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Hi, I have two little kids, one is about to be old enough for preschool. I currently live in Morris Park, not to from the Bronx Zoo and Pelham Parkway. The neighborhood is ok, the people are generally nice, but we have our fair share of bad apples. If it were just me and my wife, we would stay where we are, no problem. But, what I see from parents in our neighborhood and surrounding areas does not fill me with confidence when thinking about sending my school to the local public school. Private porochial schools are an option, but they are slim pickings, and the price difference between a great school with an excellent curriculum and a not so great school are astronomical.
So, we're ready to pack up and move. The only neighborhoods I know of are the ones I can't afford LOL. I've scratched out the closer suburbs and am focusing on rockland county, specifically the New City area at the moment. My wife and drove around there a while ago and we really liked the neighborhood and the schools rate very well. We also looked at Edison and Metuchen (?) out in Jersey, both were nice though a bit crowded. We also took a ride up to Cortlandt Manor, which was nice and quiet and the homes were spread out, but it seemed a little bare, I'm not sure that's the right word to describe it.
Please recommend other areas that may be of interest. I am looking for the basics: great schools and good safe nighborhood with a decent plot (.25 acre?, just enough to run around) and, of course, something in my price range.
Other nitty gritty details: I am a tech manager working in Midtown and earn about $125,000 a year. I crunched some vague numbers, considering money towards a second car, higher commutting costs, increase heating bill, and came up with a top total mortgage and tax payment of $3,100. This amount leaves enough breathing room for some joys in life and some savings in case of emergencies. My highest expenses are saving for college for my two boys ($600), which I guess I could defer until my salary increases a bit, the car + car insurance payments ($500), groceries ($300), and utilities ($175 in the summer, $400 in the winter). I can pay off the car and get rid of the $350 payment, but I will still need another ride (moped?) when living in the burbs. One last thing, with a 5 month old and an almost 3 year old, my wife stays home and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Any advice and information you can share with us is greatly appreciated!
We also live in the Morris Park section and just purchased a home in Fairfield, Connecticut for the same reasons. If it were just us, we'd stay here. However, we plan on starting a family in the next year or so.
We looked into Westchester and considered Rockland. We both work by Grand Central and we wanted a convenient and easy commute. Therefore, we ruled out Rockland. Westchester taxes are way too expensive, so we ruled that out as well.
Fairfield, Trumbull, Monroe, Shelton, Milford, and Westport (expensive town) are great towns with great schools. Fairfield and Westport are more commuter friendly. The ride to GCT is about an hour. The commute from the other towns are a bit further; however, you can get more house for your money.
We also live in the Morris Park section and just purchased a home in Fairfield, Connecticut for the same reasons. If it were just us, we'd stay here. However, we plan on starting a family in the next year or so.
We looked into Westchester and considered Rockland. We both work by Grand Central and we wanted a convenient and easy commute. Therefore, we ruled out Rockland. Westchester taxes are way too expensive, so we ruled that out as well.
Fairfield, Trumbull, Monroe, Shelton, Milford, and Westport (expensive town) are great towns with great schools. Fairfield and Westport are more commuter friendly. The ride to GCT is about an hour. The commute from the other towns are a bit further; however, you can get more house for your money.
Good luck.
Thanks for the input. Although I haven't tired the commute myself, I read, I believe some place on this forum, that the commute from the New City area was about an hour by either train or bus. Is this not accurate? I know that lousy bridge is in the way
What's the commute time from Fairfield? [eh, i just reread your post and saw the answer Thanks!]
Last edited by jayman1010; 12-02-2007 at 06:33 PM..
Are you Italian? I know its a huge stereotype but.... all Italians fleeing Morris Park/Country Club/Throggs Neck end up in either Eastchester or Pelham. So you should focus your search there. Both communities are nice and have pretty good public schools. THey also have train stations for Metro North that can get you into the city in around 40 minutes.
If you wanted to stay in Morris Park why don't you just send your kid to St. Clare's Parochial school? I thought that was the best parochial school in the area.
Now as an aside...why are all of the Italian people moving out of Morris Park? I don't get it. Seems like a nice enough neighborhood. Still seems pretty nice, but a lot of people on here have said that it isn't anywhere as nice as it used to be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayman1010
Thanks for the input. Although I haven't tired the commute myself, I read, I believe some place on this forum, that the commute from the New City area was about an hour by either train or bus. Is this not accurate? I know that lousy bridge is in the way
What's the commute time from Fairfield? [eh, i just reread your post and saw the answer Thanks!]
Now as an aside...why are all of the Italian people moving out of Morris Park? I don't get it. Seems like a nice enough neighborhood. Still seems pretty nice, but a lot of people on here have said that it isn't anywhere as nice as it used to be.
The decline of the Italians in NYC are across the board. They are fleeing Throggs Neck, Morris Park, Bensonhurst, all over! Professors, like John Mollenkopf of CUNY, have been driving home this point for awhile, now. Also, other of the other groups that dominated the city for years (i.e. African Americans) are leaving the city as well).
Yeah I know, I've read it in the papers, but I still don't really understand it.
All of the old school NYC people (Italians, Irish, non-Hassidic Jews, Puerto Ricans, and African-Americans) seem to be leaving the place. Whenever I ask people about it, they always just reply "oh, its not the same, we have to leave" or "the neighborhood's changed so much". I even hear this in cases where the neighborhood really hasn't changed that much. So I don't get it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scatman
The decline of the Italians in NYC are across the board. They are fleeing Throggs Neck, Morris Park, Bensonhurst, all over! Professors, like John Mollenkopf of CUNY, have been driving home this point for awhile, now. Also, other of the other groups that dominated the city for years (i.e. African Americans) are leaving the city as well).
Depending on your overall budget, credit score, comfort level, etc. you may determine that a certain price range is within your means. For easy commute into NYC from the Jersey side off Rte 78 over by Basking Ridge, you can find some attractive townhomes within your budget. I know you're looking for "some land", but what about all the extras that come with a community lifestyle development of townhomes, swimming pools, tennis courts, etc.? You would get much more for your dollar, and these days with the value of U.S. Dollar dropping like a rock every time the Fed drops interest rates for the banks, it might be a good alternative for you, to purchase something more attractively priced and sized. When home values drop, the bigger the home the more the drop in dollar value. Once the market turns around in a few years or sometime down the road, as the economy picks up steam, you might look into expanding into a larger place to capture rising prices and greater appreciation in value. Don't gamble on uncertain future when you can bank cash for that rainy day.
Also, Rockland has some convenient locations for commute into NYC from Suffern, Montebello, New City, West Nyack areas. Schools are fine, and a comfortable lifestyle for you to enjoy for years to come.
I agree that Fairfield CT might be a good alternative as well.
I lived in the Bronx many years and know how you feel. Things change.
Another place in Rockland: I owned a nice home in Pearl River for about 12 years. Trains in town and everything you might be looking for in a neighborhood.
Now as an aside...why are all of the Italian people moving out of Morris Park? I don't get it. Seems like a nice enough neighborhood. Still seems pretty nice, but a lot of people on here have said that it isn't anywhere as nice as it used to be.
No, I am not Italian. The community these days is very mixed with Russians, Albanians, Bengalis, Hispanics, Italians, and African Americans. The area it self is pretty nice, you can walk 6 blocks in any direction and see nothing but quiet streets with pretty homes and decent folks. The surrounding areas, aside from Pelham, are iffy at best. You can definetly say the wrong thing or look at someone the wrong way and be in trouble. I haven't had any trouble, but I've walked through some pretty shabby areas.
I went the local police precient to pickup an accident report a while ago and some guy was there reporting he got beat up by a bunch of kids when he refused to give a minor a cigarette when asked for one.
Depending on your overall budget, credit score, comfort level, etc. you may determine that a certain price range is within your means. For easy commute into NYC from the Jersey side off Rte 78 over by Basking Ridge, you can find some attractive townhomes within your budget. I know you're looking for "some land", but what about all the extras that come with a community lifestyle development of townhomes, swimming pools, tennis courts, etc.? You would get much more for your dollar, and these days with the value of U.S. Dollar dropping like a rock every time the Fed drops interest rates for the banks, it might be a good alternative for you, to purchase something more attractively priced and sized. When home values drop, the bigger the home the more the drop in dollar value. Once the market turns around in a few years or sometime down the road, as the economy picks up steam, you might look into expanding into a larger place to capture rising prices and greater appreciation in value. Don't gamble on uncertain future when you can bank cash for that rainy day.
Also, Rockland has some convenient locations for commute into NYC from Suffern, Montebello, New City, West Nyack areas. Schools are fine, and a comfortable lifestyle for you to enjoy for years to come.
I agree that Fairfield CT might be a good alternative as well.
I lived in the Bronx many years and know how you feel. Things change.
Another place in Rockland: I owned a nice home in Pearl River for about 12 years. Trains in town and everything you might be looking for in a neighborhood.
Thanks for the input. I will check out those areas. Basking Ridge sounds enticing, I'm googling it now
Don't over play your hand here. Morris Park is still Morris Park. Its mostly Italians/Albanians and then there's everybody else. It is just depressing that the Italians are leaving. Once the Italians are gone that neighborhood will be finished. It will become yet another run down, ghettoized, neighborhood in the Bronx (as though we really needed anymore of them).
There aren't enough Albanians immigrating to the USA to keep that place afloat, and I dont' know what you're talking about concerning the Russians, but I haven't seen them in that neighborhood (unless you're talking about the small Russian Jewish community over by the 2).
Are there really any Bengalis in Morris Park? Of course they make up a significant minority of Parkchester, but I really haven't seen many/any in Morris Park itself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayman1010
No, I am not Italian. The community these days is very mixed with Russians, Albanians, Bengalis, Hispanics, Italians, and African Americans. The area it self is pretty nice, you can walk 6 blocks in any direction and see nothing but quiet streets with pretty homes and decent folks. The surrounding areas, aside from Pelham, are iffy at best. You can definetly say the wrong thing or look at someone the wrong way and be in trouble. I haven't had any trouble, but I've walked through some pretty shabby areas.
I went the local police precient to pickup an accident report a while ago and some guy was there reporting he got beat up by a bunch of kids when he refused to give a minor a cigarette when asked for one.
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