Moving to NY and looking for experiences of different areas

[CookieTramp]

It is looking likely that we will be moving to NY in a few months' time, with children aged 1 and 6.

DH will be working in Manhattan, so we can live in Brooklyn, in New Jersey or 'upstate' NY places like Scarsdale and Westchester.

My question is this, in the first instance. We like Brooklyn as it feels friendly and has lots going on, but at the same time I am not keen on living in an apartment. The upstate places worry me as I don't want to be in an enclave of doctors and lawyers.

What I want is a place where there is a local community, lots of things going on, you can walk to things if you want to (i.e. not use the car for everything you do), where there is a good mix of people, not just wealthy people, and we can get a good-sized house and garden.

Can anyone who has lived in NY point me in the right direction for some places to research? We will be going there in October half term to look around and start making choices about where/how we want to live, but in the first instance we need some suitable candidates to look at.

Any advice gratefully received.

[LasAnya]

Very jealous .

I haven't lived in NYC, although know it fairly well, but my first question would be - whats your budget? A proper house with garden in a desirable area of Brooklyn, for example, is going to be $$$$$$.

Upstate maybe, and certainly NJ, are going you more bang for your buck.

[TheWildRumpyPumpus]

I've lived in the Upper East Side and Jersey City. What kind of accommodation are you looking for - size, cost, facilities etc?

[CookieTramp]

$4000-$5000. No way could we afford more than an apartment in Brooklyn, I realise that, so although we love the vibe and the restaurants and the mix of people, we need to look further afield to get the space and garden we want. And it is hard to know where to start!

[ImperialBlether]

Sorry, too jealous to answer

[CookieTramp]

I have in my head a small to medium-sized town, quite leafy, a nice downtown area with restaurants and a 'centre' that we could walk to. And a bit of an 'edge' to it - not all white picket fences and lawyers.

That probably doesn't make any sense, does it?!

[CookieTramp]

Don't be jealous - it has been a hard road getting to the point of doing it. I have not been keen to leave friends and family, especially as DH will probably work quite long hours. I am really scared, and need to get the area right to maximise me staying on board with the whole thing! :-/

[claraschu]

My friend just moved to Croton-on Hudson, and her husband commutes on the train to Manhattan in just under an hour. They are thrilled with the town: great schools, diverse population, nice, relatively affordable, houses, interesting local community. Here is an article about it:

www.nytimes.com/1991/06/16/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-croton-on-hudson.html

I think that you have to decide if you want to be in the big city, which will be a completely different experience from Croton. You say you want a good mix of people, not just rich people, and a good-sized house and garden. Brooklyn is extremely expensive, so I am not sure you will find a large house and a mixed neighbourhood anywhere in Manhattan or Brooklyn. (I grew up in Greenwich Village, and things were very different 50 years ago.)

[CookieTramp]

Yes, exactly Claraschu. I realise we can't be in Brooklyn or Manhattan and still have good space and a garden, so that is why we need to start finding out about areas that will suit us.

I will stick Croton on the list. Thank you :-).

[ChipsandGuac]

Scarsdale isn't remotely edgy. It's rich bankers and lawyers and lots of very well groomed housewives!

I like Croton too. Also look at some of the river towns, Tarrytown, Irvington, etc.

Also I really like the Upper West Side. On your budget you'd be looking at the mid 90s and above for an apartment but that's still got a great vibe and is walkable to Central Park.

[merrygoround51]

I lived in Manhattan and have many friends who are still there. Its amazing but the city is the only place that has that city buzz, everywhere else is the suburbs. That doesnt make them bad places - they are lovely and nice places to live but my friends had to reconcile themselves with a different life.

Two friends seem particularly happy with their choices.
Couple 1 - She works in fashion, he's in restaurants. Needed to leave the city (space and money) so moved to Astoria. 5k wont get you much of a house there but you could get something and its still got a diverse city vibe.

Couple 2- He works in a bank, she is at home. They moved to Roslyn on Long Island. Its very beautiful, great schools and a short commute. But its expensive. A cheaper (and more diverse with a blue collar feel) is Port Washington, close to Roslyn and on the Long Island rail. Good schools, near the beach, short train ride to the city etc

Hope this helps

[claraschu]

When I started writing no one had answered your OP yet, so some of what I said turned out to be an Xpost. From what I hear, Croton is different from other places in that it is less of an executive suburb, more of a real town.

[ChipsandGuac]

I was about to say Astoria too. We're members of the MOTMI and I always think Astoria has a great feel to it.

[CookieTramp]

ChipsandGuac - yes, that was what I thought Scarsdale sounded like, and I mentioned it only because DH put it forward as an option. It sounds hideous to me and it now is definitely struck from the list! What did you mean, though about mid-90s? I did not get it.

Merry... DH is keen on Long Island, funnily enough, and we will definitely go and see it in October. Port Washington I am going to look into right away! (fab name too!)

[ChipsandGuac]

Sorry, I was meaning the Street numbers. Manhattan is like a grid with the Avenues going n-s and streets going e-w. Or the other way around, depending on the road.

Will you get a relocator? Ours was a brilliant help.

[CookieTramp]

What's a relocator!?

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

We lived in Great Neck for a few years - a bit nearer in to Manhattan from Port Washington on the LIRR. (Great Neck is supposed to be one of the Eggs in Gatsby but I never got the hang of which )

Anyway we loved it. We were on a tree-lined residential street one block over from the main street & could walk to the centre. There are some very expensive areas (King's Point, Great Neck Estates) but lots of ordinary streets too.

You could also look at Little Neck which is the next peninsula in again but is in Queens.

Much of the northern part of Long Island (Queens & Nassau County) is lovely, & you get relatively easy access to the beaches on the southern part in the summer (& also the Hamptons etc)

[ChipsandGuac]

A relocator is a person who walks you through the move. They find your estate agents (realtors), help you find the right town/neighborhood depending on your interests, etc. they're normally hired by the company on your behalf.

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

Just googled

Apparently Kings Point is West Egg & Sands Point is East Egg (if it helps )

[mrsmortis]

Is your husband getting a relocation package? If so that should include the use of a relocation firm to help you with these things. I've never lived in New York (though I did spend 2 weeks a month there for a year at one point) but I have moved internationally 8 times now and I would highly recommend you requesting one. It really helps to have someone who knows the area that you are going to and can help you steer through the bureaucracy. Especially since they are paid to work in your best interest.

[ChipsandGuac]

I was reading on the NY Times Real Estate section and I saw a video and thought of this thread. It's about the West 90s that I mentioned up thread. $5K will get you a decent 2 bed appt with views of the city plus, if you're lucky, a doorman, a gym, a playroom and a rooftop lounge area. You won't get a garden but you do have Central and Riverside parks literally on your doorstep.

www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/realestate/block-by-block-the-west-90s.html?ref=realestate

[Want2bSupermum]

Where in Manhattan will he be working? It makes a huge difference because I was assigned to a client located on the east side and it is a bitch to commute from NJ.

I hate to burst your bubble but you are moving to a different culture and neighbourhoods in the US are not necessarily going to be mixed income wise. It just doesn't work that way in the majority of towns because of property taxes being so high and social housing is structured very differently to the UK.