Would You Rather?

When you're ready for more space and a house, are the suburban-style NYC neighborhoods enough?

By Mayra David  | October 17, 2016 - 12:59PM
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Believe it or not, this is New York City. Auburndale, Queens to be exact.

 

H.L.I.T./Flickr

Assuming you've done some neighborhood explorations outside Manhattan, you've probably seen that some areas in New York's outer boroughs feel positively suburban (complete with houses and yards and lower property taxes than places like Westchester and Long Island). 

So, we asked five New Yorkers: Once you tire of being "in the middle of it all," would you rather move to a far-flung NYC neighborhood with a suburban feel, or move to the suburbs outside the city—and sometimes even the state—altogether?

  • Family first I would rather stay in the city even in a farther area because then I’d still be closer to my parents and everything else I need. I’m very used to living in the city and getting around the city. —Genesis, The Bronx (pictured below)
  • Brooklyn to the rescue I’d stay in the city and move to Brooklyn! Brooklyn’s the answer. Spacious, a lot of green space, good energy. I love it there. —Nick, Hamilton Heights
  • Somewhere else entirely I wouldn’t leave the city unless it was to completely move away from city life, in life, you know what I mean? I wouldn’t just move to commute in. I’d move to move to another country. For a change of pace or experience. But no, I wouldn’t move to the suburbs, either. It’s expensive there, too. You need a car, for one. —Eric, Morningside Heights
  • What expensive city? Stay in the city and save your money. Seriously: car, lawnmower, landscaping, broken boiler, plus all the crap you have to buy for a huge house just to keep yourself occupied because all of a sudden you’re in the suburbs and it’s boring as hell. —Jack Upper East Side
  • Due to baby We’re moving to one of those "farther away" neighborhoods to be closer to my parents so they can help with the baby. We may have to move away from NYC entirely in a few years for work, so it’s important that we spend time with family now. But where we're moving to it's not that different of a commute to our jobs, actually. It’s a bit longer on the subway, but no transfers. The trains start where we are so we should be okay with getting seats and stuff. It's totally fine. —Jon, Bay Ridge

Verdict: 4 to 1! Hell no, we won’t go! 

 

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