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My family (Wife and two kids - ages 6 & 4) is moving from New Hampshire so I can take a job as a banker in Midtown Manhattan. We want to move somewhere less than 1 hour morning commute to midtown (evening commute is not an issue).
We require great public elemetary schools, by great i mean the peer group is middle class, upper middle class, engaged teachers, absolutely no danger. Also we require a somewhat suburban feel of the community so my wife can go to the mall, grocery shopping (i.e. park the car at the grocery store) and safe parks without sketchy people like central park.
We would probably rent. Hopefully we could find a 3 bedroom rental (townhouse or house) for under $2.5k a month. Hopefully with a small backyard or great park within walking distance. We also would love an ice rink nearby since my kids are learning to play hockey.
Does such a community exist? I've heard that westchester county, some parts of brooklyn, north shore of long island and possibly parts of new jersey might make sense. I really have no idea. I spent last summer living in the upper west side and that is really my only experience living and working in nyc. Any help for me and my family would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Rentals will cost you more than your guidelines, but it's a decent value vs any comparables in NYC region; easy commute; and from career (and kids' role-model) standpoint decent crowd of fellow parents/kids
Only other place to consider w/a more high-powered financial industry crowd (though dubious public schools (pvt schools are essentially mandatory), but lower state income tax rate) is Greenwich
thanks for reply, just to clarify, i'm going to be an associate...entry level banker. highest i'd be able to go for the rental is probably 3.5k (which would require public schools at that housing cost). i don't need to be in the high roller circles but certainly not opposed to it. more interested in the suburban life for family. since you mentioned scarsdale, how about rye, stamford? thanks!
Rye is also an expensive area in which to rent, and for your budget, it's going to be tough to get the space you need in Rye or Rye Brook, unless you could deal with an apartment. Port Chester would not meet your needs from a schools perspective, and some parts of the area are a little gritty, despite recent turnarounds.
In Scarsdale, closer to your upper end, you might find a cottage in Arthur Manor for rent, but they are generally smaller houses. And, while the school district has a good reputation, it can be a bit of a pressure cooker in terms of peer pressure, especially if one is not keeping up with prevailing trends among their peer group.
Neighboring Eastchester might be worth considering, as it has a solid school district, though lacks the village downtown of Scarsdale and Bronxville, but does have convenient shopping on White Plains Road.
Other areas of Westchester to consider would include Pelham, Hastings-on-Hudson, Ardsley, Larchmont, and Dobbs Ferry, though it might be closer to your maximum rental range for a small house in these areas. You could find an apartment in some of them well within range. Parts of New Rochelle are nice, but the schools can be problematic as the city administers a large district and at the upper grades, in particular, the schools and classes can be huge.
Parts of Stamford are nice, but you're getting far from the city, and over an hour commuting door-to-door, realisitically, in the morning. Greenwich is 45 minutes on the train, and that would likely be an hour door-to-door, depending upon where you need to be in Manhattan.
There are a few rinks in Westchester. Rye Playland's rink is the practice rink for the Rangers. Larchmont has Hommocks Park Rink, and Elmsford has a year round rink. Playland is closed mid-May through mid-August. In the city, Chelsea Piers is open year-round, and I am trying to think of others that are indoor and all year. Larchmont is seasonal as well. Here's a link to search for a rink by area for more particulars: Skating Rinks, Hockey Arenas, Curling Rinks - We're all about Rinks!(tm) - FREE Information about Rinks
Larchmont might be do-able for you: my manager rents a house there. So there must be others. It's not a bad commute. On the other side, you might want to look in Irvington or Dobbs Ferry, as well.
Your budget is going to be the issue. There are plenty of towns and areas in Westchester that would meet all your other requirements.
I'm not sure about rental prices, but the current market conditions are very favorable to purchasing, which can be far cheaper in the long run. Something for you to consider. Two years ago, I would have said the entry point for any 3-bedroom in Westchester was around $600,000-$650,000 with a 6% mortgage, but in current conditions, if you have good credit and the money for a downpayment, I would say you can enter the market with homes priced under $500,000 and a 5% mortgage.
Still, I think southern Westchester would be hard on your budget. Central and Northern Westchester can still be under an hour train ride to Grand Central. Nice areas, with good train access, where I think you can purchase a decent (not great, but decent) small 3-bedroom home for under $500,000 include Mount Kisco and Croton on Hudson. Also worth looking at Somers and Yorktown, which are cheaper with lower taxes, but they do not have their own train lines. Accordingly, if you take mass transit to work, you would need to explore parts of Somers and Yorktown that are close to train stations in other towns.
With a very tight budget, you might want to just finalize your budget, and then put together a list of acceptable towns, and see if there are any acceptable homes in any of those towns. While there may be 5-10 choices available in a more northern town like Yorktown, there may still be 1-2 choices available in the more expensive southern towns like Irvington, Scarsdale, etc.
Except for a few areas, the entire county is "suburban." Drive to safe grocery stores, parks, etc. Though there are a few lesser school districts, most of the school districts range from very good, to elite. (Elite being half the graduating class going on to Ivy league schools, 95% going on to 4 year colleges, etc).
I can't really speak much about Connecticut or Long Island. Stamford schools don't have the greatest reputation, though I have heard decent things about the elementary schools.
I can speak a bit about Rockland County --- You would have far more options in your budget. Still have the suburban feel you are seeking. Some excellent schools. The commute is not nearly as good as Westchester though. Still, depending on where you are commuting in Manhattan (where in midtown? Penn Station area, or Grand Central area?), depending on the steadiness and hours of your commute, and depending on your preferred method of commuting (insist on train? want to drive? bus acceptable?), the commute from Rockland County can be around an hour under the right circumstances.
I think all of the above are good options and will give you a good commute, good schools, good amenities, good neighbors, and the general basics you outlined. I suggest a lot of trips to explore the area and see more specifically what you want. Towns like Scarsdale, Rye, Irvintgon will give you a more classic suburban experience whereas areas further north like Croton, Somers, Yorktown can give you a more country experience with both the needed amenities and easy access to nature preserves, hiking, and undeveloped land. It's really a question of what kind of area appeals to you and what lifestyle you want.
RE Ice skating, my son takes lessons at the Westchester Skating Academy in Elmsford (a 20 minute drive from where we are in Yorktown). I definitely recommend it.
thank you all for the great replys. Sounds like in general, the towns of Scarsdale, Rye, Irvington, Eastchester make sense...but finding a rental in my range will be challenging.
I'm definately set on renting and need 3 bedrooms minimum. I can be flexible on whether in house, townhouse or very nice apt though.
The more i think about it, a commute from northern or central westchester might be too much. I'll be working in time square, as an i-banker, getting crushed late into the night routinely and the longer commute in the morning might be too much. most of my peers will be living on manhattan island, so i'm already pushing it by moving as far out as southern westchester.
Can anyone dive a little deeper for me on these nicer southern westchester towns? My hope is to find those rental gems, in my price range but livable in those areas. Sounds like parts of Scarsdale might be the most affordable.
I've faced similar housing dillemas in LA, when i lived there, though as with everything in NYC i'm sure LA was just a taste the real tradeoffs.
Anymore info on Southern Westchester cities with great school districts is much appreciated!!
Scarsdale is not the most affordable in Lower Westchester, by far. Pelham, Ardsley, and Larchmont all stand a better chance of offering you more options in your price range. Bronxville and Scarsdale will tend to be more expensive, and you might stand a chance of finding something small in Scarsdale, but Bronxville would likely be out of range, since with Bronxville you need to be in the village to have the schools. Scarsdale is similar in that you need to be in the town/village (it's both) to be in the school district, and parts of New Rochelle have a Scarsdale zip code, much like parts of Yonkers have a Bronxville zip code.
If you're flexible as to housing style, I'd definitely consider areas that have more available options, especially Pelham and Larchmont that have more in the way of apartments and have very fast Grand Central Commutes. You'd be in to GCT in about 30-35 minutes from these stations and then it's a short walk or the shuttle subway to Times Square, and you're at work, perhaps 45 minutes or so. The Edgemont School District, off the train by a couple of minutes, neighboring Scarsdale/Hartsdale might have an affordable option in a good district as there are apartments along Central Avenue.
The schools is Pelham are excellent, serving only the Pelhams, and are on par with top districts in Lower Westchester. Larchmont (village) shares schools with Mamaroneck (its town) and they are very good, though some elementary schools tend to perform better than others, but you would generally not notice a difference. Hartsdale schools are not on par with neighboring Scarsdale and Edgemont that are excellent districts as well, though Scarsdale can have much in the way of pressure to perform, some of which is healthy and some can go over the top. Bronxville, Ardsley, Irvington, and Rye all have good school districts that serve the areas. Eastchester and Tuckahoe are also good districts. Generally, the smaller town/village school systems tend to perofrm better than larger counterparts that tend to have issues on a district-wide comparison. The cities are larger and have more diverse populations, though there are good schools within them, but one has to be especially judicious in choosing the right school, not just the district, when considering a house.
EDIT: Here's a link to search the Westchester MLS, options by school district, towns, etc. that can offer a better way to find a good rental: http://wpmls.rapmls.com/scripts/mgrq...gGA==&KeyRid=1 (Note: Some of the search features are optimized for Internet Explorer, as they can give headaches with Mozilla or Opera browsers)
Also, you're fine as others have mentioned with regard to family-friendliness in much of Westchester. The areas of concern will be parts of the cities, per your criteria, but they are easily avoided as your wife will not have to go there for shopping, unless she needs auto parts or some industrial supplies as part of her errands.
Last edited by bmwguydc; 12-31-2008 at 09:21 AM..
Reason: Added information
If i may throw in another option, you might want to consider Long Island. The LIRR pulls into penn station which is a simple 5 or 6 block walk north to 42nd street (grand central is a cross town walk, a bit further but also a LOT nicer than Penn). I was just looking at homes in garden city this past weekend and saw some nice stuff, very good schools. Prices are similar to westchester and so is the commute (40 mins). I would check out Port Washington and Great Neck. I dont know about the schools but they are affulent areas so they cant be all that bad. My suggestion, get a map of where metro-north and LIRR stations are and look at commute times. Then pick a few areas to check out. The advice above is pretty accurate and Scarsdale is DEFINITELY not the most affordable. Take a look at Garth Road. I rented a 2 bedroom apt there for $2100/mo a few years back and absolutely LOVED living there (parking situation completely sucks though). You may want to look at hartsdale also. Its one town north of scarsdale and has a cute (small) village and very nice train station. There are a LOT of co-ops there and many apartment building to rent, all in walking distance to the train. Again, i dont know about the schools. good luck. BTW, I feel your pain. I know the areas somewhat and I'm having a hell of a time picking an area to live and finding a home to buy. I hate this stuff...
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