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Currently living in Scarsdale with 2 small children and looking to move, primarily to avoid the high stress pressure cooker environment in the schools but also not feeling the overall vibe. I am looking for a significant Jewish population, easy commute to NYC, and am interested in Larchmont as it seems less uptight, more community feel, love the walkability. Is it that right? Is it very preppy?? Not really looking for super preppy waspy feel but I do like diversity and a Jewish community. Appreciate help Would like a nice town, good people, good quality of life, great schools. Does that exist?
Larchmont and Mamaroneck are both good choices. We have many Jewish friends in Rye (Greenhaven) and Mamaroneck.
I agree with both Larchmont and Mamaroneck. Great communities and great schools. We live in Rye Neck area of Mamaroneck. Considering the amount of Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs my 13 year old neighbor has attended so far this year, I would say you would have many Jewish neighbors.
We made this exact move 5 years ago and don't regret it for a second. We LOVE Mamaroneck. Didn't like the vibe in Scarsdale either, although we met lovely people there. The feeling here is just more laid back, and everything you could need is so much closer (Scarsdale is kind of in the middle of nothing).
We have plenty of Jewish neighbors, it's a really good mix around here. If you have questions about Orienta feel free to PM me. We looked in Larchmont too but found the lots too small for our taste.
Currently living in Scarsdale with 2 small children and looking to move, primarily to avoid the high stress pressure cooker environment in the schools but also not feeling the overall vibe.
Could someone give examples of how scarsdale schools are high stress pressure cooker environments? There have been many posts calling it as such, but im not quite sure how this is manifested in real life.
I am in the market for a 1-2 Bdr Coop or Condo apartment anywhere in Westchester County along the side of MN Harlem Line. Single middle-aged gentlemen of Russian-Jewish descent, gainfully employed in Manhattan. No dogs, don’t smoke or drink. Promise to be a good neighbor. Please kindly recommend specific apartment buildings communities that would meet the following criteria.
Deal breakers
Walking distance to any MN Harlem Line station under .5 miles
Spacious rooms
Lower property taxes, translating into:
Lower price per sqft
Lower monthly HOA per sqft
Extra points for
Diversity and a Jewish community
Nice view
Tall (7+ floors) buildings
Bike roads
Indoor swimming pool in the community
Short driving distance to shopping plazas
Irrelevant
Waspy feel in the area
School districts
Could someone give examples of how scarsdale schools are high stress pressure cooker environments? There have been many posts calling it as such, but im not quite sure how this is manifested in real life.
Great question, but no one will answer it. Scarsdale (and select other schools) being "high stress pressure cooker environments" is one of the useless myths that is promulgated on this board, and in other areas of human discussion, without there being any factual basis for it. The same thing is true when people unilaterally declare certain communities to be "down to earth", and others to not be. I have yet to see a workable definition of "down to earth" that would render the term useful in regards to helping someone diagnose a prospective community to live in.
It is a very interesting point that 987ABC brings up. On the one hand, I can see that with highly successful parents coupled with competitive peers, that the drive to 'be the best' can be overwhelming. However, on the other hand I can see that if a child already has the best in life, where does the drive to succeed come from? If you know that you can coast off of your parents connections, trust funds, gifts, etc, how do you stay motivated to get to the next level? How stressed can you really be if you already have it all? My guess is that in any school district, you will have those who will rise to the occasion and others who don't. No school district can make your child have the drive, it comes from within.
Could someone give examples of how scarsdale schools are high stress pressure cooker environments? There have been many posts calling it as such, but im not quite sure how this is manifested in real life.
Its cultural, not quantifiable in an easy to grasp parameter one can just write down in numerical form. This confuses some into thinking it therefore doesn't exist. It comes from the attitudes and atmosphere engendered by students, parents and projected parental expectations, and can be compounded by the teachers and administration or sometimes ameliorated by them, depending on pedagogical approaches..
Of course some people are entirely invulnerable to it, but then some are entirety socially detached anyway. Notably, not all hi-scoring schools (even those scored by a single attribute such as ACT scores)have the reputation - belying the simplistic notion its just a synonym for that.
As a parent thinking of moving to such a district, ideally one would canvass parents already there. You could start with the OP of course..... You'd need a number tho to really get a feel for the school culture since some are dishonest about anything they have already committed to, some have status anxiety which will cloud all else, some with have had good experiences, and some will just be culturally not aligned with you.
Currently living in Scarsdale with 2 small children and looking to move, primarily to avoid the high stress pressure cooker environment in the schools but also not feeling the overall vibe. I am looking for a significant Jewish population, easy commute to NYC, and am interested in Larchmont as it seems less uptight, more community feel, love the walkability. Is it that right? Is it very preppy?? Not really looking for super preppy waspy feel but I do like diversity and a Jewish community. Appreciate help Would like a nice town, good people, good quality of life, great schools. Does that exist?
Armonk and Rye Brook seem like good choices too. Possibly Chappaqua as well, although all are still pressure-cookers to an extent. I witnessed 3 different mini-road rage incidents in downtown Scarsdale on Saturday in less than an hour, it was absurdly comical.. and I thought people in FFC were bad.
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Would like a nice town, good people, good quality of life, great schools. Does that exist? 
