Looking to move to the NYC area. Looking for cheaper, safe area, possibly a suburb with public transportation

Question

We are looking to move the the NYC area and don't have a clue about what areas to look into. We want to move some place where the rent isn't outrageous and where we can park cars safely. Also, we want to have public transportation into the city easily available. Any suggestions? We were looking into Greenwich. We would also like to avoid living in Jersey. Any insight would be awesome! Thanks!

I understand that NYC is not, in essence "cheap" but we aren't looking to spend $5,000 a month. We plan on using public transportation as our main transport, but can not get rid of our car.

Answer 1

As someone who also moved to NYC a few years ago with no clue what neighborhoods were best, I can now offer a little bit of insight.
Your best bets are the "semi-hip" neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.
Staten Island is a nice area, but it takes forever to get anywhere in Manhattan, and the Bronx, well, let's just skip the Bronx.

The neighborhoods in Brooklyn that are close to subways that run to Manhattan are Park Slope, which is very nice, but also a bit pricey, Williamsburg, which is very hip, but also pricey, Bushwick/East Williamsburg, which is cheap, but not the nicest area, Greenwood, which is also cheap but not so nice, and some areas of Sunset Park, which is also semi-cheap, and semi-nice.
Moving on to Queens, Long Island City can be nice in areas, and is close to transportation, but can also be pricey in areas. After living in Bushwick, East Williamsburg, and South Williamsburg, I've settled in Astoria Queens, which is in my opinion, the greatest neighborhood for a young transplant with a car.

(Although honestly, unless you absolutely need the car, I reccommend considering ditching it. I thought I needed mine too, until the parking tickets stated racking up, because believe me-you will forget to move your car for alternernate side parking at least once every few months.)

Look into Astoria, as its a very safe, very residential area, with plenty of parking and things to do. It's filled with great 24 hour supermarkets, museums, (check out the museum of the moving image-it's so cool!), shops, and restaurants. And believe it or not, it's still pretty cheap. Right now I rent a 3-bedroom place for only $1950, including utilities. For this same place in Williamsburg or Park Slope, it would run at least $2500-$3000.

Good luck, and happy hunting!

Answer 2

As a former New Yorker (lived in West Village for several years) I totally agree with Dinasname. The neighborhoods she mentioned and the prices are right on. I'll just add that you should reconsider Jersey City right across the water (it's becoming quite hip these days with a lot of people moving there). It is literally ten minutes away from New York City by train or water taxi and the prices are a little bit less or I should say the prices are almost as much as Manhattan, but you get more for the money.

And you can keep your car in Jersey depending on where you live. The train from Jersey to NYC is $1.75 whereas the Metro North from Westchester is around $12 a day roundtrip (last I checked anyway). That could be a deciding factor if you have to commute into NY every day for work. Parking a car in New York can run you $25 - $45 a day.

Greenwich, CT is too far away in my opinion.

You should go up there and do the commute before you move to get an idea of how far each place is from New York City. Also, it will take you a little bit of time to find an apartment unless you want to pay outrageous broker's fees. Don't just pack up and move! Do your research.

Answer 3

I would say Queens or Brooklyn if you want to be on the Subway. For Queens, I think Forrest Hills is great because it is safe and on an express stop. Other than that look at the maps for give the routes for the trains that leave Grand Central. Connecticut is nice. You could pick some where within driving distance of Stamford. Stamford is an express stop to the city. People commute to the city with train from beyond New Haven. Also consider Milford, CT.

Answer 4

As it stands, forget about Greenwich, CT. It is one of the MOST expensive places to live in the United States.

BRONX: The neighborhoods of Parkchester (has it's own middle class housing community), Morris Park, Throgs Neck, Bedford Park and Co-Op city (the largest Co-Op development) are all nice areas. Parking is a problem in the Parkchester area but most high density areas always have problems with parking anyway. Google a search of Parkchester and Co-Op city and see about applying for an apartment/Co-Op there. Note that there are parking garages and a large shopping mall in Co-Op city while Parkchester has one of the oldest Macy's and a bunch of other good stores.

QUEENS: Much of Queens is overpriced but you might want to look into areas like Glendale and Middle Village with suburban living in NYC but mostly one and two family homes exist. Way too overpriced: Douglaston and Little Neck

BROOKLYN: Decent rentals can be found along Ditmas Park, Kensington, Sunset Park (mostly working class Hispanic area, very nice). Bushwick has improved dramatically but some areas within are questionable Overpriced areas are Crown Heights, Cobble Hill, Bay Ridge. Way too overpriced: Park Slope, Dyker Heights, Williamsburg. Forget about Brownsville, East New York, Ocean Hill and some areas of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Manhattan: Anything below 168th street, forget it

White Plains (north of NYC) offers decent rentals, while providing excellent rail transportation to Manhattan. There are two shopping malls, about 30 local bus routes, and one of the largest employment centers outside of NYC, with plenty of companies nearby. Reader's Digest headquarters is a few miles north and you might even get to shake hands with Bill and Hillary Clinton in nearby Chappaqua.

Answer 5

There are plenty of inexpensive, safe suburbs to NYC.

You can look in Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle and other nearby towns in Westchester. Most towns there have a Metro-North station and parking should not be a problem.

Connecticut is a little more expensive, and Greenwhich would definitely be considered on the expensive side. But if you are finding reasonable rents there, then I am sure there are plenty of other areas in CT that will appeal to you.

Here is a map from Metro North which shows the towns close to the train stations in both Westchester and CT:

http://www.mta.info/mnr/html/mnrmap.htm

You can also look on Long Island - Nassau County is the closest to NYC.

Here is a link to towns - anything in Hempstead or North Hempstead will be closest to NYC, and an easy commute on the Long Island Rail Road:

http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/website/AG/Federal/towns.html

Good luck!

Answer 6

I'm confused about the links you are trying to make here:
NYC does not equal safe or cheap --- not to mention that all my friends from the city say that you might as well not have a car unless you plan on long term storage most of the year
If you mean Greenwich, CT >>>> rich area, not cheap

Depending on where you are moving from, plan on dropping your standard of living when applied to housing. What goes for $800/mth in a lot of states and is a fairly nice 2 BR, will be closer to $1500 there and won't be as nice. Also, what you'll get for $800 may seem like a dump to you compared to where you left.
Most of my friends gave up their cars altogether and used public transportation as their sole means. It's dependable, fairly cheap, and readily available except in the most remote areas.

Answer 7

Try Queens. it has some nice areas that are not outrageously expensive, and it has public transportation. But parking can be a real problem, so try to find something with parking space.

Answer 8

try astoria, queens, the rent is good, and it has easy access to the subway

Answer 9

Good luck!