Questions About Rockland (Yonkers, Ramapo, New Rochelle: best neighborhoods, real estate, rentals)

[quelinda]

I didn't see a separate forum for Rockland County so I hope I'm in the right place .

I was hoping to move out of the City in about two years and seeing as I like to plan ahead, have been checking out the real estate listings in Rockland. The prices seem very reasonable and many of the towns are only around 30 miles from NYC. My criteria is basically staying within 40 miles of upper Manhattan, a single family house, and affordable. I was wondering a bunch of things:

1. I have a 2 year old so she would be in elementary school; what is considered a "bad" school district and are there good ones there in RC?

2. I make decent money but dont want to spend my whole paycheck on my mortgage and other home expenses, hence why I like the prices there. Do you think the prices will come down? I never looked at the real estate before so I have no idea what the difference is now that the market has been sliding. I could potentially buy earlier than I plan to leave the City and rent out the place if the market is decent for rentals.

3. Should I be looking elsewhere, maybe in Westchester County or NJ? The prices seem more than what I want to spend or are too far away.

4. I like the diversity of the city so where can I find at least some sort of ethnic diversity in a nice environment?

5. How is the commute to the City, whether by train, car or bus?

Thank you so much for your advice .

[Viralmd]

From Rockland you can take the bus to Manhattan, or do what many people do is drive across the Tappan Zee bridge and then take MetroNorth from Tarrytown to Grand Central. These days, with the Tappan Zee repairs, it can be a real problem getting across.

The real estate taxes wherever you look in the greater metropolitan area are quite high, with Connecticut only marginally lower. Usually the areas with the good schools are 1) the areas with the high real estate taxes and 2) the areas with the more costly homes.

[quelinda]

Originally Posted by Viralmd

Usually the areas with the good schools are 1) the areas with the high real estate taxes and 2) the areas with the more costly homes.

Tying income and test scores to rating a school is the obvious first instinct. What I'm wondering is if your kid is naturally bright and picks up letters and numbers and other things at a younger than average age and you read to them and educate them at home, take them traveling etc, how does the school add to that or take away from that? Kids with lower economic means may not have those advantages at home and that may put a different spin on one's education, but that doesn't mean kids can't excel in different environments. I definitely dont want to be in an area with only upper income people around.

[bmwguydc]

There is also a TappanZeexpress bus that links Nyack and Tarrytown, so that you do not have to drive across to the MetroNorth station. From places like Pearl River, you can take the train through New Jersey to Secaucus Junction to Penn Station, but it can take significantly longer than a similar distance in Westchester would do.

The school districts are the main criterion by which many buy houses in Westchester and Rockland. Unfortunately, with some districts in Westchester, the diversity is lower when the district scores higher, or some schools are so large that it impacts performance as well. It is important, however, with any district to have a high degree of parental involvement, such that if one is in a good, not the absolute top in test scores, but a solid district, with parental involvement, the performance of an individual student can match that of a top district. It's the amenities that may be lacking in the more average district, since that school might not have funds available for supplemental educational materials.

In Rockland, I'd consider the Perl River, Nyack, Nanuet, and Suffern areas for schools, though the commute might be a bit longer from some of them. There are some good deals on houses, but the taxes in Suffern can be especially high for Rockland, one of the highest rates in Rockland if memory serves.

You might also check into some districts in Westchester that are more diverse, though closer-in prices will be higher. But, the commute from Rockland will be similar to further areas of Westchester, and can even be faster if you're on an express train route. Places like Croton and Cortlandt Manor might be worth considering. Peekskill is very diverse, but the schools are not up to par with other areas in this part of Westchester-Putnam, so I'd not recommend looking there.

Rockland has much to offer, and can be a great choice, if you can put up with the hassles of the commute, which might improve once the Tappan Zee mess is sorted out. I'd also consider Northern Westchester areas along the Hudson which are more diverse and offer a faster commute than seemingly closer-in areas of Rockland, since you need only get on one train to get to GCT as opposed to the bus-train, etc.

[havoc315]

Good school districts include Clarkstown, Pearl River, South Orangetown. On the next level, Nanuet and Ramapo Central are good. Avoid East Ramapo and North Rockland. Nyack isn't horrible but it has an urban element that turns off some people.

Prices have slid substantially in the last year. But nobody really knows if they will keep sliding.

Westchester is a far easier commute, and Rockland is cheaper, so you need to balance budget and commute.

Commuting from Rockland is a nightmare. There are several mass transit options but none of them are great. There are buses to the Port Authority as well as buses that make stop in midtown and downtown. Most of the buses depart from the Spring Valley-Nanuet Area. There are trains that take you to Hoboken where you can switch to PATH. There is the TZ express, already discussed. There are ferries in Haverstraw (near North New City) that can take you to Ossining to transfer to Metro North, and another ferry that goes downtown. But none of the options are really less than an hour. Many Rocklanders end up just driving to the city.

Diversity-- the county is diverse, but some schools and neighborhoods are more diverse than others. Pearl River is probably the least diverse. I would say that all the other school districts have at least some balance.

[rusty78]

I definitely dont want to be in an area with only upper income people around.[/quote]

Every year the local paper does an article on salaries in the area......and from what I remember...the average household income for Rockland was $75,000......but you would probably never be able to buy anything in Rockland based on that......and many families that have looked in Westchester...have purchased in Rockland...simply because they cannot afford Westchester......

Pearl River...parts of Orangeburg...Suffern...and North Rockland......use to be know as blue collar areas...but with the housing market rise...your average blue collar family can no longer afford these areas......all are culturally diverse...but since you have two years or more before you move...perhaps you should spend a few days visiting the high schools in each town you are considering...this way you can eliminate the areas you do not want to be in......

[quelinda]

Thanks so much to everyone for the useful information.

Originally Posted by havoc315

But none of the options are really less than an hour. Many Rocklanders end up just driving to the city.

Diversity-- the county is diverse, but some schools and neighborhoods are more diverse than others. Pearl River is probably the least diverse. I would say that all the other school districts have at least some balance.

Funny you mention the commute taking any hour. Door to door from my job in midtown from the upper west side currently takes approximately 40 minutes. I must take 3 short train rides to get there and plenty of walking a block here and a block there plus a bunch of steps. I am WARM by the time I sit in my office with great relief. Basically it can be a total biatch to commute even from Manhattan LOL.

Actually I dream of commuting to work in my car. I used to drive to grad school in Queens years ago and I just LOVED it! Loved listening to the radio (Howard Stern at the time, who I later became very annoyed and turned off to but it was a fun time listening to him in the am), chilling out in my car and not hasselening with crowds, steps and walking. Then again I'd probably gain an immediate 10 lbs from less walking. Ahh, always a trade off.

Any area with a lot of Puerto Ricans in Westchester or Rockland?

Is White Plains very gritty? The prices are very low for its proximity to the City so I figured there was something undesireable about it.

Thanks everyone!

[bmwguydc]

Parts of White Plains can be gritty, but the city has been on the upswing in recent years. The problem with White Plains is that the city's schools have not been performing to the same standard as neighboring areas of Westchester, hence why many families avoid it. Areas nearby that do have smaller cottage type houses and larger houses within the same school district include West Harrison and Valhalla, though West Harrison does have more at the higher end of the market than Valhalla. Both have good schools, and a reasonable commute.

As for Puerto Rican populations in Westchester, I think that the cities have a higher percentage, with Yonkers being a large enclave. In Yonkers, there is a Puerto Rican Day festival and parade that is celebrated annually. The problem with moving to Yonkers for the diversity, even in its best neighborhoods, is the schools performance, as the city's district is large and has some underprivileged areas. Nearby, however, you can find a decent school district in Eastchester, and the smaller district of Tuckahoe, both of which along with Bronxville form the Town of Eastchester. Yonkers has some very nice neighborhoods that border Bronxville, but realistically, private schools would need to be a consideration for many people.

[havoc315]

Let me be clear about the mass transit commute-- it is far more than an hour, door to door. For example, the Haverstraw ferry to Ossining to Grand Central is 65-70 minutes, from ferry departure to arrival at Grand Central. Meaning the door to door is easily 90 minutes plus.

I can't tell you what to expect from a driving commute.

As to school diversity, greatschools.net gives racial/ethnic breakdowns.

[ckhthankgod]

Check here too:https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/County.do?year=2007&county=Rockland (broken link)

https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/County.do?year=2007&county=Westchester (broken link)

What about school districts like Sleepy Hollow(Tarrytowns), Elmsford, New Rochelle, Greenburgh, Pleasantville in Westchester and Suffern(Ramapo) in Rockland County?