From Smalltown UK to Westchester County (New York, White Plains: rental, house, school districts)

[TSF_moving]

Hi,

I've been offered a relocation package from the UK to work in the White Plains area for up to 3 years. Here, we live in a small town (pop.11,500) and the girls (7 and 10) go to one of the three state primary (kindergarten to age 11) schools here.

I'd really love to find somewhere for us to live that the children feel comfortable in. They are both bright (eldest scored recently in top 5% in the national test and was off to a selective school before this got in the way) but while the youngest is confident in herself, the eldest finds the social stuff a bit more challenging. School is the most important thing for me to get right and a public school education is my strong preference.

Here's my wish list:
- a good school for them both which keeps them both challenged intellectually but more importantly supports their love of learning
- a middle school for the eldest which has an intake from several elementary schools so she doesn't feel so much the new girl
- a commute of less than 30 minutes to White Plains
- a community which would welcome their father who's taking a couple of years out to look after them and where the girls could make new friends
- canoeing/kayaking within 30 minutes

We have a rental budget of about $5k/month but would like a 4 bed place. I've done lots of looking on zillow and coldwellbanker and the place I've been most drawn to so far is Pleasantville. But I'm after more than the statistics and so I'd love suggestions, advice, tips and the benefit of your experiences please if you've time to share.

Thanks.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by TSF_moving

Hi,

I've been offered a relocation package from the UK to work in the White Plains area for up to 3 years. Here, we live in a small town (pop.11,500) and the girls (7 and 10) go to one of the three state primary (kindergarten to age 11) schools here.

I'd really love to find somewhere for us to live that the children feel comfortable in. They are both bright (eldest scored recently in top 5% in the national test and was off to a selective school before this got in the way) but while the youngest is confident in herself, the eldest finds the social stuff a bit more challenging. School is the most important thing for me to get right and a public school education is my strong preference.

Here's my wish list:
- a good school for them both which keeps them both challenged intellectually but more importantly supports their love of learning
- a middle school for the eldest which has an intake from several elementary schools so she doesn't feel so much the new girl
- a commute of less than 30 minutes to White Plains
- a community which would welcome their father who's taking a couple of years out to look after them and where the girls could make new friends
- canoeing/kayaking within 30 minutes

We have a rental budget of about $5k/month but would like a 4 bed place. I've done lots of looking on zillow and coldwellbanker and the place I've been most drawn to so far is Pleasantville. But I'm after more than the statistics and so I'd love suggestions, advice, tips and the benefit of your experiences please if you've time to share.

Thanks.

Chappaqua, Bedford, Bedford Hills, Katonah, Pound Ridge. Skip Armonk.

[bmwguydc]

I agree with kletter1man's list, but would also add that parts of Lewisboro, as far as Golden's Bridge or Cross River are about 30-35 minutes to White Plains. Parts of Somers are also approximately 30-35 minutes to White Plains as well. If you are close to the train station in Katonah and Bedford Hills, you could even feasibly take the train to White Plains, on days you do not wish to drive to White Plains. Some of the properties in Somers have a Katonah zip code, as do some in Lewisboro, for the schools, there is a distinction as the portion in Somers does not share in the Katonah-Lewisboro district, rather they are zoned for Somers schools. Pound Ridge and Bedford/Bedford Hills and Mount Kisco are in the Bedford Central school district.

The other consideration if you look in Katonah outside the Town of Bedford is that you do not use the town's parks and recreation, and cannot get a residential permit to park at the train station, should you wish to do so. Non-resident parking is in shorter supply, and is more expensive, but that's only a factor if you want to take the train to White Plains or Manhattan during the regular commute, as weekend parking is not a problem at the train stations.

[7 Wishes]

Expensive as Westchester is, based on your budget you virtually can pick anywhere you want. Though I complain on here often about how people in this area "nitpick" about school districts, it also means we honestly have some of the best public schools in the whole US! I would just carefully explore each town and see if it meets your needs. Kletterman, I'm curious why you say "avoid Armonk"? (I'm assuming you suggested districts north of White Plains mostly because of nearness to canoeing/kayaking).

[rscap]

I'd recommend looking into Yorktown among the other suggestions. Close access to the Hudson, easy commute to WP, solid academic district, large with multiple elementary schools. Great extracurriculars. Friendly folk, probably totally cool with a stay at home dad, pretty sure he'd have plenty of other stay at home dads to hang with. And...you can get more house for your $$ in Yorktown than in areas such as Katonah or Armonk or Pleasantville.

Note: Pleasantville is a very small close knit district - your child will definitely be the "new kid" in middle school. I think the suggestion of "avoid armonk" was due to it's reputation for being clique-y, and not so sure a stay at home dad would be so comfortable there, unless he gets a weekly mani-pedi.

[bg7]

"I think the suggestion of "avoid armonk" was due to it's reputation for being clique-y"

And when you get here from the UK note that Americans pronounce clique as "click". When a group is described as clicky it doesn't mean they have arthritis.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

Kletterman, I'm curious why you say "avoid Armonk"? (I'm assuming you suggested districts north of White Plains mostly because of nearness to canoeing/kayaking).

McMansions and the flashy money ethos are both greatly over represented in Armonk vs the other towns. So why bother with it when you can have excellent schools and a beautiful environment just a couple minutes beyond?

[TSF_moving]

Thank you all for your advice - I really appreciate your time.

Originally Posted by rscap

Note: Pleasantville is a very small close knit district - your child will definitely be the "new kid" in middle school. I think the suggestion of "avoid armonk" was due to it's reputation for being clique-y, and not so sure a stay at home dad would be so comfortable there, unless he gets a weekly mani-pedi.

Perfect! That's exactly the insider view I was looking for rscap.

Originally Posted by rscap

I'd recommend looking into Yorktown among the other suggestions. Close access to the Hudson, easy commute to WP, solid academic district, large with multiple elementary schools.

Thanks for the tip, I've looked and the Middle School looks great as does the area. But do the elementary schools join up at Grade 4? I've looked at the school district website and it seems there's a single school for grades 4 and 5.

Originally Posted by bg7

And when you get here from the UK note that Americans pronounce clique as "click". When a group is described as clicky it doesn't mean they have arthritis.

Thanks, I know I'm going to have so much to learn! I'm already teaching the kids they're going to have to ask to borrow an eraser rather than a rubber from their school friends!

SO, my short list is kletter1mann's (thank you!) Chappaqua, Bedford, Bedford Hills, Katonah, Pound Ridge, Katonah-Lewisboro and Yorktown. I'd previously looked at Rye before now - schools, water etc. Should I add it to the list?

We will be taking a tour 7 Wishes but we'll have the kids and only a few days so I need to be ninja-style in my execution.

Thanks again everyone,
Sara.

[bmwguydc]

Rye is nice, and does have the water, but it's also an area where clubs are important, and has a hefty price premium attached to it, such that you could find a larger property in your rental range in another part of Westchester. It can also be very congested in the summer with Playland and the beach, which would be a factor for you as you would drive to/from White Plains.

[Walter Greenspan]

TSF_moving, in case you are unfamiliar with the local geography, I've sent you an explanation of the very, very confusing geography of New York as a DM (Direct Message).