Is the cost of living in Westchester worth it? (Yonkers: rent, house)
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I'm a young professional who currently lives in Boulder, CO and I've been offered a job in Tarrytown, NY. I'm hesitant to accept the offer due to the high cost of living in Westchester. Is living in Westchester really worth it? Are there affordable places to live in the Tarrytown area? Any insights/suggestions anyone has would be greatly appreciated.
Tarrytown, itself, is comparatively affordable in Westchester terms, but you might also find something in Hartsdale or even a better part of Yonkers that will have a lower cost of living than the prevailing standard in Westchester towns. White Plains is good for singles, since much of the rest of the county tends to be suburban, and quiet suburban style development, with little night life. Peekskill will be less expensive, but it's close to the Putnam County border, so you'd have to commute to Tarrytown, and it's an up and coming area as opposed to one that's established in its own right.
Across the bridge, the dreaded Tappan Zee, is Nyack, which has a nice village center on the water and an artistic community. Rockland can be less expensive than Westchester, unless you're comparing somewhere like Peekskill to Nyack. Nyack has much to recommend it, save for the traffic, but since you're only going as far as Tarrytown, it might be worth a look.
1) Outdoors culture (I only put this first because you're from Boulder): Of all the parts of the metro NY area to live in, it's the most accessible to the mountainous areas of upstate NY, western Massachusettes, and Vermont. But that is probably not the reason for the expense but something for you to consider.
2) Schools: People with kids here are super-crazy nitpickers about what towns to live in. Most towns are considered to have some of the best (and most competitive) public school districts in America (I'm not bragging/making this up). There are a few places where schools are an issue, but only a few, so it produces a bidding war that makes the prices crazy.
3) Commute: Here is where you can be the closest to the City as possible while still having a rural-looking atmosphere (though not rural in reality). There is much more urban sprawl in NJ and Long Island (and along the coast in CT).
All these factors make this a super-expensive portion of a super-expensive metro area. I am a lifelong native (early 40s) considering leaving due to the cost. NY City is an exciting city to be near, but a very hard one to live near. Good luck!
CT cost is lower and very nice if you don't mind the commute (nothing if you are single but significant if you have kids). agree with BMW, school and easy commute to NYC are keys for people to stay and high bonus from WS have been (and will continue to be, believe it or not) pushing house price higher.
I don't know about the market for buying because I rent but if your going to live in Tarrytown there are plenty of affordable places (esp on route 119 and 9a).
there's a number of things you could do, you could even get an apt. in riverdale or somewhere along broadway in the bronx and easily commute to Tarrytown within a half hour/45 min by using public transportation.
I second the recommendation for Nyack, its a really beautiful town with an interesting business district (there are some great artists and musicians over there).
tell us some more about what your looking for and i'm sure we can give more insight.
I'm a young professional who currently lives in Boulder, CO and I've been offered a job in Tarrytown, NY. I'm hesitant to accept the offer due to the high cost of living in Westchester. Is living in Westchester really worth it? >>>snip<<<
Depends on your lifestyle/priorities and what you mean by "worth it." If an outdoor lifestyle and sports are high priorities then the answer can only be no. That isn't to say that nobody does sports or plays outdoors, obviously people do. But nobody moves here for that stuff, you have to make do. The prevailing culture isn't especially outdoors-oriented. In this respect Boulder is pretty much the opposite. Culture and access to NYC are another matter and people do move here for that reason. Regardless, your money won't go nearly as far in Westchester.
Last edited by kletter1mann; 07-04-2009 at 07:22 PM..
Reason: fix typos
Depends on your lifestyle/priorities and what you mean by "worth it." If an outdoor lifestyle and sports are high priorities then the answer can only be no. That isn't to say that nobody does sports or plays outdoors, obviously people do. But nobody moves here for that stuff, you have to make do. The prevailing culture isn't especially outdoors-oriented. In this respect Boulder is pretty much the opposite. Culture and access to NYC are another matter and people do move here for that reason. Regardless, your money won't go nearly as far in Westchester.
While it certainly isn't Boulder, plenty of people do move to northern Westchester for the access to the outdoors. What makes the area appealing is the fact that it has great natural beauty, tremendous parks and nature preserves, great hiking, biking, swimming and cross-country skiing, as well as loads of local amenities and culture--and of course easy access to the city. Evryone I know that moved here has done so because it provides the benefits of the country without giving up the "urban" amenities and without suffring a "suburban" environment. It is that balance that makes the area more than "worth it" for me.
That said, I would not want to live here as a young single person. It is a great place to be a parent and a great place to be a kid, but I would have gone totally crazy here in my 20's.
That depends on what your priorities are and what you mean by affordable. As others mentioned, Westchester can be hard for a young single person. The nightlife in White Plains has gotten better, but many 20-somethings still head into the city for entertainment (with all the related costs). Life in Westchester is very focused on families.
While it certainly isn't Boulder, plenty of people do move to northern Westchester for the access to the outdoors. What makes the area appealing is the fact that it has great natural beauty, tremendous parks and nature preserves, great hiking, biking, swimming and cross-country skiing, as well as loads of local amenities and culture--and of course easy access to the city. Evryone I know that moved here has done so because it provides the benefits of the country without giving up the "urban" amenities and without suffring a "suburban" environment. It is that balance that makes the area more than "worth it" for me.
Me too. And there's also access to a lot of water, something Boulder lacks. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that Westchester doesn't have an outdoor lifestyle/culture in the sense that some areas do. In Boulder, much of CA and Seattle the outdoor culture is all pervasive. At its core Westchester is a family-oriented commuter suburb feeding NYC.
To the OP: check out the various local meetup groups http://www.meetup.com for outdoor activities. You'll find a lot of groups, a lot to do and lots of kindred spirits. Many of the meetups are young people's antidote to the family orientation.
Thanks for the insights everyone. I did accept the job offer, so I will be relocating soon. I am almost 30, single and have no kids. At least for the first year, I will probably rent. I would like to minimize my commute (preferably less than 30 minutes but definitely not more than an hour) while not spending my whole paycheck on rent. The outdoor life does appeal to me, but I'm used to having to travel a bit (a couple hours) to satisfy my nature kicks. Any suggestions?
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