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I am currently looking for homes in southern westchester because I am in an apartment that my husband and 3 young girls have outgrown. We looked in Ardsley and found a home but decided the commute wasn't good for my husband since he works in the city. Now we are on the look out again. We need to be near a train, would like a town, have nice neighbors, and amenities. I would like to have a pool in the summer if possible and also have playground to walk to. I would also like a good school district for my kids. My oldest starts kindergarten in the fall. Ideally I would like a school bus district but not necessary. Can anyone shed some light on living in Eastchester, Pelham, Scarsdale and Larchmont? I want a family oriented place that isn't snobby or pretentious where we can meet down to earth people. We are looking for homes in the mid 700's. Thanks in advance.
Last edited by Micascara; 05-30-2016 at 12:13 PM..
Mid 700's won't take you far in any of those towns. All four are arguably some of the richest towns in Westchester with some of the best schools. Taxes from what I've seen will be in the 18-25k range for a four bedroom house on a small property. Down to earth also wouldn't necessarily be the first words to describe those towns (not that there's anything wrong with that).
You may want to check out Harrison, although if the commute from Ardsley was too long, that may be pushing it a bit too.
If your budget is 700k and the commute from ardsley is too much than you are going to have a hard time finding something given your criteria. Where in manhattan will your husband be working?
Also it seems a requirement on this site that a person list "down to earth" as a desired characteristic of their prospective town. When you say you want to meet down to earth people, what do you mean exactly? I have always found it to be an odd turn of phrase to use regarding something as important as picking a place to live. Maybe it's easier to describe behaviors that are not down to earth and that can be helpful???
Pelham or Eastchester. If you don't want snooty or pretentious avoid Scarsdale , and I guess you could call Larchmont family oriented, but check out those whopping home prices and property taxes...it's a pretty exclusive club and Larchmont residents like it like that. I don't get Pelham's appeal but people who live there love it. Eastchester is perfect for kids and you will have access to Lake Isle Country Club - Tennis, Pool, Catering, Golf - Westchester NY
700 won't go get you much in any of those areas except maybe Pelham. The real differences between those towns is ethnicity. Jews live in Scarsdale and Larchmont, Italian and Irish Catholic in Eastchester and Pelham. They are all affluent. I would not classify any of them as down to earth but certainly family oriented and education driven.
My username is stale -- we've been in Pelham for almost a year, and love it here. Great place to raise a family, excellent public schools, a real sense of community. Unfortunately there is no town pool, but there are a number of playgrounds. As for housing stock, you can find houses in the mid 700 range, but not many, and some may need some work. There are also a lot of apartments/coops/condos, and even some townhouses.
But, at the end of the day, if you can find a home you like, the town is a great place for a family, and yes, down to earth.
Pelham or Eastchester. If you don't want snooty or pretentious avoid Scarsdale , and I guess you could call Larchmont family oriented, but check out those whopping home prices and property taxes...it's a pretty exclusive club and Larchmont residents like it like that. I don't get Pelham's appeal but people who live there love it. Eastchester is perfect for kids and you will have access to Lake Isle Country Club - Tennis, Pool, Catering, Golf - Westchester NY
I have met a fair number of people/families from Scarsdale in recent years. Every single one of them has been friendly, cheerful, selfless, self-deprecating, and accomadating of others. And yes, they have been "down to earth". Nearly all of these contacts have been through youth sports, so maybe this particular subset is different but I doubt it. My kids have been on sports teams with kids from Scarsdale - where kids from multiple towns get to play together and the Scarsdale families have been great. My kids have also played where the families were largely from a lower economic scale from a different part of the region and these families were largely unfriendly and dismissive of others, and decidedly not down to earth.
Maybe if you can cite some observed snooty and pretentious behavior on the part of someone from Scarsdale I may think differently, but my experiences have been decidedly different, and I think my sample size has been large enough to form an opinion.
I have met a fair number of people/families from Scarsdale in recent years. Every single one of them has been friendly, cheerful, selfless, self-deprecating, and accomadating of others. And yes, they have been "down to earth". Nearly all of these contacts have been through youth sports, so maybe this particular subset is different but I doubt it. My kids have been on sports teams with kids from Scarsdale - where kids from multiple towns get to play together and the Scarsdale families have been great. My kids have also played where the families were largely from a lower economic scale from a different part of the region and these families were largely unfriendly and dismissive of others, and decidedly not down to earth.
Maybe if you can cite some observed snooty and pretentious behavior on the part of someone from Scarsdale I may think differently, but my experiences have been decidedly different, and I think my sample size has been large enough to form an opinion.
Lol, you make Scarsdale sound like a boy scout troop. According to USA Today Scarsdale is the richest town in America The 10 richest towns in America
You don't get that way by being a boy scout, you get that way by being ferociously hard-nosed and competitive. And I base my sample size on 50 years of living in and around Scarsdale.
Higher than normal prevalence of status-anxiety there among the few contacts I've had. Not my cup of tea - but for some its all part of a race and they thrive in that.
700 won't go get you much in any of those areas except maybe Pelham. The real differences between those towns is ethnicity. Jews live in Scarsdale and Larchmont, Italian and Irish Catholic in Eastchester and Pelham. They are all affluent. I would not classify any of them as down to earth but certainly family oriented and education driven.
I would not characterize Larchmont as primarily Jewish.
A quick source:Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
Last edited by Yac; 06-15-2016 at 06:05 AM..
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