What's the Maplewood of Westchester? Long Island? archived

Nyack?

Long Island: Plainview

Westchester: Hartsdale

I know both areas fairly well - and the truth is - there is no "Maplewood" anywhere else.

However, Westport isn't even close - median home price in Westport is about $ 1,500,000. It's the "prep" capital of the universe ( along with Greenwich).

Norwalk has similar demographics - and a "cool" vibe - but it's bigger, the taxes are MUCH lower, it's on the sound - which is really nice - A lot of the houses in Norwalk are on much bigger pieces of property - and feel a lot "woodsier" - and finally - the commute to NYC is a LOT LOT longer -

By the way, I think Nyack is in Rockland County,

For Westchester, maybe Mamaroneck.

I think Nyack would be a good choice - but it'

Nyack is in Rockland County. And Cold Spring is in Putnam.

kathy said:

Nyack is in Rockland County. And Cold Spring is in Putnam.

lol - when you live in Maplewood it's sort of like that old New Yorker cover seeing the world from 9th av - everywhere else is vague from here
;-)

Going by look of the town not $$$$ - any of the "on-the-Hudson" towns. Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Ossining. Possibly Hartsdale.

Long Island - Not in long Island but Bayside sort of has or maybe I should say had a similar feel.

Maybe Katonah.

BTW Hartsdale has a lousy school system. You need to move to the section that gets you into the Edgemont school district.

Katonah is funky but very expensive. We moved from Mt. Kisco to South Orange. I don't think you're going to find the ethnic or, more importantly, the economic diversity that I love in SO/M anywhere in Westchester.

Port Chester is kind of hip and happening but the schools are awful. I know a couple SO/M folks that have moved to Fairfield and have been pretty happy there.

Pelham is more economically diverse.

Long Island: Huntington; maybe Northport.

Westchester: New Rochelle
Long Island: Rockville Centre, Port Washington, Huntington (in the village part of Huntington)

Long island is not much like Maplewood. Towns still tend to be segregated by race without much mixing. Northport is gorgeous with a beautiful downtown right on the harbor with a lot going on, good restaurants but it is not diverse. Long island is fairly progressive though - people are open minded.

I also thought of Huntington.

conandrob240 said:

Long island is fairly progressive though - people are open minded.

)
Is that a joke?

I grew up in Katonah. My parents moved from there in the late 90s but I went back fairly often after that. Although Maplewood reminds me of Katonah in a way because of the ages and styles of some the homes and the fact that I can walk into a nice little town like I used to be able to when I was a kid....that's about it. I lived in Norwalk also - not Maplewood. South Norwalk has a great vibe, but I think it's a bit younger and more apartments (and being on the water differentiates it from Maplewood as well).

No, it is not a joke. Compared to most of NJ especially southern Jersey, LI is more similar to NYC in attitudes, politics, etc. Huntington is not like M/ SO at all. Nice downtown large with lots of bars restaurants but the town is completely segregated into the low income, crime ridden area of town and the wealthy, upscale areas and is very divided racially. Some beautiful old homes though- Northport too has some gorgeous old homes. My sister lives in Northport and a picture of my nephew's classmates reveal less than 5% diverse students.

What about Port Washington?

eta: I see that was mentioned. Carry on

I grew up in Port Washington. I'm surprised people find it similar to Maplewood, unless it's changed over the years. It was not integrated when I lived there and had 3 yacht clubs, one for each major religion. I think it's more similar to Millburn-Short Hills with Sands Point being Short Hills.

I grew up in Port. It's not at all like Maplewood as far as diversity. It does have beautiful homes though.

Chalmers1 - wonder if we know each other!

I grew up in Mamaroneck. While as a whole it is more diverse than most Westchester towns, it is also fairly segregated by income and race. While the downtown has a better selection of restaurants than when I was growing up, it doesn't come close to the types of shops and eateries in Maplewood Village and South Orange. Its claim to fame is one of Westchester's best pizzerias, Sal's, and a fantastic old time toy store. Hartsdale was not very diverse when I grew up, maybe it's changed.

The truth that seems to come from these comparisons is that not only is Maplewood/South Orange unique in its level of diversity and acceptance in the tri-state area, it is probably hard to match closely anywhere on the east coast. I don't know the west so well!

Botulismoo said:

Going by look of the town not $$$$ - any of the "on-the-Hudson" towns. Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Ossining. Possibly Hartsdale.

Long Island - Not in long Island but Bayside sort of has or maybe I should say had a similar feel.

I have a friend who moved to Hastings about six months before we moved to Maplewood. Every time I speak to her, she laments that she moved to the wrong place. She just hasn't found the same kind of community there that we have here.

dk50b said:

The truth that seems to come from these comparisons is that not only is Maplewood/South Orange unique in its level of diversity and acceptance in the tri-state area, it is probably hard to match closely anywhere on the east coast.

Takoma Park, Maryland. (A suburb of DC.)

Actually, if just comparing diversity and acceptance, much of DC is comparable if not better than M/SO. However, Takoma Park has Maplewood's sense of community, liberal/progressive slant, beautiful old houses, lesbian couples with adopted Chinese daughters (they have group outings and take over entire restaurants), grown-ups wearing tie-dyed t-shirts, etc. It's even a nuclear-free zone.

I grew up in Patchogue, LI, NY. Check it out

www.patchoguevillage.org/

I heard Sea Cliff on L.I. may be analogous in some respects -- no idea if it's true...

I have friends in Katonah and Westport. No where near the same vibe. Very wealthy and very white. Although I think there's another discussion on here about how Maplewood is very white, so maybe we're getting there!

I think the other thread questions the true diversity of M/SO when in reality there are only two races significantly represented. I think this is true in M/SO where it isn't as diverse (%-wise) as people think- it simply has a large % of African-Americans. That is only one type of diversity. I think maybe that is what the other thread is trying to say.

Some of the towns mentioned in LI (Northport) don't have ANY diversity of signficance- probably 97% white. Towns with diversity (Huntington) are very segregated in how/where people live. I find M/SO to be much less segregated (although, IMHO, not enough) with people of diff. races living in same parts of town, attending same schools and socializing more. Similar to M/SO, I would say Northport and Huntington have a bit of a "city" feel in terms of attitudes and tolerance.

Port Jefferson out on LI. I have a cousin out there. Only thing, the tiny LI Sound village has been taken over by chain stores and the people that live there like my cousin hate it.

I think the specific diversity one has here is hard to replicate, but at the same time there are other kinds of diversities that we don't have (as per the other thread) For instance, I don't think in the other thread Livingston was mentioned, which, while it does not have an A.A. population, has a very large South Asian/East Asian population, and its 'whites' are many foreign-born families from Russia and Israel.

But on Westchester and Long Island: I think Port Washington at one time was funky, and a bit artier. It has gone more towards being like Millburn Short Hills from what I can tell, and it is less integrated. Very good school system, though.

Westchester: What about Pellham? Did someone else mention New Rochelle?