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Great Neck could work, however... housing stock in the preferred price range and property size is scarce at this point; and that's when it's a buyer's market
Jericho is nice, but doesn't really have a downtown, and commuting could be quite a drive to Hicksville IMHO
Roslyn could work, except it's on the Oyster Bay branch, and there are almost no trains where you don't have to change at Jamaica; what a pain that is--having to wait for connections, etc.
Just my 2 cents
I think Port Washington is fantastic. If it was my money, I'd gladly give up some property or house to cut my commute in half (remember, like someone else mentioned....the "60 minutes" figures are just for seat time on the LIRR. A true "hour commute" isn't possible east of central Nassau). The traffic congestion definitely SUCKS, and this time of year you'll see the worst of it....although FWIW, it really only gets bad on Main Street at either rush hour, or once you try getting off the peninsula. If you stay local it's pretty tame most of the time, and like Elke says there are tons of backroads up there that can whisk you around. All the same goes for Great Neck, although I am kind of puzzled by the social atmosphere. Could be a big plus or a big negative depending on how serious you are about Judaism.
I agree Jericho probably isn't ideal, but for anyone else I just wanna mention that it actually is fairly convenient to the Hicksville LIRR! Depending on where you live, it could be as little as a 5 minute drive....and I can't imagine any more than 15 minutes at absolute worst. People living on the outskirts would likely use Westbury or Syosset LIRR stations instead, which are also no more than a short drive.
I just looked up Roslyn and was surprised to find there is only one single non-transfer AM train to Penn (6:19am) and none to Brooklyn.....yet TWO trains travel uninterrupted to Long Island City and one to Hunterspoint Ave....that's absurd. Regardless, even with the transfer it's only a ~50 minute trip. I'd rather sleep too, but at least the change at Jamaica only takes a couple of minutes. It's a good suggestion! Roslyn is, for the general area at least, pretty well hidden and quiet. I'm talking about the Village of Roslyn itself here, roughly the immediate vicinity of downtown - main roads through surrounding areas are pretty hectic. You can get to the parkways without having to deal with it too much, though.
Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Cold Spring Harbor (which the OP seems to be leaning towards). I'm just adding on to the other suggestions. CSH is hands down one of the best places you can live on Long Island, and given your criteria, I think it probably fits the best as well.
I think Port Washington is fantastic. If it was my money, I'd gladly give up some property or house to cut my commute in half (remember, like someone else mentioned....the "60 minutes" figures are just for seat time on the LIRR. A true "hour commute" isn't possible east of central Nassau). The traffic congestion definitely SUCKS, and this time of year you'll see the worst of it....although FWIW, it really only gets bad on Main Street at either rush hour, or once you try getting off the peninsula. If you stay local it's pretty tame most of the time, and like Elke says there are tons of backroads up there that can whisk you around. All the same goes for Great Neck, although I am kind of puzzled by the social atmosphere. Could be a big plus or a big negative depending on how serious you are about Judaism.
I agree Jericho probably isn't ideal, but for anyone else I just wanna mention that it actually is fairly convenient to the Hicksville LIRR! Depending on where you live, it could be as little as a 5 minute drive....and I can't imagine any more than 15 minutes at absolute worst. People living on the outskirts would likely use Westbury or Syosset LIRR stations instead, which are also no more than a short drive.
I just looked up Roslyn and was surprised to find there is only one single non-transfer AM train to Penn (6:19am) and none to Brooklyn.....yet TWO trains travel uninterrupted to Long Island City and one to Hunterspoint Ave....that's absurd. Regardless, even with the transfer it's only a ~50 minute trip. I'd rather sleep too, but at least the change at Jamaica only takes a couple of minutes. It's a good suggestion! Roslyn is, for the general area at least, pretty well hidden and quiet. I'm talking about the Village of Roslyn itself here, roughly the immediate vicinity of downtown - main roads through surrounding areas are pretty hectic. You can get to the parkways without having to deal with it too much, though.
Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Cold Spring Harbor (which the OP seems to be leaning towards). I'm just adding on to the other suggestions. CSH is hands down one of the best places you can live on Long Island, and given your criteria, I think it probably fits the best as well.
That is a good point Sean but if you want some elbow room you may need to go further East.
I know this seems crazy but if you were going on commute why not check out Douglaston/Bayside or Forest Hills/Kew Gardens?
W nassau and Eastern Queens are not too too far off.
From what I understand the schools in those areas are fairly good if not you could go private since your taxes will be a fraction of Nassau's.
To be perfectly honest I kinda like Bayside better than Port.Same LIRR Line too.
(Lets go Mets)
Crooks
Last edited by Crookhaven; 12-26-2010 at 09:44 PM..
That is a good point Sean but if you want some elbow room you may need to go further East.
I know this seems crazy but if you were ging on commute alone why not check out Douglaston/Bayside or Forest Hills/Kew Gardens?
W nassau and Eastern Queens are not too too far off.
From what I understand the schools in those areas are fairly good if not you could go private since your taxes will be a fraction of Nassau's.
To be perfectly honest I kinda like Bayside better than Port.
Schools in those areas (NYC Districts #26 & #28) are good, but far from great. Would be average in Nassau or Suffolk. I think what usually happens is that the brighter kids from those areas end up applying to the top notch NYC magnet schools once they hit HS, rather than stick with the local district. Kind of chaotic, IMO. I don't have kids, but if I did I'd probably feel kinda funny about them taking an express bus and subway into The Bronx or Manhattan every morning to get to class. That seems like a lot of extra nonsense to have a 14 year old deal with every day. I mean, if it's a kid who is naturally independent it could be a great experience, but personally I wouldn't want to bet the farm on that.
As for private schools, yeah you're paying less in taxes but property costs are something like 1.5-2x higher than anything comparable in Nassau. Real estate in the areas you mentioned is extremely pricey, and if you're lucky enough to find anything that could be accurately described as having "elbow room" you're talking $2 million and WAY up. Even though parts of Douglaston and Little Neck are fairly rustic, an 80x100 plot would still be considered "huge". Some of the more suburban areas you're probably thinking of, like Forest Hills Gardens or Douglaston's Historic District, are really way out of the price range here. For that kind of money, the OP could move to Riverdale instead and have a 13 minute commute!
I love Bayside too, but it's a much different animal. It's extremely dense, even much moreso than Hempstead - nevermind the areas that have been discussed thus far. Compared to Port Washington, it's Tokyo. $1 million in Bayside is an upper level mid-rise condo, not a single family home.
That is a good point Sean but if you want some elbow room you may need to go further East.
dame lirr ;ine too
I know this seems crazy but if you were going on commute why not check out Douglaston/Bayside or Forest Hills/Kew Gardens?
W nassau and Eastern Queens are not too too far off.
From what I understand the schools in those areas are fairly good if not you could go private since your taxes will be a fraction of Nassau's.
To be perfectly honest I kinda like Bayside better than Port.Same LIRR Line too.
(Lets go Mets)
Crooks
There's only ONE property with 1/4 acre currently on the market in all locations you mentioned above and it's for $1,180,000; it also has an accessory apartment. Not much of a selection...
Schools in those areas (NYC Districts #26 & #28) are good, but far from great. Would be average in Nassau or Suffolk. I think what usually happens is that the brighter kids from those areas end up applying to the top notch NYC magnet schools once they hit HS, rather than stick with the local district. Kind of chaotic, IMO. I don't have kids, but if I did I'd probably feel kinda funny about them taking an express bus and subway into The Bronx or Manhattan every morning to get to class. That seems like a lot of extra nonsense to have a 14 year old deal with every day. I mean, if it's a kid who is naturally independent it could be a great experience, but personally I wouldn't want to bet the farm on that.
As for private schools, yeah you're paying less in taxes but property costs are something like 1.5-2x higher than anything comparable in Nassau. Real estate in the areas you mentioned is extremely pricey, and if you're lucky enough to find anything that could be accurately described as having "elbow room" you're talking $2 million and WAY up. Even though parts of Douglaston and Little Neck are fairly rustic, an 80x100 plot would still be considered "huge". Some of the more suburban areas you're probably thinking of, like Forest Hills Gardens or Douglaston's Historic District, are really way out of the price range here. For that kind of money, the OP could move to Riverdale instead and have a 13 minute commute!
I love Bayside too, but it's a much different animal. It's extremely dense, even much moreso than Hempstead - nevermind the areas that have been discussed thus far. Compared to Port Washington, it's Tokyo. $1 million in Bayside is an upper level mid-rise condo, not a single family home.
I keep forgetting how expensive the better parts of Queens are.
I really dig downtown Bayside.I thought you could score something in there in the 9s. if you were willing to go with a smaller 40x100 and shorter commute.
I keep forgetting how expensive the better parts of Queens are.
I really dig downtown Bayside.I thought you could score something in there in the 9s. if you were willing to go with a smaller 40x100 and shorter commute.
Thats a great little town
Crooks
Not everyone wants neighbors looking in your windows from theirs
You guys are awesome!
So.... I woke up this morning to have ALL of our appointments for Thursday canceled due to the snow. Wow - this storm was A LOT worse than we thought it was going to be!
Oh well... I guess we'll check out the CSH area at a later date Now we need to reschedule everything. Boo. I guess this is just another reason why real estate shopping in the winter sucks!
If you really want THE BEST schools, you should buy in Great Neck. Now you can get good price. 25-minute by train to the city, great downtown area, still many jewish temples. Good luck!
If you really want THE BEST schools, you should buy in Great Neck.
Are you referring to the Village of Great Neck or any of the 9 villages and 4 hamlets -- the Village of Great Neck, the Village of Great Neck Estates, the Hamlet of Great Neck Gardens, the Village of Great Neck Plaza, the Hamlet of Harbor Hills, the Village of Kensington, the Village of Kings Point, the Village of Lake Success, the Village of Russell Gardens, the Village of Saddle Rock, the Hamlet of Saddle Rock Estates, the Village of Thomaston and the Hamlet of University Gardens -- within the "Great Neck, NY 11020-11024" ZIP Code postal zones?
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Now we need to reschedule everything. Boo. I guess this is just another reason why real estate shopping in the winter sucks!
