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... I value my privacy and can't stand living in an apt situation where I'll hear other people through the walls (very light sleeper), and the last thing I want to do on a cold winter morning is take the dog out to potty--a fenced in yard where I can just open the door and let him do his thing is mandatory. Its more important to me to have a short commute to work (because I'm there so darn long) than to have "things to do" close by. I can go into the city on the weekends and enjoy the quiet of the burbs the rest of the time. I definitely don't want to live where I hear sirens, people blaring car stereos or lots of street activity at night. Crickets are music to my ears after 9pm.... Recommendations for these types of areas are welcome and much appreciated.
A house for that budget... you are now talking some trade offs because most houses will be at least 3dbrms and a 3bdrm for under $3K around here might not fit what you imagine them to be. Also, fyi, in case you didnt know, a house rental usually does not include heating, unlike an apartment which does and that can make a difference in your budget.
EDIT, Perhaps parts of Yonkers or White Plains, or Port Chester (which isn't far from Ardsley) might offer wider choices of houses for that rental budget... reason being schools not having a good reputation in these areas.
MDM1: "Here's an example of what's in your price range with a sub ten minute commute." This type of place is exactly what I'm looking for. And the map will prove to be helpful too. Thanks!
SHOULDHAVELEFT914: I'm single at 44 because I recently ended a long term relationship and am enjoying the peace and ease of living alone again. :-)
To everyone else: I am generally a home body, especially during the work week. With the dog waiting for me at home after being by himself for 10 hours, even after-work happy hours are out. I do venture out on the weekends, but mostly to do day-time stuff--craft shows, shopping, an early dinner, take the dog to the park, etc... I value my privacy and can't stand living in an apt situation where I'll hear other people through the walls (very light sleeper), and the last thing I want to do on a cold winter morning is take the dog out to potty--a fenced in yard where I can just open the door and let him do his thing is mandatory. Its more important to me to have a short commute to work (because I'm there so darn long) than to have "things to do" close by. I can go into the city on the weekends and enjoy the quiet of the burbs the rest of the time. I definitely don't want to live where I hear sirens, people blaring car stereos or lots of street activity at night. Crickets are music to my ears after 9pm.... Recommendations for these types of areas are welcome and much appreciated.
Sunduri, I think there are plenty of options in your price range in Hartsdale. It's very peaceful and quiet, it borders Ardsley, and you will definitely hear the crickets at night. I live very close to the Hartsdale/Ardsley border and am always pleasantly surprised at how peaceful and quiet it is at night. (I grew up with sirens in the Bronx.) But it's only 35 minutes from midtown on the express Metro North. I would recommend looking into it.
And BTW, don't let "should have left 914" get under your skin. I tuned that bitter poster out long ago.
Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. Hartsdale sounds good too. Maybe I can grab one of those 2 bedroom homes that no one else wants. :-) I know from my move from Philly to NC that it's not always easy to find a place when all you have is one weekend and a list of rentals to look at. The more I can find out about the areas beforehand, the better.
Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. Hartsdale sounds good too. Maybe I can grab one of those 2 bedroom homes that no one else wants. :-) I know from my move from Philly to NC that it's not always easy to find a place when all you have is one weekend and a list of rentals to look at. The more I can find out about the areas beforehand, the better.
Just to note: Hartsdale is a hamlet (which isn't really an entity, just a name for an area) in the unincorporated area of Greenburgh. Here's a map that does an ok job of showing the various hamlets, towns, villages, cities and unincorporated areas that make up the wacky municipal organization system in Westchester. Also, since I saw someone mention it, beware that Yonkers has a ~1.5% income tax (no where else in Westchester does).
I'll be avoiding Yonkers, then, mdm1. Cost of living is already high enough without an added tax. I'm looking at the map and can figure out "city", but what is the distinction between "village", "town" and "Village/town"? Does it have to do with size of the area, population density, or both or neither?
I'll be avoiding Yonkers, then, mdm1. Cost of living is already high enough without an added tax. I'm looking at the map and can figure out "city", but what is the distinction between "village", "town" and "Village/town"? Does it have to do with size of the area, population density, or both or neither?
It mostly has to do with government structure, although you do need 500 people to incorporate a village.
A village is a subunit of a town (but can be coterminus with the town, as Scarsdale, Mount Kisco and Harrison are) that is governed by a fairly strong mayor or manager and a board of trustees. It basically gives people in a smaller region more control over their town services. So all the light orange areas are a subentity of the town in uppercase italics. Confusingly, there can be a town and village that share the same name, as it is in the case of Ossining.
A town is what exists everywhere in NY that's not a city, and is run by a weak supervisor and a town council. I believe towns have more power to tax/enact laws/borrow money, etc.
This stuff won't matter much to you as a renter, both because that takes property taxes and zoning out of the mix, as well as the fact that property values tend to follow school district boundaries, not municipal boundaries. However, some local laws may affect you (overnight street parking for guests, leash laws, bicycle helmet laws, etc). The other thing that is idiosyncratic is that some areas are typically referred to by the hamlet names, and others use the town. Most people won't say Greenburgh or Mount Pleasant, and will instead say Hartsdale or Valhalla or whatever, but most Yorktown and Somers people will just use the town name regardless of whether they live in a hamlet or not.
The 3br might work. I've had a 3br home (own and rent) since about 2004 and have accumulated quite a bit of stuff. Thanks for the links to these, ShouldHaveLeft.
I would recommend looking at Dobbs Ferry. It's very close to Ardsley (they are practically the same town besides the sign that says 'Welcome to Dobbs Ferry' and the advantage of Dobbs Ferry over Ardsley is Dobbs Ferry's downtown as well as more housing options (types). Plus, Dobbs Ferry has a train station which is always nice to be close to in order to get into the city during the weekend.
Someone sent me a private message with some really terrific pictures of many of the areas surrounding Ardsley. I liked Dobbs Ferry and Hastings best. Hartsdale is also on my list. Despite, (or perhaps because) I grew up in Baltimore, I just don't like city living. They are too loud and crowded for me and just don't feel like "home". Visiting on the weekend is fine but home has gotta be someplace clean, green and quiet. It seems that some areas of northern White Plains, Valhalla and Ossining might work too. Since I'll be renting, it's not the end of the world if I don't absolutely love the area I end up choosing. I can always move when my lease is up.
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you should check out Hartsdale
