Potential move to NYC with Kids
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Hello! I have a potential job offer on the table, based in NYC. My husband's company is based there, and he takes the train up from DC a few times a month. I would be able to do the same. OR we can actually move up there. Both offices are in midtown.
The plan could be to rent in NYC (thinking $6k/$9k month all in), but it's the school situation that make me pause. We have an 11 year old and a 7 year old, so finishing 5th and 2nd grade. I think I'd prefer public schools or charter options over private schools, at least for now. Could change my mind for high schools. Oldest is at BASIS, which is fairly rigorous, and little one is at a bilingual Montessori. Should we just be looking at the Upper East/West side in this case? What other neighborhoods should we be exploring if school is the priority for a move? Not opposed to Brooklyn or Queens. The North Bronx would be a bit of a hike, but could consider it. Would welcome any thoughts or even places to look up school rankings. I find the ones for DC aren't really that accurate - is that also the case for NYC? |
Anonymous
| Do you have to live in NYC? Could you live in NJ, Westchester/CT, or Long Island? |
Anonymous
| This is DCUM so people are going to say that you need $300k+ HHI to raise a family in NYC and that you need to send your kids to private. Neither are true. If you really want to live in NYC it’s completely possible to live in a 2BR rental & send your kids to the local public |
Anonymous
| The public schools in the UES, UWS and Tribeca are pretty good. Make sure you check the zone of the exact address of your apartment, because it can change by block and the bad schools can be really bad. You should also check for the locations of public housing units and homeless shelters. It’s possible to find a 3 bedroom for $9k in those neighborhoods, but be aware it won’t be anything particularly nice - e.g., old, walk up, no washer/dryer in unit. You could also try Park Slope or Cobble Hill in Brooklyn, which will get you more for your money. I wouldn’t recommend Queens or the Bronx. If you don’t mind a commute, North Jersey and Westchester are both easily accessible by train and have excellent public schools. |
Anonymous
Do you live in there on under a 300k HHI? Please share your expenses then. |
Anonymous
Not PP but the median HHI there is only $127k. |
Anonymous
A lot of people here are young and just starting out, bunking with four roommates and taking advantage of free lunches at work. A lot of people (including almost everyone I know) move to the suburbs once they have kids. It’s just so expensive to raise children here, and honestly gets tiring after a while. I’m a big law partner and even at that income a majority of people move to the suburbs. |
Anonymous
Interesting. The only way I’d think it’d be more expensive is rent. Kids can go to public (including pk3 & pk4, which the suburbs don’t have) and share a room. |
Anonymous
That’s the people you know. There are over 8 million people in the city and plenty of kids grow up in NYC. There are pros and cons to suburban living and city living. |
Anonymous
Groceries are insanely expensive here, as are nannies (and if you have the type of job that lets you afford a 2- or 3-bedroom here, you likely don’t work a strict 9 to 5 so you do need a nanny). It’s difficult to corral young kids through a crowded subway if you need to go anywhere, but Ubers cost a fortune. It can be difficult to be crammed into a 1500 square foot apartment with no outdoor space or storage. Restaurants and other social outlets aren’t particularly kid friendly, and all the playgrounds are small hard tops surrounded by busy streets. There aren’t a lot of kid centric activities around, like trampoline parks etc. It’s possible to make it work, of course, and it’s probably easier once your kids are older, but it’s not the ideal situation for a lot of people. |
Anonymous
A disproportionate number of children in NYC schools are either very poor (mostly public schools) or very rich (mostly private schools). It’s not common for middle to upper middle class families (using a generous definition of middle class that would make even the proponents of the term “DCUM middle class” wince) to stay, which is a whole separate topic that causes a lot of angst in NYC school politics. |
Anonymous
| Jersey City is relatively affordable. |
Anonymous
| Family of four here in Brooklyn on a $250k/year income. Kids in public school, we're very happy. |
Anonymous
OP here. This is helpful. Income-wise, we are DCUM middle class, and my pay would give us a bump, but I suspect that private school/Gossip Girl life is not at all for us. We aren't "granola" but I would have to sell my Subaru 
Share all the things. I was hoping for city living, but mostly to cut down on the commute. A lot of folks at my husband's firm live in Westchester, etc, and that seems like it might be a heavy lift. I'm finding that 3-bedrooms seem a bit harder to find. Wondering if a two-bedroom could work near a park? PP you don't think Queens would be a good option? Even like, Long Island City (is that too cool/young) or Astoria? Where in Brooklyn should I look? Is it Park Slope or other neighborhoods too? Are there specific PS numbers we should check out? The nanny thing is something to think about. Is it normal to find someone for afternoons only? College students? |
Anonymous
Unless the job offer implies you'll make $200K or more on top of what you make now I wouldn't even consider it, unless for some reason you want to move there for the long-term (family...) NYT is one very expensive and stressful jungle to navigate, compared to DC. |