What is the best town for NYC dwellers who must reluctantly move? (Eastchester: lease, buying a house)

[jennly]

Hi there. We are a boring white middle/upper middle class family with three kids who live in Manhattan. Our kids go to a great international school and we live in a down-to-earth part of Manhattan (there IS such a thing) with a lot of regular old people who are not ostentatious or fashion/money conscious. However, our lease is up soon and our rent is out of control and we need to think about moving.

For a while we thought we'd move to Bronxville, and then Pelham, but whenever I read about these places my chest just constricts. I dress like a bit of a slob myself, so I don't want to be in a place where everyone is very skinny and fashion conscious and where I will feel out of place. I don't want to send my kids to a pressure cooker school with a bunch of other privileged white kids (although I do want the schools to be good schools). I'd like a nice yard and a reasonable downtown area. And the commute to Grand Central needs to be under 40 minutes. And I'd really like some friendly neighbors who don't give a hoot about the kind of car I drive.

We've often been to the Emelin Theater in Mamaroneck for performances and we like the more substantial downtown area, but it seems as though few people have positive things to say about Mamaroneck or the schools.

If anyone has any thoughts on communities I might be overlooking, I would appreciate hearing them.

[Viralmd]

What is your budget?

[jennly]

Thanks for replying!

We can afford to live in all of the towns in Westchester--the issue for us is finding one we're comfortable with. Years ago we read an article about Irvington and thought we'd move there, then we drove up one day and didn't talk about moving for several years after that. Ditto with Larchmont.

We realized that one requirement is that the town have sidewalks.

[havoc315]

It's a bit of a stretch for your commute, but you might want to consider Croton on Hudson. Very good schools, some diversity, down to earth. Express trains are about 45 minutes to/from Grand Central.
You might also like Dobbs Ferry, a bit closer to the city, but the schools are second tier. (The schools are not *bad,* but they are below the elite status of some other Westchester districts).

Moving more towards the center of the county, Pleasantville has a real nice town (with sidewalks) and good schools. Again, it's on the higher end of your suggested commuting times (Rush house trains in the morning are a bit over 50 minutes, but about 45 minutes returning in the evening).

If Larchmont made you a bit uncomfortable, you could just go a bit further to Mamaroneck. They share a school district, but the Mamaroneck neighborhood is a bit more diverse and down to earth.

[dma1250]

I'd second the Croton recommendation.

As someone who moved out of the Park Slope area to Westchester, I'd suggest that you rethink some of your assumptions about what where you'll be happy. We too started looking in southern Westchester and towns like Maplewood and Montclaire because they felt familiar and somewhat like the city--they had downtowns and sidewalks and were relatively dense. We looked at lots of towns and found many houses that we loved, but we didn't buy any of them because the towns just didn't feel right. so we expanded our search areas and ended up buying in northern Westchester in a relatively rural area. In the end we decided that trying to find something that felt kind of like the city was a mistake--there really is nothing like the city. So we moved to an area that offers lots of things that the city cannot offer (natural beauty, land, privacy, hiking, nature preserves, etc) as well as all of the basics (good schools, good stores, good restaurants, art film theater, museums, etc). We've been extremely happy here, and almost all of our neighbors and friends in the area are refugees from the Upper West Side, Park Slope, and similar areas and they all seem quite happy too. So, the area might not be for you--it certainly isn't for everyone--but I do suggest taking a look a bit farther afield and seeing how it feels. You might be surprised.

Regarding the commute, in my experience the lousy part of commuting is the need to catch a train. A ride of 35 minutes or 45 is irrelevant. Also, be sure to check the schedules for the number of trains--stations such as Croton that are express hubs will offer a lot more options than other stations.

[canyontothesky]

Have you thought about Connecticut? You can do Greenwich in 40 minutes on a through train, and you could live in any of the surrounding areas. Perhaps I'm off by suggesting it because it's quite the ritzy area, but...?

[jennly]

Thank you very much for the suggestions. I hadn't really thought about the towns along the Hudson. Croton does seem beautiful.

[Kathleenh54]

Eastchester is a nice, regular town. Larchmont has beautiful Manor Park. Unfortunately, in Westchester County you either live in a town with great schools that is fairly snobby, or you live in one of the larger towns. Is it possible for you to rent somewhere to get a feel for where you'd be happy? That's a tough one, given that you have kids and they need to be settled in school, but it might save you grief in the long run.

[jennly]

Originally Posted by Kathleenh54

Eastchester is a nice, regular town. Larchmont has beautiful Manor Park. Unfortunately, in Westchester County you either live in a town with great schools that is fairly snobby, or you live in one of the larger towns. Is it possible for you to rent somewhere to get a feel for where you'd be happy? That's a tough one, given that you have kids and they need to be settled in school, but it might save you grief in the long run.

My husband totally wants to rent for a year before buying to check it out. I really hate the thought of moving mostly because it is such a hassle to pack up, etc. It does make a lot of sense, though.

[SLP247]

Hi Jennly,

Buying a house is not like it was a few years ago. You really want to find a place you can be in for 10 years. A few years ago, people were buying and selling every couple of years.

It is far better to rent for a year and then make your decision that to be stuck in a house you don't like. I do have clients that buy a house then rent it and buy another. This is another option, but does not resolve your issue with moving.

If you have time and you don't want to rent, then I would say to Really get to know the neighborhood. Spend a day up there, spend a night. tour the schools, etc. See it on weekends and weekdays. This is a much slower process, but it is an option for renting.