West Babylon? (Islip, West Islip, Amityville: mortgage, townhomes, schools)

[nancy thereader]

Actually, the WB elementary school is considered better than the one in the Village which has been saddled with a terrible principal for the last 15 years that they can not seem to get rid of (tenure) . There are also lovely areas south of Montauk which are in the WB school district , library and all, but might be thought of as Babylon Village by some people.

[TrudiRose]

Thanks, NDL, I'm really glad to hear your perspective! I really liked WB when I went to look at it - I mean, it seemed nice and clean, well-kept houses, nearby shopping, etc. And as I was walking along a block looking for one open house, someone driving by said "Oh, are you lost? Do you need directions?" Nice people. I didn't see any graffiti or run-down, weed-covered yards -- not that those don't exist in some areas I'm sure! But it felt weird, after seeing this nice area, to read a post here basically saying "No! Don't move to WB! It's full of crackhouses!" It definitely scared me!

So it's really, really helpful to get perspectives of different people who live there. And yeah, I think the fact that I'm in Brooklyn does give me a different perspective. For one thing, my current neighborhood is VERY racially mixed, so I'm not going to freak out if I see a black person or Hispanic person in my new neighborhood. And for another, Brooklyn is very much a mixture of "nice neighborhood, yucky neighborhood, nice neigborhood, yucky neighborhood," one right near another. So I tend to think that if an area is nice, the fact that not too far away is a bad neighborhood doesn't automatically mean the nice neighborhood will become bad.

It seems like a lot of people complaining about LI are comparing it to LI of 30 years ago. Whereas I'm looking at today's LI and comparing it to today's Brooklyn, so it's a different point of comparison. Another thing I liked was that on GreatSchools.net, it got a lot of positive parent reviews, and it seems like there's a lot of extracurricular stuff - lots of sports, drama, etc. Our schools here tend not to have those extras.

It is VERY helpful to hear about the different sections of WB, though! I really, really appreciate the feedback. I'll probably avoid the Santapogue area to be on the safe side - thanks for that tip, Truthteller.

Oh! One other thing I should have mentioned about location: my husband works in Queens, and both his parents and my parents live in Queens. So that's another reason WB and Babylon are good for us: it's a 45-minute driving commute for him. (He's a nurse and he works an evening shift, which is good because he doesn't have to deal with rush hour - his shift is from 3:00 p.m. to midnight.)

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by TrudiRose

It seems like a lot of people complaining about LI are comparing it to LI of 30 years ago. Whereas I'm looking at today's LI and comparing it to today's Brooklyn, so it's a different point of comparison.

Youre absolutely right on this.

BTW Exit 68 to Queens Border is 45 Min after hours.
If hes working nights the Island is yours....hell you could live in the Hamptons.

I drive from Rocky Point to West End Ave Manhattan late night Sats in 1:15

Best

C

[TrudiRose]

Oh, that's good to know, Clamboy! That definitely makes Rocky Point more do-able, and a place to consider!

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by TrudiRose

Oh, that's good to know, Clamboy! That definitely makes Rocky Point more do-able, and a place to consider!

Rocky Point is a great town.
The people are wonderful, theres a modest confidence to the locals, they know what they have here is special.
I'm gonna miss it when we go to CT.

Ask around....this is still one of the best buys in Suffolk county and definitely the best buy on the North Shore.

You do have a lot of options if you're not slave to rush hour.

Take your time.

It'll happen as it should.

Best
C

[truthteller]

Dear Trudi
Please understand that the reason I moved to WB was the schools-as I said before the areas below sunrise are fine very nice . The point is I read great schools.com it takes along while for information to be caught in real time.I have no problem with the color of people-as I said the people I mentioned are white. You have time come when the buses let out - come at night- there are great bakeries on little east neck -you do not go there at night so how would ypu know. tThe person who lives between mtk and 109 does live in a good neighborhood. Some people also can not afford to see the truth -it would ruin their american dream sometimes reality gets muffled in perception.Make your own decision but if you're set on wb go south of sunrise. avoid santapogue elementary and you will probably be happy-the high and middle school is getting worse-maybe your kids are leaders- lets hope so.

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by truthteller

Dear Trudi
Please understand that the reason I moved to WB was the schools-as I said before the areas below sunrise are fine very nice . The point is I read great schools.com it takes along while for information to be caught in real time.I have no problem with the color of people-as I said the people I mentioned are white. You have time come when the buses let out - come at night- there are great bakeries on little east neck -you do not go there at night so how would ypu know. tThe person who lives between mtk and 109 does live in a good neighborhood. Some people also can not afford to see the truth -it would ruin their american dream sometimes reality gets muffled in perception.Make your own decision but if you're set on wb go south of sunrise. avoid santapogue elementary and you will probably be happy-the high and middle school is getting worse-maybe your kids are leaders- lets hope so.

That area used to be nice
I never had any problems there
10 years ago though

C

[TrudiRose]

Thanks for the input! I'll definitely stick to looking at houses south of Sunrise. Thanks!

[nbres]

TrudiRose:

Now that you are set on an area south of Sunrise I am going to give you this added worry - south of Sunrise Hwy. is considered a potential flood zone in the event of a hurricane. Newsday had an article on this subject a couple of weeks ago. There was also a map showing all flood zone areas on Long Island - including everything south of Sunrise.

Also, make sure any home you are interested in that close to the water is checked by a home inspector for any previous flood damage. Drainage from even heavy rains can sometimes cause problems in basements there.

With all your concerns why don't you check out Massapequa Park. I think that area satisfies many of your conditions.

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by nbres

TrudiRose:

Now that you are set on an area south of Sunrise I am going to give you this added worry - south of Sunrise Hwy. is considered a potential flood zone in the event of a hurricane. Newsday had an article on this subject a couple of weeks ago. There was also a map showing all flood zone areas on Long Island - including everything south of Sunrise.

Also, make sure any home you are interested in that close to the water is checked by a home inspector for any previous flood damage. Drainage from even heavy rains can sometimes cause problems in basements there.

With all your concerns why don't you check out Massapequa Park. I think that area satisfies many of your conditions.

Good point Nbres

They were showing stuff on N12 that has the water up to the LIE in some spots.

South shore is definitely going to have some challenges on the insurance/disaster front.
Bethpage would me my Pick if for E. Nassau/ Sunriseish

I think its held up very well.

C