The New York Times - USA (2020-08-09)

For many New Yorkers, urban life is a phase, to

be experienced between college and the birth of

a first or second child. The question of moving

to the suburbs is not “whether,” so much as

“when.”

Now with the pandemic, the timetable for de-

parture is accelerated. “The calls started com-

ing in: ‘We’re ready,’ ” said Janey Varvara, a

real estate agent with William Raveis in Scars-

dale, N.Y. “Everyone’s schedule changed dra-

matically.”

And the question has shifted to “where.”

Because suburbia is far from homogeneous

(this is even acknowledged in “The Stepford

Wives”), and because no single community

ticks all the boxes (as much as real estate peo-

ple love saying, “ticks all the boxes”), urbanites

ready to cut ties should carefully weigh their

priorities.

For this article, I asked more than 20 real es-

tate agents in New York, New Jersey and Con-

necticut to recommend places to move within

two hours of New York City, based on eight dif-

ferent criteria. I winnowed down the sugges-

tions with the help of data about school per-

formance, population density and demographic

diversity, and present them below with the cav-

eat that they will most likely make no one

happy. (Especially people from Pennsylvania,

which was excluded simply to keep the project

manageable.)

Where

To Land

In the New

Suburban

Flight

Make priorities: walkable

town, easy commute, good

schools, waterfront access

or something else? Then

start exploring.

For those looking to flee New York

City, the suburbs offer plenty of

options, depending on what you’re

looking for. Top row, from left: the

village setting in Katonah, N.Y.; the

equestrian amenities of North Salem,

N.Y.; the senior-friendly feel of

Hartsdale, N.Y. Middle row: the

proximity and historic feel of Glen

Ridge, N.J.; the value of West

Hartford, Conn.; the top-rated schools

of Great Neck, N.Y. Above row: the

diversity of Valley Stream, N.Y.; or

waterfront living in Carmel, N.Y.

By JULIE LASKY

TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: BRAD DICKSON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; JANE BEILES FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; TONY CENICOLA/THE NEW YORK TIMES. MIDDLE ROW, FROM LEFT: TONY CENICOLA/THE NEW YORK TIMES;

JANE BEILES FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; BETH PERKINS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES. ABOVE FROM LEFT: BETH PERKINS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; ANDREW SULLIVAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2020

NJ

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