What's Middle Class in Manhattan?

Yes. Harlem is not disregarded, it's expensive.

 

As Az said, the only real "bargains" anymore in northern Manhattan are up in Washington Heights and Inwood. Not sure what the prices are now, but a few years ago, I know I was paying a lot less to live up in Washington Heights and getting significantly more space than my friends who lived elsewhere in Manhattan and Brooklyn. We had a three-bedroom for $2,000 with 12 x 12 to 12 x 14 bedrooms for each person, a large living room and a decent sized kitchen with new appliances.

Being out in Queens is the cheapest of the options that are pretty near to the areas of NYC that one would want to go to often.

 

#Geenius.

Quotes are appropriate.

A few summers ago, lived in Washington Heights. $1,200/month subletting one bedroom in a three-bedroom place with creaky floors and cable that had maybe 10 channels, not including ESPN or CBS. Tiny kitchen, one bathroom.

Great city, really loved living there for a summer. So much fun to just explore the place. Great walking city. Vastly - VASTLY - superior to Chicago, even if I'll always prefer Los Angeles or San Francisco as far as big cities go.

Would never try to live there permanently or raise a family there.

Perspective: Brother rents a two-bedroom house in SoCal, about a mile from the beach, for $1,400/month. Got a bit of a deal, but still . . .

 

Inwood is still working out pretty well for us as middle class folks. We are lucky with the transportation costs for work, though, as I'm right across the GW Bridge and my wife is up in Riverdale or working from home. And hopefully in the next few months I'll be joining her working from home or just up in Riverdale, so I can eliminate NJ public transport costs too.

Ragu noted this trend, I have two friends who moved out of Park Slope to Manhattan -- Washington Heights, in this case. (they moved pretty far west of Broadway, which has some awesome buildings, great views, but would also be a bit more expensive than east of Broadway).

And for those visiting or for taxi drivers who don't believe me, Inwood and Washington Heights are still Manhattan. We love it in Inwood, but we're also looking to one day get a two-bedroom instead of a one (for kids, or a home office). Hopefully we can still live up here then, but if not Riverdale (which is just across the river) has some good deals. But then we wouldn't be in Manhattan. And I'm fully aware of all the great things all the boroughs offer, but for someone like me who always dreamed of living in the New York City I pictured in my head and saw on TV, and for my wife who decided she wanted to move to New York when she saw Wall Street in South Africa, there is still something about Manhattan that makes us want to stay here. We know that's going to mean some sacrifice -- I'm back home in Minnesota now and we could buy a lake house near my parents' home for what we'll pay in rent the next couple decades -- but for now it's a sacrifice we're happy to make.

 

In 1993 just before I got out of the Navy, I was tabbed for White House communications staff duty if I re-enlisted. I was an Petty Officer Third Class (E4). I asked the guy who was interviewing me (a Master Chief E9 making about three times what I did) if I didn't want to live in the barracks, could I afford an apartment. He just laughed and said, "Not on what you make. I have to live an hour outside the beltway and drive in every day."

I have no idea what prices were then or how accurate his statement was, but I knew pretty much then I didn't want any part of being a city dweller.

 

Well it was four years ago. Before Williamsburg fully caught up. And I definitely wasn't looking in DUMBO.

 

One out of three (most of the time) ain't bad.

 

Time lost may not be such an "opportunity cost," if you can get things done while riding the train vs. driving.

And with the NYC subway system employing one standard fare, it makes commuting longer distances on the subway lines a touch more palatable.

 

If you want to really blow someone's mind, explain to them that Marble Hill is also in Manhattan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Hill,_Manhattan

 

I guess I was thinking more of the costs once you move out of the city entirely and find yourself someplace in Tarrytown or Stamford or South Orange or Coram. Even Hicksville or Syosset. It's quite true you can get more work done on a train than in a car, but it's still a couple hours a day every day back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

Plus the cost of the ticket - RT peak monthly MetroNorth pass from Stamford to GCT is now close to $300 - and the cost of the car you're going to need because you've moved to the suburbs.

 

In my travels, I've found there are only two cities in the contiguous U.S. - NY and LA - that are different from the rest.
Regentrification is alive and well in many areas as this lovely country of ours. NYC is a prime example of that.