Living in Rye: A Lifestyle and Real Estate Guide to Rye, New York

Country Estate Living an Hour from New York City

What and Where is Rye, New York

Chartered in 1942, Rye is the youngest city in New York state. Yet it’s located on the oldest thoroughfare in the US, the Boston Post Road, first established as a mail route in 1673 that connected Manhattan to Boston. It’s an easier commute into New York City these days, taking about 60 minutes by train from the Rye station to Grand Central Terminal or about an hour and five minutes by car via I-95 and I-678 S.

Historical Rye

Rye is steeped in history, with two designated National Historic Landmarks—of vastly different appeal—within city limits. The Boston Post Road Historic District features the Jay Estate, the childhood home of John Jay, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Rye Playland, built in 1928 replete with Art Deco flourishes and a National Historic Landmark since 1987, has one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the Northeastern US.

What to See and Do in Rye

Jarden Corporation, a Fortune 500 consumer products conglomerate, is headquartered in Rye and GAMCO Investors, an asset management firm, is based there. The town also is home to the American Yacht Club and numerous golf and swim country clubs, including the Westchester Country Club, Rye Golf Club, The Apawamis Country Club, Manursing Island Club, Shenorock Shore Club, and the Coveleigh Club.

Residents can pursue professional careers in Rye or leave them behind in Manhattan every evening in favor of the quietude and ease of a suburban lifestyle.

Top-rated Schools in Rye

The town is family centric, with a highly regarded public school system comprising three elementary schools all rated National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence and an interconnected middle and high school. Rye High School has been named a Gold Medal School and consistently ranks among the nation’s best high schools. A private college preparatory school, Rye Country Day School, and an all-girls school for grades 5 – 12, School of the Holy Child, are within Rye too.

Coastal Meets Country Living

Rye offers a town or country or seashore lifestyle in elegant spacious condominiums or gracious homes on large landscaped plots in one of New York’s most coveted zip codes: 10580. Current median home sales value is US$1.7 million and the median price for new listings is US$2 million. Prices rose nominally in 2018, but are expected to rise by about 2.4 percent in 2019. Though the city itself is young and family friendly, more than 80 percent of its population is considered maturing and established, with young singles comprising less than 17 percent. Club Med it is not. Neither does it give off a retirement village vibe. Rather, the pace is gentle, the shopping and eateries upscale, the country clubs exclusive, the golf abundant, the landscape lush, and the population welcoming to new residents, whether they choose an in-town condominium or a gated private property or a beachfront estate.

Historic Architecture in Rye

In Rye’s Boston Post Road Historic District, Gothic and Greek Revival mansions predominate. Waterfront homes on Long Island Sound on Stuyvesant Avenue or Shore Road range from stately colonial to gabled and turreted stone manors. Inland estates on Club Road or Milton Road offer acreage and tranquility and privacy all within minutes of the town center.

Retail Therapy and Cultural Attractions

There is no lack of things to do in Rye. Shopping is retail’s nirvana in the boutiques that line Purchase Street, from jewelry stores to trendy and high-end fashions, book stores, antiques and collectibles, beauty, furniture and home accessories stores, and shops to indulge pets. The Rye Arts Center at 51 Milton Road offers classes for adults and children of all ages in drawing, painting, and ceramics, along with music and dance. The Rye Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the area’s history, architecture, and Americana.

Diverse Dining Experiences

Residents may be fully sated by cultural activities, but if appetites tend more toward the culinary, there are plenty of places to dine in Rye. Seafood, Italian, French, steakhouses, sushi, Mediterranean, pizza, and burger bistros, from highly rated to simply beloved in all price ranges can be found along Milton Road and Purchase Street—not to overlook the delis and bakeries featuring, of course, the best rye-bread sandwiches in Rye.