Rye

Prior to moving to Rye, we lived in Hastings-on-Hudson and Nyack. It was as if, having moved all the way to NY, we couldn't decide where to put down roots. While my husband had always lauded Rye for it's great schools, I couldn't see myself in Rye. Every visit reinforced my initial impressions. Homogenous. Affluent. A smaller version of East Hampton. As an Asian-American women with half-Asian/White kids, I was concerned they wouldn't fit into the blond-haired, blue-eyed population one sees afoot everywhere. Further, it was clearly a city where a large number of women did not work outside of the home. I love my work and want my children, especially my daughter, to grow up knowing that it's important to work. Despite these concerns, my husband's enthusiasm won the day and we ended up moving to Rye.

Fast-forward and we've entered our fourth year of living in this lovely city. While diversity is almost nonexistent, I have been pleased to learn of other bi-racial couples with their attendant offspring. My daughter had one African American boy in her class, and both my daughter and son's grades have a strong showing of expats from the UK, Norway and Japan. Through those relationships, and our own family trips abroad, both my children have a strong sense of the larger world. An unexpected upside, because many of the expats are in Rye temporarily for work and go back to their home countries, my daughter has been able to visit friends in London and Tokyo. Its amazing for me to see her embrace and feel excited about the greater world.

There are pros and cons to living in such an affluent area. Having grown up in a working class area of Los Angeles, there are challenges in Rye I never had to confront as a child or teenager. What does one do when all of your children's friends belong to a private club? What to do when they are all going abroad for summer camps or weekenders in London? The kids eventually grow up and want to have lunch and dinner in town with their friends. The restaurants along Purchase Street aren't inexpensive. Watermoon, the Chinese restaurant on Purchase, can easily set two people back $50. The boutique clothing stores in town cater towards the community as well, which means your teenager should have about $50-$100 in spending cash to keep up with her friends. While this isn't true of every child in Rye, these conundrums are not uncommon.

These are all, admittedly, first world problems of the highest order. There are days when I'm filled with exasperation over problems caused or exacerbated by too much time or money. Then there are days when I feel grateful for being able to live in Rye. My husband and I have worked so hard for so many years. This city, with it's pristine neighborhoods, excellent schools (the middle school looks like a castle!), and virtually zero crime, help validate that we've made good decisions with our careers.

Overall, I've grown to appreciate this city. It is safe and clean. The schools are spectacular. The police department is responsive and ever present. The public works crews are polite and diligent. Port Chester and Greenwich are a very short drive away. Port Chester has a wealth of ethnic restaurants and a Costco! But back in Rye, the restaurants are solid options for dining out as well. A permit for train station parking was easy to come by and still close from almost any corner of Rye. Harrison is also close and has a nice selection of grocery stores and restaurants. The express train from Grand Central gets us back from Manhattan in 37 minutes. Rye, despite it's flaws (which some may not see as flaw), is a magical and lovely city.

The City of Rye, formerly known as the Village of Rye, was chartered in 1942, making it New York State’s youngest city. Like many of Westchester’s waterfront communities, Rye’s roots sprouted in the late 19th century, when wealthy city residents built vacation homes along the shore of the Long Island Sound. By the 1920s, the rise of the railroad turned Rye into a “bedroom community” with an increase in new home construction.

Today, Rye is an affluent community, home to 15,000 residents. In 2010, Coldwell Banker identified it as the country’s 3rd most expensive place to buy a home. It offers two great school systems, lovely surroundings, great dining, arts and recreation, and an easy commute to Manhattan. Travel time from the Rye station runs between 40 and 50 minutes.

The Rye City School District educates the majority of the public school students. All three of the district’s elementary schools are New York State Schools of Excellence and National Blue Ribbon Schools. Rye Middle School is also a Blue Ribbon School. The high school, which has its own television studio, is regularly named by U.S. News and World Report as a Top 100 School. Students must fulfill a community service requirement in order to graduate.

A small number of students attend the Rye Neck schools, which is also held in high regard. Rye Neck High School is also a Blue Ribbon School; there is also one middle school and two elementary schools. There are 1,500 students in the Rye Neck district, which draws most of its population from Mamaroneck.

The historic Playland amusement park is Rye’s most notable recreation area. It features the Dragon roller coaster, which is the oldest of its kind in the Northeast. Several properties are owned by the city, including the Rye City Marina and Rye Nature Center. The Rye Golf Club, though also city-owned, is a members-only club on 126 acres. It has an 18-hole golf course, a pool and a snack bar. Smart development has given the city a charming shopping and dining district, with a Starbucks mixed in with independently owned shops and restaurants.

Rye’s home are expensive; the majority of homes for sale are well over a million dollars. Condominiums and co-ops, which are usually an affordable option for those wanting to get a foothold in an expensive town, are very expensive here as well.