Westchester or Bergen County? (Albany, White Plains: crime, house, neighborhood)

[esciar1]

My husband will be taking a job in the bronx and we have been primarily looking at areas in Westchester. However we have realized we can get more for our money in terms of a house in some areas of Bergen county.

I was wondering what the difference is between the to counties, generally.
- Schools
- Crime
- Green Space
- Walkability
- Commute to the Bronx
- Friendliness

Thanks

[havoc315]

Not sure such county-wide generalizations are possible for comparison. I don't know Bergen county that well, but I would suspect the answers would be very town-specific.
Schools -- Westchester has some of the best school districts in the country, and other very good school districts. There are a few more questionable districts as well.
Crime -- Generally fairly low through most of Westchester, but again, there are questionable areas.
Green space -- I'd say Westshester, especially northern Westchester, has the edge over Bergen County. You have a lot of open land, homes on large lots, in northern Westchester. Southern Westchester may be more comparable to Bergen.
Walkability -- Completely town specific, and specific to location within the town. For example, Katonah has a very nice walkable downtown. So if you live within a mile of the downtown, it's all very walkable. But you may live 5-10 miles from the downtown.
Commute to Bronx-- Definitely better from Westchester, as it directly borders the Bronx. I routinely go to the courthouse in the Bronx. Door to door from Northern/Central Westchester is under 45 minutes. Might have a bit of delay on the Major Deegan, but don't have to take the George Washington and Cross Bronx Expressway (which you have to do from Bergen).

Friendliness -- I'm sure it depends on the specific neighborhood.

[14534NY]

I've lived in Westchester for 2 1/2 years and follow this forum often. I think I speak for many Westchester residents when I say the state of shopping and dining in the county is absolutely pathetic.

I will prove my point because you cannot prove me wrong. Compared to other local/national counties, when it comes to shopping and dining, Westchester absolutely stinks.

It's a joke. Highest taxes in the nation for such a terrible selection of supermarkets/stores/shopping.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by 14534NY

when it comes to shopping and dining, Westchester absolutely stinks.

It would helpful (and interesting) to know which suburban areas you feel have vastly better dining than Westchester. It's true, Westchester is short on chains like Chili's, TGI Friday's, Olive Garden, etc. If that's the problem then Manhattan comes up short too vs, for example, Charlotte NC or Albany NY.

[mfenimore]

I would actually say Westchester has better food than NJ! Less chains, I am not very fond of chains.

[DITC]

You must not get out often. The whole purpose of Westchester is to escape the biggest mall in America - Manhattan, so there is a good reason why it is not commercialized. White Plains is a pretty big shopping hub in case you havent noticed, and if you leave the county, Rockland, Stamford, and Danbury all have malls to fulfull your mallrat desires. But if you want your four lane local highways full of strip malls, there are plenty of sunbelt areas that suit your needs.

Youre complaining about food? Are there not enough McDonalds, Chipotle, and Ihop in Westchester? Westchester has some of the best quality food in the country. Unlike the rest of sterile America, there are diverse dining options and specialty stores in the county. You need to get out and look.

Originally Posted by 14534NY

I've lived in Westchester for 2 1/2 years and follow this forum often. I think I speak for many Westchester residents when I say the state of shopping and dining in the county is absolutely pathetic.

I will prove my point because you cannot prove me wrong. Compared to other local/national counties, when it comes to shopping and dining, Westchester absolutely stinks.

It's a joke. Highest taxes in the nation for such a terrible selection of supermarkets/stores/shopping.

[Romulo]

[quote=14534NY;7513259]I've lived in Westchester for 2 1/2 years and follow this forum often. I think I speak for many Westchester residents when I say the state of shopping and dining in the county is absolutely pathetic.}

I guess it depends what you consider "shopping and dining".

The Westchester offers as much price range variety as any mall I have seen.
The Whole Foods in White Plains compares to the Whole Foods in Time Warner, and the Mrs. Greens in Briarcliff to the Westerly on 8th Ave.
Blue Hills at Stone Barns is as close to top of the list dining as you can get.
The rest of the range goes from "Harvest on Hudson" to "Red Hat" and "New Foods" to Dunkin Donuts in Elmsford.

However, if what you mean by shopping is "Canal Street", and dining "chain chow", then yes you need to go to NYC, but that is just 30 minutes on the Metro North.

[ponytrekker]

Originally Posted by 14534NY

It's a joke. Highest taxes in the nation for such a terrible selection of supermarkets/stores/shopping.

That's exactly WHY we pay so much:

limited tax revenue because of fewer stores;

we pay more because WE DON'T WANT A MALL EVERY OTHER BLOCK!

I would rather drive down the Saw Mill on a Saturday than Rt. 17 in Paramus.

[ponytrekker]

Originally Posted by kletter1mann

Westchester is short on chains like Chili's, TGI Friday's, Olive Garden, etc.

and not one Hooters!

[quelinda]

Originally Posted by ponytrekker

and not one Hooters!

I would think that's a good thing LOL..