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What baffles me though and I'm not here to bash but why is it so ungodly expensive?
There was a time when big companies used to lavish jobs in the suburbs - IBM, Pepsico, CA, Northrop, big pharma, AT&T, etc. If one did not want to pay NYC COL but wanted to live within arms length while still enjoying nice homes and excellent schools, living and working in the suburban corporate compuses was a lucrative option. But the days when it was easy to land such jobs have gone away. People who now want to be paid well have to commute to NYC and so it has become ungodly expensive.
There was a time when big companies used to lavish jobs in the suburbs - IBM, Pepsico, CA, Northrop, big pharma, AT&T, etc. If one did not want to pay NYC COL but wanted to live within arms length while still enjoying nice homes and excellent schools, living and working in the suburban corporate compuses was a lucrative option. But the days when it was easy to land such jobs have gone away. People who now want to be paid well have to commute to NYC and so it has become ungodly expensive.
Precisely, however, this isn't the case all across the Country. Look at Palo Alto outside of San Francisco, or Bethesda, outside of DC. The outer suburbs in the metropolitan region are working and building off of the successful industries within the City; each region is also home to a top tier academic institution or two supplementing the economy. Long Island has so much potential to do the same, NYC in the backyard, however, we cannot compare to either example at the moment.
Further, to boot, multifamily housing (first) is not going to revive the area or work to address this. Bethesda has some great downtown high density housing options, (such as condos or apartments) but, it goes back to the chicken before the egg debate.
The reality is, I don't think we have anyone, any entity, an objective Planning Council, or Planning Department like NYC, to foster this type of growth in Nassau, (I'm not as familiar with Suffolk), a council, center, Institute, something that should be directed by experts with planning degrees from MIT and the like, not driven by patronage jobs, County representatives (supervisors, legislators) that have no background in these matters, and developer nonsense like I'm seeing and sensing to date. That hasn't gotten us anywhere productive, and the current hodgepodge landscape and Census data noting population decline illustrates this nicely.
Last edited by MobileVisitor09; 02-16-2015 at 07:51 PM..
I miss NY myself but feel priced out too so I just go home to visit every now and then.
What baffles me though and I'm not here to bash but why is it so ungodly expensive? I grew up an hour north of NYC and besides the Yankees or Rangers, I dont really see what the big deal is about NYC other then tall buildings and Macy's in which case you can shop at one of those almost anywhere, I go to the one at Spotsy Town Center here in Virginia.
Anyways to compare how ridiculous the prices are here in Virginia where I live a school teacher will max at about 65k. So why is it that the school teacher in long island makes 140k?
If both teachers have the same experience, the same level of education, how does one make twice as much as the other by simply living 400 miles more north?
So many people I've met from up there who now live down here like myself really do miss and loved the state but just can't afford it anymore and personally I do blame the state and liberal government for not having enough balls to stand up to NYC and saying our state will not revolve around you.
Back in the day NYC was a dangerous cess pool, today it's a bunch of transplant yuppies who haven't earned the right to call themselves a New Yorker, the state is lost and you may as well make Manhattan the Capitol cause that's all Albany seems to care about as well.
In what district does the average teacher make140 k? At that salary people would be breaking down the doors of every school in order to teach. OK just looked up my district, median salary 100 grand, hardly a boon.
Precisely, however, this isn't the case all across the Country. Look at Palo Alto outside of San Francisco, or Bethesda, outside of DC. The outer suburbs in the metropolitan region are working and building off of the successful industries within the City; each region is also home to a top tier academic institution or two supplementing the economy. Long Island has so much potential to do the same, NYC in the backyard, however, we cannot compare to either example at the moment.
Further, to boot, multifamily housing (first) is not going to revive the area or work to address this. Bethesda has some great downtown high density housing options, (such as condos or apartments) but, it goes back to the chicken before the egg debate.
Palo Alto is within Silicon Valley and houses industries that are still thriving. Bethesda is the HQ of aerospace and defense companies - it is the HQ of Lockheed Martin. These are companies that until recently have been immune to recessions and shifts in consumer behavior. The industries that once dotted NYC's outer ring have been battered by aggressive competition, obsolescence and changes in consumer tastes - all happening at the same time. It's going to be uphill trying to put out so many fires burning simultaneously let alone turn things around. NYC had to move mountains just to start Cornell-Technion and drive its tech/startup ambitions as a jutaxposition to it's already dominant finance and media industries. What was there in LI and other NYC suburbs to build on when the NY corporates started to unravel and restructure?
Last edited by Forest_Hills_Daddy; 02-16-2015 at 07:58 PM..
Palo Alto is within Silicon Valley and houses industries that are still thriving. Bethesda is the HQ of aerospace and defense companies - it is the HQ of Lockheed Martin. These are companies that until recently have been immune to recessions and shifts in consumer behavior. The industries that once dotted NYC's outer ring have been battered by aggressive competition, obsolescence and changes in consumer tastes - all happening at the same time. It's going to be uphill trying to put out so many fires burning simultaneously let alone turn things around. NYC had to move mountains just to start Cornell-Technion and drive its tech/startup ambitions.
Indeed. Bethesda is also home to the NIH. There's a lot of activity going on there, for college students, young professionals, families, empty nesters too.
When the industry started to shift due to the factors you mentioned in Long Island, that was the opportunity to have a State-of-the-County or Island discussion. That window passed a while ago, brain drain isn't something new, I've heard this term and shift for years.
There's no easy panacea, but, dumping multifamily housing into the mix, to me, seems like the most outlandish approach to attempting to put out the fire. Not without addressing parts of this discussion that are legitimate and real.
there is nothing positive about being in a city environment for me. Green grass and tree-lined streets are my taste. Suburbia is what i feel most comfortable in.
I'm a car guy and i like driving. I like the freedom that allows me to drive everywhere, which also allows me to listen to my music and just relax too. It's maybe 25% of the time i am actually sitting in traffic. People will only mention the bad things - most of the time there is no traffic unless it's rush hour. Most of the time.
I am sure plenty of ex-LIer's will be here soon to tell us some more reasons why LI is already dead.
Actually I think the idea that Long Island is dead or dying is absurd and just click bait. It's changed from what it was in the 50's and 60's, and the 80's and will keep changing as it's demographics change.
Happy?
Anyways to compare how ridiculous the prices are here in Virginia where I live a school teacher will max at about 65k. So why is it that the school teacher in long island makes 140k?
If both teachers have the same experience, the same level of education, how does one make twice as much as the other by simply living 400 miles more north?
Because the teacher's union is stronger hear than anywhere else, and the politicians don't have the guts to stand up to the union.
The reality is, I don't think we have anyone, any entity, an objective Planning Council, or Planning Department like NYC, to foster this type of growth in Nassau, (I'm not as familiar with Suffolk), a council, center, Institute, something that should be directed by experts with planning degrees from MIT and the like, not driven by patronage jobs, County representatives (supervisors, legislators) that have no background in these matters, and developer nonsense like I'm seeing and sensing to date. That hasn't gotten us anywhere productive, and the current hodgepodge landscape and Census data noting population decline illustrates this nicely.
You actually do have experts directing growth on Long Island, and that's the market. The people who are actually in the market are the ones with more of a stake in how Long Island grows than any planning council can ever have.
I'm not against planning but if the market wanted Long Island to be Brooklyn (which is booming) or Queens it would have turned itself into those places long ago.
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