{"id":338065,"date":"2026-09-04T14:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/338065\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T14:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:34:11","slug":"why-more-nyc-families-are-choosing-washington-heights-new-york-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/338065\/","title":{"rendered":"Why More NYC Families Are Choosing Washington Heights \u2013 New York Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

More space, more parks, more community \u2014 here\u2019s why Washington Heights is winning over NYC families.<\/p>\n

At a Glance<\/p>\n

More affordable apartments with the space growing families need
\nEasy access to parks, playgrounds, libraries, and family programs
\nA tight-knit community with neighborhood resources for parents and kids
\nA quieter Manhattan lifestyle with convenient subway access<\/p>\n

Psst\u2026 Check Out Guide to NYC Neighborhoods: Manhattan<\/a><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re looking to move to New York City, you scour all the neighborhoods to find what\u2019s right for you, and then, once you\u2019re in NYC, you might still find yourself doing the same. We all want cheaper rent and a lively neighborhood, and when we become parents, we really lock into finding the place that will be the best. for our kids. One neighborhood that gets overlooked is Washington Heights.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the Upper West Side, Park Slope, or Forest Hills, and probably won\u2019t even be a neighborhood you might find on a best places to raise a kid list. It\u2019s more subdued, and that\u2019s part of the appeal. Washington Heights has a strong, established community, plenty of green space, and something that\u2019s increasingly hard to find in Manhattan: room to spread out and a close community. As one parent posted on Reddit, \u201cIt\u2019s like living on Sesame Street. The neighborhood is so small and tight-knit, it\u2019s a dream to raise kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WhyGetty Images
\nWhy Washington Heights Works So Well for NYC Families
\nApartments Are Bigger and Cheaper<\/p>\n

Housing is one of the biggest considerations for families. Apartments in Washington Heights tend to be more affordable than in many of Manhattan\u2019s trendier family neighborhoods. You can find 2- and 3-bedroom apartments<\/a> for under $4000.<\/p>\n

Plus, the prewar buildings often have something parents desperately need in NYC and rarely have: space.<\/p>\n

Large bedrooms with high ceilings, tall closets, and two- and three-bedroom layouts are so much easier to find in Washington Heights than in other parts of Manhattan that have new buildings.<\/p>\n

Plenty of Green Space Including Fort Tryon Park<\/p>\n

A longtime resident sums up Washington Heights like this: \u201cI liked it before but especially since we\u2019ve had kids, it\u2019s just so welcoming and friendly, and there are lots of great playgrounds and proximity to green space that\u2019s wonderful for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

The neighborhood has an elegant and natural beauty to it. Wide lawns, quiet paths, river views near the Cloisters, combined with free events throughout the year, make Fort Tryon Park a regular destination for families. Fort Washington Park has playgrounds, courts, grills, and the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge.<\/p>\n

The neighborhood also has playgrounds, libraries, recreation centers, and youth programs for everyday activities. Highbridge Recreation Center, for example, offers a pool, gym, courts, and youth programming.<\/p>\n

If you go a little north to Inwood, you can visit Inwood Hill Park, which has 196 acres of woods, hiking trails, and a playground.<\/p>\n

\"WhyGetty Images
\nA Community Built for Families<\/p>\n

The YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood<\/a> is one of the neighborhood\u2019s biggest resources for parents. They run a parenting center, plus a weekly Babies, Toddlers, and Caregivers program if you\u2019re looking for early childhood activities and a chance to meet other parents.<\/p>\n

Schools including P.S. 187 and Dos Puentes Elementary are neighborhood fixtures, and families with younger children can also find 3-K and Pre-K options.<\/p>\n

If you want the real, unfiltered scoop on the neighborhood, check out the Washington Heights parents group<\/a> on Facebook. There\u2019s also WashingtonHeightsParentandme<\/a>, an old-school email listserv that covers Washington Heights and the surrounding area.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of casual, kid-friendly places to eat, and an old-school soda fountain at Dichter Pharmacy.<\/p>\n

\"WhyGetty Images: Highbridge Park
\nGetting Around<\/p>\n

The A and 1 trains go straight into Midtown, and the A is express. It\u2019s roughly 30 to 45 minutes depending on where you\u2019re headed. When traveling wth strollers and kids, there are plenty of bus options as multiple MTA routes run through the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Washington Heights may not have the name recognition of Manhattan\u2019s more famous family neighborhoods, but for many parents, that\u2019s the point. It offers something that has, over the years, become increasingly rare in NYC: space, connection, and a built-in village that is so important when raising a family.<\/p>\n

Psst\u2026 Check Out Guide to NYC Neighborhoods: The Bronx<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sign<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More space, more parks, more community \u2014 here\u2019s why Washington Heights is winning over NYC families. At a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":338066,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[36066,9,24,55,54,56,126952,45297,126951,2958],"class_list":["post-338065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-manhattan-neighborhoods","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-nyc-family-life","tag-nyc-neighborhoods","tag-raising-kids-in-nyc","tag-washington-heights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=338065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/338066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=338065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=338065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=338065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}