Heading to the Burbs for Bargains
Sunday's New York Times featured an article on the growing number of city residents who are heading to the suburbs for the relatively low prices. While a steady stream of New Yorkers have always left the city for more space, better public schools, and other quality of life issues, a new group of people are leaving due to housing prices. As prices in Manhattan have continued to soar, those in most suburbs have been declining. According to the Times, many people who would otherwise stay in the city are finding the relative bargains too good to pass up. That is certainly true in northern Westchester, where a nice house in a good school district can be had for the cost of a small one bedroom apartment.
Of course, as an area resident who loves where I live, I hate to think of anyone moving here just for financial reasons. Like most of my neighbors, I left the city for a mix of reasons and I have found that northern Westchester's mix of 'urban' amenities, rural beauty, and easy access to the city offers the perfect balance for a happy life. I certainly hope that anyone coming here for the bargains finds that the area offers a whole lot more than just that.
SOURCE: The New York Times: Cashing Out of New York City
3 comments:
I am looking in the area basically because I can't afford what I want in the city. I like the area a lot, but if I could afford a brownstone in Park Slope I'd buy that instead.
I moved because I like clean air, trees, and things slowed down a little bit.
(I just re-read that and I am officially turning into my parents.)
Brooklyn is good, but honestly the prices are ridiculous. For the price of my renovated 4 bed/3 bath 130 year old Colonial Farmhouse on half an acre I could have gotten a 1 bedroom apartment in a neighborhood thats 'up and coming' (meaning it's sketchy and a long way from the subway).
If prices were the same I'd be torn between the city and the northern suburbs. I like both a lot. But I really want my kids to have room to run and to experience nature. If I could afford a large apartment and a country house, I'd stay in the city. Otherwise I'd still be looking up north.
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