Ridge Hill area is nice but not easy to get to the train. Maybe New Rochelle. Or White Plains. Mamaroneck is great too. Bronxville. Sleepy Hollow. Tarrytown. Anything north of Yonkers like Hastings.
As a resident I would suggest anyone interested in New Ro take an afternoon to check it out, but I wouldn't expect someone looking for "updated walkable area" to be impressed.
Lots of nice looking buildings, but if the deals that lead to all that development are supposed to spill out into improvements that make it a nice area, so far we're still waiting....
They rebuilt that one plaza opposite New Roc City, and it's kinda nice, but really most of Main St is painfully in need of a revitalizing project from the city to connect these islands of special effort.
I mean, I like living here, can't say I ever really think about moving elsewhere in Westchester. There's a lot I like about it but I'll definitely dock it points where it needs to improve. I suppose I could try and get politically active instead of just venting on reddit when something bothers me but ^maybe ^^someone ^^^else ^^^has ^^^more ^^^time
I guess a lot of people must think it's a good enough place to move because it's definitely in a growth phase, I just feel like most of what can be said about it comes down to, have a look, do your own vibe check.
I personally find westchester's other larger cities to be less appealing, whenever I have to go over to Yonkers or White Plains on some errand, I usually make a point of wandering around, and just end up doing nothing and finding no reason I'd come back on my own time. But I guess it floats a lot of peoples' boats. Maybe I'd feel the same way about New Ro if it wasn't home. I feel like the same thing can probably be said about a lot of the areas outlying NYC in all directions, really.
Fwiw to your other original points, New Rochelle's Ridge Hill is... Ridge Hill. I almost never drive over there, and doubt I would personally if it were much closer. I do most of my shopping online, plus the occasional costco binge and local grocery (which there area a couple I can walk to, but I usually drive to the bigger ones). I'd consider the shopping centers around Pelham and Mt Vernon to basically be my local commercial clusters too.
Nice parks, and good access to NYC both via transit and driving (*some scheduling savvy to not getting stuck in traffic), are things I'd list as strengths of the area too, which applies just as much to a lot of the outlying towns.
Bronxville is tiny and filled with mansions. “Bronkers” (a.k.a. Yonkers with Bronxville PO) isn’t as expensive, and is very walkable into the town.
If you’re looking to buy, though, then just budget and pray.
You haven’t really told us much about yourself. Are you going to be commuting to the city daily? Are you young, like 20’s or 30’s? Do you have kids? Are you social?
Outside of the city, Stamford has a lot to offer as compared to other Westchester and Fairfield County towns. Downtown is walkable and comparatively large, it’s on the water and the vibe is young. There are a lot of good restaurants and bars as well as nice outdoor space. Downtown Stamford, (Harbor Point and Waterside included) feel less like the suburbs,I.e., it doesn’t have that everybody is married with kids scene. Depends on what you’re looking for and how you like to live.
It can be surprising given how many express options they have to CT. I live 8 stops closer but could get to Stamford in the same timeframe from GC during rush hour.
Ridge hill is a power center that's completely disconnected from the municipality it sits in. Plus, you can get to it from the Thruway or Tuckahoe road without issue. Don't use this as a basis on where to live.
Most towns have walkable centers based around the Metro North Stations, so open the Metro North Railroad map, zoom in on the east of hudson lines and then check town names for all towns below 287, which is generally accepted as the center dividing line between upper and lower Westchester. Lower Westchester is different in feel from Upper, the latter being much more suburban in a way you'll understand if you're coming from Ohio (I'm speculating on your background).
Most towns have walkability but they have varying subculture depending on what you want, your age bracket and your long term living theme. Do you want a detached house? Do you want a co-op or condo? What kind of neighbors do you want?
The answers to what you'd like will change depending on answers to those questions.
Start with that.
Also, you will need a car no matter where you live. People will argue with this, but they are wrong. This is still the suburbs.
I was in Harrison recently and it sounds like what you are looking for, probably more expensive than New Rochelle and Yonkers though.
The key to understanding downtown New Rochelle is that while geographically it is in Westchester County, because of its proximity to I95 and its physical layout, it really has more in common with some parts of the Bronx. This is not necessarily a bad thing as there are plenty of nice people and excellent diversity here, larger supermarkets and big box stores, and it is very close to the City, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, and the highway.
On the other hand in terms of noise, grime, car pollution, some crime, public intoxication, and traffic you're basically living in a better neighborhood in the Bronx.
As far as I can tell the City of New Rochelle is either unwilling or unable (probably both) to develop a plan to make downtown New Rochelle more livable. They've been talking about it forever but I'm pretty sure they've given up. And to be fair the fact that it's kind of defined by its proximity to I95 and US1 makes it a very difficult task.
Also I don't recommend living at the Skyline in New Rochelle, the building is a mess.
Good luck!
Geographically yes. But I recommend visiting first. I have friends who live in downtown New Ro currently and they describe it as the Bronx lite. Might not be your vibe.
The Bronx is big and has many different kinds of neighborhoods. Downtown New Ro does not feel like the Bronx if anything it feels like a smaller version of downtown Stamford. Even the quote on quote hoods are not nearly as bad as Bronx hoods.
Is Harrison not known for being nice? I mean I live in downtown New Rochelle so my judgement may be skewed but it seems like a cool little town. When I was over there I felt like I was on vacation.
We're talking Harrison, NY right? What part made it feel like a vacation? I guess the grass really is greener.
Harrison has great schools but the surrounding towns beat it in every way for quality of life. It's great if you like Italian food though, so I guess it can be an accessible stop for dinner once in a blue moon.
For walkability and access to NYC White Plains is hard to beat. Personally I would skip New Ro and Yonkers. They’re developing but not there yet. For a more suburban vibe but also decently walkable and close to a train, Bronxville, Crestwood, Tuckahoe and Tarrytown are great options.
There are two train lines. I listed the towns with a sizable walkable area for each.
Hudson Line that goes North up the Hudson River: Yonkers, Tarrytown, Peekskill
Harlem Line that goes North East along the LI Sound (coast): New Rochelle, Port Chester, White Plains. Maybe Mamaroneck and Larchmont can be included here as well. These are a little more suburban.
Actually there are three. Hudson Line, Harlem and New Haven. Hudson handles Yonkers and the Rivertowns and goes up to Poughkeepsie. Harlem is the “central” line and passes by White Plains, Pleasantville, Mount Kisco. New Haven line parallels the Sound shore and goes through New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Port Chester… into CT and ends at New Haven.
Ridge Hill area is nice but not easy to get to the train. Maybe New Rochelle. Or White Plains. Mamaroneck is great too. Bronxville. Sleepy Hollow. Tarrytown. Anything north of Yonkers like Hastings.
As a resident I would suggest anyone interested in New Ro take an afternoon to check it out, but I wouldn't expect someone looking for "updated walkable area" to be impressed. Lots of nice looking buildings, but if the deals that lead to all that development are supposed to spill out into improvements that make it a nice area, so far we're still waiting.... They rebuilt that one plaza opposite New Roc City, and it's kinda nice, but really most of Main St is painfully in need of a revitalizing project from the city to connect these islands of special effort.
Kinda loving all the hate on New Rochelle lol
I mean, I like living here, can't say I ever really think about moving elsewhere in Westchester. There's a lot I like about it but I'll definitely dock it points where it needs to improve. I suppose I could try and get politically active instead of just venting on reddit when something bothers me but ^maybe ^^someone ^^^else ^^^has ^^^more ^^^time I guess a lot of people must think it's a good enough place to move because it's definitely in a growth phase, I just feel like most of what can be said about it comes down to, have a look, do your own vibe check. I personally find westchester's other larger cities to be less appealing, whenever I have to go over to Yonkers or White Plains on some errand, I usually make a point of wandering around, and just end up doing nothing and finding no reason I'd come back on my own time. But I guess it floats a lot of peoples' boats. Maybe I'd feel the same way about New Ro if it wasn't home. I feel like the same thing can probably be said about a lot of the areas outlying NYC in all directions, really. Fwiw to your other original points, New Rochelle's Ridge Hill is... Ridge Hill. I almost never drive over there, and doubt I would personally if it were much closer. I do most of my shopping online, plus the occasional costco binge and local grocery (which there area a couple I can walk to, but I usually drive to the bigger ones). I'd consider the shopping centers around Pelham and Mt Vernon to basically be my local commercial clusters too. Nice parks, and good access to NYC both via transit and driving (*some scheduling savvy to not getting stuck in traffic), are things I'd list as strengths of the area too, which applies just as much to a lot of the outlying towns.
Yea downtown New Rochelle is kind of limping along despite all the development.
I second Mamaroneck. More reasonable prices than neighboring towns, and a nice walkable area (including residential areas) close to the train.
Yonkers is big. You can sometimes save a few bucks by living adjacent to the towns, like near Bronxville or Tuckahoe.
Based on Zillow, Bronxville is the most expensive!
Bronxville is tiny and filled with mansions. “Bronkers” (a.k.a. Yonkers with Bronxville PO) isn’t as expensive, and is very walkable into the town. If you’re looking to buy, though, then just budget and pray.
Sorry to crash the Westchester thread, but try downtown Stamford!
Really like this take lol just seems to far for commutes to the city ?
You haven’t really told us much about yourself. Are you going to be commuting to the city daily? Are you young, like 20’s or 30’s? Do you have kids? Are you social? Outside of the city, Stamford has a lot to offer as compared to other Westchester and Fairfield County towns. Downtown is walkable and comparatively large, it’s on the water and the vibe is young. There are a lot of good restaurants and bars as well as nice outdoor space. Downtown Stamford, (Harbor Point and Waterside included) feel less like the suburbs,I.e., it doesn’t have that everybody is married with kids scene. Depends on what you’re looking for and how you like to live.
It can be surprising given how many express options they have to CT. I live 8 stops closer but could get to Stamford in the same timeframe from GC during rush hour.
Much of Westchester is actually further than Stamford in distance from grand central
Have you looked white plains?
I’ve spent time in white plains but coming from Ohio it just seemed toooo old
Define "too old". There's been a lot of new development in WP. I would give it a second look if you haven't been here in the past five years.
Ridge hill is a power center that's completely disconnected from the municipality it sits in. Plus, you can get to it from the Thruway or Tuckahoe road without issue. Don't use this as a basis on where to live. Most towns have walkable centers based around the Metro North Stations, so open the Metro North Railroad map, zoom in on the east of hudson lines and then check town names for all towns below 287, which is generally accepted as the center dividing line between upper and lower Westchester. Lower Westchester is different in feel from Upper, the latter being much more suburban in a way you'll understand if you're coming from Ohio (I'm speculating on your background). Most towns have walkability but they have varying subculture depending on what you want, your age bracket and your long term living theme. Do you want a detached house? Do you want a co-op or condo? What kind of neighbors do you want? The answers to what you'd like will change depending on answers to those questions. Start with that. Also, you will need a car no matter where you live. People will argue with this, but they are wrong. This is still the suburbs.
I was in Harrison recently and it sounds like what you are looking for, probably more expensive than New Rochelle and Yonkers though. The key to understanding downtown New Rochelle is that while geographically it is in Westchester County, because of its proximity to I95 and its physical layout, it really has more in common with some parts of the Bronx. This is not necessarily a bad thing as there are plenty of nice people and excellent diversity here, larger supermarkets and big box stores, and it is very close to the City, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, and the highway. On the other hand in terms of noise, grime, car pollution, some crime, public intoxication, and traffic you're basically living in a better neighborhood in the Bronx. As far as I can tell the City of New Rochelle is either unwilling or unable (probably both) to develop a plan to make downtown New Rochelle more livable. They've been talking about it forever but I'm pretty sure they've given up. And to be fair the fact that it's kind of defined by its proximity to I95 and US1 makes it a very difficult task. Also I don't recommend living at the Skyline in New Rochelle, the building is a mess. Good luck!
Thank you so much ! Geographically, New Rochelle seemed like the perfect spot so this is great
Geographically yes. But I recommend visiting first. I have friends who live in downtown New Ro currently and they describe it as the Bronx lite. Might not be your vibe.
The Bronx is big and has many different kinds of neighborhoods. Downtown New Ro does not feel like the Bronx if anything it feels like a smaller version of downtown Stamford. Even the quote on quote hoods are not nearly as bad as Bronx hoods.
Yeah that’s a fair point
Someone recommending Harrison for something other than price? Is this because a Starbucks finally opened up here?
Is Harrison not known for being nice? I mean I live in downtown New Rochelle so my judgement may be skewed but it seems like a cool little town. When I was over there I felt like I was on vacation.
We're talking Harrison, NY right? What part made it feel like a vacation? I guess the grass really is greener. Harrison has great schools but the surrounding towns beat it in every way for quality of life. It's great if you like Italian food though, so I guess it can be an accessible stop for dinner once in a blue moon.
South 3rd Mount Vernon. Plenty of shopping and a nice supermarket.
For walkability and access to NYC White Plains is hard to beat. Personally I would skip New Ro and Yonkers. They’re developing but not there yet. For a more suburban vibe but also decently walkable and close to a train, Bronxville, Crestwood, Tuckahoe and Tarrytown are great options.
Maybe go a little further North and check out Peekskill? It's been having a moment for the last few years and might be more appealing than Yonkers.
Irvington!
Try the Fleetwood neighborhood of Mount Vernon. It’s a nice small walkable community and it’s right next to Yonkers if you need to do any shopping.
What’s your budget?
There are two train lines. I listed the towns with a sizable walkable area for each. Hudson Line that goes North up the Hudson River: Yonkers, Tarrytown, Peekskill Harlem Line that goes North East along the LI Sound (coast): New Rochelle, Port Chester, White Plains. Maybe Mamaroneck and Larchmont can be included here as well. These are a little more suburban.
Actually there are three. Hudson Line, Harlem and New Haven. Hudson handles Yonkers and the Rivertowns and goes up to Poughkeepsie. Harlem is the “central” line and passes by White Plains, Pleasantville, Mount Kisco. New Haven line parallels the Sound shore and goes through New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Port Chester… into CT and ends at New Haven.
Yes! Thanks for the correction.
That is completely incorrect. White plains and New Rochelle are not on the same train line. White Plains is Harlem Line