Staten Island- tell me everything

amother

Periwinkle

Tue, Jun 06 2017, 11:27 pm

Hi,
We are looking into Staten Island. We are chassidish . I am coming from a very small close knit community. Please tell me everything you know about this place.
Thank you!

amother

Periwinkle

Wed, Jun 07 2017, 8:40 am

bump

I would greatly appreciate responses~!

amother

White

Wed, Jun 07 2017, 10:13 am

There have been several recent threads on this very topic, Chassidim wanting to move to SI and asking (and receiving) lots of info about it. Have you read them? Do you have specific questions that weren't addressed in any of them?

amother

Periwinkle

Wed, Jun 07 2017, 12:22 pm

amother wrote:

Thanks for replying!
I've been searching on old threads and not finding...

amother

Firebrick

Sun, Jun 11 2017, 12:06 am

Hi I'm also looking into staten island but can't find decent house for the price it's going for... should I look into westerleigh even if no yidden are moving there??

happy12

Sun, Jun 11 2017, 12:30 am

There are already a few families in westerleigh

crust

Sun, Jun 11 2017, 1:19 am

http://www.imamother.com/forum.....43214

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Jun 11 2017, 1:44 am

Reading through that old thread makes me laugh because so much has changed in Staten Island since then.

Over 200 families from Boro Park live there now. Maybe more? At least 3 school buses take the kids to school and back. There's also a shuttle going into BP multiple times a day. If it grew this much in the last 3 years you can only expect quicker growth in the next 3.

Prices have shot up though. Your average detached house in Willowbrook will now cost 850+

We dont live there yet. We're still searching for our house but since I've done so much research I can tell you all the pros and cons.

Pros:

Close to BP.
You can keep your kids in their school. You're always 20 min away from the family melava malka, Chanukah party or a lunch with friends.

Beautiful place.
Staten Island is no Lakewood but it's still a beauty with a bit of landscaping in the front and back of every house, large grassy backyards and detached little perfect houses. You won't feel like you're meandering your way around garbage cans and holding your nose closed the way you do when you walk in BP.

United Nations
That's what people call it. There's every kind of jew and every type of Chassidus. There's real open mindedness and friendliness. Everyone is so down to earth! That's a great environment for kids to grow up in.

Cons

High prices, small size homes
You'll be thinking of how much less other people paid for their homes and how much more space they got for it and how little they had to put into fixing it up.

Shopping is hard
A big supermarket is supposed to open with a takeout dept, but who knows when that'll happen? You'll have to travel to bp anytime you need anything "jewish"

Very sparse
Boro parkers are moving there blocks away from each other.

Transportation
Maybe someone who lives there can go into greater detail about this.

Sleepy little town
If you come from the city chances are that you're used to having lots of action. This place often looks like a ghost town. I wonder how ppl meet friends. When does everyone party??

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Jun 11 2017, 11:17 am

My big question is which area to choose.

Westerleigh seems to be a more affordable but would you move to a block without any Yidden?

I do believe it will grow very quickly. And there's that large grocery which will open in the Westerleigh area.

amother

Seashell

Sun, Jun 11 2017, 11:59 am

Prices of houses are already very expensive because of the demand.
Price of transportation is very expensive. The school I send my children to provides transportation to Staten Island but it's expensive. Families with 4,5 children are paying almost $1,000 a month in transportation costs. Also, if you don't drive, the buses to and from BP, are not cheap.

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Jun 11 2017, 12:17 pm

amother wrote:

What does a ride to BP and back cost?

yoyof

Thu, Jun 15 2017, 10:20 pm

Are there any chassidish families in westerleigh yet?? how far is it to walk to R' pollack shul??

amother

Cobalt

Thu, Jun 15 2017, 11:04 pm

Hi,
I am not Chassidish I'll tell you what I think
Westerleigh isn't walkable distance to R. Pollack shul
I don't know for certain, but I think there is a small shul in someone's house in Westerleigh...at least that's what my husband said
Prices in Willowbrook used to be affordable, now they aren't
From what I heard Chassidish families families are moving to 1.Manor Heights, that's the area right next to Willowbrook . Totally walking distance and 2. Westerleigh
Shopping , there is one grocery store ... when he initially opened up it was very affordable. I do feel like prices have gone up. There was a supermarket that was supposed to open up.No I know know, knows for certain if it's ever opening
But I think For the most part, Staten Island is a great place to live .
Hope this helped you.

yoyof

Thu, Jun 15 2017, 11:13 pm

Thank you so much!! is it ok/ safe to move to a block that has no yidden? are the non jews antisemitic?? where are people buying in westterleigh?

amother

Cobalt

Thu, Jun 15 2017, 11:50 pm

I think the non Jews are fine
I never found anyone to be anti Semitic
The only real issues I think would be is who your kids will play with but than again if more people are moving in it's not an issue if your kids have friends in the few blocks radius
Which blocks people are buying don't know, since I live in Willowbrook
But if you contact the realtor he can tell you which blocks people are buying on
Truthfully I don't even know where Westerleigh starts and where it ends
Again I think it's totally awesome to live here
And I think most people who move here love it
It's a small and welcoming community
The other thing I have to point out, most Chassidish women I've seen here don't drive and that I think will be a struggle
It's not like Brooklyn where you can walk everywhere
But on the other hand, if kids have bussing and you are able to walk to the grocery where else is really urgent to go
You just might feel isolated is what I am trying to say

amother

Wheat

Fri, Jun 16 2017, 12:01 am

Deleted

amother

Blush

Sun, Jun 18 2017, 1:31 am

Im living here one full year and I gotta say I LOVE IT!!!!
I live in manor heights and dont drive and I dont feel isolated at all.. you just gotta stick to the shuttle schedule since they dont run that often and in the morn youre almost always covered by rides...

YES, this is not bp where you can just run out on the avenue to do some minor shopping, here its basically its either youre home or youre out... more of a scheduled life (thats if you dont drive of course...)

yoyof

Sun, Jun 18 2017, 10:38 pm

who was your realtor?? are you happy with the area?? we're looking into westerleigh because it's cheaper are there any yiddishe families? where do they live?