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Hi everyone
Our family is looking at homes on the south shore. We really like two properties one in baldwin and the other in valley stream. Would love to get some feedback as to how both compare. We have two small children ages 4 and 9, so schools are important as well community activities.
Thanks.
I know that there are 2 school districts in VS stream and most buyers want to be one over the other. I'm not sure which one or the driving factor behind that.
There are 3 elementary school districts in Valley Stream and one central High School district. Depending upon location, some residents are also zoned for Hewlett schools. In Baldwin, there is one school district and again depending on location, some students attend Oceanside schools. Both areas have community activities. Valley Stream offers many of these for children. Where exactly are these houses located?
There are 3 elementary school districts in Valley Stream and one central High School district. Depending upon location, some residents are also zoned for Hewlett schools. In Baldwin, there is one school district and again depending on location, some students attend Oceanside schools. Both areas have community activities. Valley Stream offers many of these for children. Where exactly are these houses located?
Valley Stream actually has two other high schools besides Central (yes it's that big and has that many kids):
South
North
Central
The zoning goes similar to the zoning for the elementary districts of 24, 13 and 30. From top to bottom here is my rating for the districts that serve VS. Note: the first one is one of the ones considered among the best on LI (top 20) and the other three are solidly in the middle. None are bad school districts:
Hewlett 12
VS 24 (also serves part of Lynbrook)
VS 13 (also serves part of Malverne and is the preferred SD if you are shopping in Malverne)
VS 30
Also, a very few homes in the north of VS go to Elmont schools. Those I would not recommend compared to the other schools available in VS.
Hi everyone
Our family is looking at homes on the south shore. We really like two properties one in baldwin and the other in valley stream. Would love to get some feedback as to how both compare. We have two small children ages 4 and 9, so schools are important as well community activities.
Thanks.
I would solidly recommend VS over Baldwin. Much better schools as Baldwin is in the mediocre headed for poor category on LI. VS also has a Village which strictly controls the quality of life (QOL) to the point where even in the non-incorporated areas the QOL continues to be good. Baldwin has more problems with crime, illegal apartments, parking overcrowding (because of illegal apartments), and high school is overrun with knuckleheads taking the train from NYC who don't live in the district, causing higher taxes for Baldwin taxpayers and behavior problems in the school. They have very poor control over the school. Contrast that to VS which has some of the strictest proof of residency requirements on the island plus two telephone hotlines dedicated to calls to report people attending the schools who shouldn't be. VS has excellent community activities and school activities for kids. VS has parks just for residents that include amenities such as: pools (kiddie and all ages), walking/biking/running trails, miniature golf, skateboard park, dog park, tennis courts, basketball courts, little kid playgrounds, and leagues for sports such as baseball, soccer, etc. Don't know about the amenities in Baldwin. VS also had very little flooding as compared to Baldwin in Hurricane Sandy. As a matter of fact, due to Sandy's "non-impact," over 1600 homes were officially taken off FEMA's flood insurance requirement map in Valley Stream.
Last edited by I_Love_LI_but; 03-30-2013 at 01:23 PM..
Valley Stream actually has two other high schools besides Central (yes it's that big and has that many kids):
South
North
Central
The zoning goes similar to the zoning for the elementary districts of 24, 13 and 30. From top to bottom here is my rating for the districts that serve VS. Note: the first one is one of the ones considered among the best on LI (top 20) and the other three are solidly in the middle. None are bad school districts:
Hewlett 12
VS 24 (also serves part of Lynbrook)
VS 13 (also serves part of Malverne and is the preferred SD if you are shopping in Malverne)
VS 30
Also, a very few homes in the north of VS go to Elmont schools. Those I would not recommend compared to the other schools available in VS.
Oh yeah, right, I forgot about Alden Terrace! Some students in northern valley stream go to Alden Terrace, part of Elmont UFSD. Yes, there is one Central High School district, Valley Stream CHSD and there are 4 schools, Valley Stream South, Valley Stream North, Valley Stream Central High School and across the street from Valley Stream Central is Memorial JHS, one of the few genuine 7-9 junior high schools left. Valley Stream Central high school which just celebrated its 100 year anniversary is grades 10-12. North and South High Schools are grades 7-12.
For many years, the elementary school district #13, was considered to be the more highly desirable one. Now, it's district #24, but I don't know why this one became the more top-rated district.
Baldwin has more problems with crime, illegal apartments, parking overcrowding (because of illegal apartments), and high school is overrun with knuckleheads taking the train from NYC who don't live in the district, causing higher taxes for Baldwin taxpayers and behavior problems in the school. They have very poor control over the school.
And you know this how? Are you a teacher? I am just curious to know the source of your info.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but
Contrast that to VS which has some of the strictest proof of residency requirements on the island plus two telephone hotlines dedicated to calls to report people attending the schools who shouldn't be. VS has excellent community activities and school activities for kids. VS has parks just for residents that include amenities such as: pools (kiddie and all ages), walking/biking/running trails, miniature golf, skateboard park, dog park, tennis courts, basketball courts, little kid playgrounds, and leagues for sports such as baseball, soccer, etc. Don't know about the amenities in Baldwin. VS also had very little flooding as compared to Baldwin in Hurricane Sandy. As a matter of fact, due to Sandy's "non-impact," over 1600 homes were officially taken off FEMA's flood insurance requirement map in Valley Stream.
This is true. I live in Baldwin. Personally, I don't find the differences between the two areas to be that different. I can't comment on the schools - my husband and I are child-free with no interest in procreating so schools are a non-issue for us.
As far as flooding - the areas in Baldwin that got hammered after Sandy were houses NORTH of Sunrise Highway (area is North Baldwin) and areas between Sunrise and Atlantic or Merrick Road. We happen to live much further south (Baldwin Harbor) - however our flooding was localized to the basement (no water on 1st floor). None of the houses in our street that were elevated a few feet from the ground had any flooding.
Any other questions, feel free to ask. If you are willing to share the specific street the house is on, I may be able to give you insight on that particular block. There were 3 open houses within a .5 mile radius of our home last week (yes we are nosy neighbors and went to at least 1) and we figured out very quickly why 1) sellers were leaving 2) history of that particular home. My husband has lived in Baldwin for the past 30 years, and his parents also very familiar with one of the local realtors in the area so tend to remember very well the "problem spots" in the neighborhood.
You may also want to check out the Baldwin Civic Association at BaldwinCivic.org for more info about the schools.
And you know this how? Are you a teacher? I am just curious to know the source of your info.
This is true. I live in Baldwin. Personally, I don't find the differences between the two areas to be that different. I can't comment on the schools - my husband and I are child-free with no interest in procreating so schools are a non-issue for us.
As far as flooding - the areas in Baldwin that got hammered after Sandy were houses NORTH of Sunrise Highway (area is North Baldwin) and areas between Sunrise and Atlantic or Merrick Road. We happen to live much further south (Baldwin Harbor) - however our flooding was localized to the basement (no water on 1st floor). None of the houses in our street that were elevated a few feet from the ground had any flooding.
Any other questions, feel free to ask. If you are willing to share the specific street the house is on, I may be able to give you insight on that particular block. There were 3 open houses within a .5 mile radius of our home last week (yes we are nosy neighbors and went to at least 1) and we figured out very quickly why 1) sellers were leaving 2) history of that particular home. My husband has lived in Baldwin for the past 30 years, and his parents also very familiar with one of the local realtors in the area so tend to remember very well the "problem spots" in the neighborhood.
You may also want to check out the Baldwin Civic Association at BaldwinCivic.org for more info about the schools.
I know people who have left Baldwin for those reasons. There is a world of difference between Valley Stream and Baldwin. While I may live here, I do not have a house to sell. I also know you, yourself, are seeking to sell and move out of Baldwin. What is the reason? In other posts your excuse was you want to have kids and the house is too small, but in this one you're "child free" with no interest in procreating.
You have commented on the schools in other posts. Funny you have "no information" now. Here's one example of your assessment of Baldwin, including its schools:
Our current house will prob not sell in 6 months (our area is not desirable due to flood zone and crappy school district, and many foreclosures dragging value down)
If OP wants other information on Baldwin, from a former recent resident's personal perspective, OP can run an "advanced search" on the user name "BigMike50" with the key word "Baldwin" sorting results by "Last Posting Date" "in descending order" by "post." He makes similar observations to mine. Here's just one, from only 5 months ago:
Baldwin school district has been deteriorating for years. I personally know around 14 families that have moved out in the last couple of years.
He then goes on to link to a Newsday story entitled "Baldwin HS raises security after violence." Baldwin High School students faced additional security measures Monday following violence at the homecoming football game Friday night in which gunshots were fired and a young man was found stabbed.
Last edited by I_Love_LI_but; 03-31-2013 at 11:12 AM..
I would advise anyone with interest in a house on the south shore to ask about its flooding history. Once asked, the question must be answered honestly or the seller risks legal action after the sale - even if they give a $500 credit in lieu of disclosure form at closing that NYS allows. Most people don't ask questions when buying, but this is one you can't afford NOT to ask.
I know people who have left Baldwin for those reasons. There is a world of difference between Valley Stream and Baldwin. While I may live here, I do not have a house to sell. I also know you, yourself, are seeking to sell and move out of Baldwin. What is the reason? In other posts your excuse was you want to have kids and the house is too small, but in this one you're "child free" with no interest in procreating.
You have commented on the schools in other posts. Funny you have "no information" now. Here's one example of your assessment of Baldwin, including its schools:
If OP wants other information on Baldwin, from a former recent resident's personal perspective, OP can run an "advanced search" on the user name "BigMike50" with the key word "Baldwin" sorting results by "Last Posting Date" "in descending order" by "post." He makes similar observations to mine. Here's just one, from only 5 months ago:
He then goes on to link to a Newsday story entitled "Baldwin HS raises security after violence." Baldwin High School students faced additional security measures Monday following violence at the homecoming football game Friday night in which gunshots were fired and a young man was found stabbed.
Your post still does not address my question - other than people you "know" from your life, what is the source of your info for claiming students in Baldwin schools are using Baldwin addresses to establish residency to have access to Baldwin schools? Or other than 1 incident from BigMike posted on another thread, about school violence? You really think Valley Stream schools are that much better than Baldwin ? Give me a break. I am sure I can dig up just as much dirt about VS on an old C-D thread or the interwebs just as much as anyone who wants to dig up dirt on Baldwin schools, etc. There are enough statistics published by police precincts to allow anyone to twist the facts to whatever suits their purpose at the time. For every person that claims VS is a "better town" (for whatever that means") than Baldwin - there is another person who will say Baldwin is a better town, etc, etc. Putting school districts aside - there are pros/cons to each town. Comparing Baldwin to VS is akin to comparins NHP v. Floral Park. Its not like comparing Uniondale to Port Washington which are worlds apart in terms of price, school district rankings, demographics, median household income, etc. Let's get real, its not a big gap for VS v. Baldwin.
As far as my reasons for moving - yes I am child-free and have no interest in procreating but our decision to move is completely unrelated to anything in the schools or the towns. If you must know, we are in a 2 bedroom home which is much too small to my liking and when we got married, my husband promised me we would move (the house is actually his, and he bought it for himself many years before he even met me). We want at least a 3-4 bedroom home with a 2 car garage. We also have the potential of needing extra space for my parents who are looking to move out of their current home and downsize (so we are considering homes that are 'mother-daughter' styles for that reason). Even with all the flooding issues we had after Irene and Sandy, we like our neighborhood and have had no issues with the town to date. I'd have no issues with moving to a larger home in North Baldwin but none of the houses I saw in the past 6 weeks in North Baldwin really appealed to me. Combined with the fact that I work on the Nassau/Suffolk border so I am leaning toward towns east of us like East Meadow/Wantagh just due to proximity to work. I dont have an issue with Baldwin and wouldn't have an issue with putting my kids in school here if I had them and I certainly don't need to defend my earlier posts to you or other C-D'ers - as some people who are looking to buy in Baldwin DO regard Baldwin schools as "crappy" when they compared it higher performing SDs like GARDEN CITY, JERICHO, etc. - there are much worse towns to live in here in Nassau...I've even had incidents where I've left my car door or window open and nothing was ever stolen. Our block is very quiet, our neighbors friendly.
So there you have it, if you really must know..
Last edited by LegalDiva; 03-31-2013 at 12:46 PM..
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