Copyright dailymail
The leafy suburb under an hour from Manhattan where wealthy New Yorkers are fleeing to escape 'woke' Mamdani's socialist dystopia READ MORE: City which once filed for bankruptcy tops luxury housing market By MARTHA WILLIAMS, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:54 GMT, 3 November 2025 | Updated: 19:48 GMT, 3 November 2025 New Yorkers are officially entering the panic zone as Zohran Mamdani inches closer and closer to City Hall. Mamdani — known for his fiercely progressive agenda — is now seen by many as the frontrunner in New York City’s mayoral race. Voting is Tuesday. Realtors say panicked homeowners are already plotting their escape routes — with Greenwich, Connecticut, emerging as the latest hot spot for those bracing for a ‘woke’ wave from City Hall. Just an hour’s drive or half-hour train ride from Manhattan, the wealthy commuter town has become the newest beneficiary of what agents are calling the ‘Mamdani effect’. It’s the latest bolt-hole for nervous New Yorkers. A few months ago realtors in Westchester, a suburb just outside of the city, saw a massive spike in interest. Then, real estate agents thousands of miles away in Palm Beach, Florida, noticed an uptick of New Yorkers looking to buy homes in the area, which is famously home to President Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago estate. Now Greenwich has joined the list of places Mamdani-fearing city dwellers are fleeing to. The policies at the core of Mamdani’s campaign — higher taxes on the wealthy, expanded rent controls, and sweeping social programs — are deeply unpopular among affluent and upper-middle-class New Yorkers, who fear a new era of progressive economics could drive the city further left. Greenwich, Connecticut, is a town sitting just an hour drive or a 30-minute train ride from New York City Greenwich is the latest spot to be inundated with buyers seeking to escape the increasingly likely mayorship of Mamdani Zohran Mamdani won the primary in June and is now polling ahead of his opposition Mamdani has pledged to increase taxes on high-earners in an effort to make the city more affordable. In doing so, he is pushing those with high incomes out of the city and into lower-tax areas. Greenwich is one of the most affluent and desirable suburbs in the New York metropolitan area, a place where small-town charm meets cosmopolitan polish. Greenwich blends New England coastal charm with big-city sophistication. It’s known for its tree-lined streets, historic homes, and picturesque harbors, alongside luxury boutiques, fine dining, and art galleries. Despite its wealth, many neighborhoods maintain a quiet, family-oriented feel, with strong community ties and excellent public amenities. Compass luxury real estate agent Mark Pruner says contracts have 'gone up sharply' in Greenwich over the last five weeks, which coincides with Mamdani's rise in the polls. He reports that several recent listings sold hundreds of thousands over ask, including a $2.4 million home that went for $2.96 million in five days. 'Our inventory is down 81 percent from 2019, so our sales are limited by that. Overall, we only have 2.7 months of supply, so it is very much a seller's market except over $5 million, where we have 9 months of supply. However, this is way down this year as we are having the best year ever for sales over $5 million,' Pruner told Realtor.com. Available listings in Greenwich have dwindled to historic lows, hovering around 117 from more than 800 a few years earlier, according to the New York Post. This has fueled bidding wars even for multimillion-dollar estates. Contracts have 'gone up sharply' in Greenwich over the last five weeks, which coincides with Mamdani's rise in the polls Available listings in Greenwich have dwindled to historic lows, hovering around 117 from more than 800 a few years earlier, which has fueled bidding wars even for multimillion-dollar estates Trump ally and fellow real estate tycoon warns Zohran Mamdani will destroy NYC's housing market 'We’ve been seeing bidding wars, and we’ve been seeing people come out of New York City,' real estate agent Joy Metalios told The Post. In Southport, Connecticut, Libby McKinney Tritschler of William Raveis reports a similar surge, as the harbor-side village attracts renters and buyers looking for more space. 'It’s feeling a little bit as it did when COVID first came about,' Tritschler said. 'There’s been a lot of rumors over the last few months about the mayoral race in New York. I think there really will be a little bit of an exodus if the mayoral race goes the way they’re claiming it will.' Realtors in New Jersey are seeing similar patterns. 'The election is definitely playing a big role in buyers’ motivation to relocate,' Taylor Lucyk, founder of the Taylor Lucyk Group in Bergen County, New Jersey, told Realtor.com. In Westchester, a leafy suburb in the Hudson Valley, realtors Zach and Heather Harrison said they are 'absolutely seeing a correlation between Zohran Mamdani's surprise win in the Democratic primary and an uptick in real estate interest in Westchester.' 'Since the summer, nearly every buyer from the city we have taken out to see homes in Westchester has mentioned the mayoral election as one of the drivers for shopping in the suburbs,' they told Realtor.com in September. 'The current environment is giving buyers and investors a reason to reconsider their next real estate move, and turning to Westchester as the main attraction,' say the Harrisons. Wealthy New Yorkers who want to avoid Mamdani's taxes on high-earners are exploring moving to Westchester County Mamdani has campaigned on making housing in New York City more affordable for working class communities and immigrants In comparison to New York City, Westchester offers more space, lower crime rates, and often lower effective taxes. For those who work in the city, the commuter rail (Metro-North) still connects Westchester to New York City — but with remote work, many people don't need to be in the city daily anyway. Another attractive quality is the highly-rated public schools Westchester towns have to offer — which are a big draw for families. Realtors in Palm Beach said New Yorkers are being lured further South by the promise of a better life. 'Most of my New York clients tell me it's about lifestyle first,' Johnny DelPrete, an agent with The Exclusive Group at Douglas Elliman in Palm Beach County, told Realtor.com. 'The weather, the beaches, the ability to be outside all year. Of course, taxes play a role, too. But, it's really about the quality of life they get here without giving up easy access to New York.' What Mamdani is proposing for New York City aims to make housing more affordable for working-class and immigrant communities who have been hit hard by decades of rising rents and limited affordable housing options. This plan, however, will not do much for the upper echelon. In light of Mamdani's campaign promise to tax the wealthy, rich New Yorkers are eyeing up properties in Palm Beach, Florida President Trump lives in his Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago estate (pictured) when not in Washington DC Real estate investor and close ally of President Donald Trump Grant Cardone warned that Mamdani's mayorship could be detrimental to the future of New York Meanwhile, Palm Beach is not cheap, but you get more bang for your buck. The median home price in Palm Beach sits at just over $2 million. While this is down 2 percent from last year, the median price has skyrocketed since Trump took office in 2017, when the figure was around $900,000. Real estate experts are warning that Mamdani could destroy New York City's housing market if he wins by driving people out. Grant Cardone, real estate investor and close ally of President Donald Trump, told the Daily Mail: 'I love New York. It's iconic. But if the city keeps attacking success, it'll end up with empty skyscrapers and full U-Hauls heading South. You can't legislate prosperity - you've got to produce it.' He believes Mamdani could demolish the city's potential: 'If this guy gets his way, New York's going to turn into a museum - all history, no future. You can't build wealth when you punish the people creating it.' Cardone says signs that the market will crumble are already showing: 'I'm already seeing investors pull out. You can't demonize the people providing housing and expect them to stick around. You don't fix affordability by scaring off developers, you fix it by building more.' He continued: 'Every time a politician says they're "protecting tenants" but crushes landlords and developers, they destroy the very supply that keeps housing alive. That's not affordability — that's insanity.' A crushing survey, conducted by JL Partners for the Daily Mail, found that 9 percent of New Yorkers would 'definitely' leave the city, which currently has a population of 8.5 million. To make matters worse, polling also found a further 25 percent, or 2.12 million, would 'consider' going. The poll revealed widespread alarm at the prospect of Mamdani taking over City Hall and highlighted the colossal economic impact a victory for the 34-year-old state assemblyman could have for America. If anywhere near that number left New York it would crater the city's economy and send shockwaves across the rest of the country. When asked what shape they think the city would be in after four years of Mamdani, those not voting for him chose words including 'disaster,' 'hell,' 'chaos,' 'destroyed' and 's***hole.' Meanwhile, Mamdani voters said they believed it would be 'affordable,' 'improved, 'hopeful' and 'changed.' Crucially, the poll found 7 percent of those earning over $250,000 would definitely leave New York City under a 'Mayor Mamdani.' The top 1 percent of earners in New York pay around half the city's income taxes. ConnecticutNew York Share or comment on this article: The leafy suburb under an hour from Manhattan where wealthy New Yorkers are fleeing to escape 'woke' Mamdani's socialist dystopia Add comment
