Potential move to NY area (New York, New Rochelle: fit in, houses, neighbourhoods)
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I am considering a job offer located in Garden City and would like your input into some descent places to live. We do have 2 kids and the schooling is a key deciding factor. It is not only the quality of education but a cultural fit. To be honest I have been reading this forum for the past two days and am a little anxious about the school bit. There seem to be the a lot of segregation along the economic, racial, or religious lines for schools and for some neighbourhoods. We are a mixed one income couple white/asian and I want my kids to fit in somewhere, or at least not "stand out". Where would that be on Long Island?
My better half is Japanese so initially I looked in Westchester County, but the commute would be unacceptable according to people on that forum. Does anyone know if there are any Japanese on LI?...and where would they be? Obviously making my wife happy, would make me happy, or hedge the risk of her being unhappy
I am surprised at the cost-of-living and the taxes, and although the offer is good, now I am thinking it may not be enough to keep or improve our lot. The point of taking it would be to improve the situation and not uproot the family for an all-costs-in same situation. I have been looking through Zillow/Trulia sites to see prices, but it is impossible to see all the communities. The budget would be for a $700-$850 house.
And for those curious enough, we would be coming from the Toronto area.
Location: Prince Georges County, MD (formerly Long Island, NY)
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Long Island does have great schools, and if I read correctly that your budget is $700-850k, getting into a good school district shouldn't be a problem.
You're right about Long Island being segregated-- I think NYT, or some publication like that, said that Long Island is one of the most segregated areas in the country. That said, however, I think Long Islanders tend to be more accepting of Asian people than, say, black people.
Also, what commute time are you looking at?
Just from reading your post, I'd say New Hyde Park would be a great place to start.
You're right about Long Island being segregated-- I think NYT, or some publication like that, said that Long Island is one of the most segregated areas in the country. That said, however, I think Long Islanders tend to be more accepting of Asian people than, say, black people.
Also, what commute time are you looking at?
Just from reading your post, I'd say New Hyde Park would be a great place to start.
Well, I commute for just over an hour right now so something similar or shorter would be nice. The pressing issue is that we would still drive to Westchester for Japanese school on weekends or to New Jersey to this big Japanese supermarket in Edgewater I think. I would not want this weekend trip to become a "holiday road trip" because the kids already complain if they sit in the car for too long.
I think I may have read a similar article about Long Island. It said that the segregation issue is apparent all around New York City. And yes I am anxious as where I live it is like a United Nations and houses are anywhere between $400k to $1.4M and there are no issues in school. Well, not totally like the UN, the school has a pretty even mix of white, asian, and south asian...
Most of the top school districts do have fairly large Asian populations, but I have no idea which have larger numbers of Japanese. I would say find out which areas have the largest Japanese populations and use that as your starting point. Your budget is on the lower end for most of the top districts, but you will definitely be able to find something in your price range. Some districts offer more value than others, but if being around other Japanese families is important, then narrow down your choices based on that.
By the way, I don't think you'll find many issues with racism towards your family especially if you're in an area with a large Asian population. I wouldn't be worried about that at all.
Location: Prince Georges County, MD (formerly Long Island, NY)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maikuchanca
Well, I commute for just over an hour right now so something similar or shorter would be nice. The pressing issue is that we would still drive to Westchester for Japanese school on weekends or to New Jersey to this big Japanese supermarket in Edgewater I think. I would not want this weekend trip to become a "holiday road trip" because the kids already complain if they sit in the car for too long.
I think I may have read a similar article about Long Island. It said that the segregation issue is apparent all around New York City. And yes I am anxious as where I live it is like a United Nations and houses are anywhere between $400k to $1.4M and there are no issues in school. Well, not totally like the UN, the school has a pretty even mix of white, asian, and south asian...
I will take a peek at this New Hyde Park. Thanks.
Actually, New Hyde Park lends itself well to those trips because it's rather close to the Queens border. I'm pretty sure you could get to the Throgs Neck Bridge in 10-15 minutes.
Socially, you'll probably find that people on Long Island will simply consider you Asian without delineating between Japanese, Chinese, etc. Like I said, I don't think you'll have too many problems.
The Herricks School District has a very large Asian population. This district is an excellent, high achieving school district. There is a wide range of housing prices in this district which includes parts of Williston Park, Albertson, Roslyn, New Hyde Park, Searington and Manhasset Hills. It would not be difficult to find something in your price range in these areas. All areas are minutes from the Northern State Parkway and Long Island Expressway. These areas are also very close to Garden City. There is a very large Asian Supermarket in the area called HMart located on Hillside Avenue. Hope this helps in some way. Good luck!
Herricks SD Asian population is mostly Indian, same for New Hyde Park. There used to be a sizable Japanese population in the eastern part of northern Nassau County during the 80s through early 90s, but many left along with the Japanese from the Fort Lee/Englewood Cliffs areas. There are still Japanese in Jericho and whle not exclusively Japanese, there are Asian markets on Long Island. You won't be the only White/Asian couple. You should be able to find a Japanese school in Queens or Manhattan? Another area to consider is Syosset. I really doubt that your children or you and your wife will have race problems here.
It's not the West Coast, but there are plenty of Asians and multiethnic Asian/Caucasian couples on Long Island. I don't know where specifically the Japanese population is, but there is definitely an East Asian element. Certainly for 850 you have most of the districts available to you.
I thought the Japanese school was in Greenwich, CT?
Yes, there is one but it is an actual school sanctioned by the Japanese Ministry of Education as I understand. Basically it is a full time school for expat kids who are taken out of Japan, and will return back to Japan. For us there is a Japanese Weekend School that is in New Rochelle or Port Chester.
Thank you everyone for all the suggestions! I'll take a look at each and every one of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Two boys
There is a very large Asian Supermarket in the area called HMart located on Hillside Avenue. Hope this helps in some way. Good luck!
We have the same chain here in Toronto and we do go there on occasion, as we do have some other Asian chains closer. That is great that HMart is there.
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