Raising kids in New York is easier in some neighborhoods than others. What matters most is usually a good park within walking distance, schools you’re comfortable with, and a commute that doesn’t eat the evening. These are the places families keep choosing, with an honest note on what each one costs you.
Rents and school quality vary block by block, so treat this as a shortlist and then go and walk the streets at 8am on a weekday.
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Park Slope is the neighborhood people picture when they think of Brooklyn families: brownstone blocks, strollers everywhere and Prospect Park at the top of the hill. Seventh Avenue and Fifth Avenue have most of what you need day to day. The catch is price. It’s one of the most expensive parts of Brooklyn, and larger apartments go fast.
Upper West Side, Manhattan
The Upper West Side sits between two big parks, Central Park and Riverside Park, with the Natural History Museum in the middle. The avenues are wide, there are plenty of doorman buildings with elevators, and the 1, 2, 3, B and C trains make commuting simple. It feels calmer than most of Manhattan, and it’s priced accordingly.
Battery Park City, Manhattan
Battery Park City is a planned neighborhood on landfill at the western edge of Lower Manhattan. It has waterfront paths, playgrounds, ball fields and very little through traffic. Buildings are mostly newer, with elevators and laundry. The trade-off is that it can feel a bit removed from the rest of the city, and grocery options are thinner than in older neighborhoods.
Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
These two neighborhoods sit side by side in Brownstone Brooklyn, with tree-lined streets, front gardens and a lot of small shops on Court and Smith Streets. Brooklyn Bridge Park is a short walk away. Apartments tend to be smaller and many are in walk-ups, which matters more than you think once there’s a stroller involved.
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills has more space for the money than any neighborhood above. Forest Hills Gardens, the private enclave near the station, looks like an English village, while the surrounding streets are a mix of co-op apartments and detached houses. The E and F express trains get you to Midtown in about half an hour on a good day, and the LIRR is faster still.
Riverdale, the Bronx
Riverdale feels more like a suburb than part of the Bronx, with hills, big trees and views across the Hudson to the Palisades. Wave Hill, a public garden, is here. Most families drive or take Metro-North, since the subway only reaches the edge of the area.
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Bay Ridge is at the southwest corner of Brooklyn, near the Verrazzano Bridge. Its long waterfront promenade is great for bikes and scooters, Third Avenue is full of restaurants, and rents are lower than in brownstone Brooklyn. The R train is the only subway line, and it’s slow.
Astoria, Queens
Astoria has a big park on the East River, a strong food scene and fast trains to Midtown on the N and W. It has become popular with young families who want space without leaving the city’s inner ring. It’s busy and dense, but it still has a neighborhood feel.
Before you sign a lease
- Check which public school the address is zoned for. The NYC Public Schools website has a school search tool. Don’t rely on the listing.
- Do the commute at rush hour before you commit. A route that looks like 30 minutes on a map can take 50.
- Ask about laundry, elevators and stroller storage. Walk-ups and basement laundry rooms get old quickly with small children.
- Look up the nearest playground and walk there. Two blocks and ten blocks are very different distances with a toddler.
If you’re still weighing things up, our Brooklyn guide and Queens guide go deeper on each borough.
