Relocating to a family friendly small town in the Northeast

[Desnik]

A great site to use for your research is city data....google it. You can put in the name of the town and it will give you the crime rates, median home prices, demographics and such. Then they have message boards so you can ask specific questions to people who actually live in those areas.

To answer your question, I think my little village fits exactly what you want! We are 1 hour 15 mins from NYC, have an airport 20 mins away, and 3 others within an hour and a half. Our schools are one of the top in the area, and our special Ed programs are fantastic. My son was in early intervention and had delays and needed therapies like speech and I cannot tell you how wonderful our district has been. I live in the village and within walking distance are stores and restaurants, library, post office, etc. It is such a great small town and I really love it. We will be here 8 years this Dec and I would not live anywhere else. It is so beautiful here with all the horse farms, rolling hills, and lots of skiing nearby. We have a lot of shopping, restaurants, movie theaters close by, as well as play houses, concert halls, etc.... I could go on and on, lol. PM me if you are interested in the name and also the town next to us is just as great too!

 

[Desnik]

Oh, one more thing about my area. The housing prices are fantastic now. But I will say the taxes on new construction are pretty high. On an older home they are much more reasonable, for NY that is

 

[klacey1]

The counties next to us-- Putnam, Rockland, Duchess (NY) are pretty great. Taxes are a bit high compared to the rest of the country, but schools are excellent! The special ed program in the high school where DBF went to (in Putnam County) is fabulous-- he has dyslexia and they were just wonderful with him. His younger brother goes there now and is getting the same fantastic help.
You are close to NYC, fairly close to Boston/Providence. Close to the beaches, close to great shopping, plenty of airports nearby (particularly in Rockland-- HPN, LGA, JFK, Stewart, Newark). Lots for families to do-- amusement/water parks, regular parks. Organized activities (sports, etc) thrive-- definitely would never get bored!
I live/grew up in a bordering county, but I have to say-- I could not imagine living anywhere else! Love this area...

 

[NortheastDisneyMom]

A great site to use for your research is city data....google it. You can put in the name of the town and it will give you the crime rates, median home prices, demographics and such. Then they have message boards so you can ask specific questions to people who actually live in those areas.

To answer your question, I think my little village fits exactly what you want! We are 1 hour 15 mins from NYC, have an airport 20 mins away, and 3 others within an hour and a half. Our schools are one of the top in the area, and our special Ed programs are fantastic. My son was in early intervention and had delays and needed therapies like speech and I cannot tell you how wonderful our district has been. I live in the village and within walking distance are stores and restaurants, library, post office, etc. It is such a great small town and I really love it. We will be here 8 years this Dec and I would not live anywhere else. It is so beautiful here with all the horse farms, rolling hills, and lots of skiing nearby. We have a lot of shopping, restaurants, movie theaters close by, as well as play houses, concert halls, etc.... I could go on and on, lol. PM me if you are interested in the name and also the town next to us is just as great too!

Hi! Can you message me the name of your town....I don't think I can message you since I don't have enough posts and don't see the option to do so. Thanks!!

Thanks to everyone for all of the replies. And I especially agree with the poster that says the best district for typical students could be the worst for special education students. I'm fortunate that the district I am in now is pretty good. Also my area is pretty good as far as recreation programs for kids w/ special needs, and our local autism society chapter is fantastic, so I definintely need that as well.

 

[luvmy3]

Redhook NY, or Rhinebeck

 

[Desnik]

Hi! Can you message me the name of your town....I don't think I can message you since I don't have enough posts and don't see the option to do so. Thanks!!

Thanks to everyone for all of the replies. And I especially agree with the poster that says the best district for typical students could be the worst for special education students. I'm fortunate that the district I am in now is pretty good. Also my area is pretty good as far as recreation programs for kids w/ special needs, and our local autism society chapter is fantastic, so I definintely need that as well.

Sent you a PM

 

[mami2camjax]

Palmyra, PA – It is the perfect small town to move to. Great schools, great location, so close to so many places, it’s the town directly east of Hershey, minutes from Harrisburg, 2 hours to Philly, 2 hours to Baltimore, 2.5 hours to DC, 2.5/3 hours to NYC, etc..so it’s reasonably close to so many great places, yet quiet and quaint enough to be away from all the hustle and bustle. Housing is affordable, jobs are available…so just a place to consider…

 

[punkin]

Harford County, Maryland http://www.harfordmd.com/

I moved here from Long Island and LOVE it!!!

On Monday, I drove through there on Rt. 40 (i-95 was a mess). I remember thinking how quaint and adorable it was. It reminded me of the south shore of Long Island 30 or so years ago when I was a child.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Harford County, Maryland http://www.harfordmd.com/

I moved here from Long Island and LOVE it!!!

We just moved from Bel Air, MD (Harford County - everyone says what county they are from in MD!) after living there for 3 1/2 years and miss it SO much.

Definitely consider Bel Air or the surrounding towns in Harford County. You are only about 35-45 minutes from BWI and just over an hour from PHL airports on I-95. NYC is just over 2 hours away and DC is less than 2 hours away (without traffic). The area is gorgeous - rolling hills, farmland and waterfalls in nearby parks. The schools are great and the people are friendly. We still own our house up there and rent it out and property values are pretty stable there.

There are some cute little local restaurants and a nice downtown with quaint shops. There is a small local mall but you are only about 20 minutes from White Marsh mall outside of Baltimore with big stores (including a Disney Store!). Johns Hopkins hospital is in Baltimore for top notch health care - DH and I had 4 surgeries there in 3 years.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Erin1700]

I second the Lehigh Valley area...just not Allentown.

 

[Carnie]

East Greenwich RI....15 minutes from an airport, 20 minutes from providence RI. It's on the bay. It's got a cute little main street with little shops and restaurants. The schools are good. check it out

Lisa

I see the OP posted about housing prices not being too $$$.

East Greenwich's average listing price this month is $518,342 and the average selling price is $319,900.

Cute town but uber expensive. Not cheap.

Check out northeast CT, (Putnam, Killingly, Danielson).

 

[pumba]

I love Putnam, Danielson and Wauregan...I love the trees and the stone walls that separate alot of the properties .....Also Plainfield is a neat place too