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My family is considering buying a house in Port Washington North. Does anyone think this might be a bad idea? Or a good Idea? I work in the city and like the commute and the homes seem to be more reasonably priced than in GC to Manhassett.
Also: Is it the same school district as Sand's Point?
Everyone in Port Washington, which includes Sands Point, goes to the same middle school and high school. There are five elementary schools. Depending upon where in Port Washington North you live, your children could attend any three of those five (possibly a fourth, but I'm not certain as rezoning took place a few years back). Sands Point covers a large area of shoreline, from Hempstead Harbor through Long Island sound, and also attend a number of different elementary schools.
I think it's a great town and location. We looked at many towns, all the way from the western south shore (Baldwin and Oceanside) and eastward (Babylon and Lindenhurst), and then learned of Port Washington. We could have bought a heck of a house in any of those, and other, places compared to what we ended up buying here, but we decided that we'd rather have a smaller, less-than-perfect house in a great area, than a great house in a less-than-ideal (for us) area. We put 10 percent down by the skin of our teeth, and never looked back.
Last edited by TheSeventhBrady; 08-12-2007 at 06:24 PM..
My husband and I are also considering a move to PW. We currently live in Brooklyn and we also like the short commute to the city. A few related questions for you -
(1) I have been reading mixed things about the schools - some say they are great and others say they are so-so. What is the dividing line for the different schools? Is it by village?
(2) Also - which parts/villages, if any, are considering better than others? And, what is this based on i.e. schools, proximity to trains, etc.?
(3) What do you think is the best place for us to look considering our budget of max $600K. We don't mind a less than perfect home for a more perfect location.
I appreciate your comments as a current resident of the area.
(1) I have been reading mixed things about the schools - some say they are great and others say they are so-so.
It’s not that much the schools (they were great) but the wave of illegel Mestizos getting over and dragging them down just like the NYC schools(These people dont use birth control and usually have 4-6 kids each) from the Soundview, Manorhaven up there. 1/2 the grade school kids under 8 are Hispanic. Half of them can’t speak English and they are disorderly and time consuming for the teachers.
Good or Bad... That depends on who you talk to.
I can tell you about the High School
I buddie of mine is a HS teacher there (Shribner), if he fails a student or even gives a low grade.
1 The lawyer parents sue the school.
2-The school gives him hell for not "going with the program and keep ratings up" and over crowding down.
Newsday, News 12 goes goes along with this bullstuff BTW so you will never read about it
It’s not that much the schools (they were great) but the wave of illegel Mestizos getting over and dragging them down just like the NYC schools(These people dont use birth control and usually have 4-6 kids each) from the Soundview, Manorhaven up there. 1/2 the grade school kids under 8 are Hispanic. Half of them can’t speak English and they are disorderly and time consuming for the teachers.
Good or Bad... That depends on who you talk to.
I can tell you about the High School
I buddie of mine is a HS teacher there (Shribner), if he fails a student or even gives a low grade.
1 The lawyer parents sue the school.
2-The school gives him hell for not "going with the program and keep ratings up" and over crowding down.
Newsday, News 12 goes goes along with this bullstuff BTW so you will never read about it
-Joe
I really can't say for sure if what Joe describes is entirely accurate, as my children don't attend Manorhaven. I do know quite a few Central and South American families, and all of them have one to three kids at most, but that's only been my experience. All the children I know speak English (their parents have varying levels of proficiency). And if half the grade school kids under the age of eight are Hispanic, I haven't seen this myself, but that could be because the vast majority of those children are attending Manorhaven Elementary, due to mainly living in the area served by that school. Then again, Manorhaven Elementary could also be seen as a study in haves and have-nots, as the greater portion of Sands Point is also zoned for that same school.
My issues with the schools (elementary, anyway) are that the children aren't permitted to experience as much as a twinge of failure, which in my estimation is not a good thing. Maybe this is a symptom of a greater, more pervasive ill throughout our country in general, but I don't believe that applauding children for every single thing they do -- whether well-done or not -- helps anyone. Also, it wouldn't hurt if every potential teacher was required to take and pass a spelling test, but thanks to the abomination known as tenure, this is hardly unique to Port Washington. In addition, the children are drilled for months and months leading up to state exams in order for the school district to attain high scores. It would be nice if the powers-that-be would wake up and actually take notice that it just isn't happening quite as they might hope -- and worse, as they believe. Telling themselves and everyone else over and over that Port Washington is a "top school district" doesn't necessarily make it so. You will surely hear this phrase -- "top school district" -- from any local real estate agent. You'll hear it from many others. There's almost a Stepford Wives-like ring to it.
I totally believe what Joe says about the high school, because I know for a fact that there have been and continue to be incidences involving drugs, weapons, and gang activity that somehow never seem to appear anywhere in the news, and certainly not in the local newspapers. Also, although my children are years from high school, I have witnessed stage mother-like behavior even on the pre-school level. An astounding number of parents micromanage their childrens' academic careers from the age of 2, demanding after school "enrichment" for their toddlers and pre-schoolers. Academic enrichment? I never bought into that -- or the whole "playdate" thing. Instead, what my kids got was a nice nap. Maybe I'm just a neglectful parent, letting my babies sleep rather than attempting to cultivate geniuses. But then again, all of their children are "gifted." Um, sure.
So I find it entirely plausible that lawsuits are regularly threatened if their children are not given the grades they actually don't merit. Reality is merely a concept for these parents.
I don't get involved in school fundraisers, because I think these things are ridiculous in light of the fact that spending per pupil isn't exactly modest. Neither do I attend school district meetings, because not only do I fail to understand the entire, convoluted structure of things, but have no desire to sit among the same, self-involved people who volunteer at their children's schools, can see you on a fairly regular basis for six years, but still manage not to as much as make eye contact with you. And of course, the school district budget is never enough. For the past three budget elections, I have voted "NO" and have never attempted to pretend otherwise. I really don't care what anyone might think of me.
Maybe this sort of thing goes on in most school districts, but as I haven't had experience with any other, I honestly cannot say for sure.
Still, while the schools here aren't the top of the heap, they are far -- very far -- from the bottom. And as much as there are crazy and deluded parents, there are just as many nice ones, who are real people, multimillionaires included. (Of course, as my husband and I have found, being a mere millionaire in this neck of the woods is pretty much akin to living just above the poverty line.)
Joe L and I don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, and if this was World War II Germany he would waste no time serving me up a canister of Zyklon B, but as far as the school district and the distorted perception shared by far too many, I am completely in agreement.
As far as a home purchase budget of $600,000, it's tough, but not impossible. Stay away from Manorhaven. Don't settle for a little house close to the train station, or on any heavily-travelled street. And don't just look for houses no more than $600,000 -- look up to $650,000 or so, because you may well get it for $600,000 or even less. My recommendation is South Salem. Nice homes, good elementary school. Close to the middle school and high school, and easy access to the main boulevard. The homes are less than those in the rest of Salem because they by and large lack one thing: basements. A lot of people are disappointed by the lack of a basement, so the homes there seem to sit on the market long enough for the owners to get antsy and for their price to come down. If you can live without a basement, you will find yourself living in a more than decent area.
And that's my $0.02.
Last edited by TheSeventhBrady; 09-06-2007 at 09:21 PM..
Reason: Edited because I'm anal about typos.
Manhasset and Roslyn are superior to Port, but Roslyn not as much as Manhasset. I'm not familiar with Garden City, but maybe GCGuy will read this and give you some info.
My daughter just started middle school here in Port, and so far, I'm impressed with the extra support given and offered students, even at the very beginning of the school year.
Also, I should explain that I grew up in Brooklyn, with 35 kids (or more) in my elementary school classes, no "enrichment" that I can remember, and no assistant teacher -- and somehow managed to do pretty well (I graduated from high school at 16). So I tend to be less than sympathetic with crybaby parents, most of whom seem convinced their children **** gold nuggets.
I really can't say for sure if what Joe describes is entirely accurate, as my children don't attend Manorhaven. I do know quite a few Central and South American families, and all of them have one to three kids at most, but that's only been my experience. All the children I know speak English (their parents have varying levels of proficiency). And if half the grade school kids under the age of eight are Hispanic, I haven't seen this myself, but that could be because the vast majority of those children are attending Manorhaven Elementary, due to mainly living in the area served by that school. Then again, Manorhaven Elementary could also be seen as a study in haves and have-nots, as the greater portion of Sands Point is also zoned for that same school.
My issues with the schools (elementary, anyway) are that the children aren't permitted to experience as much as a twinge of failure, which in my estimation is not a good thing. Maybe this is a symptom of a greater, more pervasive ill throughout our country in general, but I don't believe that applauding children for every single thing they do -- whether well-done or not -- helps anyone. Also, it wouldn't hurt if every potential teacher was required to take and pass a spelling test, but thanks to the abomination known as tenure, this is hardly unique to Port Washington. In addition, the children are drilled for months and months leading up to state exams in order for the school district to attain high scores. It would be nice if the powers-that-be would wake up and actually take notice that it just isn't happening quite as they might hope -- and worse, as they believe. Telling themselves and everyone else over and over that Port Washington is a "top school district" doesn't necessarily make it so. You will surely hear this phrase -- "top school district" -- from any local real estate agent. You'll hear it from many others. There's almost a Stepford Wives-like ring to it.
I totally believe what Joe says about the high school, because I know for a fact that there have been and continue to be incidences involving drugs, weapons, and gang activity that somehow never seem to appear anywhere in the news, and certainly not in the local newspapers. Also, although my children are years from high school, I have witnessed stage mother-like behavior even on the pre-school level. An astounding number of parents micromanage their childrens' academic careers from the age of 2, demanding after school "enrichment" for their toddlers and pre-schoolers. Academic enrichment? I never bought into that -- or the whole "playdate" thing. Instead, what my kids got was a nice nap. Maybe I'm just a neglectful parent, letting my babies sleep rather than attempting to cultivate geniuses. But then again, all of their children are "gifted." Um, sure.
So I find it entirely plausible that lawsuits are regularly threatened if their children are not given the grades they actually don't merit. Reality is merely a concept for these parents.
I don't get involved in school fundraisers, because I think these things are ridiculous in light of the fact that spending per pupil isn't exactly modest. Neither do I attend school district meetings, because not only do I fail to understand the entire, convoluted structure of things, but have no desire to sit among the same, self-involved people who volunteer at their children's schools, can see you on a fairly regular basis for six years, but still manage not to as much as make eye contact with you. And of course, the school district budget is never enough. For the past three budget elections, I have voted "NO" and have never attempted to pretend otherwise. I really don't care what anyone might think of me.
Maybe this sort of thing goes on in most school districts, but as I haven't had experience with any other, I honestly cannot say for sure.
Still, while the schools here aren't the top of the heap, they are far -- very far -- from the bottom. And as much as there are crazy and deluded parents, there are just as many nice ones, who are real people, multimillionaires included. (Of course, as my husband and I have found, being a mere millionaire in this neck of the woods is pretty much akin to living just above the poverty line.)
Joe L and I don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, and if this was World War II Germany he would waste no time serving me up a canister of Zyklon B, but as far as the school district and the distorted perception shared by far too many, I am completely in agreement.
As far as a home purchase budget of $600,000, it's tough, but not impossible. Stay away from Manorhaven. Don't settle for a little house close to the train station, or on any heavily-travelled street. And don't just look for houses no more than $600,000 -- look up to $650,000 or so, because you may well get it for $600,000 or even less. My recommendation is South Salem. Nice homes, good elementary school. Close to the middle school and high school, and easy access to the main boulevard. The homes are less than those in the rest of Salem because they by and large lack one thing: basements. A lot of people are disappointed by the lack of a basement, so the homes there seem to sit on the market long enough for the owners to get antsy and for their price to come down. If you can live without a basement, you will find yourself living in a more than decent area.
And that's my $0.02.
Excellent post. And I agree on South Salem...when were were looking in PW, we liked that area. Also, for the homes, we loved the area by the water and Main St. (all the old homes). Not sure about the schools, though.
Thank you for the very good posts. The information is helpful.
How does Port compare with Manhasset, Roslyn to Garden City?
We looked at Nassau and NW Suffolk up and down. When we factored in everything, we liked GC, Rockville Centre, and Manhasset.
Manhasset was very pricey and we didn't want to live with the LIRR in our living room, plus I'm not sure where the area's headed. Nice place overall, though.
RVC is great, but it was too far south for us, and we didn't like the fact that there are, albeit it small, pockets of not so nice areas. Maybe we were crzy, but it swayed us.
We came to GC are really loved it. Sense of community is super strong. People selling their houses were all (except 1 moving to Glen Head to be near her kids...divorse) moving to bigger houses within town. Many kids grew up here and bought a house here for their family. Location, while not on the water, is great...dead center, close to all. The downtown is nice, and getting nicer...restaurants, shops, essentials. People here actually shop downtown as habit and preference. The schools are excellent, and the focus not just on academics, but sports (great sports programs, very inclusive) and arts/music. The SD is bsically synonymous with the town line. While there is a part that borders Hempstead, it's not a problem. Other than that, the town is really quite beautiful. Great community facilites, like the pool, and it's INC, so GCPD, FD, sanitiation, water, roads, etc. Nice access to the city, too. I also like the strong Irish and Italian presence (the vast majority) since I am 1/2 and 1/2 myself. Many young familes, lots of kids...3-4 is the norm and I love it.
Overall, it was a no brainer, really. We paid $743K and needed to put $150K (to make it how we wanted) for one of the less impressive blocks in town, but so far it's very worth it.
Good luck, but all of the towns you are looking at are quite nice. You might also want to check out Jericho, Syosset, Glen Head, and Sea Cliff.
Excellent post. And I agree on South Salem...when were were looking in PW, we liked that area. Also, for the homes, we loved the area by the water and Main St. (all the old homes). Not sure about the schools, though.
When we looked in PW, we looked in Salem too. I LOVED Salem. New Salem was also nice, that is the section with all the splits. The section by Guilford have no basements and was less expensive. They did put a few new homes up there however.
Additional info... there is a landfill directly behind the Salem area that had some "problems". Just google Port Washington, Landfill. I personally was uncomfortable with that and we decided we would no longer look there. We just passed through PW this weekend though to go to the Sands Point Medieval festival and I did say that I miss Salem...I did love it.
Just another tidbit...on the way to PW North you will pass low income housing on your left. Well when we were looking in PW, it looked very terrible, very run down. Well when we passed this weekend turns out they had gotten a grant (there was a sign up) and they improved the low income housing so much, with new siding, landscaping, playground,etc. It didn't stick out anymore like a sore thumb like it used to. It really improved the look of the area, looks almost like regular town houses now. So that is right over there as well, an FYI.
I do not know how the schools are anymore, though, try GreatSchools.net to check out all the info on the schools.
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