These Are The 10 Best Small Cities In New York

Bright lights, big city...it can all be pretty overwhelming sometimes, especially in huge places like New YorkNew York City. Sure, the city has its charms, personality, and plenty of excitement, but what if it’s all a little too fast paced for you? What if you need a community where everyone knows your name, where you feel safe, and a little less stressed? That’s where we come in. You know, Movoto Real Estate doesn’t just sell houses; here at the blog we also do a fair amount of rankings for states and cities. So for all you itty bitty city lovers out there, we put together a list of the 10 best small cities in New York. Those awesome top 10 were: 1. Village of Tarrytown
2. Town of Mamaroneck
3. City of Rye
4. City of Saratoga Springs
5. Town of Scarsdale
6. Hamlet Jericho
7. City of Ithaca
8. Hamlet of Syosset
9. Town of Harrison
10. Town of Huntington
Some of these are towns and villages, but they were still fantastic enough to warrant being on this list, and you’ll soon see why. You can read all about our methods and reasoning in the next section. Or, if you’re curious where other spots may have placed, you can scroll to the bottom of this article and check out the top 50 places in the state.

Our Methodology

This isn’t our first Big Deal List, not by a long shot, but for those of you joining us for the first time, let’s take a brief look at how exactly we do this. Rather than basing our rankings on personal opinions and experiences, we turn to sources like the 2010 U.S. Census and business listings to get cold-hard data. To start, we made a list of all places in New York between 60,000 and 10,000 people in size, then collected data in the following criteria:

Amenities per capita
Quality of life (cost of living, median home price, median rent, median household income, and high school graduation rate)
Total crimes
Tax rates (sales tax and income tax)
Unemployment
Commute time
Weather (temperature and air quality)

We left out any place that didn’t have data, and that left us with 178 places to analyze. Then, we ranked each place in each category from one to 178, with scores closer to one being better. Lastly, we averaged each place’s rankings into one Big Deal Score, and the place with the lowest number for that score was ranked our absolute best small city in New York. Still not convinced? Why don’t we take a little bit of a closer look at each of these top 10 spots and see just what makes each so special. Well, besides the best type of pizza in the country (sorry, Chicago).

1. Tarrytown

This little village of only 11,277 people was definitely head and shoulders above the rest. Besides a warm community, picturesque streets, and many shops to peruse, this little place had big heart and even bigger numbers to back that up. Honestly, the worst ranking here was for commute times, and this place still had better numbers than half the state. To be more specific, Tarrytown had the third lowest taxes, the 61st most employment, the 43rd best weather, and the 64th best quality of life. The other major standout was the very low crime here, the sixth lowest on our entire list. It’s also worth mentioning that this place had the 19th most amenities, thanks to great spots like Lefteris Gyro, Coffee Labs Roasters, and Red Hat on the River which has to die for profiterole.

2. Mamaroneck

Besides having a pretty cool name, this place also had some of the best scores across the board. The 42nd most amenities per capita, the 54th lowest crime, and the 37th best weather are all reasons that this place landed the No. 2 spot. Of course, this place did have a standout score or two. The taxes were low, and the unemployment rate was merely 3.4 percent, which was the second lowest in our rankings. It’s no wonder the home prices here were a little higher, this place is just a great spot to call home. There are always reasons a place is fantastic that you just can’t see in numbers, though. For Mamaroneck, that was the gorgeous Harbor Island Park, as well as the Emelin Theatre For The Performing Arts, which is a pretty intimate spot to take in a little culture.

3. Rye

It’d be hard to make a wry face while living in Rye, considering all this great little New York city had to offer. Only 15,720 inhabitants in size, this place still had the 62nd most amenities on our list. It’s known for its affluent neighborhoods and stellar schools, which probably attributed to the seventh best quality of life ranking this spot earned. The rest of the scores here were still pretty astounding. The employment ranked fifth, the weather ranked 35th, the crime was low, as were the taxes. The real downside here was probably the 39 minute average commute time, but isn’t a long drive worth it when the high school graduation rate is 94 percent? We will say, though, that if you want a selling point, the Dragon Coaster at Rye Playland is one that’s really not to be missed.

4. Saratoga Springs

This was a bit of an anomaly on our list. The quality of life and crime rates weren’t completely stellar, and the commute was still 25 minutes on average. However, in every other area, this place blew the competition out of the water. For starters, it had the 25th most amenities per capita, many of which are horse themed due to the presence of the Saratoga Race Course and the Saratoga Casino and Raceway. It also had the 12th lowest unemployment, the 19th best weather, and the very lowest taxes on our list. For any foodies out there, there’s no need to fear that you won’t be able to indulge, because this place is home to Comfort Kitchen, Ravenous, and The Merry Monk. Now you just have to decide which to visit first.

5. Scarsdale

Where to begin! Scarsdale had the 14th lowest crime, low taxes, low unemployment, and even some very decent weather. The big standout was the best quality of life on our list, with the most students graduating from high school and the highest median income on our list. This place had the 14th most amenities per capita, and that’s definitely some quality with your quantity. If you want a bit of culture or love cars you can take in the Scarsdale Concours d'Elegance. If you want to eat something absurdly tasty, you can head to the Candlelight Inn for some waffle fries. Lastly, if you want some exercise, the Greenburgh Nature Center is really a lovely place to get some fresh air. The only real downside here was the achingly slow 43 minute average commute, but for what you get, this place is absolutely worth it.

6. Jericho

For a cute little place, Jericho had a whole lot going for it. The fifth best quality of life, the sixth lowest crime, the 14th lowest unemployment...it all just goes on and on. We will admit, the 40 minute commute time is hardly fun, but with such lovely scenery, maybe you’ll at least find it tolerable. The other awesome numbers here were about more, rather than less, too. This place had the 64th best weather, due to very decent air quality, and had the 28th most amenities for locals to enjoy. If you’re looking for a bite, by the way, the owner of Market Bistro is a pretty cool guy, and his Avocado Black Bean dip will knock your socks off.

7. Ithaca

You might notice that a lot of places on this list are incredibly pricey. Sure, you get what you pay for, but isn’t there any place in the top 10 where you can save money, just a little bit? The answer is yes, and that place is Ithaca. The homes were cheaper, the cost of living was the lowest in our top 10, the rent was pretty low, and the home prices were downright affordable. On top of that, the commute times were the second lowest, the unemployment was the second lowest, and the weather was the 19th best on our list. True, the crime was a little higher here, but really, that was the only downside. Ithaca has lovely people, thriving college sports teams at Cornell University, and plenty to do, as indicated by the 35th ranked amenities per capita. It’s especially exciting during the Ithaca Festival in June, but don’t take our word for it. Go see for yourself!

8. Syosset

Once you’ve learned how to pronounce the name, there’s still so much to discover about this little hamlet. Despite being home to only 18,829 friendly people, this place still had the 30th most amenities, thanks to spots like Village Heros and Kado. What more do you need? Well, if you need a high quality of life, Syosset has you covered, as it ranked the third best in that category. It also had the 18th lowest crime and the 64th best weather, if you were interesting in taking any long walks to enjoy the scenery. Lastly, if you were worried about getting a job, there’s no need to fret. The unemployment rate here was a mere 4.2 percent, ranking 14th on our list.

9. Harrison

If you want a place where you can relax and take it easy, this is definitely the right spot for you. It’s true that this place was a little bigger, at 27,472 people, but it still had that small-town vibe. It’s also true that this place didn’t have quite as many amenities as others but with the awesome risotto at Trattoria Vivolo, you’re sure to never go hungry. You’re also unlikely to go jobless here, as the unemployment rate was quite low. The commute times were a little lower, and the weather was quite decent. The taxes were low, the quality of life was high. Really, this place had no downside. No, really, there was no downside to this lovely town. Plus, this is a perfect spot for families, given that the crime rate here was the 25th lowest at only 918 crimes per 100,000 people.

10. Huntington

Let’s get this out of the way first: the commute times were dismal here, at an average of 41 minutes. Yes, we know that sounds rough, but besides that one drawback, this place is ideal for just about any type of person. The taxes were low, the unemployment was low, the summer temperatures were low, and even the crime was the 18th lowest. On the other hand, the quality of life was quite high, and over 94 percent of students graduated from locals schools. At 18,046 people, this was a small-town kinda place with lots of small-town community. Still, this place managed to have the third most amenities per capita. Sound far fetched? Just stop by the Cinema Arts Centre, the Ideal Cheese & Wine Cafe (yum!), or Prime Restaurant and see for yourself.

Not Big Apples, But Definitely Big Hearts

It’s true that small towns and cities definitely have their appeal, especially in these awesome places. So all you locals to these top 10, hold your heads high because you’ve earned it. To everyone not from these places or looking for the right small city to call their own? Don’t hesitate to let us know what you’re looking for, because we sell houses and might have a few ideas where your next hometown should be.