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All of our family is in the NY metro area, and immediate family is on Long Island. I am finishing up residency in Boston and will be looking for a job as an attending physician soon. I am limited to the Northeast for family reasons. Where in the Northeast should I live (anywhere between Philly to Boston)? Looking to buy a small cozy house.
I don't like the idea of living in NYC, but that's possibly because I don't know of any quiet neighborhoods in NYC. Are there any relatively green, clean, and quiet places in NYC or in the NYC metro area that I should consider? The other things that give me pause about NYC is the culture of hustle, business, money, so any pockets that are relatively more laid back ... I'd love to hear about them!
The other drawback of NY is that doctors do not get paid as much in large metro areas (relatively saturated market). So.. it'd be nice if there were somehow some location that was within reach of the NY metro area but maybe a little further out... I don't know. This place probably doesn't exist.
Long Island feels a little boring. Grew up there. My family is looking for a change of scenery.
Westchester seems okay, but basically seems like a slightly older-money and leafier version of Long Island? It also seems like a place where the kids are over-scheduled and I don't really care for that kind of culture. I don't have kids yet but it's not really how I envision raising my kids.
Places I've considered:
- I've looked into Rockland County which doesn't seem like a bad place to live? How would I differentiate living in a place like Nyack vs Piermont vs something else? What healthcare systems exist there? How does COL compare to other parts of NY State and LI?
- Astoria, Queens - Probably just not green enough for me (???) but haven't been for a while. Also probably a little too close to where I grew up, but I dunno, I've heard good things about it?
- Providence, RI - people tell me that the pace is probably a little slow for a young professional in their late 20s, but I like the lower cost of living, that it's an artistic town, and that it isn't snobby. Has its own small airport but Boston is also close enough-ish to fly out of. Also has a decent hospital system to work in
- Philadelphia - seems like a larger version of Brooklyn, and definitely has lots of healthcare jobs. But the drive from NY to Philly isn't really pleasant (in comparison to driving north on I-95 from NY through CT, RI, MA), and with my family situated where it is, it seems like this drive might be a bit of an obstacle
Cities I kind of like (in terms of vibe/impression I have) but aren't viable due to distance from family - listing here so you get a sense of what I'm looking for:
- Minneapolis - seemed laid back, lively enough arts scene, ?reasonable public transportation, U of M is a good university and healthcare system. Drawbacks were that it isn't really diverse and that MSP is expensive to fly out of
- I've heard that Pittsburgh seems cool and also has an artistic side, also has a good university hospital, but I've never been
Places I don't want to live in:
- NJ (I think this is 60% stigma, since my family is all in NY and NY-ers just have this thing against NJ...)
- New Haven - I know there's a university and all, but it seems pretty small and I think I'd feel kind of stranded without a major airport close by; seems like a purgatory between NYC and Boston
- Stamford, CT - seems like purgatory between New Haven and NYC
Priorities:
- I need it to be green and quiet - this is the main thing that turns me off from living in NYC - it's just so noisy and polluted and I find that stressful
- I also appreciate good libraries and a generally educated demographic (which is one thing I really liked about Boston, and especially Cambridge - there were books and local talks on every subject out there!)
- I like artistic towns - both visual art and music scenes would be nice
- I also appreciate parks and easy access to hiking/water/nature
- Don't care about nightlife, sports, or restaurants
- Diversity is important to me, I'm not white and don't always feel comfortable when places are overwhelmingly white
Forget your bias against NJ and take a hard look at Montclair, South Orange, and Maplewood. All three are physically pretty with a lot of older homes, green, quiet, and full of educated progressive middle to upper middle class residents. All are also diverse and all of them, especially Montclair, have lively little downtowns areas and lots of local creative residents (writers, actors, musicians, etc.). All area also on a train lines to NYC when the need to go there arises. Buses also go to the city pretty easily. Cannot speak to the state of physician employment there, but these places seem to checkoff everything else on your list.
The other drawback of NY is that doctors do not get paid as much in large metro areas (relatively saturated market). So.. it'd be nice if there were somehow some location that was within reach of the NY metro area but maybe a little further out... I don't know. This place probably doesn't exist.
It does exist! It's called Hartford, CT. Give it a serious look because it checks off all your boxes:
-Greenery? Yes (Consider Glastonbury or Colchester)
-Close and far from NYC? Yes. There's even rail connection
-Multiple world class hospitals? Yes (St. Francis, Hartford, UConn Health)
-Clean? CT is considered one of the cleanest states
-Quiet? There's a whole region of the state called the Quiet Corner
-Pay? CT has among the nation's highest average pay
-Artistic towns? See Middletown
You should visit. The area does not fit the stereotype most people think of when they think of CT. The Stepford wives do not live in Hartford. It's also closer to an international airport than New Haven. The landscape is much more varied than what you'd find at the flatter coast. It's near amazing hiking. Vermont is just an hour away.
Nyack is an artsy and culturally diverse area with good schools. It is an urban village along with adjacent South Nyack(about 10,000 people between the 2), but the area also has standard suburban areas like Valley Cottage and parts of Central Nyack. Nyack also has its own hospital: https://www.montefiorenyack.org/
Piermont is smaller, but I believe it also has an artsy vibe to it.
Costs will be a little bit lower.
Another place to potentially consider is Beacon in southern Dutchess County. It is on a Metro North line and is about 70 miles north of NYC. It is also an artsy and very culturally diverse small city of about 14,000 people. It is in the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metro area and there are portion of that school district that are outside of city limits that are more suburban and still pretty diverse. Across the Hudson River, there is a hospital in Cornwall south of Newburgh: https://www.montefioreslc.org/ and there hospitals just north of the city in Poughkeepsie: https://www.midhudsonregional.org/ , https://patients.healthquest.org/loc...edical-center/
In Westchester County, the Rivertowns are more in line with what you seen to be looking for. So, places like Croton, Hastings, Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Ossining and Tarrytown are some communities in that area of the county. In that area is this hospital in Sleepy Hollow(formerly North Tarrytown) just north of Tarrytown: https://phelps.northwell.edu/?utm_so...doctor_dot_com and this hospital in Dobbs Ferry: StJohns > Home , among others. Out of the places in this area, Ossining and Tarrytown are more diverse than the others.
Also, if you go even further up the Hudson River, there are other communities with similar vibes along the way up to Albany. Kingston, Saugerties, Hudson, Chatham, Rhinebeck, Red Hook and New Paltz are some that come to mind. Some these places have hospitals as well.
Of the ones on your list, I'd look at Philadelphia or Providence. I'd look at Pittsburgh too. The, "I don't feel comfortable in places that are overwhelmingly white" made me cringe a little. Sounds a bit racist. I would say the same thing if a white person made the same comment in reverse. Why would you not feel "comfortable" around people of another race? Whatever fears you may have, categorically, are unfounded. THIS is the reason we have all of this drama today across the U.S.: A hyper-obsession with race. Until we start looking at each other as individuals instead of what identity group we're apart of, there will never be peace and harmony. Anyway, good luck wherever you land.
It does exist! It's called Hartford, CT. Give it a serious look because it checks off all your boxes:
-Greenery? Yes (Consider Glastonbury or Colchester)
-Close and far from NYC? Yes. There's even rail connection
-Multiple world class hospitals? Yes (St. Francis, Hartford, UConn Health)
-Clean? CT is considered one of the cleanest states
-Quiet? There's a whole region of the state called the Quiet Corner
-Pay? CT has among the nation's highest average pay
-Artistic towns? See Middletown
You should visit. The area does not fit the stereotype most people think of when they think of CT. The Stepford wives do not live in Hartford. It's also closer to an international airport than New Haven. The landscape is much more varied than what you'd find at the flatter coast. It's near amazing hiking. Vermont is just an hour away.
I agree. Hartford is a hidden gem. It’s got so much to offer but it sounds like the OP wants all the New York City amenities with none of the hassles and that does not exist. You are in or near so much in Hartford. In under an hour you can be on a beach or up in the mountains or roaming the charming New England countryside. You can also easily afford to buy a beautiful home in a gorgeous suburbs with schools that rival private schools in quality of education. Hartford has the beautiful Farmington River Valley which is separated from metro Hartford by a line of small mountains to the west of the city. The valley is semi rural in character and has sort of a Shang-Ra-la feel to it. It’s pretty amazing.
Though cities like Stamford and New Haven are smaller and quieter, they are hardly considered “purgatory”. What the OP does not realize is that these cities are smaller and quieter but that’s what makes them so livable. Imagine going out to eat at a nice restaurant and not having to wait two hours for a table! Imagine going to a store and not being mobbed and pushed around by other shoppers! Imagine going to a park and not tripping over thousands of other people fighting for a patch of green! Imagine getting to an airport in under 30 minutes even in rush hour! Imagine living in a town with its own beach! To me that is worth a LOT more than the amenities that you have to fight to use.
Stamford is in one of the country’s most desirable counties, Fairfield County. It’s a beautiful small city with a lot to see and do but is also a short train ride from Manhattan. It has beautiful parks and beaches, very good shopping and dining and is surrounded by some of the most desirable communities in the country (Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, etc.). It’s also under an hour from New York airports. It takes longer to get to the airport from Manhattan than that. How can anyone call that purgatory?
New Haven is also a great small city that is an easy train ride into Manhattan. It’s got great restaurants, decent shopping and lots of things to do. It has one of our country’s Top 20 hospitals, Yale New Haven Medical Center. The best thing about New Haven is you can live in a beautiful beach type town. The shoreline east of New Haven offer great schools and family activities but are under 30 minutes from the city. It’s just beautiful.
I don't mind Boston at all, it's just a little further out from NY than we had wanted (would like to have the option of having somewhat regular dinners with my family). Even Providence is kind of stretching it a bit far. My relatives are mostly within a 1.5 hr radius of NYC so being in Boston would make it far less possible to have regular interactions with them.
I don't mind Boston at all, it's just a little further out from NY than we had wanted (would like to have the option of having somewhat regular dinners with my family). Even Providence is kind of stretching it a bit far. My relatives are mostly within a 1.5 hr radius of NYC so being in Boston would make it far less possible to have regular interactions with them.
Yea go Hartford, live in a downtown apartment or West Hartford. Not much nightlife but still pretty urban, very diverse and low COL, high wages, some decent public transit, a few universities And arts scene south in Middletown, some attractions to the north in Springfield MA (also diverse). 2.5 hours from NYC, easy day trip honestly. Some real local culture (not like Boston or Providence even but still there) and a few attractions/bars/breweries. Good Italian and Jamaican food. New minor league stadium with tons of high end concessions and nice view. New food hall, new supermarket, 2500 new apartments, new hotel. Pre corona it was on a mild upswing.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 07-18-2020 at 09:04 PM..
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