An imagery of NYC distributed by Hollywood makes an impression of its vigorous and impatient business life, overwhelming street crime and tempting gloss of clubbing. Luckily, the truth about local communities is much more earthy. They can provide all sorts of after-class activities for kids, calm and convenient surroundings to spend weekends for the entire family.
Where to look for the best family neighborhoods in New York and what particular advantages you may derive from moving there together with family? In today’s article we’ll share with you the up-to-date facts to help you out with answers.
Park Slope, Brooklyn
In all senses, Park Slope in Brooklyn would be a wonderful place to relocate with children. Common spread parks around the area make it simply made for exploration and outdoor activities that would wholly immerse your little adventurers. The preschoolers may give themselves away to play in three playgrounds along Prospect Park West.
In search of a retreat from scorchingly hot summer days, try taking your kids to a Harmony Playground so they can play around the harp-shaped sprinkler. If your toddler longs for a ride, go to the Third Street Playground where they can saddle the bouncing animals, try tiny tire swings or jungle gyms. There’s also a jungle gym for the 5-10 year olds in Third Street Playground and a variety of slides for them. If you look for a specific toddler-designed playground you can take your baby to the Garfield Tot Lot, which has a jungle gym and a slide that perfectly fits their tiny legs. Although, you should keep in mind that there’s no bathroom around, so plan your walk accordingly.
Besides the spots exclusively designed for kids, Park Slope in Brooklyn is no less attractive playground for adults. Outdoor patio, reasonably-priced low-key drinks, bocce ball courts and comedy nights await you at Union Hall bar and Greenwood Park bar. Whether you’d prefer to unwind during the morning jog in the park or share the evening with your spouse or friends at local bars, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a proper place around the borough.
Riverdale, Bronx
Riverdale is recognized as one of the most family-friendly neighborhoods in New York as it stands out for its moderately-priced housing. Thanks to the convenient location near most public transport routes and road traffic junctions, living here makes it really easy to commute. Local public schools like Bronx High School of Science, Riverdale Country School, and Stuyvesant High School are proficient in education quality and entirely endorsed by parents.
Planning a fascinating and vibrant family weekend in Riverdale would be as easy as the pie. You may take out the kids for a pleasant brunch at the Louie’s Dale Diner and Brownstone Pancake Factory where traditional Irish breakfasts and home-cooked waffles are served. After that, you may visit the Van Cortlandt House Museum to find out more about the history of colonial New York and then take a stroll to the thousand-acre Van Cortlandt Park adjacent to this authentic 18th-century building.
If you’re keen on mastering or eager to practice and enhance your horseback riding skills, you’re always welcomed at the Riverdale Stables. It provides both after-school riding classes and the family lessons. And of course, it’s worth mentioning Mosholu Golf Course where anyone interested can practice their swing and strike throughout the week.
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Fairly considered as one of the safest neighborhoods in the entire Manhattan, Washington Heights has met a steep decrease in crime rate for the last two decades. It is now 9% lower than New York’s average, and the number of property crimes stands at 29% lower than the national average.
It’s not only the law enforcers’ awareness and commitment that can make the newcomers feel like home here. Washington Heights is also a close-knit community with a common passion to host festivals, fairs and seasonal public celebrations. Believe us, you’ll definitely enjoy taking your family out for local celebrations like the annual Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park and the Dominican Day parade.
The distinct vibe of Latin American and Dominican culture in particular, is what Washington Heights is famous for and differs it from the rest of the family-friendly neighborhoods in NYC. Local Hispanic Society Museum is a real treasure for everyone interested in immersing in rich Spanish cultural heritage. And of course it would be remiss not to mention the local restoration servicing a whole variety of traditional Mexican, Caribbean and Dominican food. Inexpensive and hearty meals are served at Elsa La Reina del Chicharron, El Floridita and Malecon.
Washington Heights is likely to be referred to as one of the best neighborhoods to raise a family in New York and Manhattan in particular. Affordable cost of living would make a fresh start really easy for newcomers and their families. Whenever you decide to relocate here our company may provide you operative assistance. In case if you’re moving from afar our blog post on five tips to simplify a long distance move would be rather helpful.
Great Kills, Staten Island
Great Kills may be fairly considered the best option for middle-class families looking for a secluded suburb for a quiet living. With a $404,000 median sale price* purchasing real estate here would be 20% cheaper than New York’s average. Besides, if you’re planning to move to your first family house, you should probably check our previous article with moving tips and tricks.
Kids will be simply amused by the natural surroundings of this area for there a whole bunch of activities to take on at Great Kills Park. It gives you access to the astonishingly beautiful waterfront of Staten Island’s oceanfront. The local Great Kills Park is a pure jewel for recreation with its huge 580-acre territory.Both children and adults can take a kayak tour to strengthen their rowing skills, go fishing or take cycling tours on the numerous trails of Gateway National Recreation Area.
In addition to diverse possibilities of having fun outdoors Great Kills has entertainment sites to visit. We recommend you to check out Great Kills Little League to join baseball and softball training programs. Visiting Great Kills Library will be a rather fruitful and exciting experience for junior schoolers, preschoolers and their parents, because they would be engaged in riveting events. At Lapsit Storytime sessions your lovely tot may enjoy movement games, learn first lessons and get introduced to their first books.
Indeed, living in Great Kills can be joyful and convenient for children of all ages. Local community members commonly believe that this neighborhood has enough amenities to foster balance between education, leisure, physical activity, and nurturing natural talents of kiddos.
Astoria, Queens
Standing out for its affordable cost of living and remarkably developed social infrastructure, Astoria reasonably deserves a lot of kind words from local families. Like Queens in general, Astorian schools are rather high-ranked both for average level of students performance, sufficiency in teachers and efficacy of learning programs. If you look for the worthy K-8 school nearby, you should apply for enrollment in Ps 122 Mamie Fay and The 30th Avenue School. Finding a proper pre-school daycare in Astoria also won’t take long; there are at least 39 of them in the area.
Apart from its plentiful options for providing your offspring a great education, this borough has numerous public parks and well-maintained playgrounds to spend weekends and after-class hours with kids. Within Astoria Park you can find a huge WPA pool that is 300 feet long and 165 feet wide. It has both adult sections and separate wading zones for little ones. At Charybdis Playground, which is nearby, preschoolers can unleash their energy on several jungle gyms or take on free tennis lessons that are held exclusively in summer. The older kids and teens will definitely appreciate the sports facilities in Astoria Park which include:
- Soccer field
- Tennis and basketball court
- Running track
- Skatepark.
For many reasons Astoria should be considered as one of the most comfortable family-friendly neighborhoods in NYC that energizes you each time you go out. And that’s a great thing to know if you wish your family to share feelings of inspiration and uplift day in and day out.
Let’s move to place you wish to stay
Do you feel like moving to NYC would give you the long-awaited sense of belonging and be endorsed by your nearest and dearest? Then don’t hesitate any longer – call The Miami Movers so we can swiftly schedule and carry out your relocation. Our flexible approach and sufficient number of qualified personnel allows you to move in a hassle-free way within 2-5 days and get your home possessions delivered exactly on time. Let it happen – call our manager to discuss the forthcoming relocation in detail.
*Neighborhood statistics is given according to AreaVibes