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We are a gay male couple (he – 42, me – 49, pug - 7) considering a move to New York to accept an offer at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Despite some Internet research and recommendations from folks at the hospital, we know very little about the area and don’t know where to begin.
We are currently living and are very happy in center city Philadelphia. We own a townhouse in the city, a typical Philly “row home”, and have easy walking access to friends, coffee houses, restaurants, theaters, galleries, etc. We accept that our new home is likely to be in a very different city and that a car will be required to commute to work; however, we’d hate to give up the artsy, eclectic, ethnically/racially diverse, decidedly liberal, with a nod to quirky environment that we treasure today. And we do hope to leave the car at home more often than not.
Is it possible for two middle-aged men and their pug to find happiness in Westchester County? Thanks in advance.
Yep move to NE Yonkers. The area is great. Most people do not even know it is Yonkers. Great buys on large homes. (For example, my home is 3500 sq ft., 3 zones, corner lot and needs no work. My taxes are about 7k).
This may be presumptious of me but I do not think you would have to worry about schools. The best part is NE Yonkers (Bronxvill Heights) is a quiet area about 10 minutes from the medical center where my boys were born. If you like NYC you are only 25 minutes away via car or train.
Honestly, I love my area but I need better schools for my kids so I will be leaving soon. That being said, you should look into the area especially since there are low taxes compared to 20k in Eastchester or Tuckahoe.
Thanks SKINS, but I may have misrepresented our requirements. We're not looking for a large home; a townhouse in a walkable section of a city is preferable. Primary goal is to avoid using the car when out to dinner, galleries, coffee houses, etc. Does your recommendation still hold?
We are also considering a relocation to the Westchester County area and were wondering what kind of information that you recieved to your posting. We have been together to 10 years and are in our early 40s.
On the gay-friendly front, I think you'll be fine anywhere in Westchester but as a rule the western side of Westchester is more liberal and diverse than the east. Nice, liberal towns include Croton, Tarrytown, Hastings, and Peekskill. On the no-car front, the best bet is Peekskill or White Plains. You can find plenty of towns that are walkable, but those are the only places that will provide the 'city' feel you seem to want. I don't care for White Plains myself, but Peekskill has a great, artsy, hip, and diverse vibe. (The schools are not great.)
But, as an ex-Brooklynite, let me just say that walkability is over-rated. I love driving places!! I walk in the woods behind my house and in nearby nature reserves every weekend, which I adore. But when it comes to shopping and going out, nothing beats the ease and convenience of hopping in the car!!
You'd probably be happy in Cold Spring (Putnam), but that would be a long commute. Nyack (Rockland) is another idea.
We are also considering a relocation to the Westchester County area and were wondering what kind of information that you recieved to your posting. We have been together to 10 years and are in our early 40s.
Take care
Hi CA Couple - there's renewed interest in the thread thanks to your posting. It appears we'll be getting all the information together.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dma1250
What's your budget?
There are too many unknowns at the moment to give you a clear answer; I'll throw out something in the neighborhood of 700K for the sake of discussion but that could go either way depending on our success marketing the place in Philly (which will become a rental property). Also, thanks for your input . . . I like the sound of a "great, artsy, hip, and diverse vibe".
700K should get you a nice apartment or "townhouse" (in the suburban sense) in White Plains. The two housing options in Peekskill are older homes or new developments (townhouses, semi-detached houses, some apartments). 700K is pretty much at the top of the market in Peekskill, so you could have your choice.
I like Peekskill a lot and it fits many of your requests. But it is a 'developing' area. It became seriously depressed in the '80 and 90's and it has a large low-income population. In the last decade it has had a resurgence, mainly due to the increasing number of artists who have moved there and opened galleries. The town has tried hard to encourage this and has built a number of live/work loft developments restricted to artists. The city has a lot going for it, but it still has a ways to go.
White Plains is far more developed (and is right next to Valhalla). While it is more of a city than Peekskill, it feels very "suburban" to me, whereas Peekskill feels more urban even though it is much smaller. But that's a personal opinion. White Plains has had a resurgence lately too, and a number of high-rise luxury condos have been built in the last few years.
If you want to try something more village-y, look at Katonah. It is extremely charming and if you are in the village you can walk around easily. There are a few restaurants and nice shops, but it is quite small.
You might consider CT, lower Fairfield county, particularly Greenwich or even Stamford. Easy train into NY, great walkable downtown single-family and condos. $700K might be toward the low-to-mid range in Greenwich, but definitely possible, and would be mid-to-upper for condos in Stamford. May have a reputation as not being open, but you should visit and decide for yourself, I think that you will be very pleasantly surprised. If you are prone to PDA, I would say perhaps NYC is better than any suburb (that goes for heteroes too, smile). Best of luck in your search.
Thanks for the recent posts (and private messages - there are many real estate agents active on the site!) . . . there's a lot to think about. First step is for the partner to choose from the list of job offers. Unfortunately, the more interesting the offer, the less interesting the locale. Life is funny that way.
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