I am a born and raised New Yorker (as were my mother, my grandmother and grandfather, and my great grandmother, who was one of the first Jewish girls at The Brearley School in the 1880s). As such I have always been fascinated by the notion many people seem to have that they need to leave the city to raise their kids and to have a “normal” life. Like every real estate broker working here, I consider myself to be a de facto member of the local Chamber of Commerce, boosting the city at every opportunity.

So here are my Top Ten Reasons to live and raise kids in New York:

10. ECOLOGY – Since New Yorkers live vertically, we use much less fossil fuel per capita for heating. And you don’t get in your car every time you need something, thus further reducing your carbon footprint. You can take the subway, or a bus, or a cab, or …

9. MOBILITY – you can WALK! One of the best things about New York is that you can walk everywhere. It clears your head, it is beautiful, and you get aerobic exercise.

8. SAFETY – Yup, New York City is on the FBI’s list of top ten safest cities in America with populations of over 500,000 (and seriously, does something much smaller even QUALIFY as a city??)

7. PARENTAL ANXIETY – Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. How great it was for me and my wife to know that our kids were NEVER in a car piloted by a friend who may have been drinking! From doormen to neighbors, there was also safety in having an extra set of eyes on things at all times.

6. BEAUTY – with its extensive network of parks, including the jewels of Central Park, Prospect Park, and Van Cortlandt Park; its zoos and botanical gardens; its amazing neighborhoods of Victorian brownstones and 1920s apartment buildings; its iconic skyscrapers; and its reclaimed waterfronts, New York is a fascinating and richly varied treat for the eye. And if you have kids there are lots of places for them to play and hang out, many within walking distance (see MOBILITY.)

5. PHILANTHROPY – New Yorkers are committed to the not-for-profit organizations which keep their city vital. In social justice, in the arts, in education, foundations and not-for-profits are working every day to make New York and the world safer, more humane, more open, and more engaged. You can give your money, your time, or both, but giving back is a big part of living here and there are opportunities for every budget and area of interest.

4. CREATIVITY – from all over the country and all over the world, artists and creators flock to New York. Painting, writing, composing, dancing, programming, inventing – everything new under the sun is taking place here. It is inspiring just to be close to it, and opportunities to be part of it abound.

3.  ACTIVITY – whatever you love, it is readily available. Sports, museums, every kind of music, theater, nightlife, bookstores – as a kid, or a teenager, or an adult, there is never any reason to be bored in New York.

2. DIVERSITY – New York is a microcosm of the world. Ethnic and lifestyle diversity give the city its unique flavor culturally, aesthetically, linguistically, and gastronomically. New Yorkers come into contact every day with others from different backgrounds and who have made different choices. We have a clear sense of what unites us rather than what divides us.

1. OPPORTUNITY – New York offers an extraordinary number of job and educational opportunities. Every day of the year New York is filled with tourists, students, families, ambitious young professionals, and business leaders who know this is where they have to be. Here you can find or create the right school, the right niche, or the right company.

Convinced? Call me or your favorite real estate agent and we will make it happen for you or your business.  

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