Tuckahoe near Crestwood metro-north (eastchester schools) (Rye, Mamaroneck: houses, neighborhood, school districts)
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Can anyone give me some thoughts about this neighborhood?
I'm a mid 30s Westchester native (grew up in Ardsley) having lived in Manhattan for the past 15 years looking to move back to lower Westchester with my wife and toddler.
Schools are most important thing to me, and I'm worried that I'll be giving my daughter anything less than what my parents gave me in terms of educational opportunities. Eastchester schools are definitely nothing to sneeze at, but is there any reason I will feel a drop off from my Ardsley schools experience? Someone tell me I'm crazy (and if I'm not, please give me your honest opinion).
I'm also wondering if I'm likely to feel out of place in this part of Eastchester. Growing up in an affluent town around mostly white collar professionals, and living and working in mid-town Manhattan almost all my life has unfortunately left me admittedly fairly sheltered. I'm concerned that my family and I will feel slightly like outsiders, being Jewish, white collar and commuting.
I don't think of myself as a snob (you certainly have the right to disagree), but I'm still a bit anxious as I said earlier.
If there are real differences I should know about, PLEASE let me know. If I'm insane and sounding like a jerk, I'm ok with that too.
Have you considered any other areas or is Eastchester the only one in contention, is Ardsley an option? I don't think you will feel like an outsider in Eastchester, I spend a lot of time there for work. Both are very good school districts specializing in special education, so they are very similar in that regard. I am right with you, I went to a very good HS on LI and I'm looking to mimic it here for my children, I don't think there is anything wrong with that.
For a second I thought this post was an April Fools joke ... but I will bite.
I think the relative affluence of the two districts is very similar, as are the quality of schools. Both school districts, in my view, are above the artificial line above which I don't think students or families experience any real difference. What I mean by that is that even if you can somehow demonstrate that another district is, on paper, somehow better than Eastchester, the difference in real world terms is imperceivable.
Bottom line is that I don't think you are downgrading going from Ardsley to Eastchester. Keep in mind I am referring to modern day Eastchester. Maybe Eastchester was blue color/white immigrant back in the day, but now its all white collar, well-to-do blue collar, and high earning cops/fireman/nurses/teachers. The commuter thing is no issue. It means nothing to commute to NYC from below 287 in Westchester. Such is normal.
Frankly, the only real concern you raise is being jewish. Means nothing to me, but it must mean something to you since you mentioned it. I don't know much about the jewish population at Eastchester SD (others would know more), but by reputation other areas may have more jewish students. I don't think anyone in Eastchester will care that you are jewish, but you may want your kids around lots of jewish kids and families. This would be your choice, obviously. It should not be hard to find out how many jewish kids are in the SD.
Not sure what your price point is, but if you're anywhere under 1 million you may as well go to Ardsley as it's cheaper than Eastchester due to its lack of town, train, etc. (additionally, I'd say you're correct that there's a greater Jewish population in Ardsley). If your budget is over a million you can get a small house in Scarsdale.
Last edited by Westchesterwannabe; 04-04-2016 at 09:01 AM..
Tuckahoe near Crestwood metro-north (eastchester schools)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amanda Saraceno
Have you considered any other areas or is Eastchester the only one in contention, is Ardsley an option? I don't think you will feel like an outsider in Eastchester, I spend a lot of time there for work. Both are very good school districts specializing in special education, so they are very similar in that regard. I am right with you, I went to a very good HS on LI and I'm looking to mimic it here for my children, I don't think there is anything wrong with that.
Thanks Amanda. We've considered the following school districts (wanting to stay in Southern Westchester for commuting reasons):
Being surroundedby other Jewish people is not what I want, but being having the only kids around without a christmas tree is something I'd like to avoid.
The big appeal of this Eastchester house is its short walk to Crestwood train, short commute to NYC, and the ability to walk to an (albeit small) village.
We continue to look in Ardsley as well as the other towns mentioned, but similarly priced houses in Ardsley and river towns have been significantly higher in taxes, and make for a much more difficult commute. We havent seen anything of comparable price in those towns that provides a walk to the train. Obviously, there is no such thing in Ardsley at all...
Thanks everyone for your help! I appreciate all perspectives and advice.
Also, how would one find out the jewish population of the SD? I'm admittedly new to this, and havent found data like that anywhere?
Just ask around. If you are in your mid 30s and grew up in Ardsley, and still live in the area, you should know some people that can tell you something about who is living in Eastchester.
A quick search of this site shows a post from a frequent poster from 2008ish that says she/he is jewish, has kids that go to the Eastchester schools, and estimates that they are 10-15%, counting people that are half jewish.
Eastchester is my home town; lived there in the 50's, 60s, 70s. I thought the whole world was Italian, Irish and Jewish, lol. I had plenty of Jewish friends and nobody cared much about who was who. My parents were amused by our having Jewish friends because when THEY were kids society was more segmented. They never said we shouldn't have them and nobody cared. We all hung out at each other's houses and at the playground. Things may have become less diverse since 'back in the day' but I doubt it.
My memories of living there are very fond. Many of us had part-time jobs within walking distance of home, too. My life revolved around school (ICS - Catholic elementary but went to EHS), walking to the library and walking to the pizza place/candy shop and, in the summer, taking advantage of what was called "Teen Center". We played knock-hockey, shot archery and learned other games. Those memories are golden.
The other towns mentioned all have good things going for them and I'm sure you'll find the right one.
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Tuckahoe near Crestwood metro-north (eastchester schools)
