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Greetings! I'm going to be moving to the NYC area in the next couple of years in order to be close to my family. My husband and I who are in our late 20's/early 30's currently live in a wonderfully liberal, relatively rural, and culturally rich area in Western Massachusetts (near Northampton). It has been hard for me to find anywhere near NYC that feels similar. However, it is very important to me to live near my family when my husband and I have children.
Does anybody know of a safe middle-class town that is in commuting distance of NYC that has a sizeable downtown, good schools, a diverse population, and access to outdoor activities (hiking, biking, etc.)? Is there such a place like this that feels somewhat rural (not necessarily suburban, but rural with farmer's markets and green spaces), young, and fun close enough to NYC to work there?
I have this feeling that what we're looking for might not exist at our lower/middle-class income level, but I figured I'd ask. Any thoughts?
I think that many parts of northern Westchester will give you the general mix of natural beauty, access to hiking and biking, and access to restaurants and culture that you are looking for. The caveat would be that there is no single town that at all resembles Northampton. You can find everything you want, but it will be spread out over 4 or 5 towns all about 5-20 minutes from each other. Other than that, I think the area offers the amenities and the general vibe that you're after, with a 45 to 65 minute commute to Grand Central (depending on where exactly you're commuting from).
Thank you so much for replying! In terms of a price range, I'm not really sure. I know the cost of living is a lot higher around NY. Here in MA, we're pretty middle-class but probably not so much near NYC.
I'm okay with the commute being around an hour long on the train. Are there are any particular towns in Northern Westchester that you think would be the most interesting? If there's hiking nearby, then the most important features of a town we're looking for are good schools and a fun, upbeat downtown.
As a general rule, the further north you go the less expensive the asking prices. Once you get as far north as Yorktown you see some houses asking for the mid to upper 300,000's. I believe the areas further north and into Putnam county are cheaper. The area near Yorktown has several preserves and trails where you can hike. About 5 minutes east of Yorktown is a lovely New England type village named Katohah. Most of the school districts in that area have about 90% of the kids passing the state exams. The train ride from the train stations nearest to Yorktown ranges from about 44 minutes to 1 hour and 5 minutes with 5-10 minutes needed to drive to the stations.
Budget may be the central issue you need to focus on. Except for less desirable school districts and/or the northern reaches of the county, it is difficult to find a decent starter home for under 450-500k.
Turning to the features you want, there are plenty of open spaces, parks, hiking, in Northern Westchester. A lively downtown is the bigger challenge. It's mostly more quaint and quiet downtowns. I have limited experience with Peekskill, but have heard it could fit your description. But you would not want to actually live within Peekskill schools. Moving a bit southeast, Katonah has a charming New England style downtown, but I wouldn't call it a lively nightlife. Moving south, Pleasantville is not huge but has a lively downtown and nightlife, including bars, restaurants, and an art house movie theater.
Going down to the center of the county, White Plains is urban and thriving in recent years.
Yorktown may suit some of your needs, but the commute can be rough as it does not have it's own train station. Therefore, you have to find a nearby station with available parking, which may be 5-20 minutes away. Somers is another possible area, but with the same commuting issues. Katonah is lovely, but the train ride is 60+ minutes and it is a very expensive area. You may find something affordable in Mount Kisco, which also has a decent downtown. Similarly, you may like Croton, which has a good express train.
I think you should basically look at the entire area from Ossining, Croton, Peekskill, Cortlandt Manor, and Yorktown. Depending on where exactly you are in each of those areas, the commute shouldn't be more than an hour to Grand Central (I live in Yorktown and my daily commute to GC is 60 minutes). You can also look at the eastern towns around Katonah, but those--to me at least--have less of a "cool, fun" vibe and more of a New England vibe. And the commute tends to be longer.
Other than school districts, anywhere in the general area will be pretty similar and you'll undoubtedly frequent each town for different things. None of the downtowns really offer what you want, but if you put them all together you should be quite happy. The towns are all pretty close and the area is easy to get around in, so think of it as one big area with a number of town centers 5-20 minutes apart and you should be happy.
On prices, the range is huge. Prices have dropped a lot in the last 2 years and you can get a small ranch in the 300's in parts of Yorktown, Croton, and Cortland Manor (and Cortlandt seems to even have some listings in the 200's). Generally speaking, nicer but uninteresting homes will be in the 400K to 700K range in any of those towns, and you'll pay more if you want land or a home with character. You can also easily pay well over a million or two in any of those towns, if you want to. Peeskill will be cheaper, but the schools are generally considered to be not as good as the others. Dowtown Ossiining also has some great buys.
Wow, too bad you are leaving the Northampton area. I've never lived there, but have visited often and always wanted to move there someday. I've lived in Westchester for 3 years and don't feel there is any comparison between the two places. But I am in southern Westchester. I don't know enough about the abovementioned towns to comment. I can tell you to avoid Hastings and Dobbs Ferry--they may look quaint and cutesy, but they're extremely expensive and yuppified. Good luck.
I know Northhampton well! We used to live in central MA. I would recommend Mount Kisco to you. It has that same village-y feel, but you can go running or biking and hit dirt roads, horse farms, and natural beauty galore. There are lots of good restaurants that you can walk to. Mount Kisco isn't quite as crunchy as Northampton, but it offers lots of diversity and generally liberal attitudes. Overall, Westchester is far more liberal than most parts of the country.
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Are there any particular towns you suggest?
