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I am a financial professional looking to relocate back to NY with a teen that thrives on soccer, basketball and martial arts within the next six months. I grew up in Long Island and moved to Georgia in 2000 for an advancement opportunity. I'm not very familiar with the upstate counties, but am looking for a quiet, safe, racially diverse suburban city with a great school district or private high schools nearby. Can anyone advise me on the best areas to look.
I am relocating to Westchester County, NY and I grew up on Long Island, too. I have been away for 25 years though. I have quickly learned, that Westchester is not referred to as upstate . I have two teens and while we have been researching high schools that have strong music programs, I have noticed many of the public schools have a strong sports presence on their web pages, while music is not always obvious.
In any case, I spoke to someone today that grew up in Westchester and raved about it in general as a great place to raise a family. Sorry, I can't offer more specific help. Next week, we are headed there to search and visit high schools so I'll finally have first hand knowledge. Sometimes you just have to trust your intuition.
I'll be honest in saying that any coveted school district isn't really considered racially diverse by most standards, althouth I don't think that most people here (having lived so close to or in NYC for years) would be considered a bigot or anything. It's just a matter of economics, for the most part.
What is your budget and what are you looking for exactly including commute times? Without specifics, it's hard to point you anywhere specific?
I've decided to rent initially until I get a feel for what areas have the most to offer. If possible, I'd like to avoid a commute extending beyond an hour and half. It would also be great if I could find a house or apartment rental for less than $3000.00 per month. We're of Irish descent, but my son has always attended racially diverse schools and enjoys learning about different cultures. However, living in a community with ammenities and great schools takes priority. Any advice you can give will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Where are you working? An hour and a half is a pretty wide range - most of northern Westchester, Fairfield County, CT, LI and North Jersey. What are you hoping to have for $3K? Take into account that with our great amenities, comes a huge tax bill - about $20K a year for a suitable 3/4BR house in most decent areas of NY & NJ (less in CT, but the house is quite a bit more).
To be honest, there is plenty of diversity of cultures in NY, but what we lack at least is economic diversity in a lot of areas. Larchmont might be a good choice, though - you'll get a ton of Europeans in the village, along with a fair amount of hispanics in Mamaroneck (which shares the same MS & HS). Other areas that come to mind include Irvington, Pleasantville, Chappaqua, and even Greenwich, CT. Milburn and Summit in NJ also have great schools but I do not know about diversity.
Thanks for your help jjinla. Actually, the hour and a half communte assessment was made with Manhattan in mind. Also, with the overblown price of real estate in NY these days, I figured a house rental in that area would be in the $2,400 - $3,000 range monthly. This is the going rate for the areas in Queens and Eastern Long Island I looked at. As a person who lived in NY for most of my life, I'm aware of its diversity. Despite the sound of it, however, some neighborhoods are more appealing than others. After speaking with you, I'm now considering moving back to Long Island. Thanks again =)
But truly, depending on where you grew up, you may not want to go back there. If there is any truth to what I've read on their board, LI is getting worse, not better.
Where are you working? An hour and a half is a pretty wide range - most of northern Westchester, Fairfield County, CT, LI and North Jersey. What are you hoping to have for $3K? Take into account that with our great amenities, comes a huge tax bill - about $20K a year for a suitable 3/4BR house in most decent areas of NY & NJ (less in CT, but the house is quite a bit more).
To be honest, there is plenty of diversity of cultures in NY, but what we lack at least is economic diversity in a lot of areas. Larchmont might be a good choice, though - you'll get a ton of Europeans in the village, along with a fair amount of hispanics in Mamaroneck (which shares the same MS & HS). Other areas that come to mind include Irvington, Pleasantville, Chappaqua, and even Greenwich, CT. Milburn and Summit in NJ also have great schools but I do not know about diversity.
Remember, if the OP is renting there won't be any school/town taxes to pay...
My impression is that he wanted to rent only initially. FWIW, LI's taxes are as high or higher than Westchester's and for all that, Nassau County is still at or close to insolvency.
Our taxes are indeed outrageous, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a lot of people complaining about the actual delivery or quality of those services (aside from the regular duplication and waste rants).
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relocating too
. I have two teens and while we have been researching high schools that have strong music programs, I have noticed many of the public schools have a strong sports presence on their web pages, while music is not always obvious. 
