How is West Islip? (Brentwood, Dix Hills: to buy, middle school, college)

[rocafeller05]

Im not saying its bad but...It is starting to "cross over". My friend who lives in the area of discussion said that you can start to see the changes in the elementary school which serves the nothern part of W. Islip. Also added was there is becoming more and more rental homes in the immediate area. Guess time will tell.

Originally Posted by nbres

Are you speaking of the area south of Bay Shore Road, but north of the Southern State Parkway?

It amazes me how West Islip has remained so "un-diverse" all these years given that parts of WI border un Brentwood and north Bay Shore. Aside from the areas south of Montauk which are really nice and expensive most of northern West Islip is pretty dumpy looking in my opinion.

Does anyone have an explanation?

[Rachael84]

Where my fiance lives is nice. It's just south of Montauk highway, but the houses aren't enormous like most that are south of the highway. His parents have lived in that house for a long time, but never seemed to be all that close to the neighbors. Where I grew up in Smithtown, the neighborhood seemed a lot friendlier. What's also funny is that I can hear his neighbors so much more than I can with any of my neighbors here in Queens, and we're more compacted here lol

[twnxn]

Originally Posted by totallyfrazzled

A friend of mine lives in West Islip, she's a widow in her 70s now and has lived there ever since she and her late husband were married. One of their 3 grown children still lives there (not the same house). I've heard that son call it White Islip and I remember laughing the first time I heard it too! He said it's because West Islip has been always almost entirely white. Their daughter (my friend's granddaughter) went through the schools there and from what I've heard it is still over 90% white. I went with my friend to see her granddaughter in a school play last year and I did notice that the parents were almost all white, and some Asian and some I think middle Eastern. But even so, very few of either. I don't remember seeing any African-American parents or kids there at all.

I have a feeling the teen's translation of 'white islip' is just from his point of view whereas the demographic interpretation is what the adults mean when they say it! LOL Seriously, we have friends with kids in other good school districts and they ALL (the parents) say the same thing about drugs in the schools. It's all over the place no matter what the demographic is, but in some areas it's much more a way of life and then there are other problems added (gangs, crime, etc) in areas like, say Brentwood, Central Islip, Wyandanch, that you don't find in places like West Islip.

As for the ethnicities in West Islip, I don't think it's predominately anything in particular. My friend is of German and English extraction and her husband was (really!) Irish and Jewish! I've been to luncheons and teas that my friend has given, and know many of her local friends casually. Going by the last names, I can recall Jewish, German, Scottish, Italian, Irish, but most of them are names that could be anything at all (like Moore and Taylor). I know one of her neighbors is Asian because I've met her at my friend's house. She lives in the section of West Islip that's north of 27A and south of Sunrise Highway.

So, is there a reputation of racism in West Islip now, especially among kids in school? I do remember as I kid back in the mid-1970's at Higbie Lane School (being the only Asian-American kid on my class), the kids would start chanting to me "Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these" and putting their fingers on the edge of their eyes to make it look slanted. But, then there are stupid and ignorant racist people everywhere-even here in California.

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by twnxn

So, is there a reputation of racism in West Islip now, especially among kids in school? I do remember as I kid back in the mid-1970's at Higbie Lane School (being the only Asian-American kid on my class), the kids would start chanting to me "Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these" and putting their fingers on the edge of their eyes to make it look slanted. But, then there are stupid and ignorant racist people everywhere-even here in California.

Ugh, that's awful, I'm so sorry you had to endure that sort of thing. As for how things are like in West Islip schools now, I don't know firsthand or even secondhand since it's my friend's granddaughter there now... but from what I've noticed from OUR friends' kids, kids today are a lot more racially tolerant than they were when my SO and I were growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. And especially of Asian-Americans. I think if there IS any racism in West Islip (which again I can't say firsthand, just from observing the people I see around us when I'm out and about with my W.I. friend) it would more likely be directed at African-Americans than Asians... simply because it's so rare to see A.A. children in the community. Whether those kids would be persecuted, as you were, I don't know. My friend and I do talk occasionally about demographics, and she's said more than once that it wouldn't bother her if an A.A. family were to move in next door ("If they can afford a house and the taxes here, they must be decent hardworking people and that's all that matters!"). What WOULD bother her -- and it would bother US as well -- would be if the house next door were to be turned by some absentee landlord into a rental packed with "problem" tenants of any ethnicity whatsoever (white, black, hispanic, asian, middle-eastern).

I get the impression that the "White Islip" nickname just means that African Americans don't usually live there, probably because unless they're professional people it would be hard to afford the tax burden. My friend was starting to really hurt financially from the taxes until she qualified for the Enhanced STAR deduction. Anyway to answer your question I don't think White Islip means it's necessarily any more racist than any other predominately-white community on LI.

[JimnSue]

Originally Posted by water2moon

I live in Brightwaters. My kids are in Bay Shore schools and I work in Bay Shore Schools as a teacher's Aide. I am very close to west islip and do my grocery shopping at the Stop N Shop on Union in West Islip. West islip is nice but personally I feel there is no diversity and I hear that the schools are not great academically. I have friends who complain that in WI kindergarten is only a half day and they feel the schools feel sports are more important than academics. Bay Shore schools are better academically but the problem with Bay Shore is they bring kids in from shelters and the feel of the area is changing. Being close to Gardiner Park and Robert Moses is great and it's the only thing I'll miss. We're moving to Orange county this Summer. I would drive out here and see what you think.

West islip has had full day kindergarden for 6 years now.....Not sure where your friend ....

My husband and I also grew up in west islip and are raising our 3 boys here ages 13, 10, 5 my youngest starts k next week....

the schools are really good....yes they do offer great sports programs along with band. I would not say that they hold those extra curricular activities as more important as their academics....

I will say that I do agree that there isn't much diversity, there are families of other nationalities but it is a mainly white community.


Way back in the late 80's early 90's there was a big cocaine scandle that involved handfull of west islip commumity members and that is another reason why I remember the "White Islip" was used .....but I will agree that it is defianately used in regards to the color of the community

[JimnSue]

Originally Posted by rocafeller05

Im not saying its bad but...It is starting to "cross over". My friend who lives in the area of discussion said that you can start to see the changes in the elementary school which serves the nothern part of W. Islip. Also added was there is becoming more and more rental homes in the immediate area. Guess time will tell.

Please....I'd love to hear what the "cross over" is......and the changes your friend is referring to......

Manetuck elementary covers the Northern part of west islip.....

[rocafeller05]

The changes are not bad. Well it depends how you digest it. He just noted that he is seeing more and more diversity in the school and the immediate neighborhood around Bay Shore road? There are also 2 rental homes on his block that he's not to fond of. But hey, what can you do?

Originally Posted by JimnSue

Please....I'd love to hear what the "cross over" is......and the changes your friend is referring to......

Manetuck elementary covers the Northern part of west islip.....

[JimnSue]

I'll admit the appearance of the area located north of SS which is west islip schools bay shore mailing address isn't the nicest of all areas in this town, but it doesnt affect the schools.....my children have been at Manetuck for the past 9 years and yes they do have what i could probably count on one hand worth of diverse children and those that my kids have had in their classes are all good kids and I would have to say that I personally would rather have people from other ethnicities move in and go to school with my kids that are good hard working people rather than have miserable "white" people who dont take care of their properties and let their kids run wild.....

And in regards to where your friend lives.....I grew up here and that area pretty much has looked the same for as long as I can remember ...there are alot of nice well kept homes in that area, but those that aren't cant be blamed on people moving in that may not necessarily fit, but those who have lived their for years and just havent done much to upkeep or modernize their homes/properties.....

Yes there is a big difference once you cross over Bay Shore road in properties and diversity, but West Islip by no mean is being affected by it.....and honestly I don't care if you are purple, as I said if you're hardworking and a good person and raise your children well I welcome you as my neighbor....

[west islip hs student]

thank you, but honestly i only found this site,because i was looking for houses that my mom can look at because i want to move =]

[lauratocci523]

I grew up in West Islip in the '60's & '70's. I'll always love it. The schools were great. But the "up north" area was changing even then. Believe it or not, white people fleeing the "diversity" in the Bronx and Queens brought more crime and trouble than the few hard-working Jewish, Asian,etc. families we let in. I moved to the Upper West Side of Manhattan, raised my son in a fantastic public school system, and am proud that his high school(Bronx High School of Science ) embraces all cultures.

It's class, not culture that matters.