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I am moving to NY (from a rural Massachusetts town) next month and will be working in lower Manhattan. I have 2 small children, ages 1 and 3, so living in a safe environment where my wife can walk with the kids to see interesting places is a big priority. I will be working heavy hours and will want to be as close to work (downtown) as possible in order to have more time at home.
My research indicates that Brooklyn Heights is good place to look (any idea how long subway ride to downtown takes?) Also I hear the Village in Manhattan is nice as well. I'd love to hear your feedback on these places or any other thoughts regrading kid friendly neighborhoods with low crime/good schools, etc, etc.
If money is not a problem, with two children, and coming from Western Massachusetts (I lived in Williamsburg), I'd personally recommend Park Slope. If you can find housing near 7th Avenue you'll have lots of shopping and not far from the Park, Museum and Botanical Gardens. There is also a cozy cafe on Union Street, between 7th & 6th Avenues, where young mothers gather regularly for chat and support.
Clinton and Carroll Gardens also offer much for young families.
While Brooklyn Heights is beautiful and the closest community, it is a long established neighbourhood, with fewer young families (although that, too, is changing).
The West Village is also a good choice--but perhaps less children-friendly, and possibly more expensive.
Greenwich Village is also nice, but, as an example, I saw a studio apartment for sale at about 360K. And that is probably low.
Location, location.
You might also want to consider are further down in Brooklyn, e.g. Ditmas Park, Midwood, Madison, Marine Park, Sheepshead Bay. They are more affordable than Park Slope and the Village, family-oriented, low in crime and more suburban. But they are residential, bedroom neighborhoods without much going on. And the people tend to be less cosmopolitan than those in Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights and Greenwich Village. And the commute is longer, about an hour or more. And the trains are crowded and uncomfortable during rush hours.
If I were moving to NYC I would probably want to live in Park Slope. Or Greenwich Village, Brooklyn Heights or the Upper West Side. I live in southern Brooklyn and am used to budgeting an hour to get anywhere. I can get to downtown Manhattan, however, in about 40 minutes, once I'm on the train. That does not include getting to the train and waiting for it. (You can get timetables; also, you'll develop an idea when the train comes if you are used to getting it at a certain time.)
I cannot speak knowingly about Queens (there are some nice neighborhoods there), Staten Island (you would be dependent on a ferry; also, Staten Island is very provincial) or the Bronx (near northern Manhattan; believe it or not, there are some nice neighborhoods there, too.) Or the area of New Jersey that is near downtown Manhattan.
For proximitiy to Lower Manhattan, though, your best bets are lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. And for an interesting and safe environment, your initial points of interest are well taken, although I don't know how safe Brooklyn Heights is.
Tribeca has PS 234, one of the best public schools in New York. It also has the Hudson River Park nearby. If you can afford it, I would move there instead of Brooklyn.
The commute from suburban Brooklyn to Manhattan is never nice. Plus, the problem with the areas around Park Slope is that you move two blocks around and you're in a not-so-nice area.
How many white young parents have been mugged in and around Park Slope?
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