Want to move to Westchester and find a town that's similar with Forest Hills (New Rochelle: middle-class)

[puppychichi]

Hello all,

We live in Forest Hills, Queens, have been in this area for almost a decade, get so used to here, love here! But since we form a small family now, we are considering moving to suburbs.

We want to move to a place where its characteristic is similar to Forest Hills. I would like to get some feedback of what towns in Westchester that we could look into for relocation.

So, what we love Forest Hills?
- Good selections of restaurants (From all cultures!)
- Diversity (But maybe bit too much of Asian, I am Asian myself, sometimes I feel I have no chance to polish my English).
- Multiple way to commute into Manhattan (subway, LIRR, bus, self-drive)
- Open-minded and Friendly (Of course not everyone, but most young families and educated elderlies are so open-minded and friendly!)
- Middle-class community (median household income 75K)

And what we are looking for for the next town?
- Open-minded and Friendly
- 50 minutes on train, or bus, into Manhattan
- Good public facilities, i.e. library, indoor pool
- Have small houses or condo that can fit for our housing budget ($2500 monthly with mortgage, something like 2bd/2bth, 1200 sqft is good enough for us, we don't like huge space)
- Easy access to park/beach, by 10 mins walk or 10 minutes drive
- East access to downtown, by 10 mins walk or 10 minutes drive
- Good public schools, but don't need to be Ivy-league feeders, we want children to be children
- Median household income around 100K

Thanks in advance for your input, and thank you for your time reading my post!

[MeaningIntheMeanwhile]

[quote=puppychichi;44200352]Hello all,

We live in Forest Hills, Queens, have been in this area for almost a decade, get so used to here, love here! But since we form a small family now, we are considering moving to suburbs.

We want to move to a place where its characteristic is similar to Forest Hills. I would like to get some feedback of what towns in Westchester that we could look into for relocation.

So, what we love Forest Hills?
- Good selections of restaurants (From all cultures!)
- Diversity (But maybe bit too much of Asian, I am Asian myself, sometimes I feel I have no chance to polish my English).
- Multiple way to commute into Manhattan (subway, LIRR, bus, self-drive)
- Open-minded and Friendly (Of course not everyone, but most young families and educated elderlies are so open-minded and friendly!)
- Middle-class community (median household income 75K)

And what we are looking for for the next town?
- Open-minded and Friendly
- 50 minutes on train, or bus, into Manhattan
- Good public facilities, i.e. library, indoor pool
- Have small houses or condo that can fit for our housing budget ($2500 monthly with mortgage, something like 2bd/2bth, 1200 sqft is good enough for us, we don't like huge space)
- Easy access to park/beach, by 10 mins walk or 10 minutes drive
- East access to downtown, by 10 mins walk or 10 minutes drive
- Good public schools, but don't need to be Ivy-league feeders, we want children to be children
- Median household income around 100K

Thanks in advance for your input, and thank you for your time reading my post!
If I would beforced to live again in NYC Kew Gardens on the border with Forrest Hills wouldbe one of the areas I would prefer. With Kew Gardens/Forrest Hills I wouldrank Ditmas Park and Park Slope in Brooklyn and Fieldstone/Riverside in TheBronx, which are much greener and look the least as NYC.


But yes thoselittle house on little hills of Kew Gardens above the Austin road, aroundMarta's Bakery and hip young family places, I hear you. Great for biking andwalking as well on express F,E.


Walking wise,and short commute - door to door <50 minutes you have southern Westchesteronly and probably New Rochelle, White Plans and Larchmont on New Rochelleborder only. Perhaps Part of Mamaroneck Called Orienta Beachon Mamaroneck Rdwith some outdoors and indoors restaurants, terraces and condos. The biggestout of these and the best for walking is New Rochelle. Also more coop options.If you by into one couple of block south of Main Street, lets say southof Prospect Pl - Clinton Pl line - you are in safe neighborhood, where youcan walk anywhere and you do not need a car. You can walk 5-10 minutes to thebeaches and parks, 5-10 minutes to restaurants, green markets, libraries,programs for kids, free concerts every Wed evening in Hudson Park on the LongIsland Sound. Glen Island, Five Island, kayak and sailing clubs are alsowalking distance. That area is very diverse yet biggest ethnic group is White,not that many Asians, some, more Hispanic. So you have diversity but thedownside of that part of New Rochelle is that the public schools are rankedaverage, which usually comes with socio-economic and ethnic diversity. I knowsome people who's kids go to Trinity elementary school and they say that theyare happy with the school, I know that their little girl loves the school andher father works for NYC Board of Education. Anegdotal yes. 35min from GrandCentral via Metro North. Or one can take bus to 6 Express in the Bronx, dependswhere the destination is.


Larchmont isnice, much more expensive, also on LI sound, much smaller downtown and does nothave a peach except for a private club with beach for kids. It has a greatwaterfront and good restaurants around Palmer and Boston Post Rd. Higher rankedschools. 38 Minutes

White Plainsis has big walk able downtown, in my opinion better looking that NR downtown ingeneral yet it is a new one design for cars primarily, looks much likeStamford; where highway comes right to the shopping malls in the center. It islandlocked, diverse yet NR is more historic feel with a lot of small streetsand rock sidewalks instead on standard cement. 35 Express, longer for local.

I ammentioning these because they look the most like Forest Hills, in my opinion,much more beautiful, then Forest Hills or any other part of NYC, yet I would encourageyou to explore other areas of Westchester which although they do not look closeto Forest Hills have other unique virtues to offer. Be free to PM me if youneed specific info.

[puppychichi]

Thank you so much for your input.

We have very little knowledge about Westchester. But we were in Greenwich twice a couple of years ago, we decided to have a mini road trip to feel the towns at north of NYC, starting with Greenwich. An indirect friend gave me some notes to follow, so we were able to know where to drive to. So we rented a car, drove up to Greenwich, CT, and went to a park, drove by some apartment/townhouse complex, had a lunch, drove by few schools, just to get a general feeling of Greenwich and how the life would be if living there.

On the way back to NYC, we intentionally took Putnam and tried to stay on 1 (so hard with GPS keeping dragging us to 95). But since we were tired, and no notes to follow, we weren't able to feel much about them as we did with Greenwich. For example, the only town we parked and took a walk, was Larchmont, on the Chatsworth Ave. We thought the street near train station would be the busiest, yet it was not what we imagined. Quickly it rained and we were really tired, we drove directly back to NYC, without going into New Rochelle.

We had a great time today. But I feel, living a city life for too long, we are used to do all shopping in one or two stops, and used to walking. Having to drive around running errands and bringing kids to playground strangely became something not as joyful as we thought. (Before NYC I wasn't a city girl, but why I so want to "walk" now?).

We need to go back to Westchester, and maybe even Greenwich more, to justify our feelings. Before that I need to find out what towns we would like. Probably not Larchmont anymore, before today I thought the whole town is in walking distance and fill with cultural people sitting in coffee shop discussing about arts. Lol, I might be too romantic.

Thanks again for your input, I will definately send you PM when I pull together my new thoughts and questions.

[Iching]

You have to make more money to enjoy Westchester County. You're not being realistic with your expectations.

[puppychichi]

Thank you. We could put more on housing, but we just wouldn't want, it's not our philosophy.

[ponytrekker]

Originally Posted by puppychichi

Hello all,


- Median household income around 100K

Some towns, that's what the dog walker makes. But if you are frugal, have a big down payment you can buy on that money; if you're resourceful and persistent you can rent on that budget.

But keep in mind the average metro north plus subway bill every month will be $400.

[Iching]

Originally Posted by ponytrekker

Some towns, that's what the dog walker makes. But if you are frugal, have a big down payment you can buy on that money; if you're resourceful and persistent you can rent on that budget.

But keep in mind the average metro north plus subway bill every month will be $400.

Yea, I remember when I used pay $165 for a monthly from Bronxville to GCT in 2008. A single peak fare from Beacon do GCT cost us $21 per person last week.

[MeaningIntheMeanwhile]

puppychichi, Larchmont narrow center is btw Larchmont av and Chatsworth; and Palmer and Boston Post Road. Yet you cannot say that you have experienced Larchmont without taking the stroll down to the waterfront, all the way on Larchmont av. Yes Larchmont is small village.


If you want to do all of your shopping in one or two stops without a car then you can go to the area of New Rochelle I have described. I would avoid living on Main St but 4 streets south of it which are pretty, green and without urban issues, yet accessible.


Perhaps you can do shopping in two stops without a car in White Plains. I never tried but I would think so. Perhaps ever Mamoraneck. Close to Ritchbell Rd they have Trades Joe and other big stores on a plaza, yet most of small shops are located on Mamoraneck Av. If New Rochelle, White Plains an Mamaroneck are not urban enough for you then probably you would cross Westchester out and your next stop is Stamfort, CT, 45 min on express to Grand Central. Port Chester is very urban, they say it is up and comming yet I am not sure how much it will come in proximate future. Seems to me that some other areas closer to NYC will have to improve before PC does. Another thing that "sabotages" PC is that is too close to CT border which has much lower property taxes and better schools.


Most of my co-workers at Union Sq are not from NYC, and some of them say that the thing that they miss the most in the city is doing errands with their car: they are use to go to stores such as HomeGoods which have parking readily available, throwing things into the car, going to another spot that has a readily available parking and going home. Keeping their recreational gear in the car, etc. To them this looks sweet and easy, to me it is a lifestyle I never experienced since New Rochelle in the least urban area I ever lived in.