From TX to NY ( or maybe NJ, CT )

[Petalouda]

Hello PSers,

My husband officially accepted a job in NYC and this Texan will find herself back in the Northeast sometime during the summer. It’s exciting as my husband will be leaving the energy industry and is looking forward to working with a company with a wonderful reputation. I went to graduate school in NYC and have missed it every day since.

In graduate school, I lived in Manhattan and didn’t venture out too much. This time around, we are looking at the suburbs. Some of the ones we are considering are Scarsdale, Rye, Rye Brook, Harrison, Greenwich CT, Ridgewood and Summit NJ. My kids are in private school currently but looks like they will attend public once we move. Any experience with those areas? What the culture is like? What the school culture is like? I am trying to get up there soon to get a feel. Logistics are a little tricky right now.

Thanks in advance!

 

[missy]

Congratulations! I cannot help but I would consider taxes and commute as well as school systems.

I know a long commute can be miserable for some (I hated long commutes and it really can drag you down) so if that is true of your DH I would consider that first. And you can probably find good school systems in all the above towns. Taxes will probably reflect that too.

Good luck!

 

[MamaBee]

Hello PSers,

My husband officially accepted a job in NYC and this Texan will find herself back in the Northeast sometime during the summer. It’s exciting as my husband will be leaving the energy industry and is looking forward to working with a company with a wonderful reputation. I went to graduate school in NYC and have missed it every day since.

In graduate school, I lived in Manhattan and didn’t venture out too much. This time around, we are looking at the suburbs. Some of the ones we are considering are Scarsdale, Rye, Rye Brook, Harrison, Greenwich CT, Ridgewood and Summit NJ. My kids are in private school currently but looks like they will attend public once we move. Any experience with those areas? What the culture is like? What the school culture is like? I am trying to get up there soon to get a feel. Logistics are a little tricky right now.

Thanks in advance!

@Petalouda I lived the next town over from Summit in Chatham, NJ! I loved it there! Lots of beautiful homes. The community is wonderful!
Good luck on your move..wherever you decide to live!

 

[rocks]

All lovely communities. Afew things. The commute thru Penn station and port authority have become dicey. The homeless have taken over both the terminals and surrounding areas; it has become dangerous…and that is before you get onto the subway. Grand central is still pretty civilized.

The cost of homes and taxes in Scarsdale and rye are among the most expensive in the region. Rye brook is a relative bargain, but there are two school districts within the town. Blind brook and port Chester. Blind brook is highly rated. Port Chester is not.

 

[Tekate]

Hello PSers,

the My husband officially accepted a job in NYC and this Texan will find herself back in the Northeast sometime during the summer. It’s exciting as my husband will be leaving the energy industry and is looking forward to working with a company with a wonderful reputation. I went to graduate school in NYC and have missed it every day since.

In graduate school, I lived in Manhattan and didn’t venture out too much. This time around, we are looking at the suburbs. Some of the ones we are considering are Scarsdale, Rye, Rye Brook, Harrison, Greenwich CT, Ridgewood and Summit NJ. My kids are in private school currently but looks like they will attend public once we move. Any experience with those areas? What the culture is like? What the school culture is like? I am trying to get up there soon to get a feel. Logistics are a little tricky right now.

Thanks in advance!

I grew up in Putnam County a stones through from Westchester County and I went to high school in Fairfield County and I still make it around those parts at my old age - I am in Austin area for 20 years with a 5 year hitch to marvelous Maine. If I had to pick a place for my kids to live I would pick Rye, I loved going to Rye beach as a kid and I think the schools are great there, you are close to White Plains. The culture is high falutin! most people who lives in the burbs you are thinking of are executives, high high tech workers. A wonderful place to raise kids. I'm not sure where you are in Texas but I'm sure you know that Westchester Cty is not Dallas or Houston and NOT Austin in the vibe. I am not familiar with Jersey at all. Get read for winter again your kids will LOVE autumn.. GREAT food, you can get into the city easily with the Harlem line on the trains if you choose Greenwich you have the New Haven line, because who the heck wants to drive into the city! I wish you happiness! and heaven

 

[Petalouda]

Congratulations! I cannot help but I would consider taxes and commute as well as school systems.

I know a long commute can be miserable for some (I hated long commutes and it really can drag you down) so if that is true of your DH I would consider that first. And you can probably find good school systems in all the above towns. Taxes will probably reflect that too.

Good luck!

Thank you, Missy! I hope you are doing well and staying warm with the snowstorm! I am leaning towards Westchester county for commute reasons. His office will be near Grand Central and it would be a one train situation for him. If we were to live in NJ, it seems he would have to take the train to Penn and then transfer from there. The taxes are quite high in Westchester but it's not a sticker shock as Houston has high property taxes as well (albeit no state income tax). I'm hoping we can make something work in Westchester within our budget. Fingers crossed.

 

[Petalouda]

@Petalouda I lived the next town over from Summit in Chatham, NJ! I loved it there! Lots of beautiful homes. The community is wonderful!
Good luck on your move..wherever you decide to live!

Thank you Mamabee! Chatham is definitely on our radar! I read Summit has a fantastic downtown and Chatham has stronger schools. Did you commute to the city? If so, how did you find it to be?

 

[Petalouda]

All lovely communities. Afew things. The commute thru Penn station and port authority have become dicey. The homeless have taken over both the terminals and surrounding areas; it has become dangerous…and that is before you get onto the subway. Grand central is still pretty civilized.

The cost of homes and taxes in Scarsdale and rye are among the most expensive in the region. Rye brook is a relative bargain, but there are two school districts within the town. Blind brook and port Chester. Blind brook is highly rated. Port Chester is not.

This is REALLY good to know. I keep reading about subways incidents which have me concerned. It seems Manhattan has really changed since my time there in 2007-2008. The last time I was there to visit was in 2018 and I was a bit surprised by the change I saw then and we've been told it's changed for the worse since covid. My understanding is people are starting to avoid the subways?

I'm thinking Blind Brook in Rye Brook may be our best bang for the buck. Good to know the schools are highly regarded in that district. I hear mixed things about other districts outside of Scarsdale, Bronxville and Rye.

 

[Petalouda]

I grew up in Putnam County a stones through from Westchester County and I went to high school in Fairfield County and I still make it around those parts at my old age - I am in Austin area for 20 years with a 5 year hitch to marvelous Maine. If I had to pick a place for my kids to live I would pick Rye, I loved going to Rye beach as a kid and I think the schools are great there, you are close to White Plains. The culture is high falutin! most people who lives in the burbs you are thinking of are executives, high high tech workers. A wonderful place to raise kids. I'm not sure where you are in Texas but I'm sure you know that Westchester Cty is not Dallas or Houston and NOT Austin in the vibe. I am not familiar with Jersey at all. Get read for winter again your kids will LOVE autumn.. GREAT food, you can get into the city easily with the Harlem line on the trains if you choose Greenwich you have the New Haven line, because who the heck wants to drive into the city! I wish you happiness! and heaven

The high falutin culture does have me concerned. I read that some kids bully other kids for not being uber rich. We are not uber rich. I also read Rye has a great downtown and beach and it is very family friendly. I live in Houston in a wealthy neighborhood that has a mix of properties. My husband and I drive simple cars and it's not an issue here. I find it to be one of the more down to earth wealthy neighborhoods though there is a high falutin faction here too. I have accepted most neighborhoods with great schools will have some of that but there are always varying degrees. I would love to find something similar up there.

Greenwich looks very charming. The schools are not rated quite as high for some reasons. I'm looking forward to checking it all out soon. All of these insights are so helpful!

 

[Slickk]

I live in the NYC northern suburbs. Have you considered going a tad further north in Westchester? Some towns are a little more or less 45 minutes into Grand Central. I think you’ll find the property taxes a bit more palatable.
Good luck!!

 

[MoxiRoxi]

Check out New Canaan CT also.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

How exciting for you @Petalouda .
I would give my eye teeth to live anywhere near NJ

Best of luck and i look forward to following your journey

its the property taxes that would concern me most

 

[Petalouda]

I live in the NYC northern suburbs. Have you considered going a tad further north in Westchester? Some towns are a little more or less 45 minutes into Grand Central. I think you’ll find the property taxes a bit more palatable.
Good luck!!

I’m not opposed! I hear Armonk is very nice but rural. Would find it isolating there?

 

[Petalouda]

Check out New Canaan CT also.

Will do!

 

[Petalouda]

How exciting for you @Petalouda .
I would give my eye teeth to live anywhere near NJ

Best of luck and i look forward to following your journey

its the property taxes that would concern me most

Thank you!

 

[Slickk]

I’m not opposed! I hear Armonk is very nice but rural. Would find it isolating there?

I don’t think so, but I’ve grown up around there. Also check Chappaqua and Katonah-Lewisboro (hidden gem imo, emphasis on hidden lol).
So many nice neighborhoods with great schools in Westchester and CT. I wouldn’t do NJ due to the Hudson River crossing, but I am definitely biased.

 

[rocks]

I’m not opposed! I hear Armonk is very nice but rural. Would find it isolating there?

No train station in armonk. Not sure about the parking situation for non residents at the neighboring stations.

 

[Tekate]

I’m not opposed! I hear Armonk is very nice but rural. Would find it isolating there?

No Armonk is very nice, you're not far from Peekskill, IBM used to have their headquarters there, my husband used to have an office at the Watson Research Center and we'd go to Armonk, at the time we lived in Dutchess County. Your kids are going to love it in NY!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Not the areas you've listed but I'm in Nassau County Long Island. We're a 33 minute train ride to Penn and have a top 25 in the state school district. I'm happy here.

 

[oceanblue]

Have you looked at Southport/Westport in CT?

We have moved a lot (and happen to be here in Houston for now) and I found a moving forum where their are a lot of very helpful people that help relocates. Like here it is the same people that post all the time and they are very knowledgeable about different towns in CT.

You are so lucky, have fun in your search!

 

[lala646]

I'm in Brooklyn, so can't comment on the northern suburbs but to say I have 2 friends living in Hastings-on-Hudson who absolutely love it, and it's quite an easy commute to GCT.

One other thing to factor into your decision is if your husband is working in NYC, but you live in NJ, he will have to pay both NYC/NY and NJ income taxes. NYC gets their pound of flesh one way or the other.

 

[digital_bling]

Hello PSers,

My husband officially accepted a job in NYC and this Texan will find herself back in the Northeast sometime during the summer. It’s exciting as my husband will be leaving the energy industry and is looking forward to working with a company with a wonderful reputation. I went to graduate school in NYC and have missed it every day since.

In graduate school, I lived in Manhattan and didn’t venture out too much. This time around, we are looking at the suburbs. Some of the ones we are considering are Scarsdale, Rye, Rye Brook, Harrison, Greenwich CT, Ridgewood and Summit NJ. My kids are in private school currently but looks like they will attend public once we move. Any experience with those areas? What the culture is like? What the school culture is like? I am trying to get up there soon to get a feel. Logistics are a little tricky right now.

Thanks in advance!

I grew up in Greenwich, CT! We moved here in '87 from Brentwood, CA. What a gift it was to grow up here. Thank you, Mom and Dad. My mother picked Greenwich off a map, sight unseen (serious). I live here now as an adult. I love it. I feel frustrated that, as a teenager, I didn't know what a boon it was to grow up here.

Greenwich is a neighborly place. I think that nowadays it is very easy to fall into the society trap (a lot of hedge fund $$ rolled into Greenwich post-9/11). I value the community feel and the "Andy Griffith Show" feel. When I was growing up, I didn't know how good I had it. I know it now. We care for each other and we check up on each other.

I am very, very close to the 'Ave and the Greenwich Railroad Station. My parents are saints. I cannot believe they factored that in when house-hunting in 1987?? That I might someday be a teenager who would want to socialize on the 'Ave and be close to metro-north RR so I could bust out of the 'burbs and head to NYC. Boggles my mind. Credit to them.

Attended Greenwich Public Schools through 7th grade and then switched to a private school in Stamford which changed my life for the better. I would say, that at the time I attended public school, Greenwich High School was an incredible public high school -- exceptional. It STILL IS -- it has only gotten better.

But there were 3,500 students in the GHS at the time. For ME, private school was what I needed and wanted -- I asked my parents if I could switch out of the public school system and they were delighted for a number of reasons. TL;DR -- Private school suited me better -- BEST. Small class size, and so many other benefits. Both of my parents worked full-time and had no bandwidth or patience for the public school PTA stuff. At the time, you basically had to be on the PTA to "steer" your kid through public school and its advanced programs.

Good, strong values from the private school I attended. My teachers were amazing and they demanded (and received) the best of me....and this taught me so much about myself and what I was capable of. I've never known a more nurturing academic environment.

Find a place that fits your VALUES.

 

[doberman]

I grew up in Summit NJ. The house I grew up in, a nice little center hall colonial was last sold for 1.4M. My parents bought it in the 70s for 48k. I still live in the state and own two properties there. My property taxes are insane, just so you know, at least 50k/year.

Summit was great, I could walk to school and into town, and go into NYC on the train, as a kid, which was great, as I was into rock concerts back in the day.

 

[Petalouda]

Thank you @doberman @digital_bling @lala646 @oceanblue @Asscherhalo_lover ! I have looked at these places and will try to hit them up as soon as I can. I think I will try to take a trip end of February and take a look as well as a week in March. I definitely do like the idea of living in NJ but it seems the tax situation along with the commute may rule it out. We shall see. I'm sure I'll have more questions when I return. I do need to find a good tax accountant up there!

 

[idealw2boys]

Thank you @doberman @digital_bling @lala646 @oceanblue @Asscherhalo_lover ! I have looked at these places and will try to hit them up as soon as I can. I think I will try to take a trip end of February and take a look as well as a week in March. I definitely do like the idea of living in NJ but it seems the tax situation along with the commute may rule it out. We shall see. I'm sure I'll have more questions when I return. I do need to find a good tax accountant up there!

@Petalouda

Just chiming in with words of support…

I haven’t lived in any of the areas that you’re looking into, it’s just that I was in a similar situation as you moving from Houston to Tampa Bay years ago and can relate to the questions and feelings that you’re describing, even though we didn’t have kids at the time.

I used to live near the Tanglewood area and spent a lot of time in West U. All of my family still live there and miss that city even though it’s changed so much over the years….

I know you’ll cherish the memories you’ve made in Houston and make new ones in your new home.

Good luck! I know it will work out for you.

 

[Petalouda]

@Petalouda

Just chiming in with words of support…

I haven’t lived in any of the areas that you’re looking into, it’s just that I was in a similar situation as you moving from Houston to Tampa Bay years ago and can relate to the questions and feelings that you’re describing, even though we didn’t have kids at the time.

I used to live near the Tanglewood area and spent a lot of time in West U. All of my family still live there and miss that city even though it’s changed so much over the years….

I know you’ll cherish the memories you’ve made in Houston and make new ones in your new home.

Good luck! I know it will work out for you.

We live in one of the areas you just mentioned and we absolutely love it. Houston is truly a gem of a city. Thanks so much for your words of encouragement!! I appreciate them!

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Sorry to lose you in Houston Petalouda! But all the best for your move. I grew up in the Mid Atlantic and while there are many things I like about the NE, I'd have a difficult time re-adjusting to the cold weather and how much more expensive it is to buy property. So I'm sending you lots of good vibes on your new adventure!

 

[Jsand]

@Petalouda did you end up moving this way? I am in a similar boat right now weighing up some difficult options!

 

[Petalouda]

@Petalouda did you end up moving this way? I am in a similar boat right now weighing up some difficult options!

We are moving a week from today to lower Westchester county! It seemed to check all our boxes. Schools, commute, proximity to the city

 

[Jsand]

How exciting, congratulations!! Good luck with the move, I hope it all goes smoothly.

Did you check out a few different areas before deciding? We are strongly considering leaving Miami for somewhere like Scarsdale for lots of reasons.