White Plains, New York

White Plains is a small city in lower Westchester County. It’s a forty minute train ride from midtown Manhattan, and it has many of the qualities of the city even though its population is less than 60,000. White Plains has the advantages of shopping, restaurants, culture and nightlife, with housing options to fit many budgets. Though people have been driven here to escape Manhattan’s high prices, the cost of living in White Plains is still high.

Most recently, White Plains is known for its luxury real estate, mostly apartments in high-rise buildings, and upscale shopping locations. However, middle-income buyers will also find many options here. More urban than its surrounding suburbs, with a good public transit system, it’s also a major hub of the Metro-North railroad, with riders boarding, disembarking, and transferring trains all day long. The city is also easily accessible to many of the area’s major highways, including Interstate 287, and the Bronx River and Sprain Brook Parkways.

White Plains is a great city for shopping. It’s home to upscale The Westchester, which is anchored by Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, with smaller luxury stores including Burberry and Tiffany & Co. There are also several freestanding department stores, including Saks, Bloomingdales, and Target. The more modest Galleria has Macy’s, Sears and a large assortment of mid-range retailers of clothes, shoes and specialty goods. There’s also a great selection of restaurants and bars, making the area stand out for nightlife compared to neighboring areas where there aren’t many options for going out.

The White Plains County Center is the location for performances, including the Westchester Ballet’s annual showing of The Nutcracker, as well as concerts, trade shows and other events. The White Plains Performing Arts Center features plays and other performances, and runs a children’s summer theater academy.

There are options for many budgets in White Plains, from condominiums and co-ops to single-family and multi-family options. The public schools are good though tend to be outperformed by surrounding areas, and there are private, parochial and charter options as well.

In 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked White Plains amongst its fastest growing cities in the United States, paying tribute to city's urban renewal and expansive economic growth. It's one of the few places north of New York City that exemplifies a true city atmosphere, with high-rise apartments, streets laid out in a grid, and many things to do morning, noon, or night. One of three stops left on Metro-North's Harlem Line, White Plains is a short, 50 minute ride into New York City, and with it's locating sitting right in the heart of central Westchester, residents have easy access to Connecticut to the east and Putnam County to the north. The population is approaching 60,000 residents, with a weekday population surge of 250,000 due to an influx of people going to work.

As a 23-year-old who has to commute to work close to White Plains, I picture the city as an ideal living situation for me. With a shorter commute to my job, the city offers up a faster-paced lifestyle with abundant nightlife, shopping outlets and restaurants (especially along Mamaroneck Avenue), both commercially- and locally-owned. It's the city/town/village in Putnam, Westchester and Dutchess counties that most resembles living in New York City without the Manhattan-priced apartments. Not to say that White Plains wouldn't be an expensive alternative, but it would give a person who's looking for that city vibe more of a reason to check it out.

White Plains also offers opportunities to live in residential neighborhoods, as well. North White Plains is home to its own Metro-North train station, and may be a quieter environment for families or those who don't like living in a crowded, noisy city. It's a short trip down Route 22 to White Plains, so you won't have to go very far out of the way for amenities/things to do.

The biggest complaint I've heard about White Plains is its parking, which may make it a little more difficult for you if you live directly on a road. There's no "On-Street" parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., and metered parking only allows you one hour to park your car. Parking can get pretty expensive if you're taking the Metro-North train, but there are a slew of parking garages throughout the city that makes it easier to park when you're out and about.

White Plains is the city away from the city! It is the urban center of Westchester county and offers great shopping and dining. The city is great to live in and to visit. White Plains has a diverse population which is reflected in the demographics and in the ethnic restaurants and grocery stores in the area.
It has many housing options from apartments and condos to starter homes and expensive mansions. It is close enough to NYC and has a Metro North station, making it attractive to many who work in the city but are looking for less expensive alternatives to Manhattan. The city is reputed to have a good public school system.
White Plains is a hub of activity in large part because of the many shopping and dining options it offers. The Westchester Mall with its many upscale stores and swanky feel attracts shoppers and browsers. Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom are the anchor stores here. My personal favorites in this mall are Anthropologie and William Sonoma are two of my favorite stops here. While browsing at Westchester Mall is fun, the City Center shopping with a big Target is definitely more budget friendly. I also like The Container Store which is a stand-alone store near the Westchester Mall.
P.F. Chang’s and the Cheesecake Factory are close to all the shopping and there’s always a long line in both places. It is highly advisable to make reservations before showing up. If you are feeling spontaneous, there are plenty of other restaurants and bars in White Plains.
White Plains is perfect for a fix of city living on days when we don’t have time or energy to make it to Manhattan. And the fact that parking is simpler is a big plus too!

What can I say about my hometown of almost 39 years? Plenty and then some. In fact, I could write a small visitor’s guide. White Plains has grown in such leaps and bounds since my childhood that sometimes I have to shake my head to both recognize it, and to remember what it once was. It has transformed from a quiet half-plains, half-suburban NYC escape into what many now affectionately call the “mini-Manhattan.”

Shopping abounds here and White Plains is home to the ever-popular more middle-class Galleria Mall, the super trendy and far more pricey, Westchester, which resembles a coliseum, the more urban and modern City Center and even the old dog, the White Plains Mall, which still looks and retains the feel of the early 70’s and still keeps chugging along in spite of its worn out looks. The galleria is a thriving teen hotspot where the requisite hormonal boy and girl watching and giggling and awkwardness goes on and is also a more affordable family-friendly shopping option with all the sought after retail chain stores. The Westchester is a more marbleized and resplendent affair with a wealth of upscale retail stores.

The city is home to an impressive professional Equity theatre, the White Plains Performing Arts Center, which hosts tap your toes good musicals, rip-roaring comedies, smart plays and a wonderful young adult conservatory. The movie theatre next door to the White Plains is a bright and jazzy looking Cineplex which features a little something for kids, adults and artistic flick lovers alike. In that same building is a very busy Target with a terrific grocery section and a lovely Shop Rite replete with an American and Asian buffet. Other food shopping options include a large Super Stop n' Shop and a very popular Whole Foods market with an ethnic buffet, cooking demos and an accomodating eat-in seating secion.

The Mamaroneck Avenue Strip is a huge hotspot with tons of bars that brim over into the streets. You can hear the music thumping well into the night. That same strip and the streets that jut out from it have an absolute abundance of restaurants including a fondue spot, several popular burger joints, a fusion Asian bistro, a Hibachi restaurant, several Latin American cafes, a Legal Seafood, an Applebees. A Cosi sandwich shop, a Haagen Dazs, a Starbucks,

White Plains also has a fine library, a YMCA, a slew of playgrounds, several parks, large-scale parades and a colorful weekly farmer’s market.

Donald Trump put White Plains even more squarely on the map and gave it a pseudo-skyline with his somewhat controversial build of the 35-story Trump Tower City Center with its ultra luxurious condos smack dab at the base of the Mamaroneck Avenue strip.

White Plains has a wide variety of living options including plush suburban homes, condos and both large and small scale apartment buildings as well as rentals in private homes. The median home value is $421, 300 and the median rental is 1,470.00.

White Plains is definitely more of a melting pot compared to many of its neighbors. The more diverse make-up is approximately 49% White, 30% Hispanic, 13% Black and 6% Asian.

The median income is $72,909.

White Plains has a quality school system with a reported 93% of White Plains High School graduates going on to college.

The population of White Plains is 56,853 with the median age being 38 years old.

White Plains is a must for those coming to Westchester who wish for city life. While parking can be a bit tricky (it’s mainly tolls in the heart of the city; once you get outside of the main area, you’ll find shopping centers with easier parking), it’s well worth the trip. You can shop for food at Whole Foods, a humongous natural grocery store, or grab a bite at the Cheesecake Factory. The factory is not only famous for their world-famous cheesecake, but general gourmet meals and romantic, as well as family-friendly, dining atmosphere). Be sure to schedule a reservation here in advance, because the wait can be a tad bit long.) The City Center in town hosts a myriad of local shows, which bring many different artisans to show and sell their products. You can book-browse at the local Barnes & Noble, buy an instrument at Sam Ash in town, or catch one of the latest films at the downtown theater. There’s the Westchester Mall for die-hard shoppers (several floors and a great dining area). You can take the train to NYC or to other areas of Westchester very easily from White Plains. Housing is mixed income. Being a city, White Plains is culturally diverse, and the restaurants offer all different tastes from many different countries. People rave about Outback Stakehouse (one of the very few in the Hudson Valley). There’s generally lots of traffic, so watch your back while crossing the street! There’s lots of friendly pubs, clubs and open restaurants for a fun night life as well. You’ll never know what you’ll find when you visit White Plains!

The best part about White Plains is the shopping. Whenever I have some money burning a hole in my pocket, which is rare, I like to head here to spend the day. It's convenient because there are very upscale, expensive shopping centers like The Westchester, mid-range like City Center, and budget-friendly stores at the Galleria Mall.

White Plains has a high quality of living and some of the houses/condos can be very expensive. In return you get a safe place to live, a pleasant city center with all the conveniences you could possible need (nearby supermarkets, stores, public transportation), and lots of entertainment options.

There's not really much nightlife in White Plains but there are a few low-key bars and New York City is pretty close.
There are also two very different sides to the city. There's the bustling center and then there's the rest of the city which is much more quiet, suburban, and green. It's a great place to raise a family.

One of the best things about the school system here is that you can choose which public school to send your kids to. You're not just stuck with whichever is closest to your home.

Overall it's a great place to live and visit. I highly recommend it!

White Plains has a myriad of things to offer. There are newly constructed properties everywhere. You can dine in any one of this unique city's trendy or upscale restaurants or kick back and have fun in one of its great nightlife spots. There has been tremendous growth in the city's business district. There are a lot of young professionals living in the downtown area because White Plains offers a commute that takes just over half an hour, and prices that are far less than those in Manhattan. You should note that it is a little harder to catch a train at night, particularly on weekends. There are endless shopping options in White Plains. There is the Galleria and the Westchester Mall, which has lots of designer shops and valet service. City Center is a huge shopping, entertainment, and residential complex in the heart of the downtown area. There is a Target, lots of restaurants, and a nice movie theater. White Plains has great hotels, including a Ritz. The school district in White Plains is pretty good; the best aspect of it is that, for the most part, parents are allowed to choose which schools to send their kids to.