Tarrytown vs White Plains (New York, Nassau: 2009, apartments, car insurance)

[NVtoNY]

I've done a lot of reading on this forum, tons of great info and just had a few specific questions that I couldn't find...

First, I am a single, mid 20's, no kids, pseudo-professional that may relocate for a position in Tarrytown in late August from Nevada.

I think I've narrowed it down to White Plains and Tarrytown. Everything I've read points that White Plains would be a better fit: has more of a night life(still like to party here and there), closer to the city and has a more urban feel to it. The only downside it seems it has a higher cost of living and the commute to work speaking of which...

Does WP have a higher cost of living the Tarrytown or is it negligible?

I imagine I could survive without a car in Tarrytown, as work would be there and I could use the "metro" for everything else? If I were to live in WP I take it a vehicle is necessary? What would the best/fastest commute be between Tarrytown and WP?

Any benefit to living in Tarrytown (other then being closer to work) then WP? Again, single, no family, mid 20s.

Is the cost of living really that high? I've read everything that points to it but just looking at the craigslist ads for sharing apt/room it doesn't seem to bad as I dont mind living with house/roommates, am I missing something here?

Thanks in advanced!

[WJFM]

Go with WP if you can. WP has some multi-family homes where you can find accomdations for about 800$ a month ( your own room, but shared kitchen and bathroom). WP and tarrytown are about 5 miles apart, and even if you live in tarrytown, you can always come to WP for the nightlife.

[havoc315]

No, you can't sacrifice having a car in Tarrytown. What "Metro?" It is not a real city. The trains are for traveling into the city, not for traveling around Tarrytown or Westchester. (To get from Tarrytown to White Plains by train, you would have to take a 30 minute train ride into Grand Central in NYC, and then another 30 minute train ride to White Plains on a different line. Or you can just drive the 5 miles in 5-10 minutes). Yes, there are some bus routes, but they are really not a great option for getting around. A vehicle will be an absolute necessity, no matter where you live.

For similar living quarters, there will not be a major difference in cost of living.

The commute to work from White Plains to Tarrytown would be no more than 15 minutes or so.

[wordlife]

You can survive in Tarrytown and White Plains without a car. I'm 25 and i've lived in both towns and I still don't have a car and doing fine (saving alot from not having to pay car insurance too!). I'm in the same boat as you as far as where you are "professionally" in life so hopefully I can give some useful advice.

The metro north only travels vertically, say if you wanted to travel to certain towns/areas/neighborhoods etc that are all on one line than its easy to do. but if you want to travel horizontally then you have to catch a bus. You could do something like take the metro north to marble hill or university and take the walk/take the 9 or 12 bus the fordham station and travel back up but that makes no sense and is a waste of time (and $$$).

If you choose WP then you'll have to take the 13 bus from and back to Tarrytown. Its a decent route and it takes about 30 minutes back and forth, and sometimes 45 during rush hour. The time it takes to travel by car is only about 10-15 minutes either on rt 119 or I-287. In general the bee line isn't the greatest system in the world but it can get the job done.

as far as "urban" it depends in Tarrytown, on main street and parts of 9a its more like a very walkable village, the farther you are from that area the less walkable it is. There are some amenities around the metro north, there's a strong Dominican presence around there so you can find some small shops/bodegas etc. vs Main street and parts of Broadway 9a which are like something out of a norman rockwell painting. They have these events on the third friday of each month, (Tarrytown Third Friday) its nice but very family oriented and if you don't have kids and can't be bothered by them you'll get bored quickly.

WP is different, I'll say there's more to do here and much more convenient. In the last few years they're have been alot of new businesses/restaurants/bars etc built/renovated. In my opinion I feel that some of it is pretty corny (being that I originally grew up in the immediate neighborhood so I remember how it was before) but at the same time I can realize if its attracting people then something good must be going on. If you live closer to the downtown/mamaroneck avenue area there are alot of amenities/transportation and its very walkable. Its a good fit if your young/single and don't have kids (and also if you do or plan to).

There won't be a major difference in the cost of living, you can find an apt with a roommate etc.

on a side note you could also take the tappan zee xpress bus between WP and Tarrytown, which makes the trip quick but you just have to pay attention to the schedule because some of the buses don't make stops in TT but they all terminate or start in WP.

[NVtoNY]

Thanks for everyone that replied, very useful information, especially everything you've said Wordlife; just a few more follow up comments/questions.

NV has a fairly cheap cost of living and I am just trying to get an idea of the salary I need to meet my current standing but my lack of NY geography is making this a little difficult, for example I google "cost of living calculator" two of the top three searches I am a little confused on what to enter as the final destination:

Cost of Living comparison calculator

Cost of living: Compare prices in two cities - CNNMoney.com

Both have New York but divided between Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan but not Winchester, which one would WP/Tarrytown fall under?

Based on what everyone has said WP seems to be the better fit for me, is there any reason that someone in my situation would choose to live in Tarrytown rather then WP other then being closer to work. I was considering it so that I wouldn't have to bring a car and commute and save some cash that way if I lived in Tarrytown.

Thanks again in advance!

[rug city]

I personally prefer Tarrytown. It is less urban, but has an excellent little downtown that leads down to the Waterfront/Train station, and is in close proximity to plenty of shopping/nightlife. Both are easy train rides into the city. Tarrytown is more picturesque and green than White Plains- I'd also expect it to be a bit more expensive, but I may be wrong. Both are very expensive places to live- maybe not by some other Westchester locales, but very high compared to other parts of the country.

[havoc315]

If you really want to use those calculators, Westchester would be most akin to Nassau County (in the CNN calculator), but I don't know how honest an answer you are getting from those calculators. It's not a matter of any nearly-exact proportional difference in cost of living. For most people, the only significantly different cost will be housing. For a young single person, I know that apartments that go for $500 in some parts of the country, can go for $1200 here, apartments that go for $900 elsewhere, would be over $2000 here. On the other hand, you might be willing to accept a smaller apartment, and therefore not see as big an increase in your rent.
Other than housing prices, you won't be greatly affected by increased cost of living. Groceries won't cost you any more. Utilities may only cost you more in the sense that you may have higher heating bills, because it's colder. (But many apartments include utilities anyway). Car insurance will likely cost you more, if you choose to keep your car.
So your best bet would be to research apartments to figure out how much it will cost you. And call your car insurer, and find out how much extra you will be paying. And then you will know the real difference, for your situation.

There are many reasons some people may choose Tarrytown over White Plains. Mostly, if you want more of a small town or suburban feel, you may choose Tarrytown. Of course, there are parts of White Plains that are pretty suburban, and there are parts of Tarrytown that are a bit more urban. If you decide to make the move, you may want to look at apartments in both areas before you make a final choice.

A word on the feasibility of living without a car. Of course it is possible -- there are members of the underclass who don't have cars, there are senior citizens who get around without cars. But for the most part, you will probably regret not having a car. If you live and work in White Plains, then you can probably get away with it, without regretting it much.

But if you are working in Tarrytown -- First off, look up the location of your workplace, and look at the locations of potential apartments. Even if they are in the same town, is it close enough to walk? If not, check out the bus schedule and route, and see if it makes sense. (A 5 minute drive could become a 30 minute walk, or a 10 minute walk to a bus, then a 10 minute bus ride, and then another 10 minute walk..).
If it is possible to get to/from work without a car, then you can probably make do. But the quality of your life will suffer. Westchester residents don't stick to 1 town. For social life, for shopping, etc, we go from town to town. You want to go to the movies on the weekend? Or want to go grocery shopping at a real supermarket? These are the types of things you will need a car to do, or you will be spending a good amount of money on taxis.

[Infamous92]

Tarrytown is beautiful and has a more suburban feel than White Plains. White Plains is like a small city and has more to do. They are very close to each other like less than 10 minutes on the highway so if you live in Tarrytown you can still enjoy White Plains but i'm not sure about the public transportation between the two so I don't know how easy that would be.

[LightningMcQueen]

Best places for the rich and single - Hermosa Beach, CA (1) - Money Magazine

check out #19 (I think)

[NVtoNY]

Back from the dead...

After all the research I am really interested in making the move and I recently received my offer but it is in the low 50's and from my cost of living calculators (which I am not sure how accurate they are) says an equivalent pay from my current salary should be mid 50s to 70's. As mentioned above I am having a hard time pinning TT/WP area as the cloest I can usually chose in NY which may be over estimating it. So other then housing and car insurance (which I expect to double), state income tax, maybe higher groceries and gas what exactly is more expensive. As I said the more research I've done the more I am interested in moving however I hate to move and be struggling there with the cost of living.

Thanks again for everyone's opinion