Westchester vs. New York City
Just a scant few miles means a world of difference in the way we live—but how? Consult our side-by-side comparison of all things urban and suburban, including who earns more money (care to guess?), who has a shorter commute (we do), who has access to more green space (look around you, Westchester), and everything else you’d need to put a City snob in his place.
By Marisa LaScala with Dave Donelson, Philip Posillipo, Julia Sexton, and Laurie Yarnell Published August 11, 2011 at 02:46 PM
-- Photo Description/Caption
Illustrations by Thomas James
At some point, you made a choice between urban living and suburban living. For some of you, the debate between the two ended the second you put down roots in Westchester. Maybe you never had doubts to begin with. For others, the struggle continues within. Every time you pay your tax bill, you think that you may have been better off with a cute little condo in Brooklyn Heights. (But would you have had to give up your washer/dryer for the indignity of the coin-op machine in the basement?) Then again, when you notice that you inadvertently left the house unlocked—again—and return to find your possessions untouched, you might revel in suburbia’s relative safety, and congratulate yourself for making such a smart choice.
It’s time to put the debate to rest. We may wonder about it every day, but how does life in New York City really compare to our suburban Westchester existences? We pit urban and suburban living head-to-head, piling in as many of the pertinent stats and facts as we could, to put the arguing to rest once and for all. Here, our (completely unbiased) findings.
 | Who pays more to live where—and what do you get for that money?
By Dave Donelson
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 | How do our beloved institutions compare?
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 | Just who lives where?
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 | Billy Altman braved the crowds of Washington Heights and the critters of Bear Mountain before finding Hastings-on-Hudson.
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 | The trip from farm to table is a lot shorter in the suburbs.
By Julia Sexton
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 | A comparison of New York City and Westchester dining
By Julia Sexton
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 | But who’s first in safety?
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 | How to not-so-subtly assert your geographical dominance in polite conversation
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 | Who has to hit the ATM more often?
By Philip Posillipo
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 | Sloane Crosley has lived on both sides of the border.
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 | Who has a rougher commute?
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 | In Westchester, the world is your backyard—but Patricia Morrisroe wants to know what you plant in it.
By Patricia Morrisroe |
 | What do our retail habits say about us as people? |
 | Who can claim your favorite chain?
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 | Where’s the best place for night owls and big drinkers?
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 | Which side of the fence has the greener grass?
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 | Hugh Ryan bemoans—and celebrates—the lack of a dining room in his Brooklyn apartment.
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We Couldn’t Have Said It Better
Chosen the right side in the great Westchester vs. City debate? Wear your sentiments on your sleeve. Sure, Manhattan may have The Met and MoMA—but we have the changing-of-the-leaves. The tee, designed by Great To Be Here, is available in black for $24 at Weezie D. in Bronxville and Rye, and in coral (as shown) for women and navy for men for $24.99 at Parkers in Rye.
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Ahh, so close yet far enough! You can have a home in a Westchester condo with space, great views and a quick commute to work in Manhattan, or you can, wait... is there really any choice! Join us in wonderful Westchester!
OK, I'm a city snob. Have you ever noticed that the comparison is never the other way around? I mean, do you ever read or hear of New York City residents flexing their muscles and starting some kind of rivalry with every little town that thinks it can hold a candle to it? Well, someone showed me this article with the statement "show this to your city snob friends". Why, there simply is no comparison on any level. By the way, where did you say your versions of Lincoln Center, Broadway shows, off-Broadway shows, off-off Broadway shows, Museum Mile and literally hundreds of museums throughout the five boroughs, South St. Seaport, Chelsea Piers, Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Staten Island Zoo, Queens Zoo, NY Aquarium, Yankee Stadium, Citifield, Madison Square Garden, etc. I won't even go into the thousands of choices of restaurants. (I don't really have to go on, do I?). OK, you probably can leave your keys in your cars (cars, I said...most households have 2, 3 and maybe 4 cars). The ease of transportation in New York makes it possible to not even own a car (to me, that's a big plus). I could go on and on but you get it, I love city living. Something that hasn't been mentioned is the availability of the finest hospitals in the world. You don't see people coming from around the world to seek treatment at a hospital in Westchester because they couldn't find that level of care in New York City. Even though you have some places that are lovely, I couldn't take living there. The idea of having to hop in my car for every little thing isn't for me (and millions of others).
What ,exactly do you mean by the comparison of whites and minorities living in Westchester to the percentages of same, living in NYC???? Do you mean to say that this is yet another reason to pick Westchester over Manhatten? Because Westchester has a far lesser percentage of whites and much less percentage of "others"? What a bigoted commentary. So Westchester "wins" because we have much fewer minorites. You should be ashamed of yourselves for allowing Esther Davidowitz to print that kind of garbage.. This makes me ashamed of the company I keep, and it will be the last time I EVER read or purchase your magazine. I am outraged and you should be too. Bonnie Smith
What ,exactly do you mean by the comparison of whites and minorities living in Westchester to the percentages of same, living in NYC???? Do you mean to say that this is yet another reason to pick Westchester over Manhatten? Because Westchester has a far lesser percentage of whites and much less percentage of "others"? What a bigoted commentary. So Westchester "wins" because we have much fewer minorites. You should be ashamed of yourselves for allowing Esther Davidowitz to print that kind of garbage.. This makes me ashamed of the company I keep, and it will be the last time I EVER read or purchase your magazine. I am outraged and you should be too. Bonnie Smith
What ,exactly do you mean by the comparison of whites and minorities living in Westchester to the percentages of same, living in NYC???? Do you mean to say that this is yet another reason to pick Westchester over Manhatten? Because Westchester has a far lesser percentage of whites and much less percentage of "others"? What a bigoted commentary. So Westchester "wins" because we have much fewer minorites. You should be ashamed of yourselves for allowing Esther Davidowitz to print that kind of garbage.. This makes me ashamed of the company I keep, and it will be the last time I EVER read or purchase your magazine. I am outraged and you should be too. Bonnie Smith
What ,exactly do you mean by the comparison of whites and minorities living in Westchester to the percentages of same, living in NYC???? Do you mean to say that this is yet another reason to pick Westchester over Manhatten? Because Westchester has a far lesser percentage of whites and much less percentage of "others"? What a bigoted commentary. So Westchester "wins" because we have much fewer minorites. You should be ashamed of yourselves for allowing Esther Davidowitz to print that kind of garbage.. This makes me ashamed of the company I keep, and it will be the last time I EVER read or purchase your magazine. I am outraged and you should be too. Bonnie Smith
Tweety2/Bonnie Smith, we meant nothing of the sort. I'd like to know what in the article gave you the notion that we consider diversity to be a bad thing. We consider diversity to be an asset to a community (we factored it in, with more diversity leading to a more positive outcome, when we calculated our "Best Places to Live" rankings in October, too). We just have to grudgingly admit that it's an area where New York City has us bested. But we still have Playland.