New Rochelle

born and raised in New Rochelle I have seen the many changes .. New Rochelle was once known for one of the best places to live in westchester county .. a place where you would want to raise your children , but thats far from the truth anymore! New Rochelle has become a slum, a step up from the south Bronx ... our school district has children graduating high school who cant read, middle schools are flooded with little gang bangers, which only grows as they move onto high school.. We use to be the Queen city of the sound , sadly its more like welcome to slum city , wheres there nothing to do , becareful where you walk you might get your sneakers robbed at knife point or fall victim to a teenage gang initiation .. im very sorry and sad at the time i had to write this about the city i grew up and wanted to raise my children in , but its the truth ...

New Rochelle is a city on the rebound. After experiencing a period of decline during the 1980s, it has been revitalizing its downtown and waterfront areas in an effort to improve the quality of life for current and future residents. The city’s population is currently 77,000 and diverse, with Hispanic and African American populations each numbering around 20%. The city occupies 10.7 square miles, with about 9% of coastline along the Long Island Sound. It is the safest city of its size in New York State.

In a county full of Native American, British and Dutch history, New Rochelle is unique in its origins and naming. The city was settled in 1688 by a group of French Huguenots, who named their new home Nouvelle Rochelle in honor of their old home in France. Though other groups gradually settled in the area, the influence of the French Huguenots remained for many years.

There is a great art and culture scene in New Rochelle. The New Rochelle Council on the Arts is an umbrella organization providing support to numerous arts organizations and facilities. Residents and visitors can enjoy opera, ballet, chamber music and art galleries without having to venture into Manhattan.

New Rochelle’s school district is a great example of a successful urban system. The district is diverse, and 32% of its 10,400 students live in poverty. Some of the elementary schools have between 40 and 60 percent of children living in poverty. However, they perform well on state exams and the majority of the students meet the state’s high standards. Sixty different countries are represented by the students attending New Rochelle High School. The district is a seven-time winner of the prestigious U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon, which is given to exemplary schools. There are also three colleges in the city: Iona College, Monroe College and the College of New Rochelle.

In recent years New Rochelle has experienced a great deal of residential development, which included the construction of 2,000 condos and apartments. Trump Plaza is one of the newest additions to the city’s skyline; the 40-story building has luxury apartments and two levels of retail space. The city is also seeking to redevelop its waterfront in the Echo Bay area by adding similar mixed-use developments with residential and commercial properties. Prices of single-family homes vary widely, which is good news for house-hunters across the budget spectrum.

New Rochelle is a growing suburb that is rewriting the model of what people think of as a bedroom community. This town is just a half-hour ride from NYC and this location advantage, and the gorgeous views of the Long Island Sound, have for long made New Rochelle a popular choice for many families moving to the suburbs. It is no wonder that New Ro featured in the Money magazine Best 100 Places to Live in 2010.

It is also worth noting the New Rochelle was the suburban setting for the Dick Van Dyke Show of the 60s. The town has come a long way from the days it was the quintessential television suburb. The high-rises, the college town vibe and the diversity all make New Ro a suburb that breaks the mold. It is true that there are neighborhoods that fit the bill for sprawling houses on large lots but there are also apartments and condos catering to people with varied housing requirements.

The park facilities and the views are worth mentioning when talking about New Rochelle as it has four waterfront parks. There are residents who make it a point to talk about the fact that they live a half-hour from Manhattan and wake up to the sound of beautiful bird songs!

It is true that there are old-timers who express some misgivings that the growth has also created pockets of reduced safety but these are really limited and it is a matter of staying alert to once surroundings. New Rochelle is by and large still a safe town which offers much by way of shopping, dining and entertainment.

New Rochelle schools have made a pretty good showing in terms of standardized test scores and students from here have a good record of attending good colleges.

Those making their first foray into the suburbs may find New Rochelle an easier place to consider living than some of the overwhelmingly residential neighborhoods of Westchester. Here is an opportunity to enjoy more affordable housing without losing out on the accessibility and diversity of a NYC environment.

New Rochelle is one of Westchester’s largest cities, serving a population of over 77,000 located conveniently right off i95, the Hutchinson River Parkway and right on the shores of the beautiful Long Island Sound. Once owned by the Sinoway Native Americans, the area now known as New Rochelle was later purchased by the French Protestant refugees fleeing persecution, and the land was declared “Nouvelle Rochelle” (or, in English, “The New Rock”) named after their hometown, La Rochelle, back in France. The settlement was later used by George Washington as a resting stop after he and his troops lost the “Battle of White Plains” to the Brisith in 1775, and later the city saw a huge influx of immigrants, mainly Irish and German.

Today, New Rochelle has survived the civil rights battle in American history, as it is a very diverse city, where people generally coexist peacefully: and it’s a town that is still booming industrially. The bustling streets of Downtown New Rochelle has become home to many professional offices and retail shops, including New Roc City, which is 1.2 square feet of entertainment venues and shops, as well as restaurants, and even houses a hotel and apartments. Located smack dab in the center of four bustling treets all joined in a square (Lecount, Harrison, Huguenot, and West City), Roc City contains Westchester’s first-ever IMAX theater (complete with 19 screens and chairs that have “posable” armrests), as well as many restaurants, Modell’s sporting goods store, a humungous Stop & Shop Supermarket and Authentic Cafe for scrumptious ice cream treats. After seeing your film, you can play lazer tag or video games at Funfuzion Arcade, go bowling with bowling balls that actually glow in the dark (!), or ride go-carts at Roc City Speedway (mind you, all of this is---incredibly---inside the same building). It’s a spectacular variety of fun things to do for the whole family to enjoy. You can always take the kids for an enjoyable dinner at the neighborhood Applebee’s, and The Gnarly Vine Italian is the picture-perfect place to take someone out on a serious date, complete with romantic candles and a charming atmosphere. Aside from New Roc City you’ll also find your next favorite video game at Game Stop, or find adorable home decor at Home Depot. There’s also unique stores like Defender Marine Supply, where you can find all of your sailing equipment needs (and being right near the Long Island Sound and the Hudson River, lots of people will find this useful, especially if you want to own a sailboat or go kayacking.)

In the busy downtown is where you’ll find affordable apartments for low-income housing. New Rochelle also accepts Section 8, and many of these apartment units (like To own a home proper can cost anywhere between 199,000 to 600,000+, which makes New Rochelle a great place for middle class families as well. Located on the outer parts of New Rochelle are the residential areas, where you’ll find many different communities, with pretty , charming names like “Rochelle Heights” and Sutton Manor”. There’s also three gated communities as well.

New Rochelle is famous for its highly diverse culture, where you’ll find a large South American population, including many African Americans and Asian as well. Its school system is recognized as one of the most ecclectic in the entire United States (especially New York State)! The community is very proud of this, especially since it is a highly populated area. Aside from the renowned New Rochelle Public Schools, there are eight private schools, and the College of New Rochelle is the very first college run solely by women. Many of the private schools are Catholic, as it is the most pronounced religion in the area.

There are many parks in New Rochelle worth visiting. Since it is on the Sound, most of the parks are actually tiny islands: like David’s Island, for example, which was once used as a military base in WWII (you can still see the cold-war structures on the premisis). Today it is home to a variety of wildlife including the endangered species like Kemp’s Ripley Sea Turtles and Least Turns (a variety of small herons that live in New Rochelle and the surrounding areas, like Larchmont). Many of these parks are great for hiking and bringing kids for a first taste of hiking and camping.

New Rochelle is a large city that somehow manages to maintain a fantastically low crime rate, and it was noted as one of the most wealthiest places in the United States during the Great Depression.

No matter what age, what class or what culture, you’ll always feel like you belong at New Rochelle, “The Home Town”, which is only a half an hour away from NYC.

New Rochelle is one of the few cities in Westchester county. Like most places in Westchester, New Rochelle is RELATIVELY affordable - when you compare it to most places in New York City. However, this does NOT mean that it's a cheap place to live. In fact, the cost of living is way above the national average. During the last decade, New Rochelle has seen a lot of changes - particularly in the downtown area. Developers have invested a lot of money in building luxury properties and courting more businesses - including cafes, bars, nightclubs, and trendy stores. A huge number of condos, townhouses, and apartments have been built, while there are still some single family homes outside of the bustling downtown area. While it was once harder to get to Manhattan from New Rochelle, now it only takes about half an hour, making the commute comparable to those from many of the boroughs. New Rochelle is also a very diverse town; it is historically an Italian community, but now there are also significant numbers of African American and Hispanic residents, with a slightly smaller minority of Asians. As a result, the town has seen the development of a large number of ethnic restaurants. There is plenty to do in New Rochelle: nice parks, a separate Children's Library, and the popular New Roc City entertainment & shopping complex.