We are in wisconsin right now and are moving with the military to NYC. We have just spent the whole day looking online for house rentals that are not too far and are big enough for our family (6). We find them in ones and twos- this is a huge metro area- surely we are missing something? Help? We need to find a place to live that will not be so much of a huge culture shock for our kids (as in the number of people, noise, in other words, CITY vs country...we live between two dairy farms in the middle of nowhere right now... and not meaning color or ethnicity which play no role in where we live.) Help? Resources?
Well here we are- almost to the date for house hunting. We will be in the city the second week of July to test out all the great links you all sent and to use the advice in order to find schools. I am feeling a little more comfortable now with my resource "net" and am not so freaked out about the distance and inability to "check" things out ahead of time. The best help was the suggestions for craigs list and realtor.com. We are headed to the city for good in late July so if you pray- we would appreciate the coverage! Whew- now time to go start finding boxes and paper! lol
J.,
I am born and raised in NYC but my father lived in Riverdale for a while and it was beautiful. They have houses and apartments and the whole area is beautiful. Riverdale is in the Bronx, just fyi and it is closer than White Plains.
Good luck and welcome to the neighborhood!
First you need to find a real estate agent. Tell them what you're looking for and they should be able to help. I live in Yonkers, 10-15 minutes outside the Bronx. The school system is OK, we have a lot of private schools around. If you're looking for something with a good school system, try Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-the Hudson or Ardsley.
Hi J.,
Welcome to NY! I'm originally from Wisconsin (Oshkosh) and moved to the NYC area 10 years ago. I have lived in New Rochelle the entire time -- as some people have mentioned, there are pockets in all the larger cities of Westchester (Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, White Plains) that you wouldn't want to live in. However, all of these cities have very beautiful areas as well (I live in a very lovely neighborhood on the East Side of New Rochelle at the Larchmont border). But if you are looking for a small-town feel with excellent schools, I highly recommend Eastchester, Tuckahoe, Scarsdale, Pelham, Larchmont, Harrison, and Rye. These are all in the southern part of Westchester County. The catch is that these are affluent areas and rents are high --also, it's rare to see a 4 bdrm apt/house for rent in areas like Eastchester and Pelham. You'll probably have more luck in areas like New Rochelle, White Plains, etc should be able to find a 4 bedroom apartment in a multifamily home. Unfortunately, rents around here even for a 2 bedroom usually start around $1600-- 4 bedrooms will be at least $2000 and go up to $3000 and more (in good neighborhoods).
I suggest you call a realtor based in Westchester and enlist their services. Their fees are usually equal to 1 month's rent but it is totally worth it if you are unfamiliar with the area. I can recommend one person - she's a mom our age (mid 30s) who grew up in Westchester -- I don't know if she handles rentals per se, but if not she could point you in the right direction. Her name is Robyn and here is a link for her contact info: http://prucent.com/robyn_rosenberg
Good luck and if you need more info or help just email me!
-L.
Dear J. K,
I am a grandmother and live in the Bronx. In looking for an apartment or house one has to be careful of the location you select because of the schools and transportation. Try looking in Yonkers and Riverdale which is in the north Bronx. Where will your husband be working in the Bronx? From the Bronx and surrounding areas you will find transportation to Manhattan and the Westchester Malls is very easy. Taxes are high in Weschester, my suggestion is to try and rent an apartment or a house until you find and area you like and feel confortable in. The Bronx has a very diverse community. If you have any questions please get back to me.
E. H.
HI J. K,
My husband is on recruiting duty in Hackensack NJ, which is in north bergen new jersey(very close to new york). The bronx is a very diverse place. I grew up in mahattan and the bronx and when my husband and I joined the military we left all this behind. It is very hard to find a place your are going to like in NYC if you don't know the area. There are some extremely crappy areas where you just don't want your children. Manhattan is expensive when you are looking for a 3 bedroom or a 2 bedroom for that matter. The bronx is better priced but once again you have to know the areas. Queens is a hike from the bronx on top of the fact that the toll is $8 for all bridges. Brooklyn is even further and staten island is more suburb but cost $9 to cross the bridge.
My advice call the areas Key Wives volunteer or liason for that area and ask them for their housing advice. There aren't any bases here except for Fort Hamilton and that is where everyone goes to DEP or ship out. Also this base is in brooklyn.
Call the office where he will be working and find out if there is a network of wives that can help out(there usually is) and ask for the number of whos in charge. You should be getting a welcome aboard package when you move so take advantage of all the information available.
Also look into getting a real estate agent to look for you(yes I know they cost about a months rent but it might be better then looking for yourself). Try www.craigslistnewyork.com you may be able to find something where you don't have to pay a fee. I have a friend who has a large 3 bedroom 2 story house with large basement for $1700. here in jersey. In new york you get paid a bit more so you may be able to afford something in that range.
I hope this helps you out. Good luck and welcome to the city that never sleeps. Don't forget to take advantage of all the sites the city has to offer.
I live in the bronx. My neighborhood is called "Country Club". It's very suburban, nice area and not too too expensive. Country Club and Throggs Neck are both pretty nice areas. Right on the westchester border and on the long island sound. Zip code is 10465 if you're doing a real estate search. If you send me a PM, I can try and find you a real estate agent in the area and give you their phone no..
Have you considerd Suffolk, Nassau or Queens County on Long Island. The further east the more suburban. Good Luck!
you could also try southern-eastern bergen county NJ - maybe the towns along the palisades parkway, (Closter, Demarest or Tenafly) which have good schools, are quite suburban and not a bad commute to the Bronx. Unless you have been in a truly rural area of WI, the lifestyle here will not be very different than what you are used to. Try Coldwell Banker real estate agency in tenafly - talk to Tami Rappaport. She helped us find our house in Bergen county 6 years ago (the one we bought and a temporary rental too)and was wonderful! And we were living in London at the time so I did all of the legwork on line.
Good luck!
You might also want to consider the upper most part of Manhattan (Washington Heights and Inwood), or Riverdale, in the south-west Bronx. The commute may be much shorter, and these are lovely neighborhoods, especailly for families -- lots of parks and activities and community oriented programs. You can find on-line listings in the NY Times Real Estate section.
Good luck!
-D.
(mom in Washington Heights)
Hi J., I would say your best bet is to go to Westchester so you can feel like you are near the Bronx without being IN the Bronx. I just moved from Westchester, but lived there for 15 years. I think you should find a real estate agent to help you because the market is so crazy there. I could suggest areas in Southern Westchester if you tell me more of what you are looking for. I imagine you want good public schools? Would love to help. What did you mean when you said you found things in the one's and two's?
L. J.
Pearl River is a beautiful small town that you will not find too much of a culture shock. I believe it is in Rockland County and not too far from the Bronx. Good Luck to your family...
Hi...Try Craig's List and in your search engine type in House Rentals in Bronx, New York. Are you looking to retain the services of a Broker? Is it a house you want to Rent, or an apartment. Also look on-line for Real Estate Developers in the Bronx. If a Broker is what you want, explore Real Estate Brokers in the Bronx. Good Luck with your search...
C.
Moving to New York, especially the Bronx, you are in for a lot of culture changes. I am not sure what the "shock" is. You do not mention what type of "culture" you are looking for or to avoid. If I am reading between the lines correctly you want to look for places in Throggs Neck and Riverdale if you want to live in the Bronx. However, Riverdale has a large Jewish community and both have clusters of minorities. I have been looking in both places for several months and think they are wonderful for kids. Both offer good schools and what I consider safe environment.
If you want to go to Westchester, try White Plains, New Rochelle, and Yonkers. No matter where you go there will be "culture shock", you are moving to New York. I think we alone are the reason this is called the melting pot. Our many ethnic and cultural differences are what make us what we are. If this doesn't help then call your local military base and ask for contacts so you can find other military wives to help you. Good luck. Open you mind and enjoy the wonderful, different people and cultures of the city. You'll be surprised how great it can be.
I live in the Norwood section of the Bronx, and love it. If you are interested in looking in the neighborhood, let me know, and I can suggest some places to look. It is a very racially and economically diverse neighborhood, with lots of park space. If by "avoiding culture shock" you mean that you are looking for whiter and more well-off, stick with Riverdale, the East Bronx (Throg's Neck, Country Club), and Westchester.
--E.
Hi J.,
I was born and raised in Westchester County, NY (Harrison to be exact).. Whatever you do **try** to stay away from Mount Vernon, Yonkers, and New Rochelle. Although Yonkers is **tyring** to go through a revitalization with their waterfront restaurants it's still a crime-ridden city. Like many big cities there are "pockets" of beautiful areas in the above cities that I mentioned but for the most part those towns/cities are in the newspapers everyday -- and not with positive news. It's not a good area to raise children not to mention the school systems is horrendous. Pelham, Mamaroneck, Harrison, Rye, Eastchester, Scarsdales, White Plains (even the hamelets of White Plains, e.g. Hawthorne, Thornwood, No. White Plains, etc.) are wonderful places. On the side of the Hudson river past Yonkers there is Hastings-on-the-Hudson, Irvington, and Dobbs Ferry you can look. There are a lot of options for you and your family. Commuting to NYC from those towns are a breeze. If you want to make the commute realatively easy for hubby stay to the towns that I mentioned (Lower Westchester) Here are some links that may help you out a bit: http://www.westchestergov.com/firstvisit.htm; http://www.westchestertourism.com/; http://www.westchester.com/
http://www.westchestertowns.com/htm/index.html
Please feel free to email me if you have any questions as there are some things that are near and dear to my heart and one of those are the brave people who serve our nation with honor and integrity and the families that support their loves ones while doing so!! God Bless and best of luck to you and your family!!
Narrow your search. Are you looking for a big town or a small one? I would guess your husband will travel to work by car so you won't need to worry access to the train. Any special needs for your kids (some towns have better programs than others). Public or private schools? The current issue of Westchester Magazine profiles elementary schools in the area.
