New Rochelle

I had moved to New Rochelle for a job, my daughter and I. Rent was very high, cramped space, not just at home but at the office. At the laundromat, at the nail salon; hair salon and grocery store. Even the roads are narrow. There were mice at the apartment, mice at work, and God knows where else. A lot of Spanish speaking people, cab drivers barely spoke English. Just overall an ugly, old, overpriced town that was not worth it. I left the job and could not wait to get OUT of New Rochelle.

Been here 34 years and I can't tell you how much it's changed. I grew up in new Rochelle all my life, attended school here and will always love new Rochelle for this but I'm getting out. I have kids now and the schools are terrible. It's not safe anymore and it's become a not so nice place to live. Even in the elementary schools its scary, it's absolutely pitiful. It saddens me to think what was once such a great town has made a turn for the worst. As a homeowner we pay high taxes and the schools aren't up to par. They are far from safe. Security needs to be tightened and changes need to be made but doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon.

First I have to say that New Rochelle is a fairly expensive place to live. There are lots of gated communities and multimillion dollar houses throughout the city and you would have to make upwards of a hundred thousand dollars a year to live comfortably in one of them.

However, if you're willing to give up the backyard and live in a condo then the prices are quite affordable, especially when you compare them to nearby Manhattan.

I often find that upper class communities are home to people cut from the same cloth but in New Rochelle it's different. It's a diverse city where everyone is accepted.

There's a great selection of restaurants in town with a good mix of chain restaurants and independent eateries specializing in all kinds of cuisines.

Another major plus for the city is its abundance of parks and green spaces to explore. The geography of New Rochelle is a little unusual but the city has certainly made the most of it. Many offshore islands were turned into parks like Glen Island and Five Islands Park. Hudson Park even has a sandy beach along the Long Island Sound.

The most incredible thing about it is you can have all of this beautiful open space, a waterfront property, and still be close to New York City. I guess there is a way to have it all.

New Rochelle is an ethnically, religiously, racially and economically diverse suburban community just north of manhattan. Residents range from blue collar / lower-middle class to affluent /extremely wealthy