best school district NY suburbs commutable to NYC (Yonkers, New Rochelle: low income, apartment)
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i am moving from boston and will be working in manhattan (around 50th and 6th).
am looking to buy a house in the burbs and am ok with 60-75 min commute - budget is $600-800k
any suggestions on ny suburbs with the best school districts with diversity?
For $800k, I would look at Pelham, since you would have a few options. The schools are good, and it is very close-in. Mamaroneck would be another place to consider, as would Dobbs Ferry and Hastings. Since you do not mind a longer commute to Grand Central, you could also look at Northern Westchester, where you would get more for the money, be it more space or size of the house, compared with Lower Westchester. Bedford Hills, Katonah, and Bedford would be areas to consider, especially factoring parking because the Town of Bedford has permits available for residents, though everyone starts in Lot 3 at Katonah until spots open up at other station lots. Katonah is about an hour to Grand Central, so would fall within your commute preferences, especially if you lived fairly close to the station.
With respect to diversity, many of the smaller school systems in Westchester tend not to be extremely diverse, be it in ethnic diversity, socioeconomic diversity, etc. However, given the sophistication of the residents in the county, it's not really an issue to have diversity as many people in the county are well educated and well traveled, so differences are basically meaningless, be they religious, ethnic, family composition, etc. The city school systems tend to be the most diverse, Yonkers, New Rochelle, and White Plains, but there are social issues, class size issues, and performance gaps that are present in these districts that cannot compare with a smaller district that you would find in Pelham, Mamaroneck, Katonah-Lewisboro, or Bedford Central.
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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)
For $800k, I would look at Pelham, since you would have a few options. The schools are good, and it is very close-in.
Pelham appears to be very similar to Bronxville and Tuckahoe in terms of walkability, commutability, schools and demographics yet looks to have more affordable listings with more flexible terms. Is there a catch as to why Pelham would be more affordable? Don't think proximity to NR and Bronx is an issue since Bronxville is also close to MV and Yonkers yet is generally more expensive.
Pelham appears to be very similar to Bronxville and Tuckahoe in terms of walkability, commutability, schools and demographics yet looks to have more affordable listings with more flexible terms. Is there a catch as to why Pelham would be more affordable? Don't think proximity to NR and Bronx is an issue since Bronxville is also close to MV and Yonkers yet is generally more expensive.
I'm greatly surprised it's cheaper than Tuckahoe, but Pelham has always been cheaper than B'ville. The downtown isn't nearly as nice and, on average, it's simply not quite as upmarket. If all of Pelham were like the nicer parts of Pelham Manor I'm sure it would be as expensive.
There is nothing wrong with Pelham. Yes the downtown is nothing to write home about, but that really is not such a big issue. There is a lot of economic diversity. Houses range from incredible mansions in Pelham Manor and the southern part of Pelham, to very modest apartment buildings and multi-family houses. This is a community that does not strike me as being particularly materialistic.
Bronxville is in a league of its own. Its very small, one square mile, and is the most expensive town in Westchester. I am not talking about the zip code - I am talking about Bronxville proper. Tuckahoe is pricey, in part, due to proximity to Bronxville and how easy it is to walk to train at Crestwood and Tuckahoe. However, Tuckahoe schools are not nearly as good. There are low income housing complexes in Tuckahoe which adversely impact the schools along with the requisite drug dealing that goes on in these places and the occassional violent crime. Tuckahoe is a mixed bag.
I will now await Ruby Greta's response calling me a racist for, once again, pointing out sad but true facts...
As to the OP, you will get some diversity in Mamaroneck schools and they are still good. Bedford is a hike but Fox Lane has some diversity due to Mount Kisco immigrant population (good hard working people). White Plains schools are diverse and ok...same goes with New Rochelle...just ok. Sleepy Hollow/Ossining as well. Port Chester is diverse but these are probably not what you are looking for.
River towns to some extent I suppose -- less of a pressure cooker. If you can stomach the commute, you can get something nice in Katonah in the 800k range. There is also Yorktown and Somers or even Cortland Manor....Money does not go far in Westchester
Tuckahoe has had more recent development than Pelham, which can push the prices higher, excluding the Manor. Many of the less expensive houses in Pelham are older single-family homes on smaller lots that are fairly simple. There's no catch to the town, however, aside from the aforementioned taxes, but that's similar to many towns in Westchester with their own services and schools.
__________________
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)
Croton Would work for you also. I live in Briarcliff and my commute is door to door 75 min, I work right near you. You may get a bit more for your money if you go a bit further to mid westchester
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