Thoughts on Suburbs?
This may be the most unlikely question to be posted here, but we are really looking for some opinions. We have been in BedStuy for the past 6 years, great house, nice neighbors. Growing family and less disp inc we are reluctantly considering relocating out of the city. Know nothing about NY suburbs. Not a…
This may be the most unlikely question to be posted here, but we are really looking for some opinions. We have been in BedStuy for the past 6 years, great house, nice neighbors. Growing family and less disp inc we are reluctantly considering relocating out of the city. Know nothing about NY suburbs. Not a huge suburb/country person so looking for a place that is diverse, has a nice walking village area, not a 3 hr 1-way commute to the city, “hip”-ish like BK 🙂 and a reputation of happy residents. I know it’s asking for a lot. Some folks have mentioned Riverdale, Garden City, Westport, Hoboken. Just wanted to see what others thought. Thanks sooo much!
I’ve had many “my kids are a bigger problem than yours” conversations with loads of parents, including my friends who live in the northern burbs. Based on my own experiences and those conversations I’d say that teens can get in much scarier trouble in the city–there are more temptations and evils out there. My burb friends with teenage kids have strict rules about calling them to come and pick the kids up if it gets too late–and they say that that is very common and works well in avoiding DWI.
One of my burb friends (who lives in the same general area as architerrorist) has a decidedly nerdy teen boy(around 15 or 16 now I think). I had a long talk with him recently and he was telling me about the film classes he was taking at the local film center and the computer graphics classes he took at an art center. He also is really involved in one of the local nature preserves and has become an expert on certain flora. He goes to a local theater camp in the summer and is involved in theater design at school. He sounded very happy and totally engaged. It’s 2010 people–the burbs, at least those in the NY area, have a lot more going on than they did when you or your friends were kids.
And besides, sorry but duh, I was talking about the fact teens DRIVE CARS in the burbs after drinking or whatever they’re up to which is what frightens us. I wasn’t saying they’re all drug addicts in the suburbs or anything like that. You way overreacted, architerrorist.
“BTW – far easier for your kids to get to the hardcore drug dealers in scary ‘hoods via the subway. I’ve seen it happen, almost overnight, and at a frighteningly early age.”
Well reactions like that really amuse ME, architerrorist. Because they sound like they’re coming from a city person who is so new to the suburbs or rural America they haven’t seen the truth yet. I grew up in rural areas and small towns (that were not unsophisticated, just smaller) and please, there are a million places to buy alcohol and hard drugs. The high school in our very wealthy, upscale small town in Florida made national news just before I started there, for the huge drug bust of dealers who were working the HS parking lot. We’re talking coke dealers, not pot.
My wife and I have lived happily in Upper Montclair for the past two years. I just happened to see this thread because we’re thinking about a visit to Brooklyn for the Flea, and I wanted to see what’s up on Brownstoner.
I thought it might be helpful to note a couple of things about Montclair for those who are seriously considering a move here. First, because of Montclair’s “magnet” school system, the schools generally are NOT segregated by race or by economic factors. You should do a LOT of research on the unique school system here. I recommend starting with the Montclair Public Schools website and other public sources, such as the December 2009 report of the Kirwan Institute regarding school integration in Montclair.
One has to admit, however, that there IS a racial and economic divide here–although it doesn’t follow the railroad tracks, as suggested above. It’s not as simple as Upper Montclair versus Lower Montclair either. It’s much more complex, and in flux, just like in many other places including…well…Brooklyn. The aforementioned Kirwan report contains some information about this as well.
Suburban living and the “joys” of homeownership are not for everyone, and, if you do decide to take the leap, there are so many alternatives. I’d recommend doing a TON of research and then renting a house in the ‘burb of your choice for a year if you’re not completely sure of your choice.
Cheers
I grew up in the city, and yes, if you’re going to be the kind of kid who gets into trouble, you can get into all sorts of trouble here. But there are also a lot more options than getting into trouble; nerdy me and my nerdy friends could go to movies, museum exhibits, bookstores, vintage clothing stores, and so on. All of my friends who grew up in the suburbs – nerds and not-nerds – had really nothing else to do but hang out in the nearest parking lot and drink: as a result, a lot more of them got into a lot more trouble early on just because they were BORED. The school thing is tough, but I would think long and hard before I raised kids in the ‘burbs.
Reactions like Traditionalmod’s are particularly amusing to me now. The old “suburbs suck and I can find a million reasons why it’s actually better to raise my kids in the city” – the same logic I used to employ. There are dozens of great reasons to raise your kids in the city; there are also dozens of great reasons not to. Wonder why so many here see it in such black and white terms. BTW – far easier for your kids to get to the hardcore drug dealers in scary ‘hoods via the subway. I’ve seen it happen, almost overnight, and at a frighteningly early age.
Oh come on, teens drink everywhere, suburbs and cities. The big difference is in NYC they’re not driving. People can weigh all kinds of factors and that one alone will keep us in the city.
And South Norwalk (SoNo as the locals call it, lol) is pretty cool to hang out in.
lalaland – We did a lot of research on schools in southern Fairfield and Northern Westchester, since we figured this would be the one big perk of a move we wouldn’t have chosen, had circumstances beyond our control not forced our hand.
House prices in Norwalk and Stamford are a great deal cheaper than surrounding towns. If you consult the CT school index, you will also see that (these days) they rank among the very bottom of CT school districts. Norwalk is particularly dire. Lots of families we know living in Norwalk choose to send their children to private schools in neighboring Westport and New Canaan; Stamford residents, New Canaan and Greenwich. That said, we are more than happy with the Bedford Central School System, which includes Mt. Kisco and therefore some ethnic and economic diversity.
For the record, I was not inclined to like much about any suburb – having sworn them off since I was in my teens. However, I’ve lived out here for nearly two years now, and although there are plenty of things I miss about city life, I have developed an appreciation for what semi-rural (not so suburban) life in Northern Westchester has to offer. I think I’ve grown to like it because it does have a more rural than suburban feel – fresh eggs, barns, white washed churches, acreage, etc… I don’t think I would have come to love say, Larchmont or Scarsdale in the same way… However, I do have good vibes about Bronxville and Pelham Manor. I think it’s the architecture, and the fantastic proximity to Manhattan. Just as No. Westchester feels more “country” than suburban, Pelham and Bronxville have more of an outer borough vibe than neighboring suburban towns. I think it’s the cookie-cutter suburb that most who have chosen Brooklyn as some point in their lives tend to want to avoid.