Lifestyle and Leisure
Commuting to New York
Jo-ann Hodgson investigates what New York’s suburbs have to offer the commuter and looks at the transportation infrastructure for those who live outside the CBD
Like major business and financial centres in the UK, New York is one of the most expensive places to live in America and whilst the vibrant, buzzing and top-speed nature of the city suits at many times, workers in the city often look beyond the CBD and even the metropolitan area for their own place to call home. Luckily for them, commuters are catered for very well by the state's transport networks and the ability of surrounding areas to provide a quality of life that's just not realistic in the city.
Commuter Transport hubs
Of the hundreds of train stations and bus terminals making it possible for those who work in but live outside of New York's CBD, there are three which stand up as central to the city's commuter infrastructure. The Pennsylvania Station, or Penn Station, as it's often known, is a major inter-city rail station and commuter rail hub located on Eighth Avenue, New York. Serving 600,000 passengers a day, it is the busiest passenger facility in the US and connects to Washington DC in the south and Boston in the north. Penn Station also connects to six New York City subway lines. Located underground, with office buildings and the famous Madison Square Garden above, the station's tunnels lead out under the Hudson River and the East River.
The home of Penn Station, Eight hAvenue, is a district on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. It begins in the west village neighbourhood at Abingdon Square and runs for 44 blocks through Chelsea, Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's East End, the Theatre District and Columbus Circle. Since the 1990s, Eighth Avenue in Chelsea has been the centre of New York City's gay scene, accommodating numerous cafes, bars, clubs and entertainment centres.
Grand Central Terminal is another of New York's commuter hubs and the largest train station in the world. With 44 platforms and 67 tracks, Grand Central Terminal is located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and serves commuters travelling on the Metro-North Railroad to the counties of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess in New York State and Fairfield and New Haven in Connecticut. Forty Second Street is one of the most important in New York, being home to some of the city's most well-known buildings such as the Chrylser Building, Times Square, New York Public Library, the News Building and the Port Authority Bus Station. The Port Authority Bus Station is the world's busiest bus terminal and the largest bus terminal in the world. Opened in 1950, it's located one block west of Times Square and occupies the blocks between 8th and 9th Avenues. Serving as a terminus and departure point for commuter bus routes as well as inter-city routes like the Greyhound and Peter Pan, approximately 200,000 daily bus passenger trips are made through the terminal every day.
Commuter regions
Within New York, the two most popular suburbs with commuters are Long Island and Westchester County. Long Island is an island and major suburb southwest of New York and was, in fact, one of the first modern suburbs in the US. Jutting out 118 miles from New York harbour and sits between the southern Atlantic Coast and Long Island Sound, Long Island is connected to the mainland by several bridges and tunnels through New York City. There are currently ten road crossings out of the island and Long Island Rail Road is also the busiest commuter railroad system in North America. One of the most densely
populated regions of the US, the standard of living on the island is very high, with residents paying some of the highest property taxes in the country.
Also popular with NYC commuters is Westchester County, a primarily suburban county in the south-east part of New York State with 950,000 residents. The county has six cities, 19 towns and 20 villages and has the eight-highest per capita personal income in the US. Although the northern portion of the county is seen as rural and wealthy and the southern portion more urban, this is not necessarily true in all areas. Outside of New York, the states of New Jersey and Connecticut are also home to many commuters who travel into NYC on a daily basis. New Jersey is bordered on the north by New York and some parts lie within the sprawling metropolitan areas of the city. In New Jersey's northern area, the Gateway Region is one of these parts, and many of its residents commute to the city. The second-wealthiest state per capital in the US, behind only Connecticut, New Jersey is connected to NYC via many bridges and tunnels and consists of varied terrain ranging from coastal locations to wooded and mountainous areas.
Located in the New England region of the US, western areas of Connecticut are also considered to be part of the New York metropolitan area. As in New Jersey there are many regional variations in Connecticut's landscape and culture, which ranges from the wealthy estates of Fairfield County's Gold Coast to the rolling mountains and horse-farms of Litchfield Hills in the north west. Fairfield county has become a bedroom community for highly paid NYC workers seeking a less urban lifestyle, and this highly skilled employee base has also attracted many businesses to the area. Homes in the south-west of Connecticut, on the fringes of NYC, are quite expensive with many towns having median home prices over $500,000 and some exceeding US$1million. Greenwich is the most expensive real estate market with most condos costing over $600,000 and in 2007 median house prices in Connecticut reached $300,000 for the first time. Want to work in New York but live an out-of-city lifestyle? Looks like you're spoilt for choice.
Expert's view
Noah Rosenblatt, Publisher of UrbanDigs.com, which deals with macro economic discussions and investment strategy for Manhattan real estate offers the following insights into commuter living within and outside New York:
The most used commuter hubs in New York are Penn Station, Grand Central, Port Authority.
People choose to live outside New York City and commute in for a number of reasons and are often looking for a different and quieter lifestyle, a larger house and a cheaper cost of living.
An inner-city condo in New York City could cost you between US$950 and US$1600 plus per square foot.
Co-ops range from a bit lower at US$800 to US$1200 per square foot or so depending on location, light, views, and condition of property.
In the suburbs, you can get a single family house with a backyard for significantly less. Properties in New York's suburbs range from between US$250 to US$500 per square foot depending on location, size of property, taxes, neighbourhood, and condition of the house.
There has been a growing number of suburban homeowners in the New York area, especially those close to retirement who are purchasing second homes or pied-a-terre's here in Manhattan to use as a weekend home or for vacations to the city.
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