Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello, We are from Brooklyn and are finally looking to relocate to the suburbs. My husband will be working in Washington Heights. What are the options for commuting? We have heard there is a bus that might make a stop at 168th and that there is a new train from Rockland but I am finding it impossible to find information on that. We are also looking into Long Island as Brooklyn is becoming impossibly expensive. Any guidance on areas, commute would be greatly appreciated. We have three school age children.
Hello, We are from Brooklyn and are finally looking to relocate to the suburbs. My husband will be working in Washington Heights. What are the options for commuting? We have heard there is a bus that might make a stop at 168th and that there is a new train from Rockland but I am finding it impossible to find information on that. We are also looking into Long Island as Brooklyn is becoming impossibly expensive. Any guidance on areas, commute would be greatly appreciated. We have three school age children.
Thank you!
Rockland to Washington Heights would make for a great commute by car. Washington Heights is right on the NY side of the George Washington Bridge, and the GWB is easily assessable from Rockland via the Palisades Parkway. Depending on his commuting times, there will likely be some traffic getting over the bridge, but even if its bad, it will be traffic for only a short period of time. Of course, he would need to consider parking options, which may or may not be feasible.
Depending on where you buy, you may be only 15 or so miles from the GWB - add miles as you move away from the SE portion of Rockland.
Their is no "new" train that I know of. You would never take a train to Washington Heights from Rockland. You would have to take the train to Secaucus, than into Penn Station, than a Subway all the way up to Washington Heights. It would be a big circle and its hard to imaging this being quicker than by car for 15+ miles.
Bus may be the compromise option, but its the avenue I know least. I believe there are stops right over the bridge that might work for him. You would need to google the Port Authority George Washington Bridge Bus Station. Start there and you should be able to find schedules and the like.
We would like to Purchase although we may rent initially. We need a good school district as we have 3 school age children. Prefer more walkable areas if possible. Affordable as our budget will likely be under 500,000.
We would like to Purchase although we may rent initially. We need a good school district as we have 3 school age children. Prefer more walkable areas if possible. Affordable as our budget will likely be under 500,000.
If you budget is under 500,000, but close, than you can get something in each of the 8 districts in rockland. if its much lower than you options go down fast. In Rockland, you still can get something decent, but small and boring, for 450,000 in a good district.
Their are only 8 School Districts in Rockland. One of them, East Ramapo, is a non-starter since it is run by Hasidics and at present, no one is moving into there. Of the other 7, North Rockland has the worst rep, mostly because its High School is at or near majority Spanish and its one of the largest in the state, which turns people off as well. But its not a horrible district, especially is you are hispanic or a minority. Because its so big there are still a ton of white folk - more of a working class vibe than elsewhere. The other 6 are all good districts. Nyack will be the most diverse, both racially, economically and by type of neighborhood. It has urban-looking walking areas with an artsy and eclectic vibe. Its white population can be very rich and is very liberal leaning. It also has a lot of minorities and a lot of people at all income levels. The remaining 5 are heavily white and mostly upper middle class to upper class - a lot less diversity in terms of race and economics. Mostly conservative suburbanites who like their lawns and Little League.
As for walkable areas, Rockland is largely not walkable, and everyone has at least one car. Certain areas have cool walkable downtowns, but for everyday stuff like supermarkets you will still need a car. These walkable downtowns will only allow you to hit restaurants, delis, pizzerias, and some cool niche shops.
If your husband will be driving down the Palisades to Washington Heights, South Orangetown and Pearl River will be the closest, but Rockland is so small that his trip shouldn't matter so much.
If you push your budget a bit you can be in Westchester in one of the river towns (Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown) which seem to be big with Brooklynites right now. The BIG plus of this would be being on the same side of the bridge as his job.
We live in Upper Nyack and bought a 1400 square foot side hall colonial built in 1949 for $450,000 about 2 years ago. We love the area. It's easy to get to the Thruway, Palisades, George Washington, and Tappan Zee bridges.
Being close to Nyack is great. We walk there for dinner and the library / parks. The neighborhoods are older, settled areas with a great sense of community.
Any new construction in the are will be hard to find for $500,000, so you're looking at existing construction.
The biggest downside to the area is property taxes. They can be anywhere from $7k to $20k per year!
Thank you very much for all the replies. We are continuing to look in Rockland and branching out a bit to Tarrytown. Also, I see Orangeburg is somewhat more affordable with decent school districts. Is it much more rural?
If you budget is under 500,000, but close, than you can get something in each of the 8 districts in rockland. if its much lower than you options go down fast. In Rockland, you still can get something decent, but small and boring, for 450,000 in a good district.
Their are only 8 School Districts in Rockland. One of them, East Ramapo, is a non-starter since it is run by Hasidics and at present, no one is moving into there. Of the other 7, North Rockland has the worst rep, mostly because its High School is at or near majority Spanish and its one of the largest in the state, which turns people off as well. But its not a horrible district, especially is you are hispanic or a minority. Because its so big there are still a ton of white folk - more of a working class vibe than elsewhere. The other 6 are all good districts. Nyack will be the most diverse, both racially, economically and by type of neighborhood. It has urban-looking walking areas with an artsy and eclectic vibe. Its white population can be very rich and is very liberal leaning. It also has a lot of minorities and a lot of people at all income levels. The remaining 5 are heavily white and mostly upper middle class to upper class - a lot less diversity in terms of race and economics. Mostly conservative suburbanites who like their lawns and Little League.
As for walkable areas, Rockland is largely not walkable, and everyone has at least one car. Certain areas have cool walkable downtowns, but for everyday stuff like supermarkets you will still need a car. These walkable downtowns will only allow you to hit restaurants, delis, pizzerias, and some cool niche shops.
If your husband will be driving down the Palisades to Washington Heights, South Orangetown and Pearl River will be the closest, but Rockland is so small that his trip shouldn't matter so much.
Clarkstown and Nanuet have decent/pretty high Asian student populations, with a few/some Black and Hispanic students. Orangeburg has a decent amount of Hispanic students with a few/some Black and Asian students. Ramapo(Suffern) has a visible/decent amount of Asians, Blacks and Hispanics. Pearl River is even changing, as they are seeing a decent amount of Hispanic students with a couple/some Black and Asian students in some of its schools.
You can view such information on the NYSED School Report Card site for each district or on here: Search For Schools and Colleges You can just enter a school or city/town for this source.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 07-02-2016 at 08:03 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
