Tappan Zee Commute? (Yorktown, Ridge, Chappaqua: fit in, townhouse, schools)

[Asil65]

Thanks! We are looking for some land and our budget seems to go farther up north. That is the problem with Pearl river too. Not as much land. I am also not sure I can keep up with the Jonses in some of those suggested towns.

[havoc315]

Yes, sorry, I forgot that you wanted a decent backyard. You are correct, in Southern Westchester, big backyards are costly.
Pearl River doesn't have a lot of big backyards, but you can probably find some in your price range. Other parts of Rockland could also fit that bill, especially if you want to consider the Ramapo (Not East Ramapo) school district.

I know you have also considered Croton. Within the village area of Croton, you don't get much land -- Under 1/4th acre. But go a mile outside of the village (same schools), and you can get some acreage in your budget.

[bmwguydc]

Ridgefield might not be too bad because you would come through Katonah to get on 684 (access road) to the Saw Mill to Tarrytown. And, you would hit 287 westbound towards Tarrytown, which is not as bad in the morning as the roads headed into White Plains. You could even jump off on the Sprain and then get on 100C to 100A and hit 119 near the Volvo/Jaguar dealership, avoiding 287 completely. I'd say that it would average a little less than an hour, which even with shorter mileage from Pearl River, only because of the bridge. Ridgefield is a little over 30 miles each way, compared to Pearl River being half the distance, but the drive is about equal.

The real difference is in the communities themselves, since Ridgefield is much more upscale than Pearl River, not that there's anything wrong with Pearl River from a town or schools standpoint. If you like Ridgefield, the current drive would not be that much more in time than Pearl River, but if and when the bridge is settled, Pearl River could be a faster commute during peak times.

[ponytrekker]

Originally Posted by Asil65

I agree with you about the GW bridge. That bridge is always a nightmare. We are toying with looking for homes in CT now and are wondering if the commute would be shorter from say Pearl River to Tarrytown or Ridgefield Ct to Tarrytown? Mileage wise the CT town commute would be longer but I think traffic on the bridge could make it an even commute.

Ridgefield to Tarrytown you'd be going against traffic. Ridgefield is more of a white collar community versus Pearl River which is predominantly a blue collar town, home to New York City's finest and bravest, i.e., its police and fire department.

[Asil65]

Thanks for all of the great info. I am not even sure if I would like Ridgefield. My dh says it is a really nice town and when he was a kid he used to play against their hockey team. Looks like they have good schools.Just looking at all of our options.

[havoc315]

It's good to keep and open mind when possible, to maximize your options, instead of rigidly focusing on just one town. You are clearly doing all your homework, but it seems you really need to get up here and visit some of these towns. You may have found some towns that seem perform on paper and on the web, but you will hate it after driving around for 5 minutes. Or the opposite-- An area that seemed questionable, becomes just perfect once you look around.

Westchester, Rockland, Connecticut, and the areas within each, all have very different vibes. I have never lived in Connecticut, but I've lived in a couple parts of Westchester and a couple parts of Rockland, and each is very different.

[Asil65]

So funny that you mention that about coming up to see the towns. Looks like we will be heading up in the next two weeks to look at towns and schools. Brrr! I better get out my Parka. I have been spoiled with Virginia winters. I guess my dh's prospective company will be setting up something with a realtor. I am definitely going to look at some schools too. The problem that I have is how do I condense the areas that we want to see? We may try to stay up there for about 5 days. We are bringing the kids too. Exciting and scary at the same time. Thanks so much for your helpful suggestions and kind words Havoc 315.

[havoc315]

Don't get too stressed with your visit. You have done your homework on schools, so you know which are acceptable to you. As long as you settle in a place with acceptable schools and acceptable commute, you won't regret your choice. Different places have different pros and cons, but you will likely enjoy wherever you settle. And remember, it's not like you become isolated in one neighborhood. Like the book store in one town, but the park in another nearby town? You like the houses in one town, but the Church/house of Worship in another town? It is the suburbs, you just drive from one village to another.

And you should not feel you need to narrow it down to a single location. There is nothing wrong with choosing a few acceptable locations and then saying you will settle wherever the right house appears within those towns.

If I were you, I would ask the realtor to show you typical streets and neighborhoods in your price range. Don't focus on specific houses yet-- just get neighborhood vibes. Then find out what is nearby. Perhaps it is important for you to have shops within walking distance. Or maybe you go to the movies so often, that you want a theater within 15 minutes, or maybe you don't mind a 30 minute drive to a major commercial area. Try to walk around and see what the people are like, but that's hard in the winter. Not as many families just milling around.

In the end, pick a region or two. Maybe you will decide Rockkand is worth the bridge, and you can focus your search on 2 or 3 school districts there. Or you might love Northern Westchester, and focus on Yorktown/somers/katonah. No reason to just pick one.
You might love the River towns so much, and the commute would be so easy, you might be willing to trade off on acreage. Just keep an open mind, take it all in, and have fun in the process. Good luck!

[Asil65]

Thanks for the great suggestions Havoc. It would be smart to focus on towns and not look at specific houses. They may be sold by the time we move. I would like to visit a few schools to get a feeling or vibe about them. See if kids seem happy or just plain miserable. Maybe we will visit some local shops. I am not shy and would ask the clerk questions about the area. I will probably embarrass my dh.

[havoc315]

You'd be surprised in terms of houses still being on the market when you move. Until things change, houses are moving very slowly. Many of the houses on the market have been there for many months already, and many will still be available when you're ready. But, you don't know which will be sold and which will be available. And more importantly, there will probably be many more houses on the market by spring time, giving you even more choices. If you get a sense for the basic quality of the house in your price range in a given neighborhood, then you will almost certainly be able to find a match in the spring when you're ready.
What I mean is-- If, for example, you don't care for $700,000 houses in Armonk, but you generally like the quality of $700,000 houses in Croton.. Then you'll be able to find the right house when the time comes.

Visiting local shops isn't a bad idea, but that may be a dramatically different experience in different places. Some of the towns and villages you are talking about, have quaint downtowns filled with local small businesses. Some of the areas have more limited downtowns, and some of the areas are primarily big chain stores, etc.

You have considered looking in Rockland. I grew up in Rockland, and always considered it very similar to Westchester, until I actually lived in Westchester for the last decade. There are significant differences, brought on by a variety of factors.
First off, Westchester has always been a significant suburb since the urbanization of America. I live in Chappaqua, famous for Horace Greely who was considered one of the first commuters, from the 1860's.
Rockland County on the other hand, was really rural upstate until the Tappan Zee was built. You have some organized river towns, like Haverstraw and Nyack, but the rest of the county was pretty desolate. But that all changed in the 1960's and 1970's, when most of the Rockland suburbs were built. As a result, neighborhood after neighborhood is filled with similar 60's-70's style colonials and raised ranches.
Also as a result, the county is built around highways, instead of being built around train stations.
Westchester is largely divided into commerical villages springing up around railroad stations. Katonah, Croton, Pleasantville, Mamaroneck, Dobbs Ferry, etc, etc-- Each is a distinct village, largely built around the train station.
Rockland is more simply sprawling. The County Seat is New City, but New City does not really have a nice walking-style downtown. Just a series of strip malls.
There are a handful of real "downtowns" in Rockland, including Pearl River, Nyack, Haverstraw, and Piermont. But it's mostly just suburban sprawl will big box stores and strip malls.
Westchester is far more affluent and more "sophisticated." A far greater portion of residents are NYC commuters in Westchester (in some ways, it's a 6th borough of Manhattan). While Rockland is hardly poor, it is far more blue collar than Westchester. And while Westchester has some true urban areas like Yonkers and White Plains, Rockland is just one large suburb.
Home values in good Rockland school districts are a good 15-40% less than comparable Westchester school districts -- mostly a result of the harsher commuter to New York City. Property taxes tend to be lower (though still higher than most of the country), as the finer Westchester schools don't have significant businesses subsidizing the tax rolls, while Rockland has major shopping centers spread out. More affordable land in Northern Westchester and Rockland as well, with houses more spead out.

These factors all combine to influence the schools too. Most (but not all) Westchester school districts are organized on the village level, making for fairly small coherent school districts. Most (but not all) Rockland school districts are organized on the town level, making for large districts and schools.
So when you are looking at schools, you might want to consider whether you want a large sprawling district with a high school of over a thousand students, or a small district with a highschool of under 500 students. (Pearl River is one of the small Rockland districts).

Have fun -- To me, it's exciting (and perhaps scary) to be picking a new place. You've done your homework, so it's almost impossible for you to pick "wrong."