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It was john70 who started with the home invasions and muggings, which don't exist around here either by the way. He seems to think that Bronx car theft rings, Mt Vernon and Yonkers "creep", and crazy driving lunatics are prevalent down here. Those were all his ideas. But now I realize that he doesn't even consider my area "southern" Westchester. What are we, Sound Shore Westchester? Whatever, the moral of this story is that we all like where we live - yippee!
I never said anything about muggings, I believe it was "Street Smart" referring to northern Westchester, who made that well thought out point (because you can't see your neighbors house...)...she clearly knows nothing about Northern Westchester aside from getting lost but yet feels qualified to pontificate on the subject and give advice to people seeking to relocate.
Crime is much more prevelant the farther south you get. I lived in a nice area of lower Westchester for
for 9 years. Cars were constantly broken into and vandalized. I now leave my cars unlocked...
No home invasions in Mamaroneck??? Really!! Probably no muggings either - those only take place in Katonah and Bedford...
I have lived in both areas, giving me, unlike others who have posted here, a better and more accurate perspective on this issue.
I have to say...starting a thread on here was the smartest thing I could have done! Listening to the dialogue back in forth from people who live in the areas is the kind of information people like me long for. Agents will tell you nothing, demographics and test scores tell you a little, but the most important information you can get is a local opinion.
Anyone on here have any input on this idea....with the current property tax laws in place now, would we be better off if we built say a 3000sq house from the ground up? some of the house I see in Katonah (only in the Katonah/lewisboro school district) the taxes range from 16k-25k! that's a big jump. Or is building new construction just a bad idea and the taxes will always be on the high end. Just asking because I know in nyc you can get tax breaks for certain aspects of the house or even tax exemptions for 10 years on certain properties that qualify. thoughts?
I never said anything about muggings, I believe it was "Street Smart" referring to northern Westchester, who made that well thought out point (because you can't see your neighbors house...)...she clearly knows nothing about Northern Westchester aside from getting lost but yet feels qualified to pontificate on the subject and give advice to people seeking to relocate.
Crime is much more prevelant the farther south you get. I lived in a nice area of lower Westchester for
for 9 years. Cars were constantly broken into and vandalized. I now leave my cars unlocked...
No home invasions in Mamaroneck??? Really!! Probably no muggings either - those only take place in Katonah and Bedford...
I have lived in both areas, giving me, unlike others who have posted here, a better and more accurate perspective on this issue.
Goodness. I bow down to you since you have lived in both places and therefore are the only authority to comment. Why is it that people who only work there or visit friends there regularly can know nothing about the area???
I have never been lost in northern Westchester and did not say I was. I said I took Kitchawan Rd because if you want to get to Meadow Pond Elementary school your options are limited. Look it up. (I found it better to take the Merritt.) And if you'd like to drive that in the winter make sure you have your snow tires on...
I also did not say that I thought muggings and home invasions were prevalent up there, only that I would be more afraid because of the space and lack of people. Living in a denser neighborhood gives me a sense of security for whatever reason. Probably because that's what I'm used to.
Based on what you say, southern Westchester is a crime infested concrete jungle full of roving gangs from the Bronx looking to break into your car. You don't seem to know any more about the area where I live than you think I do about where you live. (I have friends in Armonk and don't really consider it northern Westchester. So there, we're even.)
Why would anyone give up the vibrancy and culture of living in the city? For financial reasons, obviously. If you make 6 digits, your absolute dollar taxes in NYC are almost at parity with almost anywhere outside the Bronx border and you get much less services in NYC in return. Your home and auto insurance premiums will also be much lower. “Vibrancy” and “culture” are not amenities that require payment and if you want to enjoy them, you can always take the MNR to the city at your leisure. People also omit that the better public schools in the city have a lot of hidden costs that require families of means to fork thousands every year in miscellaneous fees. It's funny how people can use the process of elimination to arrive at square footage and biases as the only reasons for moving out of the city.
Quote:
Originally Posted by john70
Crime is much more prevelant the farther south you get. I lived in a nice area of lower Westchester for
for 9 years. Cars were constantly broken into and vandalized. I now leave my cars unlocked...
So where did you live? Rye? Hastings? I live in a nice area too that's near the Eastchester border but it falls within the City of Yonkers and there is a greater number of burglaries that occur compared with the villages next door.
Last edited by Forest_Hills_Daddy; 11-15-2013 at 07:46 AM..
Anyone on here have any input on this idea....with the current property tax laws in place now, would we be better off if we built say a 3000sq house from the ground up? some of the house I see in Katonah (only in the Katonah/lewisboro school district) the taxes range from 16k-25k! that's a big jump. Or is building new construction just a bad idea and the taxes will always be on the high end. Just asking because I know in nyc you can get tax breaks for certain aspects of the house or even tax exemptions for 10 years on certain properties that qualify. thoughts?
Yes. And there's the problem of finding suitable lot. Much (most?) new construction in N westchester is tear-downs.
Why would anyone give up the vibrancy and culture of living in the city? For financial reasons, obviously.If you make 6 digits, your absolute dollar taxes in NYC are almost at parity with almost anywhere outside the Bronx border and you get much less services in NYC in return. Your home and auto insurance premiums will also be much lower. “Vibrancy” and “culture” are not amenities that require payment and if you want to enjoy them, you can always take the MNR to the city at your leisure. People also omit that the better public schools in the city have a lot of hidden costs that require families of means to fork thousands every year in miscellaneous fees. It's funny how people can use the process of elimination to arrive at square footage and biases as the only reasons for moving out of the city.
So where did you live? Rye? Hastings? I live in a nice area too that's near the Eastchester border but it falls within the City of Yonkers and there is a greater number of burglaries that occur compared with the villages next door.
Not only financial. You've made clear that you require that stuff and have no interest in the woods, twisty roads etc. What you're missing is that for lots of people the vibrancy and culture, and the pace and energy it demands, eventually gets tiresome and wearying. At that point the peace and quiet, woods etc can start looking very nice indeed. It's not for everybody, as others have noted, but it most definitely is not always about the $$. There are plenty of people living up north that could afford to live anywhere but choose the slower paced lifestyle. (OTOH, lots of those people aren't daily NYC commuters)
But the question was why people would give up NYC to go to so. westchester, not why they would choose Bedford over Hastings or vice versa. And it's not about affordability since people who make 6 digits can afford to live in either NYC or the counties. It's about getting what you pay for. Why pay $15K/year in taxes for amenities that you don't use even if you can afford it when you can pay $17K - $20K in Larchmont and get schools, better police presence, sanitation etc? Why pay high insurance premiums that you can cut in half by living 20 miles away? And if you want to attend a good NYC public school with open admissions, be prepared to fork $5K - $10K in extra fees. Doesn't look like a good deal when you break down the numbers but yes there are people who would do otherwise and live in the boroughs.
Why would anyone give up the vibrancy and culture of living in the city? For financial reasons, obviously. If you make 6 digits, your absolute dollar taxes in NYC are almost at parity with almost anywhere outside the Bronx border and you get much less services in NYC in return. Your home and auto insurance premiums will also be much lower. “Vibrancy” and “culture” are not amenities that require payment and if you want to enjoy them, you can always take the MNR to the city at your leisure. People also omit that the better public schools in the city have a lot of hidden costs that require families of means to fork thousands every year in miscellaneous fees. It's funny how people can use the process of elimination to arrive at square footage and biases as the only reasons for moving out of the city.
So where did you live? Rye? Hastings? I live in a nice area too that's near the Eastchester border but it falls within the City of Yonkers and there is a greater number of burglaries that occur compared with the villages next door.
I lived in Bronxville. The village itself was very safe but the surrounding areas did have a fair share of crime. Notably Mount Vernon - which is right next door...
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