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06.12.08, 17:48 PM New York City
9 replies
What is Riverdale like as a community? Am considering moving out of the City but want a short commute, nice town and community, and reasonable people (not too snobby, conservative or crazy). Should Riverdale be on my list? I gather the public schools aren't so great there? Anyone want to recommend other towns? (So far have Edgement, Millburn, Summit, Montclair, maybe Scarsdale and Larchmont.) Thanks! [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
New York City 06.12.08, 05:48 PM Flag
 

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Don't know but if you look in Edgemont, you'll want to be close enough to the Scarsdale train station to be able to walk there; otherwise you have to drive to the Hartsdale station (where it may not be so easy to park, but it's easier to get a seat on the train). [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.12.08, 05:50 PM Flag
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we just bought in scarsdale....we also looked in Ardsley, Edgemont and Irvington [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.12.08, 06:00 PM Flag
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My in-laws live there, as do many aging jewish couples who are not snobby, conservative or crazy. But they are old! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.12.08, 06:14 PM Flag
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a jewish friend told me it would be too jewish for me. said there is a big orthodox community that sets the rules for when stores are open, etc. we are firmly atheist, so we skipped it. also, you can always apply for citywides if the schools there aren't good. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.12.08, 06:24 PM Flag
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We live in Riverdale and we're not Jewish, snobby, or old. It really depends on where you live in Riverdale. If you are near the synogogues, then of course it's going to be pretty Jewish. IMHO, I find the UWS and UES very snobby and snooty and I have really never felt that about Riverdale in the 5 years I've been here. The shopping IS pretty bad, but the stores' hours are not set by the orthodox Jews. Things just close down kinda early because it's kind of like the suburbs- not a lot of foot traffic, so they close. The elementary schools are very good (PS 24 and PS 81) but the MS and HS are so-so. But since our eldest is entering K next year, we have a while to worry about it (even longer if she gets into A!! ) HTH [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.13.08, 05:46 AM Flag
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my friend lives there and loves it. she is not jewish btw. there is one good public elem school, and you are close to hill schools. the biggest problem she has found is that her nanny did not want to commute there from brooklyn, and she has had trouble finding a new one [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.13.08, 05:48 AM Flag
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I've lived there 7 1/2 years and our family loves it. Lots of young families certainly seem to be moving into our building. The public schools are reasonably strong and there are plenty of excellent private options. Parents speak quite highly of their experiences at both PS 24 and 81 and I've certainly met a lot of terrific kids who come from the 81 program. Unfortunately G&T doesn't start until grade 1 in the district and if your interested in that you might want to consider moving to a school zone that has a G&T program (ie. ps 24) so your child doesn't have to switch schools after a year in K. City wides are also an option of course - especially Anderson which isn't too outrageous a commute. Mediocre restaurants and even worse shopping but it's easy to get out to Westchester resources if you have a car and also easy to get into the city. It has a neighborhood vibe that we love and something we never really felt in Manhattan although we didn't have children back then. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.13.08, 06:42 AM Flag
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You should also add Mamaroneck (one of the waterfront communities to your list)these are very affluent but so NOT snobby, conservative and crazy communities to live in. Very similar to Montclair if you ask me (Westchester's equivalent). There are also a lot more reasonably priced nice neighborhoods in Mamaroneck, so you have to live in an expensive home by the water to be happy there. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.23.08, 06:24 AM Flag
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We looked pretty heavily into Riverdale. THe people are very nice and it is very pretty and the elementaries are very good. That said, we felt it was the bad parts of city living (apartment instead of house, difficult parking, expensive, crowded, tons of new construction, long commute to midtown/downtown) and none of the good parts (restaurants, movie theaters, shopping, special events, easy mass transit). We also found that there are a lot of areas that are, as said, very Jewish, and we've had friends have bad experiences. As in, their child accidentally touched an Orthodox child, and the mother freaks out that the Orthodox child will now need to be purified. Which freaks out the non-Orthodox child of course. We decided it would either be real country, or real city. Riverdale is a weird in-between. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.23.08, 07:31 AM Flag
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