Looking for friendly, middle-class town on North Shore of Long Island (Oyster Bay: rentals, houses)

[kellyhoxworth]

Hello!

My husband is interviewing for a position based in the Locust Valley region of Long Island. We currently live in the Seattle area but have also lived in Connecticut. I am hoping to get a bit of input about neighborhoods/towns, as I'm not very familiar w/Long Island. Would love to find a town comparable to Fairfield, CT, with middle/upper-middle class housing, friendly neighborhoods, and good public schools. Will probably rent for a year or so and hoping to stay under $3000/month for a modest three bedroom in a safe neighborhood, but not sure if that is realistic.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

Kelly Hoxworth

[kunk10]

glen head and sea cliff are IMO the least snobby north shore towns in nassau county (glen cove too but schools are better here)

[nancy thereader]

Glenwood Landing.

[kunk10]

^yes, true. i guess i don't really separate gh from gl

[kellyhoxworth]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Gpsma]

Dont leave out rocky point from your considerations

[kunk10]

i would also recommend you not buy actually in locust valley. imo the residents are the most stereotypically north shore, i.e., fairly obnoxious

[sportsfan1970]

Depends how far you want to drive to work. If you look on the north shore of Western Suffolk, Cold Spring Harbor is very nice but on the pricey side. Highly rated public schools but I doubt there are any rentals and if so not in that $$ range. A little further east, Centerport is part of the Harborfields district which is highly rated school as well. That is probably 30-40 min drive in traffic.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by kellyhoxworth

Hello!

My husband is interviewing for a position based in the Locust Valley region of Long Island. We currently live in the Seattle area but have also lived in Connecticut. I am hoping to get a bit of input about neighborhoods/towns, as I'm not very familiar w/Long Island. Would love to find a town comparable to Fairfield, CT, with middle/upper-middle class housing, friendly neighborhoods, and good public schools. Will probably rent for a year or so and hoping to stay under $3000/month for a modest three bedroom in a safe neighborhood, but not sure if that is realistic.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

Kelly Hoxworth

I would second Glen Head and Sea Cliff for having good schools. (NSSD is amazing). Sea Cliff is a little arty with many beautiful "painted lady" Victorians. Not much post war construction.

Glen Head is more normally suburban. Mix of home styles.

Locust Valley schools are very good, but it's a kind of strange suburb. It's not bad, but there are many hugely wealthy people, at least half of whom attend public school. I would call that distict a "boutique public school" district." Almost private. There is newer construction in Bayville.

You might also Cold Spring Harbor and Huntington to the east, or Roslyn and Port Washington to the west.

Locust Valley's historic neighbor Oyster Bay, is where I grew up. Some people don't think the schools are as good as near by Locust Valley or Syosset, but I think there are advantages. It's a smaller district and if your child is a good or above average student they will receive personal attention. The village is cute and friendly and there is a variety of housing available.

I liked growing up there and my nieces and nephew recently graduated from those schools and have all done well. It's a nice family area and it's diversity keeps people grounded.

[kunk10]

^glen head is also divided into a bunch of neighborhoods where the vibe differs greatly it seems. i live in the promenade section and there are a good deal of quirky types over here. the houses are also a nice mix of mostly old colonials and some arts and crafts. i am not even sure what the area that encompasses walnut avenue is called but there are a lot of arts and crafts and victorians over there. conversely, while i love sea cliff, more and more there are less artsy types and more people drawn to the water it seems.

I don't think roslyn would meet the op's criteria