Yonkers, New York

Might move to Yonkers… is the area safe? Is there anything to do here?

Well, I live in Yonkers. In a pretty good area, and I tell you there's lots to do. I've spent a good amount of time in Yonkers (Live in South Yonkers, West Yonkers, and Currently North Yonkers.) There are bad places, but to be honest you'll probably never be near there.

As for things to do, there's ALWAYS something to do. What are your hobbies? Do you drink/party/club? Play basketball? Videogames? Love restaurants? See sights? Sit at home and harass your dog?

I've never really been bored living here. 20 minutes from White Plains and NYC driving. And Yonkers is pretty decent with affordable cabs and reliable public transportation.

Looking to move to Yonkers and need advice on neighborhoods

It really depends what you're looking for. There are some areas that are nicer than others but the offer different things.

The nicer parts of Yonkers I'd recommend Park Hill, or Northwest Yonkers, and Dunwoodie.

Park Hill is a very beautiful neighborhood that has plenty to offer, lots of tennis, sports, clubs to join, great property, etc.

Northwest Yonkers is a suburban and business neighborhood, there is nice property, plenty of parks, and then many delis, pizzerias, and others located close to many of the residential areas.

Dunwoodie, although I don't have a lot of experience with being down there is a nice area of Yonkers with good property and a ton of businesses to explore, and the Empire City Casino. It also offers a great golf course.

I would avoid anywhere in downtown Yonkers, like Getty Square or Elm Street. There is a saying in Yonkers.. Don't live on a street named after a tree. That tends to be where the crime is the most dangerous.

But at the end of the day it really ends up to be what you're looking for.

Moving to Yonkers

Welcome to the Forgotten Borough!

What neighborhood are you headed to? It will make or break your need for a car if you’re commuting to the city. I live in Woodlawn, McLean Ave neighborhood and there’s a lot of bars and restaurants here.

You might want to check out the waterfront for the brewery and some restaurants or take the metro north up a couple of stops to the river towns like Hastings, dobbs, where there are a lot of good eats.

Tibbets is great for running, whereas Untermeyer is great for taking in nature. Their Persian gardens are gorgeous, and the view of the Hudson is killer. Check out Lenoir Preserve for a quiet place of reflection too.

Executive Blvd is growing and some of our newer places to eat such as Fortina and Taco Spot are there.

South Broadway is the best place for hole in the wall Mexican, and Central American. My favorite pizza joint, Gino’s is there too. .

Ridge Hill has our some of our best shops and a nice place to walk around on a weekend night. Stew Leonards is a pretty awesome supermarket that has a lot of farm fresh products and most of the stuff they sell is made in store.

Check out Central Park Ave for more shopping as well and my favorite movie theatre, the Alamo, w haven for movie lovers is there too.

Is Yonkers, New York a good place to live in?

Yes. However, I would be lying if I said that there are not some compromises that one has to understand about the city. First of all, it is a city with many of the city problems that are not shared by the tinker toy towns surrounding it. It is a diverse city ethnically and racially and with wide variance in incomes and with that diversity comes some problems that the richer, more stereotypically Westchester towns don't have because they exclude anyone who cannot afford to live in their community. There is racial and ethnic segregation based primarily on income with the southwest area of the city being more minority and lower income.
The school system is chronically under funded and because of our great diversity has to educate more expensive to teach students. Like the NYC system there is a UN of languages spoken in the schools. To the good the funding issues are primarily one of state funding formulas and not a matter of the city not paying attention to its public school students. My sons both went to Yonkers public schools and got what I believe to be excellent educations and then succeeded in first rate colleges after graduation. Caring and excellent teachers but maybe missing all the bells and whistles that some other suburban systems have.
Property taxes are lower than other communities around Yonkers. It is common for people living in Bronxville, a very high quality school system with astronomical property taxes sharing a border with Yonkers, to move to the Yonkers neighborhood adjacent to Bronxville after the kids are out of school to save maybe half on their property taxes.
Access to the regions core, NYC etc. is excellent from Yonkers with a two commuter rail lines serving the city with a 30 minute ride to Grand Central Terminal. The ability to access the Hudson Valley is great as well. Being outside of the NYC traffic issues one can get to the green spaces of Westchester County and the Hudson Valley with ease giving you NYC and rural all rolled into one package.
Much of the city is walkable to services and shopping, or at least a very short hop in your car. In a pinch, say in lousy weather, there are many excellent neighborhoods that would allow you to leave the car at home and walk to get that quart of milk or to take the bus to the station instead of worrying about the car in the snow. On the downside, speaking of snow, Yonkers is a very hilly city and navigating it during a snow storm can be a challenge.
Good place to live? Yes. Like anywhere it has its pluses and minuses - it has been a plus for my family and I for 30 years.

Living in Westchester County, NY: The pros and cons [my honest opinion]