Moving to NY

[Amanda2020 1]

So we are now going to be moving to NY as of Sept....my fiance got a new job and he will be transferred there. We are currently looking into places there. Anyone know any good neigbourhoods for raising a family? quiet safe? would be great advice.

[antda 13]

So we are now going to be moving to NY as of Sept....my fiance got a new job and he will be transferred there. We are currently looking into places there. Anyone know any good neigbourhoods for raising a family? quiet safe? would be great advice.

Amanda2020- Welcome to NY! Lol..I'm in New York State (Near Buffalo, NY)...So feel free to ask any questions about that too....

Not exactly sure what you are looking for.....

But if you want to be close to the border to Canada, I recommend the Western New York...

Low cost of housing (average cost of housing $50,000-$100,000)...pretty safe....nice neighbours/people......

What else are you looking for? Can you be more specific? Can help you further......

In the meantime, hope this helps....Good luck on your move and journey too...

Ant

[SapphireDreams 71]

NY is a pretty big state. What part of NY?

If you're moving to NYC, I can definitely help you out. Just need to know where he will be working in the city and how far he is willing to commute. That will help narrow down the options. Also what is your price range? Do you want to buy or rent? Will you have a car?

[Amanda2020 1]

Will be moving near Mannhatten my fiance's job is there.....so far I looked into Forest Hills. Brooklyn....I am going to look into Riverhead, South Hampton Village...we want something within a reasonable price although we found that NY is pretty expensive i was surprised....so far I looked at both rent and own...originally we were to go into rent but if buying is cheaper than will go that route our budget is anywhere up to 200 000...were looking into more condo/house type complex. My fiance also will be attending NYU on campus and myself I am applying so will need to be within distance to get there. And yes we have a car which will be bringing over.

[antda 13]

Will be moving near Mannhatten my fiance's job is there.....so far I looked into Forest Hills. Brooklyn....I am going to look into Riverhead, South Hampton Village...we want something within a reasonable price although we found that NY is pretty expensive i was surprised....so far I looked at both rent and own...originally we were to go into rent but if buying is cheaper than will go that route our budget is anywhere up to 200 000...were looking into more condo/house type complex. My fiance also will be attending NYU on campus and myself I am applying so will need to be within distance to get there. And yes we have a car which will be bringing over.

Amanda2020-Oh, you meant NYC... .....Sorry..thought you meant NY State...Well that narrows down things then...

Sapphire (and anyone else in NYC) can help you more out there about NYC-specific information, as they are more familiar with such...

I agree..Saphire...NY is a big state, indeed! Need to marrow things down...

Lol..I can though help with NY State info...So feel free to ask about that too....

By the way...If you are moving from Ont to NYS...It's a direct no-testing driver's license transfer...no need to take any driving tests....

Good luck with your move to NYC/NYS!

Ant

[SapphireDreams 71]

Will be moving near Mannhatten my fiance's job is there.....so far I looked into Forest Hills. Brooklyn....I am going to look into Riverhead, South Hampton Village...we want something within a reasonable price although we found that NY is pretty expensive i was surprised....so far I looked at both rent and own...originally we were to go into rent but if buying is cheaper than will go that route our budget is anywhere up to 200 000...were looking into more condo/house type complex. My fiance also will be attending NYU on campus and myself I am applying so will need to be within to get there. And yes we have a car which will be bringing over.

I live about 5-10 minutes from Forest Hills. It's definitely a family-friendly area, but still pretty urban. If you have a car, you'll definitely want to stay in an outer borough, either Queens or Brooklyn, or even Long Island, since parking in Manhattan is pretty much like renting a second apartment. In Queens and Brooklyn you can park on the street, so consider neighbourhoods with good street parking or apartments that include parking (most have an extra fee)

I think your first step will be to narrow down your budget. A nice one bedroom condo in Queens in a nice neighbourhood is about $350,000 for a 1 bedroom. Co-ops are cheaper but harder to sell, so I wouldn't go that route. You'll probably want to rent anyways just to get a sense of the city and what areas you like best before comitting. In certain areas of Queens, you can probably rent a decent 2 bedroom for around $1600-$1800 + utilities. Nice areas of Brooklyn are probably around $1800-$2000, but I could be wrong since I'm not that familiar with Brooklyn.

NYU is pretty centrally located so you can pretty much live in Brooklyn or Queens and have good access. I know more about Queens so I'll suggest a few places there.

I like Forest Hills a lot. It's a nice family friendly option. There are lots of older, quaint buildings, lots of families, a very nice residential (large houses nearby). It's on an express train line, so the commute would be alright... Probably around 45 minutes, maybe more with an express train. I'm pretty sure you need to pay for parking permits to park on the street in Forest Hills, but I could be wrong about that...

Astoria - close to Manhattan, lots of decent prices apartments - downside is that it's pretty urban, maybe not as family oriented... but you'll probably still see a lot of families, they are everywhere in NYC. You'll probably get a huge mix of people here...

Woodside - this is where I live. It's definitely a big mix of people and very multicultural. Definitely very urban, but there are lots of houses and families but not as many parks and green space. Very easy commute to Manhattan and easy access to highways and other parts of NY and it's only 10 minutes from La Guardia, which is nice for travel. Rent is good, but anything that seems too good to be true most likely is (i would probably say that about any apartment in NYC though). My husband grew up here, so he's VERY familiar with it and that's why it works for us.

If there are other neighbourhoods in Queens that you are interested in, just let me know and I can ask my husband about them. He's more familiar than me.

In terms of Brooklyn, I'm not that familiar... but a few places I know for sure are nice, Park Slope, Cobble Hill, DUMBO and Williamsburg are a bit more 'hip' and young so I don't think those will be what you're looking for.

Long Island is a good option too, if you're willing to commute a bit further. Mineola is nice, we have friends there. It's not necessarily cheaper, but more suburban, green, quieter etc. Schools are better. Houses are probably in the $450-$800,000, but it's really the property taxes that kill you ($10,000/year on average I've heard).

Do you have school age kids? If you have kids that will be going to public school, you'll want to consider the district.

I hope I was able to answer some of your questions. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I can answer them or ask my husband to help answer them.

NYC is a definitely an interesting place to live. The quality of life here is definitely very different from what I'm used to (I'm from Mississauga) but once you see past the crowdedness and the dirt, it's a great place to live. It's everything you could dream of, but also everything you didn't even think you'd experience all in one big adventure.

[SapphireDreams 71]

Just to add... South Hampton and Riverhead are WAY too far to commute into Manhattan. They are like 2-3 hours away.

I wouldn't go further than Nassau County or else you are looking at like 2 hour commutes each way. Might save you money but it's a longggg commute.

[antda 13]

I live about 5-10 minutes from Forest Hills. It's definitely a family-friendly area, but still pretty urban. If you have a car, you'll definitely want to stay in an outer borough, either Queens or Brooklyn, or even Long Island, since parking in Manhattan is pretty much like renting a second apartment. In Queens and Brooklyn you can park on the street, so consider neighbourhoods with good street parking or apartments that include parking (most have an extra fee)

I think your first step will be to narrow down your budget. A nice one bedroom condo in Queens in a nice neighbourhood is about $350,000 for a 1 bedroom. Co-ops are cheaper but harder to sell, so I wouldn't go that route. You'll probably want to rent anyways just to get a sense of the city and what areas you like best before comitting. In certain areas of Queens, you can probably rent a decent 2 bedroom for around $1600-$1800 + utilities. Nice areas of Brooklyn are probably around $1800-$2000, but I could be wrong since I'm not that familiar with Brooklyn.

NYU is pretty centrally located so you can pretty much live in Brooklyn or Queens and have good access. I know more about Queens so I'll suggest a few places there.

I like Forest Hills a lot. It's a nice family friendly option. There are lots of older, quaint buildings, lots of families, a very nice residential (large houses nearby). It's on an express train line, so the commute would be alright... Probably around 45 minutes, maybe more with an express train. I'm pretty sure you need to pay for parking permits to park on the street in Forest Hills, but I could be wrong about that...

Astoria - close to Manhattan, lots of decent prices apartments - downside is that it's pretty urban, maybe not as family oriented... but you'll probably still see a lot of families, they are everywhere in NYC. You'll probably get a huge mix of people here...

Woodside - this is where I live. It's definitely a big mix of people and very multicultural. Definitely very urban, but there are lots of houses and families but not as many parks and green space. Very easy commute to Manhattan and easy access to highways and other parts of NY and it's only 10 minutes from La Guardia, which is nice for travel. Rent is good, but anything that seems too good to be true most likely is (i would probably say that about any apartment in NYC though). My husband grew up here, so he's VERY familiar with it and that's why it works for us.

If there are other neighbourhoods in Queens that you are interested in, just let me know and I can ask my husband about them. He's more familiar than me.

In terms of Brooklyn, I'm not that familiar... but a few places I know for sure are nice, Park Slope, Cobble Hill, DUMBO and Williamsburg are a bit more 'hip' and young so I don't think those will be what you're looking for.

Long Island is a good option too, if you're willing to commute a bit further. Mineola is nice, we have friends there. It's not necessarily cheaper, but more suburban, green, quieter etc. Schools are better. Houses are probably in the $450-$800,000, but it's really the property taxes that kill you ($10,000/year on average I've heard).

Do you have school age kids? If you have kids that will be going to public school, you'll want to consider the district.

I hope I was able to answer some of your questions. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I can answer them or ask my husband to help answer them.

NYC is a definitely an interesting place to live. The quality of life here is definitely very different from what I'm used to (I'm from Mississauga) but once you see past the crowdedness and the dirt, it's a great place to live. It's everything you could dream of, but also everything you didn't even think you'd experience all in one big adventure.

Sapphire-OMG.....NYC is expensive!!! How do people afford things there? Seriously......

(lol...now I'm glad that I live further north in NYS...lol...I still get 'New York (State)' but not at that big of an expense as NYCers.....)

Nevertheless, NYC is a nice place to visit (I went there on my honeymoon, actually)...

But it costs a lot to live in! So yeah, be prepared to spend, spend, spend, there, I suppose....

Ant

Edited February 23, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[SapphireDreams 71]

^^ I guess it's expensive, but it's not impossible! I think income here is higher than most places, so it's a bit easier to live here in that perspective. You definitely need 6 figures to live comfortably but that's not to say you can't live here on less, tons of people do it.

[mikey78 6]

SapphireDreams, I knew you were in NYC but I didn't know we are practically neighbors Queens rocks! LOL

[SapphireDreams 71]

SapphireDreams, I knew you were in NYC but I didn't know we are practically neighbors Queens rocks! LOL

Queens has grown on me. I think I had some culture shock when I first moved here, LOL. Where do you live? (If you don't want to say, that's cool...)

[Amanda2020 1]

Amanda2020-Oh, you meant NYC... .....Sorry..thought you meant NY State...Well that narrows down things then...

Sapphire (and anyone else in NYC) can help you more out there about NYC-specific information, as they are more familiar with such...

I agree..Saphire...NY is a big state, indeed! Need to marrow things down...

Lol..I can though help with NY State info...So feel free to ask about that too....

By the way...If you are moving from Ont to NYS...It's a direct no-testing driver's license transfer...no need to take any driving tests....

Good luck with your move to NYC/NYS!

Ant

Yea we were looking into Brooklyin my step dad's sister lives there and she owns an in home day care which she can take my little one as of Sept...and no I dont have school age kids I have a 10 month old. Yea I am looking forward to it I am from (Oakville) so were not far from each other its like a bubble here so it will be a change coming out lol. In terms of our buget were pretty flexible and set of what were looking at...Were looking into two bedroom for sure preferably three cause we need a guest room, we got family that will visit alot and my fiance brother is also a frequent US travller and often works there as well both my fiance and his brother are in the entertainment business.

As I mentioned above were not looking to be far from Mannhatten I did not know Riverhead and South Hampton was that far so its out of the picture. My fiance will be working at the Rockeffeler Center and will both be attending NYU so Mannhatten will be our daily route. Any places that we should look specifically in Brooklyn?

[SapphireDreams 71]

Yea we were looking into Brooklyin my step dad's sister lives there and she owns an in home day care which she can take my little one as of Sept...and no I dont have school age kids I have a 10 month old. Yea I am looking forward to it I am from (Oakville) so were not far from each other its like a bubble here so it will be a change coming out lol. In terms of our buget were pretty flexible and set of what were looking at...Were looking into two bedroom for sure preferably three cause we need a guest room, we got family that will visit alot and my fiance brother is also a frequent US travller and often works there as well both my fiance and his brother are in the entertainment business.

As I mentioned above were not looking to be far from Mannhatten I did not know Riverhead and South Hampton was that far so its out of the picture. My fiance will be working at the Rockeffeler Center and will both be attending NYU so Mannhatten will be our daily route. Any places that we should look specifically in Brooklyn?

I'd check into ParkSlope, Cobble Hill and I think Brooklyn Heights has nice areas. I'd find out what subway your sister in law lives by, and then try to get something around there so that you're saving time picking up and dropping off your little one. The DUMBO area is also nice (Down under the Williamsburg Bridge) and Williamsburg is decent (just full of hipsters).

If you can guys can come and look at a bunch of apartments one weekend you'll probably want to try and do that before comitting to anything. Pictures in ads are usually very deceptive here. Might be helpful for yout hire a realtor to help you in your search but keep in mind they usually ask for 1 month's rent as their finder's fee.

I'll ask my husband about areas in Brooklyn you should absolutely stay away from tonight.

Also not sure if you're set on NYU, but if you're looking to save some money you might want to look into the CUNY (City University of NY) schools Baruch or Hunter are both good and ALOT cheaper than NYU.

[Amanda2020 1]

Tanks....yea were visiting for a few days march 14th to look at places...yea I am looking to go into teaching to get my elementary/teachers college(here) NYU has a childhood studies program...either way tuition is more expensive in the states cause its not funded by the government....ontario is subsided why its so cheap... it isnt a barrier....I still have money left over on my RESP....I will have to convert my funds to an american bank account...I only used part for my 3 years at a cc here. School i've already had set for a while....I will be looking into those places and will see once we get there will be able to make a better choice.

Edited February 23, 2010 by Amanda2020

[She_Fitz 0]

Queens has grown on me. I think I had some culture shock when I first moved here, LOL. Where do you live? (If you don't want to say, that's cool...)

I will be your neighbour soon too.

Interview is in 3 weeks.

We are looking in Astoria. My husband is out near Huntington now so he has quite a commute to work.

Edited February 24, 2010 by She_Fitz