Young families from New York are moving en masse to the suburbs: what is the reason

More often than not, New Yorkers leave the metropolis for the suburbs. There are especially many young families among them. The newspaper writes about what makes people leave. Apk Metropolitan.

Harry Wolff, a software engineer from Stuyvesant Town, was already planning to move with his family to Connecticut in connection with the birth of their second child. The coronavirus pandemic has only accelerated the move.

The ability to work remotely was another reason for this decision. And the eternal search for an open-air playground for a two-year-old son in the metropolis put an end to it. In June, the family moved into a three-bedroom home in Fairfield, Connecticut. “Almost all of our friends have left the city,” he said.

The pandemic has forced many New Yorkers to look for more spacious housing with cheaper rents. There are many young families with children among them. Many of them dreamed of houses with backyards for children to play.

While the summer and fall seasons of active travel are ending, analysts are trying to assess the level of ongoing migration and the duration of its consequences for the housing and economic systems of the city. “The state of the art is that a young skilled couple have children and then move to the suburbs,” said Jonathan Miller, president of Miller Samuel.

This wave of sales has led to oversaturation of the real estate market in many areas of New York and reflected in its value. In August, total gross sales in the five boroughs reached their highest level according to StreetEasy data collected since 2010.

New deals signed in Manhattan are down 31% in the 12 months as of August, according to Miller Samuel. Large properties, such as two or four-bedroom homes, will be most affected by market changes if their tenants decide to move out of New York, said Danielle Hale, an economist at Realtor.com.

In the meantime, former Big Apple residents have raised the ante in places like Long Island and Westchester County, New York. They also helped revitalize housing markets from Greenwich, Connecticut to South Orange, New Jersey.

On the subject: The biggest drop in 30 years: what happens to the New York real estate market

Maria Doulis, of Residents Funds Fee, said the massive relocation of families to the suburbs could hurt the city's tax base. “We would like to see more people in our metropolis to maintain the recovery and prosperity of our economic system,” she commented.

Many of those who left did not think about moving until New York was overtaken by the COVID-19 pandemic. She made some of the city's flaws clear. "Why pay 3,8% in New York City if you can't enjoy all of its benefits in every part of the city?" Said Matt Hagel, chief finance officer at food supply company Freshly.

For the past five years he has lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Due to the pandemic, various entertainment, including visiting concerts, bars and restaurants, has become unavailable for him.

With a two-year-old child and a second soon to come, he is seriously considering moving into a home in his hometown of Port Washington in Nassau County, New York.

It is not yet clear how it will end: those who planned to move out of the city, or those who were forced to do so because of the pandemic.

Although some of those who left have already started talking about a possible return. Ashley Healy of Getty Photographs bought a home in Monmouth County, New Jersey and moved there in August. However, she admits that she misses the previous neighborhood. “It's hard for me to come to terms with the fact that I can't walk up and down Court Docket Road and chat with my landlord,” she said. "Brooklyn is in our hearts at all times, and one day we'll be back."