How's Eastchester (Scarsdale, Dobbs Ferry, Lee: homes, neighborhood, school districts)

[quelinda]

Irish and Italian is cool with me. Is there any diversity there whatsoever? Any Puerto Ricans? Does the town get a lot of people moving out of New York? Or are there any towns in Westchester known for attracting people from the city? Are some people snobby, like the people I've heard about on the forum who are possibly similar to my mom's community in CT..just very unfriendly and cold rather than warm and welcoming. This is the type of info you just dont get from reading about a place..

[josmyth]

I have lived in Eastchester for 12 years and have not met any black or hispanic families here.
The town has some great advantages. The proximity to the city is great. I drive in to Lincoln Center 3Xs a week at rush hour and 99% of the time it takes 45 min door to door. My husband takes the train out of Scarsdale and it is 28 min to GCT.
There is tons of shopping yet the side and back streets are very pretty and quiet.
I love the schools. I have 1 child in Waverly and 1 in Greenvale, so far our experience has been fantastic. Can't speak of the Middle and HS as we are not there yet.
Socially, I don't love it. I would not call Eastchester snobby, but it certainly isn't the friendliest place. I have found that you have to work hard to make friends here. But I guess that is true of most of suburbia. I moved here from Bronx and I can tell you that I find city people way more friendly and welcoming than Eastchester folks.
If you are looking for diversity and friendliness, you might take a look at New Rochelle. Last year my son attended pre-school there and the people I met through the school were very friendly and down to earth. Best of luck in choosing a town.

[quelinda]

Yeah, wasn't expecting too much in the way of diversity but that's ok considering the proximity to the city and that I have a very diverse group of friends already. I assume people are no longer as racist as they were back in the day (??). My daughter is white but has a spanish last name, that wouldn't be an issue, correct? Guess I'm not really in need of any more friends, but I hate the type of place where you walk by your neighbor and they can't even crack a darn smile.

[havoc315]

Most Westchester towns are full of people who migrated from the city. But generationally, Hispanic Americans are just starting to reach levels of affluence to afford Westchester's more affluent suburbs.
Thus, many of Westchester suburbs boomed with the up and coming of prior immigrant generations. (Italian, Jewish, Irish, etc... which settled different towns).

Eastchester High School is 4% Hispanic (according to greatschools.net), which isn't bad for Westchester. Neighboring Scarsdale is only 2%.

Just occurred to me, a town you might really want to check out is Dobbs Ferry. I thought you said you would be commuting to the West Side, so being in western Westchester actually could help your commute a little bit. It's a very nice river town. The people are down to earth. The schools are good. And it's more diverse than most similar Westchester towns. The high school is 7% Hispanic, and 6% black.

[josmyth]

Originally Posted by quelinda

Yeah, wasn't expecting too much in the way of diversity but that's ok considering the proximity to the city and that I have a very diverse group of friends already. I assume people are no longer as racist as they were back in the day (??). My daughter is white but has a spanish last name, that wouldn't be an issue, correct? Guess I'm not really in need of any more friends, but I hate the type of place where you walk by your neighbor and they can't even crack a darn smile.

For the most part people will smile and say hi. But I have found you don't get much more than that.

[quelinda]

Interesting! havoc, I know Dobbs is just a few more miles upstate but EEEEK I must admit I felt a bit freaked out when I went upstate last week to the Palisades mall and noted some town names along the highway that I've researched and was like "OMG this is so far into the boonies". Just kinda freaked me out to be so far from the city, even though that's precisely where I think I want to be .

josmyth I will need to look you up if I ever get there as you seem quite friendly . Should be into westchester in one year, when my daughter turns 4. Do the pre-K kids do half days? What about kindergarten?

THANKS!

[havoc315]

Dobbs Ferry is no more "upstate" than Eastchester. It is literally, perhaps, 2 or 3 miles further to the north, and a few miles further to the west. It's a world away from the Palisades Mall, as it's on the other side of the bridge.
Express trains are a mere 35 minutes into Grand Central, so quite comparable to the Scarsdale station.
And if you are driving to the West side, Dobbs Ferry might be faster and easier than Eastchester.

Just another town that really could be a good match for you.

Most, but not all, Westchester school districts have full day kindergarten.
As to Pre-K, there are full day schools, and half day schools. My children get their pre-k education at their day care center, so it's a full day. (Until 6:30 pm)

[bmwguydc]

Dobbs Ferry and Ardsley can also be good bets, but they're not as centrally located. Part of what's nice about Eastchester is that it's only minutes to the Sound, the Hudson, White Plains, etc. as it's more to the center of the county and is well served by multiple parkways and major roadways. The Hudson Shore is close to the Saw Mill in Lower Westchester and Route 9, which can be a tad congested through the towns.

I don't think you would find any issues, quelinda, with your daughter's last name in Eastchester. And, I agree that the people are not warm and friendly as if Eastchester were Mayberry with Aunt Bea was bringing cookies and lemondade with the welcome wagon, but the people are congenial. Tuckahoe has more of that village feel in the Town of Eastchester, as opposed to unincorporated Eastchester which has more of a large neighborhood feel.

[Minathebrat]

I live in Eastchester, so feel free to pm me.
Eastchester is a bit weird as far as zoning goes, because technically Tuckahoe and Bronxville are in the Town of Eastchester, and Scarsdale PO's can be in in the mix too so you can have an Eastchester address and go to Tuckahoe schools, or have a Scarsdale address and go to Eastchester schools, or Tuckahoe address and go to Eastchester Schools. So, that's one thing to keep in mind when looking around if you have kids and a preference.
Eastchester has quite a few different styles of neighborhoods, so you can find smaller house neighborhoods, as well as much larger ones, as well as condos and townhomes around the lake.
If you live on the North End, you'd use the Scarsdale station, if you live on the South End (the Eastchester town-hall end) you'd use Crestwood station.
Driving to the West-Side isn't an issue, it's a really quick drive to the Henry Hudson in good traffic- bad traffic, well, nothing's fast in bad traffic. Just as a point of reference, it's about 12 miles to Inwood from the Mill Rd. entrance to the Hutch. Most people I know that go to the city use the train, but I knew people who drive too- it's just preference I think.
It's really quiet where I live, though it is more built-up from when I was a kid. Believe it or not, there used to be woods on Rt.22 in Eastchester in a few spots before you got to the Lord & Taylor's shopping area, but that's long gone. However, the side-streets really haven't changed, same quiet, suburban neighborhoods, though many or the houses have been remodeled/updated, which I think is a good thing.
If you have more specific questions, let me know.

[bobbis]

I grew up in Interlaken Gardens and had a great experience. The only reason I don't live there as an adult is I can't afford it. I eventually moved to North Carolina.