Car-free, but middle class, NYC neighborhoods (Yonkers, Inwood: home, purchases, live in)

[cee4]

I would suggest long island city in queens.

[jcampo13]

I would suggest Downtown Jersey City/Newport if you want a very safe area with 24/7 transit access and walk-ability to all shops you could ever need. PS: I am a native of NY as well and I live in Bayonne NJ now car-free and I am just fine.

[nei]

Originally Posted by checkmatechamp13

Now, technically, it's 55% of households, not 55% of the people. It's likely skewed towards single and/or childless people, so the number of people who have access to some sort of vehicle is going to be higher than 45%.

Say you have a single man without a car, a married couple with a car, a married couple without a car, and a family (say, a couple and 3 kids) with a car.

NYC has 227 cars per 1000 people and 289 cars per 1000 people over 18.

[Grosvenor]

Originally Posted by Bronxguyanese

Don't make me laugh. Most of Queens one can live without a car? Yes maybe if one lives within walking distance of Queens Boulevard, Or near the 7 train, or a commuter that lives near or in Jamaica and last Western Queens which has some of the best subway access into Manhattan. Some neighborhoods even have LIRR. Some parts of Queens have no subway access and residents have to either depend on bus to transfer to a train or last have your own whip. Same for parts of the Bronx like THroggs Neck, Coop City, Riverdale, Williamsbridge, Baychester, these areas are either Middle Income except for Riverdale which is more upper class, these areas of the Bronx many depend on car to get around because there is no subway access unless one is willing to walk 15-20 mins to the nearest station or wait for the bus to transfer. Staten Island, which is probably one of the last middle class borough in NYC, obviously since that borough has no subway access, one has to be dependent on either a bus or a car to get around. The borough of Brooklyn is the worst place to own a car, no highways insight. Most Middle Class NYC neighborhoods are located far from the city center and many residents there do depend on cars to get around.

For the Op if your looking for a middle class area of NYC with access to subway and amenities, I would suggest Parkchester here in the Bronx, also Forest Hills in Queens, Bay Ridge in Brooklyn.

Most of Riverdale is manageable without a car, especially Spuyten Duyvil and Downtown Riverdale which are more dense, with lots of co-ops and condos. Fieldston and parts of North Riverdale are more conducive to having a car. There are three express buses, city buses and Metro North and they all seem to run frequently from what I see anyway when I'm out and about.

[jcampo13]

Originally Posted by Grosvenor

Most of Riverdale is manageable without a car, especially Spuyten Duyvil and Downtown Riverdale which are more dense, with lots of co-ops and condos. Fieldston and parts of North Riverdale are more conducive to having a car. There are three express buses, city buses and Metro North and they all seem to run frequently from what I see anyway when I'm out and about.

"Manageable" maybe. But ideal it is not. In Riverdale a car makes life much much easier than not having a car. Riverdale has the transit system not too different from Yonkers or something.

[Grosvenor]

Originally Posted by jcampo13

"Manageable" maybe. But ideal it is not. In Riverdale a car makes life much much easier than not having a car. Riverdale has the transit system not too different from Yonkers or something.

Riverdale, NY has nothing in common with Yonkers. Maybe you're getting confused with Riverdale, NJ?? We're an upper middle class neighborhood for starters located right above Manhattan. Most of Yonkers aside from the areas further north are relatively poor and run down. I don't know what exactly "ideal" is supposed to mean, but we're just 25 - 30 minutes from Manhattan using Metro North. The express buses (three of them) also provide a fast commute from what others have mentioned here and there are city buses as well. How much transportation do you need for it to be "ideal"?

If by "ideal" you mean a subway, well apparently for all of its "convenience" many people that have posted here seem to have gripes with the subway.

[jcampo13]

Originally Posted by Grosvenor

Riverdale, NY has nothing in common with Yonkers. Maybe you're getting confused with Riverdale, NJ?? We're an upper middle class neighborhood for starters located right above Manhattan. Most of Yonkers aside from the areas further north are relatively poor and run down. I don't know what exactly "ideal" is supposed to mean, but we're just 25 - 30 minutes from Manhattan using Metro North. The express buses (three of them) also provide a fast commute from what others have mentioned here and there are city buses as well. How much transportation do you need for it to be "ideal"?

If by "ideal" you mean a subway, well apparently for all of its "convenience" many people that have posted here seem to have gripes with the subway.

Are you a real estate agent for Riverdale?

I said nothing about the quality of life in Riverdale being akin to Yonkers. But yes, Yonkers is very nice on the eastern sides and the northern sides. Being a half hour to work is great (for those who happen to work right off the line) but the issue is Riverdale is just not set up well with a compact area to get day-to-day needs done without a car. I am certainly not confused with NJ, Riverdale NY is a beautiful place, but if I lived there I'd need/want a car.

[Grosvenor]

Originally Posted by jcampo13

Are you a real estate agent for Riverdale?

I said nothing about the quality of life in Riverdale being akin to Yonkers. But yes, Yonkers is very nice on the eastern sides and the northern sides. Being a half hour to work is great (for those who happen to work right off the line) but the issue is Riverdale is just not set up well with a compact area to get day-to-day needs done without a car. I am certainly not confused with NJ, Riverdale NY is a beautiful place, but if I lived there I'd need/want a car.

I may be a real estate agent for Riverdale. Many agents that represent Riverdale live here, so it wouldn't be abnormal by any stretch of the imagination. You still haven't clarified what exactly "ideal" refers to and why it is so necessary to have a car. Most of the shopping is located around the main streets so it's not as if there is tons of shopping here.

Granted I drive by choice, because I happen to be located around the Fieldston area of Riverdale which is less conducive to public transport, but as I said most of Riverdale is very accessible via transportation.

[bmwguydc]

Riverdale is a schlep without a car for most daily activities. The transportation is fine for going to/from Manhattan, but around the neighborhood it is lacking. Add to that the topography of steep hills and stairs, and it can be arduous for one who does not drive to deal with daily life in the neighborhood. Riverdale lacks a comprehensive shopping district, as the areas around Skyview and Johnson & W235th can meet basic needs with one grocery and a few restaurants, not all of which are even decent, such that one would want options to be able to get to Kingsbridge for a larger grocery store, Manhattan, and Westchester, with the easy means with which to transport said purchases.

Given the OP's request for a neighborhood without a car due to visual acuity issues, there are better areas to consider that meet the requirement of a middle-class area with comprehensive shops and services.

[OyCrumbler]

This post is for a move that is 4 to 5 years away from now (which is a good deal of time for things to change in the city) and with some very specific requirements. From reading some of the posts made here, it sounds like very few people have noticed that.

For the OP, the short answer is yes, you can live in a car-free neighborhood in NYC with a middle class salary. How comfortably you could do so is dependent on all the other details like how long of a commute you're willing to take, where your job is located, and what your salary ends up being in four or five years from now when you are actually fairly close to making the move. There are also other things to factor in like if you guys want to stay close to any friends and family already in the area or if you want to have access to Japanese grocery stores/shops (the Port Authority bus terminal on 42nd and 8th operates a free shuttle to and from the very large Mitsuwa grocery store in New Jersey, several smaller grocery stores such as Sunrise in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan, and even smaller more corner store type of grocery stores in Astoria, Williamsburg and Forest Hills) as well as many other East Asian grocery stores in Flushing and Sunset Park.