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what is a cool town outside of nyc? i want to leave the city, but i don't want to end up in one of the big suburbs where it's hard to connect to people because you're always driving from strip mall to strip mall. i'm looking for something where there is a good group of people that are diverse, interesting restaurants and great public schoools. any info much appreciated. TIA
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I second Maplewood, we came here from Manhattan and love it. Very easy to connect to interesting people, diverse, lots of arts, music, writers, etc. Half hour commute to Penn Station on the train.
[ Reply | Options ]are there good public schools? have you looked into it yet or are kids too young?
[ Reply | Options ]Contrary to what you might read on this board, the schools are very good, and they are diverse: racially and socioeconomically. Therefore, their test scores, which are averaged, are lower than those districts that are not diverse. But if you disaggregate by group (white, black, etc.), we do very well.(And my DH and I are ivy grads, so we are discerning, here.) Our eldest went K-12, and is now at a very highly regarded college. Our middle child is a senior, taking 4 AP classes (CHS offers an unusually large number of excellent AP courses), our youngest is a freshman. Plus, music, art, theatre, film, TV, journalism, are all outstanding. Unusual sports are great too: fencing, ultimate frisbee teams are championship, the track team has produced several Olympians. We loved Tuscan elementary and MMS as well. Come and visit, see if it feels right for you.
[ Reply | Options ]no disrespect meant, but the public schools in maplewood are pretty bad. i know a lot of same sex couples who wanted to live there, because it so well-known for being friendly to gay couples, but didn't because the school system is so bad there.
[ Reply | Options ]None taken. The schools are strong, but as described. They don't appear high on anyone's "top schools" list b/c of the lists' methodology, which favors homogeneous (upper middle class white/Asian, or black/Hispanic skim) schools. Apparently the couples you mentioned didn't know where to look to get the real picture. At least the top fifth of the graduating high school class goes to ivy/elite/most competitive tech/art colleges, often more.
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there are lots of places like that. but they're not NY in terms of the AMOUNT of diversity, which is impossible. I think college towns in general are more likely to be like this. I live in Chapel Hill, NC, and sort of an extension area, Carrboro has a great hipster feel to it if that's what you like (people dress like they do in Williamsburg). The public schools are top in the country, there are tons of yoga places, some communal areas, the weather is great so lot of outdoor socializing and the highest percentage of PhD's in the country (b/c of nearby Duke, UNC, and Raleigh). It's NOT NY, but it has all of the things you listed. And my impression is there are lots of places like this. Don't you have a particular state or job market in mind, though?
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just sick of the noise, crowded playgrounds, smelling bus fumes, crowded stores.
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yeah, i guess it's all relative. i don't know how to say explain it b/c i'm not diverse myself at all. however, i don't want to live by people that it's going to make their head turn to see a gay couple or an interracial couple or someone wearing an interesting outfit. that's what always bothers me when my relatives vist me in nyc. tehy're so shocked by things they see and it bothers me.
[ Reply | Options ]what about Queens or Brooklyn, no one's brought that up? I love Queens. most diverse county in the country.
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iv'e never really been to queens except for the airport. but whwat about the crowds, fresh air, does queens and brooklyn have less crowds and fresher air?
[ Reply | Options ]Forest Hills is quieter than Manhattan but still has a lot of traffic. Excellent schools, crappy restaurants. Very diverse: Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Latino, Russian.
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It's very safe. Well, my husband and I are real foodies, so the FH restaurants don't excite us. There is a good Thai restaurant and a very good pizza place, Nick's, that is rated one of the best in whole city. That's it. FH has a good grocery, The Natural, with organic food. My kids started school this week at the zoned public school and I'm so happy I found it--very strong school. I'm saving a lot of $$$ for college this way
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I don't think there is anywhere perfect. Your best bets are Larchmont/Mamaroneck (there is a little town, the high school is remotely diverse, it's a lot of people from the UWS and the commute is good - but taxes are bad), Katonah but I guess outside the little village it is spread out and it's not that diverse, Princeton is cute (restaurant suck), Maplewood/South Orange but the school system may or not be to your liking, Millburn next door has a town and a different school system that may or not be to your liking, and then Westfield, Ridgewood and Summit are nice towns but probably a little snooty and conservative.
[ Reply | Options ]We moved from manhattan to maplewood, nj last yr. we really like it. for a suburb, it's extremely diverse in every way, beautiful, and the people are smart and successful and open-minded. we live close to the maplewood village, which has all your basic ammenities. we only have one car and we never use it. it's a great walking town. lots of community festivals, the community pool is fantastic, schools are good.
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can you get a good public school? that's a necessity to us as we'll need it for 1st grade and don't want to worry about applying to private.
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ITD. I live in Carnegie Hill which is kind of similar, and I really love BH and it probably is much calmer than many part of the UWS, but you still walk around everyone, schlep groceries, have to go over a bridge or through traffic to get somewhere in your car (if you can afford to park it) and have to figure out middle and HS even if you like PS8.
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New Paltz, NY. Very progressive and community oriented. Currently protesting a large-scale development. Somewhat diverse. Good public elementary schools. Have heard a mixed review on middle school/high school.
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