Is it time to move to the Boogie Down?

February 9, 2014 6:45 PM

What are some good neighborhoods I should look into if considering moving to the Bronx? I have a 5 month old baby. I am looking for something affordable (for NYC), near good restaurants, amenities, transit and possibly a park.

I have lived in Brooklyn for 15 years. I love and hate what has happened to my favorite borough. But, I do recognize my role in gentrification. I have steadily been priced out of Greenpoint, Prospect Heights, and Crown Heights. I enjoy some of the restaurants and community. I am not in my 20's and never considered myself a hipster...

Anyways, BK is just pretty danged expensive. We own a Co-op in Ditmas Park that we probably couldn't afford if we bought today. Plus I have gig just over the border in CT and think I might be able to cut down my commute considerably. Can I get a cheaper mortgage/rent in an interesting neighborhood of the Bronx. Looking for families, restaurants, and other amenities close to transportation.

Any info and/or experiences making a similar move would be helpful.

posted by demonstartivepapadonous to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

My friend lives in Castle Hill and loves it. He is a single, gay man, but says there are lots of families in his building with young kids. He spends a lot of time in the parks in his neighborhood.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:34 PM on February 9, 2014

I'm guessing you live around Cortelyou Road? I'm a native Brooklynite and also love/hate what's happened to our borough. But before you move to the Bronx, why not check out an area like Midwood or Sheepshead Bay? It's a little further out there so may not help with your commute but there are tons of families, parks, restaurants and affordable shopping (Kings Highway strip, Coney Island Avenue, Emmons Avenue, etc.) in the neighborhood, minus the Park Slope feel.

Though I'm now one of those 20-somethings living in Crown Heights, my parents still live in the house I grew up in and I still feel that same sense of community I grew up with when I go visit. My Mom doesn't have to go to Trader Joe's - she's got the bakery that will slice half a loaf of seeded rye bread to order for a dollar, the kosher butcher down the block, multiple cheap fruit stands, a decent backyard and neighbors she actually knows. Southern Brooklyn- not South Brooklyn- is very family friendly, safe, affordable and there's tons of public transit in the area. I'm not sure what your budget is, but it's worth keeping in mind.
posted by tabula rasa at 7:56 PM on February 9, 2014

Take a look at Pelham Park.
posted by zdravo at 4:49 AM on February 10, 2014

I lived in Bedford Park when I was back in NYC (before I moved to Providence this past September). It was very affordable and I really, really liked the place I was living in. The restaurant scene wasn't fabulous, but I lived on the same block as the Bedford Park stop on the D, so Manhattan was very accessible. Also, just to the north is Van Cordtlandt Park.
posted by ursus_comiter at 10:45 AM on February 10, 2014

Hi there! I have been living in the Bronx for the past 6 years, before which I lived all over, and progressively got more and more priced out of Gentrifying Brooklyn. I went from Williamsburg, to East Williamsburg, to Bed-Stuy, up to the Bronx in 2008.

I LOVE the Bronx and still can't believe it has stayed so far under the radar. We have the most parkland in all of NYC (including Pelham Park, Van Cortland Park, and Bronx Park, which houses the NY Botanical Garden and Bronx Zoo). We have City Island, which is basically a fishing village in Maine transported to the 5 boroughs. We have affordable housing (outside of Riverdale, which wants to pretend it's in Manhattan), a diverse population, and in the past few years a lot of development has been going on--see the Kingsbridge Armory skating rink, Hunts Point Market, a new outlet shopping mall coming to Castle Hill.

I live in Morris Park, which is adorable and has a real community feel to it. Historically it was an Italian enclave, and we have, I will argue, the best pizza and Italian food in the city. We have a beautiful 1 bedroom + home office with a ridiculously large porch, are a ten minute walk to multiple subway lines, and are able to easily find street parking for our car. I work near Union Square and it takes me 45 mins-1 hour to get to work. I'm closest to Bronx Park and Pelham Park--walking to Bronx Park, bus ride/short car ride to Pelham.

Single family houses make up most of the housing stock and I believe they are selling in the $400k+ range these days. There are also condos and co-ops scattered about, especially in the Pelham Parkway area. I would recommend taking a look at the Northeastern bronx in general (Throggs Neck, Pelham Park, Pelham Bay), as we are close to 95 and the Hutch for your commute to CT--we have family in Stamford and it takes us about half an hour to get there.

A part of me hopes that the Bronx WON'T be discovered by the masses anytime soon, because the thing I like the best of it is the old school neighborhood vibe--I often describe my block as "Sesame Street" new york. I know all of my neighbors, and we all take care of each other.

The ONLY drawback is the lack of transportation options within the borough--but this is true in Brooklyn as well. The transit system is designed to get workers to midtown, not around the boroughs-I assume since you commute to Connecticut that you do have a car--I would NOT want to live without one where I am. That being said, with a car, it's very easy to pop up into Westchester county for errands and shopping.


Come up and spend a day exploring the borough--I bet you'll find a neighborhood that you will end up loving as much as I love mine!
posted by syrenka at 11:07 AM on February 10, 2014 [1 favorite]