Another "Moving to NY" Question....

GermanGirl2007

Hey ladies! I am sorry to bog down your board with another moving to NY question, but I went back a few pages and didn't quite see what I was looking for so I decided to post my own thread.

DH and I are moving to New York this summer for his job.  He will be travelling a LOT for work, so wherever we live, it will need to be an easy commute to one of the airports. We are open to living in the city, (and I have read some of the neighborhoods that you all suggested in the other threads), but I also want to check out the suburbs, where I am sure we can get a little bit more for our money in terms of apartments.

I am wondering what areas outside of the city are good places to live, with a reasonable commute in for my DH?  We have a large dog, so we need a place that will work with him.  Preferably a family-friendly neighborhood, close to grocery stores, shoppping, etc. 

Do a lot of people commute in?  Do people that commute in from the suburbs still have cars, or no? Does the higher cost of living in the city balance out with living in the suburbs but having to pay for a car, commuting, etc?  Given the choice, what would you do?

FWIW, I do not have a job lined up yet, so I am not sure where I will be working.  We are moving from a small town in Wisconsin (although I grew up in the Twin Cities) so I know this will be a huge change, but I am trying to make it as easy on us as possible.

TIA for any words of wisdom and advice. It is much appreciated.

musiscout

Welcome to the board. I grew up in Small Town, Wisconsin about 2 hours from the airport in the Twin Cities. It will probably be a little more work with a big dog to find an apartment. I have hid my cat in two apartments, but he doesn't bark. I do still recommend Bayside, Douglastan, Little Neck. They are in the Queens, but feel like suburbs and are not as expensive in property taxes as Long Island. DH can take the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) into Penn Station. This is the area where I am most comfortable as I am close to the city, but it's easy to get to place to place everyday to do errands. Otherwise, you could look into Long Island neighborhoods. When I moved here, I googled names of neighborhoods that I found reasonable apartments in. I read the wikipedia articles and found the crime and school stats.  These neighborhoods, you'd need a car. Midwesterners don't do well here without a car unless you live in Manhattan. As soon as I got my first tax refund, I bought one.

Alishanyc

I have some friends in Tarrytown (that is in Westchester, right outside of the city) and it is gorgeous there. PLENTY of people commute via Metro North train into Manhattan. Keep in mind, thats about a 35-40 minute commute, if Im not mistaken. But, is that town gorgeous.Family friendly, dog friendly - quaint little shops and restaurants in town...tree lined streets.just a beautiful place.

Id look into it.

 

Carrieland

How about someplace like Montclair, New Jersey?  It's very close to the city.  You can also look at places like Nyack, NY but when my friend was looking there she was deterred by the commuting costs.  But it might be worth looking in to.

MrsKocal

Nassau county has lots of great neighborhoods that are perfect for dogs and kids :-)  Many are also along the LIRR so it's easy to get into the city.

firedancer22

one thing that was briefly mentioned is that the cost of commuting from the suburbs can sometimes outweigh the lower cost of living.  when we were thinking of leaving the city and moving to long island, that is exactly what we found. 

with no disrespect to anybody who does live outside the city, i think it's fair to say that you keep in mind that in those places, you will likely pay more in taxes (if you buy a home), and you will have to have a car plus pay for public transportation.  that means you will pay for.......the car, the insurance, the gas, the parking pass, the railroad pass, AND the metrocard.

queens might be a good option for you.  it is easily accessible to both manhattan and the airports.  it would be easy to find an apartment close to the subway, so as to cut out at least the railroad pass part of that equation.  (and those can run into the hundreds of dollars per month.) 

really, you just have to weigh what you consider to be the pros and cons.  good luck!

MrsKocal

oh, if you are looking to buy, definitely go for something in Queens rather than Nassau county.  People flee to Long Island because home prices are generally cheaper, but property taxes are ASTRONOMICAL.  Just a comparison - my friend and I both have average starter homes - I pay $2K property taxes in Queens, she pays $10K in Nassau!!!!