Rye Brook

There are so many great things to say about Rye it's hard to get them all in. With green spaces galore, water views, parks shops and amazing restaurants there is something for every age and stage. Rye is very diverse and welcoming to newcomers with lots of ways to meet people and get involved. With great schools, amazing medical and workout facilities plus a complete community library, Rye is a healthy happy place to grow or raise a family.

Rye Brook, located within the town of Rye, is home to about 8,500 residents. This year, it will celebrate its 30th year as an incorporated village. Until 1982, it was simply an unincorporated part of Rye, which was Westchester’s first permanent settlement back in 1660.

The village has an odd shape, long and narrow. It is bordered in one area by the Cross Westchester Expressway, which provides access to other major highways, as well as White Plains and Greenwich, Connecticut. There is no Metro-North station, but most residents travel to the town of Rye or Port Chester to make the 40 minute trip to Manhattan.

Rye Brook is served by two school districts, with the majority of children attending school in the Blind Brook School District. There are three schools in the district: the Bruno M. Poterio Ridge Street School, for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and Blind Brook Middle School, and Blind Brook High School, which share a campus. The district has an excellent reputation, supported by outstanding scores on state assessments as well as numerous awards, including recognition from U.S. News and World Report. Some students attend Port Chester’s schools, which have more economic and ethnic diversity, and good results, though they are not as stellar as Blind Brook’s.

Rye Brook offers great shopping. Most of the shops are centrally located in the Rye Ridge Shopping Center, which has a great selection of independently owned shops. Nearby Port Chester has numerous chain retailers for those needing a big-box store fix. There are good dining choices as well, with many eateries located in the Rye Ridge Center. Most of the choices are casual fare, including delis, burgers and pizza, but nearby Port Chester offers a greater variety and gets a lot of recognition for its dining options.

Parkland occupies about a hundred acres of Rye Brook’s 3.5 square miles. There are six parks. Rye Hills Park has a lookout with a view of the Long Island Sound. The remaining parks have a variety of amenities, including playgrounds, soccer and baseball fields, and tennis courts. During the summer, the recreation department sponsors children’s movies in Pine Ridge Park.

Rye Brook’s real estate options run the gamut, price-wise. Most of the housing stock is priced above a half-million, and it’s one of the few areas where the median price has increased despite the problems in the real estate market. However, there are some lower-priced choices and condominiums, though those tend to be located in the Port Chester School District.

Rye Brook is a small mostly residential village in the affluent town of Rye, NY. There are many upscale homes here, but it isn’t out of the ballpark and there are more modest medium sized houses as well as several reasonable yet attractive rental options in the area.

The Rye Ridge Shopping Center has a slew of retail stores and businesses including Indigo Chic Boutique, Pink Deux, Dusty Rose, Z-Life Denim Lounge, several children’s boutiques, some men’s fashion stores, Coco Day Spa, & Company, a CVS, Finch’s Drugs, an Ace Hardware, a health center, a CURVES for women, the Personal Training Institute, several banks and a D’Agostionos supermarket.

Restaurants at the shopping center include, Buddha, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Chop’t Creative Salad Co., Club Sandwich, Elevation Burger, Lenny’s Bagels, Raccanelli’s Pizza and Brew, Red Mango, Rye Ridge Deli and of course, Starbuck’s Coffee.

For additional shopping and culinary treats, many Rye Brook residents just head on to the adorable main street that cuts through the parent town of Rye. There is also a plethora of good shopping in nearby Port Chester and White Plains is only a short fifteen minute drive away. The commute to Grand Central Station via the Rye train station is anywhere between 35 and 50 minutes.

There are two nice parks in the area. One is the 35-acre Crawford Park which has soccer and softball fields, a playground and even a mansion! Rye Town Park, located in the city of Rye, encompasses a sprawling 62-acre of land replete with forests, fields, a duck pond and a beach. It is located right next to Playland Park, the historically famous amusement park that brings throngs of crowds in season and holds weekly firework events and concerts in addition to its slew of thrilling rides and attractions.

The school system in Rye Brook is high caliber. The median SAT score is 1803 and it is reported that an impressive 99% of Blind Brook High School students do go on to attend college.

Rye Brook is pretty safe and the crime rate is relatively low.

The median household income is $129,556. The median home value is $592,420 and the median rental rate is $2,000. .

Rye Brook is approximately 81.5 % White, 11% Hispanic, 4.5% Asian and 1.5% African American.

The total population is 8,624 with the median age being 42.

Rye Brook is a small town with a very strong sense of community. It is one of those places where the neighbors and businesspeople all know one another. At the same time, I have heard people say that the people aren't very friendly, but I think that that's mainly to outsiders or visitors. I am also a visitor, but I try to express a lot of interest in the town and have only encountered kind and welcoming people here. Rye Brook also has a lot of other attractive qualities. It has access to two great school districts and has a pretty convenient location that offers easy access to the airport, major highways, as well as shopping districts and malls. During the last housing boom, there was a lot of renovation, construction, and expansion in Rye Brook. As the housing market expanded and some major companies moved into the area, Rye Brook became an even more attractive place. The prices here are very competitive (by New York standards) and there are plenty of diverse housing options. There are a lot of upscale homes, particularly at the Blind Brook development or in the Hillandale area. As I said earlier, there are two school districts, but I'm a particular fan of the Port Chester school district. The middle school has been widely acclaimed for its unique facilities and the high school is also supposed to be excellent. If you want your kids to have learn in a more intimate setting, you can send them to the Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District, which is so small and well equipped that it is comparable to most private schools.

Rye Brook is a safe village in the town of Rye with very little crime. The schools are excellent. Blind Brook High School is right in the village and is very competitive.

There's no downtown area with family-owned shops that is often desirable in a village like Rye Brook; you would have to go to the shopping area in one of the neighboring towns.

You'll find a few parks here but they're mostly used for sports. Then there are two patches of grass that are technically considered parks. It's great for playing in the summer time but if you want to go on some nice wooded hikes or have a picnic you'd have to go to elsewhere. There are, however, two country clubs in the village.

It's a pretty easy commute in to New York City. You would use either the Rye station or the Port Chester station. Be warned that the waiting list for a parking spot at the Rye train station is years long. Port Chester has metered parking and is a little better.

Unfortunately I don't find the people to be overly friendly here. It seems like Rye Brook residents are very eager to prove that they're better than you. It's not as bad as other places but I think students also feel that pressure in the school system.