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You’ll get a halfway decent vibe (eclectic restaurants / sidewalk community feel) plus good schools in the Rivertowns, Larchmont or Bronxville. But it will lack some diversity.
Mamaroneck = Larchmont plus diversity. Check it out.
It is something I noticed when watching their Football several years back that it had a nice mix of players and I believe it is one that has been this way for a while. I say the latter because this woman grew up there in a single parent home there: Onondaga County Legislature
Just so people don’t think I’m making that up: https://thecatholicsun.com/above-and-beyond/ (6th to the last segment)
While NJ Transit is an annoyance. The houses are about 350 PSF. Taxes are a bit high at 3.0% effective. But no where in Westchester could you get the same roaring 20s housing stock with excellent schools and a 40 min train for that price...which is why the market is up maybe 15% in the past couple years. Honestly it’s insane. Houses are going Best and final in 2 days with multiple offers. Many open houses have a line of people trying to get in. Glad we got in a couple years ago.
Thanks, this is really good info, especially for someone currently comparing Westchester/NJ. We bought our house in late 2015 after moving from West New York, NJ because rents and traffic were becoming unsustainable there. Granted the commute options over there were hard to beat (light rail/bus/ferry/ferry shuttle/PATH). Here in the Rivertowns we don't have (as far as I know) a replacement for MNR. Fortunately I have an employer that's easygoing about remote work when the trains are cancelled or weather is incliment, but this is an important consideration for those who need options. Driving to the city is doable from Westchester if you both arrive to and leave work early - otherwise it gets to be a bit unpredictable and stressful. I tried it for a month and found MNR to be a much more sustainable commute long-term.
Given the changes that have happened to the tax laws, housing prices, etc since 2015, I'd probably be a lot more open to looking in NJ/CT than we were back when we picked our home. I'd probably encourage prospective homeowners to do the same, it's good to compare all your options.
It is something I noticed when watching their Football several years back that it had a nice mix of players and I believe it is one that has been this way for a while. I say the latter because this woman grew up there in a single parent home there: Onondaga County Legislature
Just so people don’t think I’m making that up: https://thecatholicsun.com/above-and-beyond/ (6th to the last segment)
One last thing. The most diverse school districts are the ones that are typically NOT recommended on this board (New Roc, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, and sometimes, White Plains). Here's why . . . in Westchester there is usually 1 HS option per town/city (except Yonkers), where EVERY child in that town (and those that can illegally gain entry) is entitled to use the schools. There are no other public options like charter schools, gifted and talented schools, or specialized HS's that you may find in NYC. This poses a dilemma for many parents, especially those coming from diverse NYC. You can do the math here. Most people of any means usually opt to go to a school district that minimizes their own child's potential exposure to kids who are generally NOT on an academic/college track . . . that have the 99% of kids attending 4 year colleges (and even the 99% attending 4 year private colleges, etc). Insert your own assumptions here. These statistics correlate directly with the wealth of the town overall, and, sadly, a decreasing amount of diversity.
As an example, Mount Vernon used to have several high schools spread throughout the town, among them some of the top school districts in the nation. When they merged all the students into one school in 1962, it started white flight, and Mount Vernon has never recovered from this. I believe it has 3 high schools (again) now, but it will have the 'bad schools' reputation for a long time, affecting real estate values and discouraging new young families from moving to this very conveniently located city.
Have you considered greenwich? It is way more diverse than people actually think, especially the high school. There are lots of restaurants and a big downtown. Taxes are a third of what they are in westchester but home prices are higher. We live in westchester now but go there often. It gets a bad rep for being super rich and waspy but I dont find that to be accurate - depends on your neighborhood too and its a huge place. From what I hear the commute is pretty decent too.
I also wonder if a nice happy medium would be to go with say the southern portion of the Valhalla SD or perhaps Elmsford, but going to White Plains or even Tarrytown in the case of Elmsford, for shopping, etc. Both are also diverse areas within Westchester.
My username is outdated—we moved from 11201 to Pelham in 2015 and love it here. Excellent schools, walkable downtown with some great restaurants and the people are fantastic—well educated, diverse (by upscale Westchester standards, at least), very family oriented. Relatively short commute by Metro North. Property taxes are nuts, but that comes with most of Westchester, although Pelham is high even by that standard.
A note about the rivertowns: the topography is such (particularly in Hastings) that you have a very sloped area that makes backyards very odd, and a steep, long walk uphill from the train station to the town and residential area. That could get very old very quickly if you have to do it every night after a long day of work. One reason we passed on those options.
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