Questions on Eastchester (New Rochelle, White Plains, Rye: apartments, houses, neighborhoods) - Westchester County - New York (NY) - City-Data Forum

KBF30 · 04-14-2011, 12:28 PM

Hello - A few ?'s on Eastchester -

Does Eastchester have a walkable downtown area?

There are a few homes near the Crestwood train station that we like and can afford, but we looked at a few homes a few months ago in the area and were turned off by the lack of a downtown area. The only area we saw was built up with a Stop & Shop, a Blockbuster, etc.
Did we miss a nice downtown area, or is there none to speak of (I'm not looking for a Larchmont type area, just a nice street with some bars, restaurants, small shops, etc.)?

Also, I know there is a lot of back and forth on the schools. From what I have read on this site, Eastchester has good schools, but when I talk to our RE and my friends who grew up in the area, they say they are "just OK". Can anyone recommend a site, other than greatschools, that lists school rankings, graduation rates, etc.

Thank you!

NYGirl128 · 04-14-2011, 01:58 PM

We're in Eastchester and have been for 6 years. I grew up in a River town.

The area close to Crestwood has some shops but Eastchester doesn't have that same charming walking area as Bronxville or some of the Rivertowns. If I want to walk around, I can go to Bronxville in 5 minutes.

The thing you do get in Eastchester is very close proximity to chain shopping on 22/White Plains Rd - Gap, Old Navy, Lord & Taylors and the very important Trader Joe's

And you get Lake Isle which is a fantastic facility.

The schools - my kids are in Greenvale and we've had a great experience. I have one very high achiever and one on an IEP and both are getting an excellent education. The HS sends kids to top colleges every year. Getting a budget passed is a challenge but I sense the parents are a lot more involved in the process than in the past and are more motivated.

There are a lot of people who grew up in Eastchester who are still there but I think that's the case for many towns.

Forest_Hills_Daddy · 04-14-2011, 02:22 PM

Is it true that Eastchester's property taxes are lower than many other good towns in Westchester? I somehow got a sense of that when I looked at listings sometime ago. Also, I sensed that many of the residents could afford to send kids to private school so it might be a sign that property taxes are less burdensome there.

jjinla · 04-14-2011, 05:31 PM

Actually it's the opposite - the taxes are just as high as Scarsdale's from what I've seen. And no, there really is no quaint downtown in Eastchester - just massive amounts of strip malls (and in many places the accompanying traffic).

The schools aren't up to par with Scarsdale, Edgemont, Mamaroneck and Rye from what I've heard, although it could be due to the larger influx of middle income kids there...who knows. People are very picky about schools here. It's not a district to avoid for sure, just not tier 1 (in Westchester standards).

Forest_Hills_Daddy · 04-14-2011, 08:00 PM

I read the academic curriculum in the website and it looks like the academic standards are the same as the best in Westchester, so they are probably it par when it comes to what is taught in the classroom.

The difference with Scarsdale may have more to do with extracurricular activities, electives and physical plant (not that Eastchester's physical plant is bad, it's actually very good by general standards).

tammy42 · 04-14-2011, 10:16 PM

Something to keep in mind is that both Bronxville and Tuckahoe are actually part of Eastchester (they are both Villages within the Town of Eastchester). To complicate matters more, Crestwood is part of Tuckahoe Village, but it is primarily Eastchester schools. Point is, village/town lines are blurry, and the close proximity to all of the 'town centers' gives you a little of everything, with nominal difference in travel time to each. If you are looking at a place near the Crestwood sta., you will also be close to Tuckahoe's village center. While there aren't a lot of small shops for browsing, they have some of our family's favorite restaurants like Angelina's (Italian) and Spice Village (Indian). We also frequent the Tap House...even though the name implies beer, they have a kids menu, good food and terrific service. In the summer we eat there and grab an ice cream next door. If you are in the mood browsing/shopping Bronxville is a 2 minute drive from there. You should also be aware that a new mixed-use property was just approved in Crestwood at the corner of Columbus and Lincoln (currently the site of an old gas station) - so there will be more shops and apartments coming to that area -- and the landscape will be changing there as well.

The taxes are on par with surrounding areas as are the schools themselves.

KBF30 · 04-15-2011, 10:09 AM

Forest Hills - I have to ask - what is the physical plant??

It appears to me that the taxes are a bit lower in Eastchester, but not substantially lower.

What are the people like in Eastchester? They are white collar, blue collar? Do a lot of people from Eastchester work in NYC?
I have been having a really hard time getting a read on the town.
My husband and I are looking for a nice town to someday raise a family in. We aren't looking for a Scardsdale or Bronxville - we want a little more diversity economically and racially - but we want to be in a town with good schools, a town with people we can relate to with some bars and restaurants.
We have really only been looking in Pelham and Mamaroneck, but we are not finding much. It looks like we may have to expand our search a bit, and Eastchester is a town that has some nice houses in our price range.

Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate them.

hominamad · 04-15-2011, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KBF30

Forest Hills - I have to ask - what is the physical plant??

It appears to me that the taxes are a bit lower in Eastchester, but not substantially lower.

What are the people like in Eastchester? They are white collar, blue collar? Do a lot of people from Eastchester work in NYC?
I have been having a really hard time getting a read on the town.
My husband and I are looking for a nice town to someday raise a family in. We aren't looking for a Scardsdale or Bronxville - we want a little more diversity economically and racially - but we want to be in a town with good schools, a town with people we can relate to with some bars and restaurants.
We have really only been looking in Pelham and Mamaroneck, but we are not finding much. It looks like we may have to expand our search a bit, and Eastchester is a town that has some nice houses in our price range.

Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate them.

KBF30 - I recommend you check out White Plains. You will get more diversity, the bars and restaurants, lower taxes and a wide diversity of housing types and neighborhoods to choose from. If you do commute to the city, you also have the benefit of 35 min express trains that run every few minutes during rush hour.

KBF30 · 04-15-2011, 11:06 AM

Thanks for the input, but we are looking for a smaller town feel, so White Plains and New Rochelle are out.

lan3 · 04-15-2011, 11:51 AM

We looked in Eastchester and I found it to be more blue collar than the surrounding areas. I grew up in the Northeast Bronx in what was a predominantly Italian/Irish neighborhood and many people that could afford to, move to Eastchester and Harrison. It is a great proximity to the city, has Lake Isle which is amazing and had really good schools.