains area, and well-regarded schools.
I'd add Croton to your list. It seems to fit what you are after. It is further north, but I looked at the train schedule, and the morning express trains from Croton to Grand Central are 4 minutes longer than those from Irvington--and there appear to be a good deal more trains from Croton, which makes a massive impact on the quality of commuting.
The river towns in general, have a more laid back reputation that the other affluent towns in Westchester. Irvington is the wealthiest of the towns, but still has a more laidback reputation than other comparable towns in Southern Westchester.
If Metro-North rush hour commuting is not an issue, then you can also consider Ardsley. It's a quasi-river town, but without its own train station. (As an actor, not sure if you would be working "off hours" making the regular train station a lesser priority).
Tarrytown has a mixed reputation, largely due to significant socio-economic diversity.
The river towns in general, have a more laid back reputation that the other affluent towns in Westchester. Irvington is the wealthiest of the towns, but still has a more laidback reputation than other comparable towns in Southern Westchester.
If Metro-North rush hour commuting is not an issue, then you can also consider Ardsley. It's a quasi-river town, but without its own train station. (As an actor, not sure if you would be working "off hours" making the regular train station a lesser priority).
Tarrytown has a mixed reputation, largely due to significant socio-economic diversity.
I agree that Croton may be worth a look.
I'm SAG and Equity, from Westchester originally. I'm assuming you'll want proximity to a train station. I've lived in both towns mentioned here. If you need to get to auditions and don't want to drive, or have to go to Hartsdale, Dobbs Ferry or Scarsdale (closest stations to Ardsley), then Croton is your best bet. You have a choice of the Croton-Harmon or Cortlandt stations which have big parking lots, though there is usually a waiting list for a permit. The stations near Ardsley are very hard to park at. Croton is further out from NYC (Ardsley is about 20 miles out, Croton 40) so the Metro North cost will be higher than it would be at a station closer to Ardsley. Ardsley and Croton are both great towns. There are a lot of fairly well known Broadway folks who live in Croton and there have been some very famous celebrities who have lived there.
excellent help! Croton is now totally on my list. mount kisco is a town that i dig a lot. i think my lady is a lot more scared than i am of winding up in a homogeneous, rustic, boring town. maybe im just kidding myself, but i know i will be ready to have a backyard to grill in/throw the ball with my (future) kid(s) in, when the time comes.
seems like a lot of NYC'ers flee to croton, hastings, etc. Old Greenwich, maybe not so much. or at least, fewer artist types id assume
Jimlovesnyc, thanks a ton for your input. I am SAG and AFTRA, and do a lot of work both in the city, and also from my small voice-over studio (that i will be setting up in my new house). my dad did the commute from Rye for 30 years or so, so im not afraid. mamaroneck is pretty rad, but we won't get too much for our budget (600-900k)
i know almost nothing about Ardsley or Dobbs Ferry, other than i believe we played sports against those schools back in high school.
my wife would need decent access to a train station, whereas my hours are more up-in-the-air
katonah is another town that has been suggested by some folks. however, i have to imagine that commute could get old, quick
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