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I agree that Westchester to Brooklyn is rough. For the last three years I have driven to Brooklyn from Tarrytown one day a week to help take care of my grandson. (My daughter's MIL also watches him). I love being with him, but the commute is not easy - at night, especially, it usually takes me more than two hours to get home because of traffic.
Take the Henry Hudson to the Westside Highway and over the Brooklyn Bridge or the Midtown Tunnel.
Take Triboro or Whitestone bridges to the BQE.
Take the NJ Turnpike to Staten Island and go across the Verrazano Bridge.
All three options are traffic nightmares and all three are expensive toll roads.
There is no good commute from Westchester or CT to Brooklyn.
I do it a couple of times a year and it isn't easy on a weekend. During weekday rush hour, forget about it.
I agree that none are great but the OP is the one that said their wife would commute to Brooklyn from Westchester. I’m assuming they know what it involves.
That said I’d avoid any commute that takes them through Manhattan. I’d also avoid a commute that requires crossing more than one major bridge. A commute from New Jersey would require that so I would not recommend it. The commute from Westchester only requires crossing one bridge, mst likely the Whitestone Bridge. I assume the OP’s wife is willing to do that. Jay
I agree that none are great but the OP is the one that said their wife would commute to Brooklyn from Westchester. I’m assuming they know what it involves.
That said I’d avoid any commute that takes them through Manhattan. I’d also avoid a commute that requires crossing more than one major bridge. A commute from New Jersey would require that so I would not recommend it. The commute from Westchester only requires crossing one bridge, most likely the Whitestone Bridge. I assume the OP’s wife is willing to do that. Jay
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Just a last reminder....that 2x a week commute my wife makes to Brooklyn can't be 2hrs all in.
It takes me an hour to drive from Yorktown Heights or Katonah to The NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx on a regular basis. Some days, it might be 45 minutes or 55 minutes. Still NY Botanical Garden is a ways away from Brooklyn. As an ex-Queens resident, the BQE is hit or miss with traffic and delays.
OP should use weekends to gauge the traffic from Westchester towns to his wife's job. Once the OP narrows it down, take vacation time and do a couple of commutes during the weekday rush.
I think Staten Island gets a bad rap, but for commuting into Brooklyn and Manhattan, it's a great. There are nice areas like Todt Hill.
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Staten Island's affluent Todt Hill neighborhood is as close to suburbia as it gets in the city
It takes me an hour to drive from Yorktown Heights or Katonah to The NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx on a regular basis. Some days, it might be 45 minutes or 55 minutes. Still NY Botanical Garden is a ways away from Brooklyn. As an ex-Queens resident, the BQE is hit or miss with traffic and delays.
OP should use weekends to gauge the traffic from Westchester towns to his wife's job. Once the OP narrows it down, take vacation time and do a couple of commutes during the weekday rush.
I think Staten Island gets a bad rap, but for commuting into Brooklyn and Manhattan, it's a great. There are nice areas like Todt Hill.
I know someone personally who commutes from Beacon (Dutchess County) to East New York, Brooklyn every day. She wakes up at 4, leaves at 4:30 and arrives there at 6:15-6:30 every morning (she is an Middle School Dean and is originally from Brooklyn).
She's done this for the last 8 years. I don't know how she does it. I never asked her what time she gets home, but from reading these stories, I would imagine that with the worst of traffic, it would probably take close to or over 3 hours!
Where in Brooklyn are you talking? I used to do a Brooklyn Heights -> Stamford commute, doing 4/5/6 to Metro-North 5 days a week. I was younger then and couldn't imagine doing something like that now. But two days a week could be bearable? I couldn't imagine driving that, there is just no way. Two hours if you are lucky, or maybe you'd need to leave by 4am like one poster already mentioned.
If you could make the train+subway work, I'm sure most towns would be doable if you find a Metro-North commute < 50 minutes. We moved from Bk Heights to Irvington two years ago and couldn't be happier. The 43 minute ride to GC is pretty decent in the morning and very civilized. I also spent many years just traveling with the family between Fairfield or Westchester and Brooklyn Heights, spent a significant portion of my life in traffic on the BQE creeping towards the Kosciuszko and Williamsburg. And that was usually Sunday nights, rush-hour would be worse I'm sure.
I agree with what others said. Where in Brooklyn your wife will be commuting to and even where you are commuting to in Manhattan matters.
I will also add that in Westchester, if you are only paying $25k in taxes per year on a $1MM house, consider yourself lucky. Westchester has the highest taxes in the nation. Aside from Rye City, which has about a 1.6% tax rate on assessed value and White Plains/Armonk which are ~2%, most places have at least 2.5% and a lot greater than 3-3.5%. If you are stuck on that $25K tax number, you will likely have to buy a cheaper house than $1MM.
You could look at Mamaroneck (houses zoned for Central Elememtary instead of Mamaroneck). It does share a Middle & High School with Larchmont, but the town in general has more socio-economic diversity than Larchmont.
White Plains, Harrison, and Eastchester might also be worth looking at.
You could look at Mamaroneck (houses zoned for Central Elememtary instead of Mamaroneck). It does share a Middle & High School with Larchmont, but the town in general has more socio-economic diversity than Larchmont.
I agree with what others said. Where in Brooklyn your wife will be commuting to and even where you are commuting to in Manhattan matters.
I will also add that in Westchester, if you are only paying $25k in taxes per year on a $1MM house, consider yourself lucky. Westchester has the highest taxes in the nation. Aside from Rye City, which has about a 1.6% tax rate on assessed value and White Plains/Armonk which are ~2%, most places have at least 2.5% and a lot greater than 3-3.5%. If you are stuck on that $25K tax number, you will likely have to buy a cheaper house than $1MM.
You could look at Mamaroneck (houses zoned for Central Elememtary instead of Mamaroneck). It does share a Middle & High School with Larchmont, but the town in general has more socio-economic diversity than Larchmont.
White Plains, Harrison, and Eastchester might also be worth looking at.
I was thinking the same thing. My house's assessed value is well under 1M (2500 sq ft) and am paying $23K in taxes per year. Also I'm in Dobbs not Larchmont/Mamaroneck or one of the 'premium' Westchester towns either, so would imagine the taxes to be even higher there for a similar house.
I was thinking the same thing. My house's assessed value is well under 1M (2500 sq ft) and am paying $23K in taxes per year. Also I'm in Dobbs not Larchmont/Mamaroneck or one of the 'premium' Westchester towns either, so would imagine the taxes to be even higher there for a similar house.
If the OP really wants lower taxes, I would consider Greenwich or some other CT towns (several under 1%), like JayCT suggested but that will add to his commute time.
Yes I meant Mamaroneck Ave Elementary. I only recommended Central over Mamaroneck Ave since the OP wanted highly ranked schools. I have no first-hand experience with either of those schools.
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