British family moving to White Plains. Need advice on housing, pre-school, pediatrician & more! (Rye: best neighborhood)

[BJMing]

My family (husband & two kids) and I will be moving to White Plains in December for work reasons. I'll be taking my son there for a look-see visit in a fortnight's time. We are totally new to the US and need tons of advice. Any suggestions will be appreciated:

1. What areas to live. We currently live in the city and would like to have the convenience of living downtown. But since we have two kids we want a large place, preferably with a yard. I guess this sounds like a contradiction. We're hoping to maybe rent an apartment down town for 1-2 months then find a nice house to buy ($800K). Any recommendations for apartments? Also any suggestions on what areas in White Plains to live for a young family? We might only be staying for a year or two, and are looking for an area with good resell value.

2. My son just turned two and is currently attending a Montessori pre-school. He has mild cerebral palsy and therefore has special needs. His current school is great at accommodating his requirements. Are there any good mainstream pre-schools in the White Plains area which can cater for a special needs child?

3. Can anyone recommend a good pediatrician, a orthopedician and a pediatric physical therapist in the area?

[nfederice]

Hello....
1. Nice places to Live.....Bronxville Rye and Scarsdale, NY
as for 2 and 3 not really sure I hape this help a little....
Good Luck and Welcome to the U.S.

[tommya]

If the convenience of downtown is a priority, then I would suggest staying in White Plains rather than branching out into nearby towns. Towns in Westchester are fairly close to one another, but moving out of White Plains can easily turn a 5 minute errand into a 15 minute errand. In terms of places to live and resale value, I moved to the Highlands area (roughly bordered by Old Mamaroneck Rd, Prospect Ave, Soundview Ave, and Hartsdale Ave) 2 years ago and can't say enough good things about it. I've lived in Westchester my whole life and I think it's the best neighborhood around. Plus, even in this real estate market, it seems like houses are being bought relatively quickly so I'd imagine that this bodes well for resale. Welcome to the States!

[LightningMcQueen]

Originally Posted by tommya

If the convenience of downtown is a priority, then I would suggest staying in White Plains rather than branching out into nearby towns. Towns in Westchester are fairly close to one another, but moving out of White Plains can easily turn a 5 minute errand into a 15 minute errand. In terms of places to live and resale value, I moved to the Highlands area (roughly bordered by Old Mamaroneck Rd, Prospect Ave, Soundview Ave, and Hartsdale Ave) 2 years ago and can't say enough good things about it. I've lived in Westchester my whole life and I think it's the best neighborhood around. Plus, even in this real estate market, it seems like houses are being bought relatively quickly so I'd imagine that this bodes well for resale. Welcome to the States!

Sorry to hijack, but tommya, do you have children in the White Plains schools? I'm considering a purchase, but I've held back because I have second thoughts about the schools there, especially the middle and high school.

And to the OP, White Plains would be a good first choice unless you are particular about public schools. White Plains does not have the best reputation when it comes to the schools because there are so many other surrounding (wealthy) towns, but it's a fine place to live that has a good balance of urban and suburban elements. I agree with tommya, at that budget, I would look in the "highlands" section.

Also, I would add, if your work will be in White Plains, there are other options above I-287 (that's the highway if you look on a map) and in Farifield County (that would be the state of CT). But those areas will be further away from NYC (if you care about being close to NYC) and a bit more suburban than you care for.

[tommya]

Originally Posted by LightningMcQueen

Sorry to hijack, but tommya, do you have children in the White Plains schools? I'm considering a purchase, but I've held back because I have second thoughts about the schools there, especially the middle and high school....

LightningMcQueen - No kids yet. I'm of the mind set that the district doesn't matter a whole lot if you have a smart kid and stay on top of them, and a big diverse school might actually give them a sense of reality and keep them from turning out a coddled wuss. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[LightningMcQueen]

Originally Posted by tommya

LightningMcQueen - No kids yet. I'm of the mind set that the district doesn't matter a whole lot if you have a smart kid and stay on top of them, and a big diverse school might actually give them a sense of reality and keep them from turning out a coddled wuss. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Thanks. By the way, I love the highlands section of White Plains.

[berryvermeer]

Look into Scarsdale! We just moved here from the Netherlands and are very impressed with the special needs services! There is a program called birth to three that covers speech, occupational and physical therapy (mostly at home!). There is a really nice montessori school in town (called Alcott). Also if you do end up staying longer; great public schools! Very international community and close to NY (25 min on train) and close to White Plains (5 min by car)

[BJMing]

I've done some research and it sounds like the Highlands gets some very good reviews. We will definitely look into it.

berryvermeer, I was wondering what special needs your child has if you don't mind sharing with us. My son really only needs PT. We are applying for EI services too. I understand that it is available throughout NY state. How long did it take for the services to be approved and how often do they come to your home.

[nonny]

The Prospect Park area of White Plains is gorgeous, with really good schools.

[nylonmom]

As a fellow Brit who has been living in Westchester county for two years, I would recommend you look at Scarsdale. In terms of provision for special needs, the funding and support is significantly better in pretty much all Westchester public schools than anything you would find in the UK, but Scarsdale happens to be particularly well-resourced.

The transport links are great for getting into White Plains and Manhattan and there are many ex-pats living in the area, so you would have a good support network.

I