Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi all, been lurking for some time and have decided to dive in. This seems to be, hands down, the best site for advice with regard to Westchester County. My husband and I have been living in Manhattan comfortably and happily together for 12 years, and separately since before 1990. We love a lot about it, hate some things about it. We have 2 little boys (4 & 7) in private school (not zoned for a good public) and have our 3rd on the way in 2 weeks. We are finally crying Uncle, due in most part to the cost of private schools here, to the feeling of them (super posh, odd parent groups), lack of yard and dog, and general need to stretch out and get the kids into their own house with friends about and a great public school set up. DH will be commuting in daily, I will commute 3 days a week for my psychotherapy practice. We have narrowed, we think, our search to Rye, Larchmont, Edgemont and Irvington, but we are TERRIFIED of making the wrong choice. We mostly fear that the community won't be "us", or will be too exclusive, and that the kids will end up at schools with only white, super-posh, elitist kids who are drinking and driving (in BMW's and Mercs) on the weekends by the time they are 15. We want down-to-earth and somewhat diverse if that is possible in these areas with the fabulous schools. We also want to feel happy in a community that welcomes newcomers without that dreaded "mean girl/mom" thing. Can anyone weigh in?
Having mulitple kids ourselves, the majority of which are minorities ..., my wife and I were similarly worried when we made the move from Brooklyn to Westchester. I can't speak for Edgemont, but I think you'll do fine in Larchmont or Irvington. We looked at Rye and Rye Neck. Our impression of Rye is it is in large part just the type of environment that you are wary of. We turned tail and ended up in Rye Neck instead and have been very happy. I have to say I've experienced much more community feeling and friendliness here than I did in the city. However, less than a year ago we were in your shoes and just as anxious!
Thank you for your response Bg7! Just the kind of impression we badly need. We had actually exed out Scarsdale and Bronxville for the reasons stated, but hadn't realized Rye had such a reputation as well. Drat. It felt like it might be a great place based on our tour yesterday (loved the "beachy" feel, not so much the private clubs all over) Have a feeling Irvington might be a good place to check out for us, but so far, know absolutely nothing about it. We have driven through, looked at homes with agents, seen several schools and solicited information from friends and colleagues about the others, but all that can only do so much.
Yes, I'd cross Rye and Edgemont off of your list based on your preferences. Another town to consider might be Pelham. For me, it's just too close to the Bronx and Mt. Vernon, and lacks a vibrant downtown but it is close, diverse and has good schools.
Seems like we are going through the same process as well. We crossed Scarsdale and Bronxville for the same reasons (and the property taxes are crazy) and are now focusing on White Plains. Decent sized downtown so hopefully our transition will be a bit easier, and a convenient Metro North Station. Have you given White Plains any consideration? Cheers!
Pelham is diverse and does have good schools. The parts of the Bronx and Mt Vernon that abut Pelham are perfectly fine. There are big box stores, such as Target and Best Buy in Mt Vernon. It's great to have them so close, actually. I also really like the fact that my kids are not afraid of the Bronx, and the kids there, and that they don't think New York City is limited to Manhattan, and are less racist than the kids in northern Westchester. The town is not fancy, but I am actually grateful because it limits the materialism of the kids. Plus, the people in town are really really well educated. Lots of doctors and Ph.D.s, and fewer financial types.
My husband and I made the move from NYC (after living there for 7 years) to Mamaroneck (Rye Neck school district), and so far we really like it. We don't have kids, so I cannot comment on the schools and parent groups, but the neighborhood we live in seems really down to earth. The kids across the street ride their bikes to school, and play outdoors on nice days. One thing we noticed last night when the trick or treaters came by is that our neighborhood seems diverse.
Another nice thing about Mamaroneck is the amount of restaurants right in the downtown area, there are plenty of places to choose from if you like to eat out. The commute can be anywhere from 32 - 39 minutes to Grand Central, with trains running quite frequently during rush hour.
I grew up in White Plains, then lived in the city for 10 years after college, and made the move back to White Plains a little over a year ago. We actually avoided White Plains and looked just about everywhere else before realizing that White Plains was the best place for us. It mostly came down to value and taxes for us. I think White Plains is one of the best values in Westchester - low taxes (comparatively) amazing commute, good shopping, diverse, etc. There is also a wide variety of house types in the various neighborhoods - from classic Tudors, to downtown luxury apartments.
We have a 5 year old who just started kindergarten this year and we're very happy with the system so far.
If we had a bigger budget I probably would have focused more on a place like Pleasantville, but we just couldn't justify paying those taxes and getting a lot less house for our money.
We are of the many who trod this path before you, last year with kids at similar age. While we ended up north of 287, we looked carefully at most of the areas you are thinking of and went to contract in Rye and Irvington.
All of these are first class communities, but I'd say Rye and Rye Neck offer much the same as Larchmont, with a longer commute and fewer of the intangibles you are looking for. (However, the Rye and Rye Neck schools are better, especially at the high school level; that's why we looked more seriously at Rye than Larchmont, but then we weren't looking for quite the same things as you are.)
If you've excluded Scarsdale you may want to reconsider Edgemont, as they're pretty similar.
I would think Irvington would suit your tastes best, all else being equal, based on how you describe them. Very good schools without quite the ickyness of some other "top" towns.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
