Live in Westchester, commute to Long Island (Hempstead, Pelham: home, pros and cons)
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Title says it all. Does anybody have any experience living in, or know somebody who lives in Westchester County, let’s say lower Westchester, and commutes to a job on Long Island, let’s say central Nassau County? If so, what town in lower Westchester are/were you/they living in?
I know that any commute coming from lower Westchester to Long Island has its inherent challenges/drawbacks including the daily Throgs Neck/Whitestone toll of $6.12 and likely rising as I type, parkway/expressway bottlenecks, congestion, and chronic/pop-up traffic jams, however, through a subjective cost-benefit analysis lens, I can see the scales tipping towards making such a Monday-Friday journey worth it. For me, despite working on Long Island, the potential of living in a lower Westchester town means no longer being bound by perpetually clogged East/West roads and bridges/ferries as a means of getting off of Long Island. Living in lower Westchester also provides easier access to points north, west, and even south to a certain extent, and by extension, easier access to nature in the forms of mountains, rivers, lakes, etc... Many people who commute to Nassau County for work happen to live in Suffolk County, often with commutes of upwards of 45 minutes. At the same time, living in lower Westchester is likely to be more costly in terms of owning a single family house, with a likely higher average cost in terms of price and taxes than a comparable home in Nassau, and especially Suffolk County. There are seemingly many pros and cons, but I feel hearing from someone with knowledge/experience on the matter will help shed further light.
I guess the core of my post here is, assuming there is no option of working in Westerchester, is living in Lower Westchester and commuting to Long Island worth it, at the end of the day? All feedback is appreciated, thanks!
Last edited by CogentChas; 07-08-2020 at 01:13 PM..
Yikes. That's 45-60 minutes without traffic at the very least. Sounds awful. You could be looking at 2 hours each way plus the toll......you wouldn't ever get to enjoy living in Westchester.
Yikes. That's 45-60 minutes without traffic at the very least. Sounds awful. You could be looking at 2 hours each way plus the toll......you wouldn't ever get to enjoy living in Westchester.
Taking a quick look at Google Maps, the closest possible town in Westchester to Long Island would probably be Pelham, and without traffic, Google actually says that would be about 40 minutes. With traffic, I can see that being easily 45-60 minutes, if not more, like you noted. But on the flip side, as I mentioned in my original post, I know of several people that live out in Suffolk County and have a commutes of anywhere from 30 minutes to well over an hour with traffic on LIE or parkways. It appears the bridges are the X factor for many as to why someone working in central Nassau County would be more likely to venture out into Suffolk County for housing, as opposed to lower Westchester Country. I am curious if there’s any precedent for people who have done it.
Then 45 minutes is about accurate as a no-traffic time. I grew up in Throggs Neck (in the Bronx), and a friend grew up in Hempstead so I'm familiar with the drive. It's 30 min at the fastest from my mom's to Hempstead. It's 15 min from my mom's to Pelham, and they're in a direct line.
With traffic, you're looking at far longer. Not only on the parkways (most direct route would be Hutch to Whitestone to Cross Island to either Southern or Northern State depending on where exactly you need to go).
My husband commuted from minneola to tarrytown for almost 3 years
Honestly it’s not worth it
I know this is not exactly what you are asking. But I think distance wise almost same...
Then 45 minutes is about accurate as a no-traffic time. I grew up in Throggs Neck (in the Bronx), and a friend grew up in Hempstead so I'm familiar with the drive. It's 30 min at the fastest from my mom's to Hempstead. It's 15 min from my mom's to Pelham, and they're in a direct line.
With traffic, you're looking at far longer. Not only on the parkways (most direct route would be Hutch to Whitestone to Cross Island to either Southern or Northern State depending on where exactly you need to go).
Sounds about right. I feel like if the door to door can be let’s say 40-45 without traffic, and up to an 1 hour and 10 or 15 minutes, it could get tiresome, but possibly worth it, especially when you look at those who justify commutes of similar lengths living further out east in Suffolk County. Bottom line is though the Westchester to Long Island is not an easy commute, no matter how you look at it. You’re definitely making sacrifices, especially if its a long term commitment.
My husband commuted from minneola to tarrytown for almost 3 years
Honestly it’s not worth it
I know this is not exactly what you are asking. But I think distance wise almost same...
Thank you for sharing, I would like to hear more examples of people who have done it or are currently doing it to get a better idea of its realities. Tarrytown is definitely a little further north than I would consider residing for such a commute, but it pretty close to the mark. If I did it, I probably wouldn’t go north of Hastings/Dobbs/Ardsley/Hartsdale. The Sound Shore towns might provide shorter commutes to Long Island it appears too.
Hi, I know you're looking for feedback from people who have experience, but I just wanted to share one thought. Commuting from Suffolk to Nassau, even if it takes 45 minutes due to a clogged LIE, is likely far easier mentally than commuting from Westchester to LI. You basically know what your commute is every day. Whereas when you're coming all the way from Pelham (or wherever) to LI, just knowing that there are several different hotspots where you can hit traffic backups is draining. You never know if your commute is going to be 50 minutes or 90 minutes. That is brutal in and of itself. And of course, traffic is almost definitely going to be even more horrible than it normally is due to people avoiding mass transit.
I mean, unless your a real nature lover that needs to go hiking on both weekend days every day, it doesn't seem like the trade off is worth it. Maybe there's a ferry from CT that might be doable?
Good luck!
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