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My wife and I are 63 and retired. We are selling our condos in Chicago and moving to Metro NY (I grew up in Brooklyn) to be near family. We are trying to decide between White Plains and Stamford. White Plains seems to have more "character" but Stamford seems to have a better inventory of rentals and condos. Any advice regarding cost and quality of living would be greatly appreciated. I posted the same question on the Stamford forum so I would get a good cross section of responses. Thanks!
Stamford. Much larger high income white collar employment base in Stamford, with all that that brings. The downtown core has lots going on and lacks the Guido element that often prevails in WP. If you're from the midwest, Stamford will seem more neutral and less jarringly in-your-face NY.
I live in White Plains and work in Stamford and would agree.
Stamford actually has more in way of entertainment and restaurants, it is just more spread out.
White Plains only has on main street and 50% of the sqftage is currently empty.
Additionally, Stamford is most definitely more white collar.
I definitely prefer White Plains over Stamford. More urban feel, more New Yorky type feel (Stamford feels more Middle America) and much better shopping/restaurants. White Plains also has more high-end stuff, like Ritz Carlton, Trump, multimillion dollar condos, etc.
Stamford has some advantages, though. Stamford has more office space and more white collar jobs, and Stamford is building more than White Plains right now. So they both have their advantages.
Also, a previous poster mentioned "guido element". I have no idea what he/she is talking about; neither city has that sort of feel. But Stamford has a much larger Italian-American population than White Plains.
I don't think White Plains has a "guido element" either. Because of all the bars on Mamaroneck Avenue, I'd say it has a little bit of a 21-28 year old former frat boy element. But many young people who hang out in White Plains bars don't live there anyway, so it's not really reflective of the city.
After spending a bit of time in Stamford at this point, my wife and I have concluded that it is not the right place for us for retirement. For the most part, people on Fairfield County simply have a different lifestyle and outlook on life that we do and we both feel like fish out out of water.
Of course, it begs the question, if not Stamford then where? White Plains is attractive because of proximity, but the city itself does not feel vibrant. One might say it is in a slow process of decay, probably because of over arching economic and political realities.
We will be moving from Stamford. Hopefully within a year. But I am clueless at this point as to where.
After spending a bit of time in Stamford at this point, my wife and I have concluded that it is not the right place for us for retirement. For the most part, people on Fairfield County simply have a different lifestyle and outlook on life that we do and we both feel like fish out out of water.
Of course, it begs the question, if not Stamford then where? White Plains is attractive because of proximity, but the city itself does not feel vibrant. One might say it is in a slow process of decay, probably because of over arching economic and political realities.
We will be moving from Stamford. Hopefully within a year. But I am clueless at this point as to where.
I'm from the Chicago area but I have several close friends that live & work in the Tri-State area (particularly NY & NJ). I think that your $$$ will go a lot further if you choose a locale that is either well north of NYC or south of NYC. To the north, you'll probably be looking at the bucolic areas along the Hudson River. Beyond Westchester County you have counties such as Dutchess & Putnam. Eventually heading north you hit Albany. None of these places may be cosmopolitan enough for you or close enough to NYC, however.
If you need that quick proximity to NYC, I'd consider the following: Instead of White Plains, consider the Hudson River towns in Westchester County such as Hastings-On-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown. Again, not very large towns, but if you're in Hastings-On-Hudson, you're a very quick Metro North trip from Manhattan. The scenery is also nice since you're on the Hudson. There was an NY Times article not too long ago describing how hipsters from Brooklyn with growing families were moving out to Hastings-On-Hudson lol.
If you head south of the city, you have numerous towns along the Jersey Shore that may be worth considering. For true cost savings, I'd look into places such as Delaware near the shore. You'd basically be right by Philly and about 1.5 to 2 hours from NYC. For proximity to NYC from this direction, however, Jersey Shore may be your best bet.
Stamford (CT) is basically a white collar banking suburb of NYC for all intents & purposes. Next door Greenwich, CT is the hedge fund suburban executive neighbor hub town to NYC. It is truly designed for the wealthy and not for most of us regular Joe Schmoes.
I'm from the Chicago area but I have several close friends that live & work in the Tri-State area (particularly NY & NJ). I think that your $$$ will go a lot further if you choose a locale that is either well north of NYC or south of NYC. To the north, you'll probably be looking at the bucolic areas along the Hudson River. Beyond Westchester County you have counties such as Dutchess & Putnam. Eventually heading north you hit Albany. None of these places may be cosmopolitan enough for you or close enough to NYC, however.
If you need that quick proximity to NYC, I'd consider the following: Instead of White Plains, consider the Hudson River towns in Westchester County such as Hastings-On-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown. Again, not very large towns, but if you're in Hastings-On-Hudson, you're a very quick Metro North trip from Manhattan. The scenery is also nice since you're on the Hudson. There was an NY Times article not too long ago describing how hipsters from Brooklyn with growing families were moving out to Hastings-On-Hudson lol.
If you head south of the city, you have numerous towns along the Jersey Shore that may be worth considering. For true cost savings, I'd look into places such as Delaware near the shore. You'd basically be right by Philly and about 1.5 to 2 hours from NYC. For proximity to NYC from this direction, however, Jersey Shore may be your best bet.
Stamford (CT) is basically a white collar banking suburb of NYC for all intents & purposes. Next door Greenwich, CT is the hedge fund suburban executive neighbor hub town to NYC. It is truly designed for the wealthy and not for most of us regular Joe Schmoes.
Thanks for the advice. Greatly appreciate it. We will be checking out your recommendations as we seek a more permanent location for our retirement. Thanks again!
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