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I'm moving to the US with my family (wife and 2 year old daughter) in October. I'll be working at a company in Varick street, NYC. We've been looking around for places that are sort of similar to the setup we have in South Africa, and Westchester looks very good. The only problem is we probably would have to get by without a car for the first couple of months. Is that a possibility in areas of Westchester? How is the public transport commuting to and from NYC?
Bonus questions, I've seen some places for rent being advertised on Zillow for under $3000 in New Rochelle and portions of Scarsdale. Does this sound accurate? The places are normally small 2 or 3 bedroom houses.
Not having a car in Westchester really isn't an option. BUT, for a couple of months you might be able to survive IF you found a house within walking distance to a train station. But then what will your wife and daughter do? They will most likely be stuck at home. The bus system is poor at best. I suppose you could use taxis to get your groceries, or go anywhere, so maybe that's an option if it's only for a couple of months.
For a very short term I'm sure you could manage without a car. But it's going to be a PITA.
I'd honestly recommend renting in Manhattan for a while. You certainly don't need a car there, and your wife and daughter would be able to keep themselves entertained for sure. I know what it's like to be alone at home with a baby in a strange town where you don't know anyone. Not having a car to get out and about would have made it unbearable.
I'm moving to the US with my family (wife and 2 year old daughter) in October. I'll be working at a company in Varick street, NYC. We've been looking around for places that are sort of similar to the setup we have in South Africa, and Westchester looks very good. The only problem is we probably would have to get by without a car for the first couple of months. Is that a possibility in areas of Westchester? How is the public transport commuting to and from NYC?
Bonus questions, I've seen some places for rent being advertised on Zillow for under $3000 in New Rochelle and portions of Scarsdale. Does this sound accurate? The places are normally small 2 or 3 bedroom houses.
For a few months, I would definitely say it is possible, especially if you live near a Metro-North station (even if you don't use Metro-North, the stations are generally hubs for buses from the surrounding areas).
In New Rochelle, I would definitely say it is possible, since it is a major stop on the New Haven Line. Scarsdale is a little less feasable, but you still the Metro-North station, as well as the BL-21/21 and BL-40/41, which run fairly frequently.
Without seeing the listings myself, I would guess that the only part of Scarsdale where you could get a house for under $3K a month is the portion zoned for New Rochelle schools - and that is the area that is literally in the middle of nowhere.
I would also stick to New Rochelle and White Plains for walkability, but really, anywhere walkable to a station is not ideal for living long term with small kids. For about $500+ per month, you might consider renting a small car for a few months to get by instead. Westchester is absolutely not a place where you can get by without a car. I know some families that even struggle getting by with only 1 car.
Thanks for all the info. Renting a car might be a good idea.
Also what are the odds of finding furnished places in that price range? We are not sure yet if we want to ship all our stuff from South Africa since it will probably end being cheaper to buy new stuff.
Thanks for all the info. Renting a car might be a good idea.
Also what are the odds of finding furnished places in that price range? We are not sure yet if we want to ship all our stuff from South Africa since it will probably end being cheaper to buy new stuff.
Here is a map of the public transportation system in Westchester. Even if you decide to rent a car, public transportation can prevent you from having to rent a second car.
Here are the schedules for all the bus routes in Westchester. If you are looking in a particular area, you can look at the schedule to see if the buses run at the times you would need them, and at a reasonable frequency (you wouldn't want your spouse or children waiting 60 minutes for a bus if you couldn't drive them):
A furnished house might be a bit difficult, but you can contact a furniture rental company if you need to rent while decorating the house. Or, you could always stay in a corporate apartment, short-term, though they would be above your preferred price point on a monthly basis.
You could get by without a car in areas of Lower Westchester much more easily than you can in Northern or even parts of Central Westchester, as Lower Westchester is much more dense, overall.
Westchester has zip codes, and associated town names, that are not coterminous with the town/village's borders. This is especially true in Scarsdale and Bronxville, and causes confusion with regard to schools and town services for newcomers. The Bronxville P.O. (post office) can be found in the Village of Bronxville (tiny and expensive), Yonkers, a small part of Mount Vernon (streets that originate in Bronxville), and Eastchester (which is the Town in which Bronxville is located). The main issue is schools, since there are several districts to which a house in the P.O. can be zoned, and none of them is the Bronxville district, which is exclusive to village residents.
Since your daughter is only two, I would suggest looking at White Plains for the first few months, or year, until you find an area you like, and get a car. White Plains is a small city, and has transportation, including express trains to Grand Central. It's dense enough that there is a walkable core, with shops, conveniences, restaurants, and shopping malls that are in easy reach, but you would be looking at an apartment, not a house. There are houses in White Plains, but not as easily accessible to conveniences as the apartments.
Car rental policies differ by agency, so some may not want to rent for the entire time you would need a car. You would then have to break your use into separate transactions, though you can immediately return and rent another car. I know this from experience, and it's because of fleet management/maintenance issues that the agency has a cap on number of days with the same car. Just be sure to select an easily accessible rental agency, or only rent a car when you need one, if you're close enough to transportation/walking for your wife and child, since you would not want to have to go to Queens or New Jersey for a rental at JFK or Newark Airports.
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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)
SE Yonkers works if you stick close to the train and use the local shops and "FRESH DIRECT" for groceries. I don't have a car. My wife needs hers far various jobs. You will need a car at times, and renting or a zip car might work for combining many errands into a single weekend. You can rent a car and do a big bulk shop at Cosco once a month ($50/year), and bundle other trips on your way (you need to buy frozen goods last). You can also order in. Many places deliver "everywhere." We alternate John's Pizza and the Argonaught Diner. You can afford to do that a lot if you don't pay for a car. There is also a park right near the Wakefield station, so you can be a 2-6 min walk from the school, playground, shops, an awesome italian place, a CVS, deli, laundry, duncan donuts/icecream and train MTA and the subway is a 15 min walk away, but SLOW. Check the pubs on McClean for flyers. If you rent there, that is good too, but not quite as easy as Wakefield by Bronx River. I see apartments for rent. There is a furnished space over pubs on occasion that is furnished.
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Walkability is a 9/10 in my book in SE Yonkers
