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My post was based upon my actual driving experience in this area as opposed to Google maps. Browns Rd is a go between for folks going to/from Old Nichols and Lake Ronkonkoma, in addition to the traffic you mentioned. The Browns Rd house is listed as Sachem.
Smithtown High East is several blocks away from Northern and the bulk of traffic enters via Jackson & St James, secondary approach via Treadwell.
Browns is a double yellow line road while Northern is not. Double yellow line roads are busy thoroughfares.
Which is better? A house on a busy road with no sidewalks and far from stores -- OR -- a house on a side street near a busy road with sidewalks close to stores?
The part of Browns Rd that I am most familiar with is the part between Old Nichols Rd and 347. The part that the house is on, I'm not sure how it's the best route to get to Lake Ronkonkoma from anywhere. I'm sure that part of Browns Rd does have traffic, but your original post made it sound like it was an interstate highway, when it is nothing of the sort.
Jackson Ave and St. James Ave both lead to side gates that are always locked (unless that has changed). The main access routes to Smithtown East are either Northern Blvd or Treadwell Ave to School St. Or has that changed recently?
I agree with you that, all other things being equal, I'd much prefer a house on Northern Blvd than one on Browns Rd. But I would need to learn more about the houses before choosing. And while I agree that Browns Rd is busier than Northern Blvd, your post made Browns Rd sound busier than it actually is, and you made Northern Blvd sound less busy than it actually is.
Does your village/town/hamlet/etc. allow people to simply convert their houses to multifamily?
They are not multi-family. In the case of house I am talking about they converted it to a very large single family house with lots of small bedrooms upstairs, it still has a single kitchen.
This house two brothers bought it together, both are on title and both moved wives and kids into house.
Sometimes you see inlaws, parents, visitors from India at the houses. They are not renting, put two kitchens in etc. It is just the amount of them.
There is one on my inlaws block now. It is a tidy little block of capes mainly owned by widows who bought house new in the early 1960s. The one big house on block is a very large extended Indian family. It used to be unwritten you only park your car in front of your own house. Now there are cars from that house in front of muliple peoples houses. Later another house that legally was a two family, but always a one family got sold to an investor who loaded it up with two Mexican families who also brought a ton of cars to the block.
The block that once looked like a sleepy cute street, now looks like a busy street in Queens and you hear yelling and loud noises and several languages being spoken. Insult to injury the old ladies on block all got a big big school tax increase when they called to complain were told these houses are loading schools up with kids so taxes have to go up. So now all the spots are gone, block is no longer nice, home values are falling and property taxes are rising.
Overcrowding of single family homes on small plots with no additional tax increases is an issue in Nassau county
They are not multi-family. In the case of house I am talking about they converted it to a very large single family house with lots of small bedrooms upstairs, it still has a single kitchen.
This house two brothers bought it together, both are on title and both moved wives and kids into house.
Sometimes you see inlaws, parents, visitors from India at the houses. They are not renting, put two kitchens in etc. It is just the amount of them.
There is one on my inlaws block now. It is a tidy little block of capes mainly owned by widows who bought house new in the early 1960s. The one big house on block is a very large extended Indian family. It used to be unwritten you only park your car in front of your own house. Now there are cars from that house in front of muliple peoples houses. Later another house that legally was a two family, but always a one family got sold to an investor who loaded it up with two Mexican families who also brought a ton of cars to the block.
The block that once looked like a sleepy cute street, now looks like a busy street in Queens and you hear yelling and loud noises and several languages being spoken. Insult to injury the old ladies on block all got a big big school tax increase when they called to complain were told these houses are loading schools up with kids so taxes have to go up. So now all the spots are gone, block is no longer nice, home values are falling and property taxes are rising.
Overcrowding of single family homes on small plots with no additional tax increases is an issue in Nassau county
Taxed on a phone call? Nope, and how many cars do these old ladies have that they don't have room for?
The block that once looked like a sleepy cute street, now looks like a busy street in Queens and you hear yelling and loud noises and several languages being spoken. Insult to injury the old ladies on block all got a big big school tax increase when they called to complain were told these houses are loading schools up with kids so taxes have to go up.
Taxed on a phone call? Nope, and how many cars do these old ladies have that they don't have room for?
They have driveways that are narrow and you have to move in and out cars all the time. The block is small 40x100 houses with room for one car in front.
For years wife parking in driveway and husband on street so they dont block each other in. They always left end spot in driveway open for visitors.
Then when the Dad was dying the Indian family extended family would leave a car in front of their house so the nurses aid, guy coming to do check up, oxygen guy etc had no where to park. Narrow street, then it became a game of always jumping to jam a car in front of your house then moving cars in and out of driveway. That house had like six cars and the final straw was my 75 year old mother in law had to go to a doctors appointment so had to get her car out in the snow spot in front of house as the other car had 15 feet of snow in front of it and when they came back the indian was in the spot as they did not shovel out in front of their house. She knocked on door and yea he did move it after complaining now he has to shovel out in front of his house.
Block was really designed for two cars per house not six cars per hosue.
And the school taxes went up $600 a year two years running. The school said new kids are coming in from these larger families so they are hiring teachers and doing expansions. Kinda pissed off the old folk on the block.
Think about it that house paid around 10K a year taxes no kids in schools. Same house now has six kids in schools at around 20-25k a kids. That is a 130-140K loss to school. Now block has two houses like that. So school district has to raise taxes like 300K just for that block.
They are not multi-family. In the case of house I am talking about they converted it to a very large single family house with lots of small bedrooms upstairs, it still has a single kitchen.
This house two brothers bought it together, both are on title and both moved wives and kids into house.
Sometimes you see inlaws, parents, visitors from India at the houses. They are not renting, put two kitchens in etc. It is just the amount of them.
There is one on my inlaws block now. It is a tidy little block of capes mainly owned by widows who bought house new in the early 1960s. The one big house on block is a very large extended Indian family. It used to be unwritten you only park your car in front of your own house. Now there are cars from that house in front of muliple peoples houses. Later another house that legally was a two family, but always a one family got sold to an investor who loaded it up with two Mexican families who also brought a ton of cars to the block.
The block that once looked like a sleepy cute street, now looks like a busy street in Queens and you hear yelling and loud noises and several languages being spoken. Insult to injury the old ladies on block all got a big big school tax increase when they called to complain were told these houses are loading schools up with kids so taxes have to go up. So now all the spots are gone, block is no longer nice, home values are falling and property taxes are rising.
Overcrowding of single family homes on small plots with no additional tax increases is an issue in Nassau county
Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyJet
They have driveways that are narrow and you have to move in and out cars all the time. The block is small 40x100 houses with room for one car in front.
For years wife parking in driveway and husband on street so they dont block each other in. They always left end spot in driveway open for visitors.
Then when the Dad was dying the Indian family extended family would leave a car in front of their house so the nurses aid, guy coming to do check up, oxygen guy etc had no where to park. Narrow street, then it became a game of always jumping to jam a car in front of your house then moving cars in and out of driveway. That house had like six cars and the final straw was my 75 year old mother in law had to go to a doctors appointment so had to get her car out in the snow spot in front of house as the other car had 15 feet of snow in front of it and when they came back the indian was in the spot as they did not shovel out in front of their house. She knocked on door and yea he did move it after complaining now he has to shovel out in front of his house.
Block was really designed for two cars per house not six cars per hosue.
And the school taxes went up $600 a year two years running. The school said new kids are coming in from these larger families so they are hiring teachers and doing expansions. Kinda pissed off the old folk on the block.
Think about it that house paid around 10K a year taxes no kids in schools. Same house now has six kids in schools at around 20-25k a kids. That is a 130-140K loss to school. Now block has two houses like that. So school district has to raise taxes like 300K just for that block.
You need to find another hobby. Internet storytelling is not your strong suit.
Quite a few people on this site are saying vague things like "stay the f away from Long Island" but not being specific...what's going on out there?
Don't get me wrong - there are people who are happy here. They tend to have money, or don't care about money, or are part of an ethnic or religious minority and like being around a lot of their own kind, or really love NYC and the amenities it offers if you can afford the price of admission.
There are also a lot of miserable people here.
- Cost of living is through the roof. In addition to sky-high housing prices, high state income taxes, a significant sales tax, and record-setting property taxes, everything is just more expensive - insurance, food and drink, home renovations, fees and permits, etc. We have among the highest property taxes and electric prices in the entire country, and in some towns you have to shell out for a school district that you wouldn't want your kid actually attending.
- Mass transit is expensive and lousy to boot. You need to drive, but our roads were designed in the 1950s and haven't been changed much so have fun with the traffic.
- The weather sucks - freezing cold winters and lots of snow coupled with brutal hot and humid summers. and more rain than the Pacific Northwest.
- NY is consistently ranked the "least free state" for a variety of reasons that may or may not be important to you - I suggest looking it up to see why. There are reasons why businesses and those who value their freedoms have been abandoning this state for decades.
- The Long Island job market is terrible; very few major employers, and the pay scale is significantly lower than the city. If you want a high enough salary to be comfortable, you're probably going to be working in NYC or as a Nassau/Suffolk/local police officer or teacher.
Note: Many of these same problems apply to other areas, it's just that NY seems to have a perfect storm of bad qualities all at the same time.
The part of Browns Rd that I am most familiar with is the part between Old Nichols Rd and 347. The part that the house is on, I'm not sure how it's the best route to get to Lake Ronkonkoma from anywhere. I'm sure that part of Browns Rd does have traffic, but your original post made it sound like it was an interstate highway, when it is nothing of the sort.
Wow, do you enjoy exaggerating and twisting things to suit your needs? I said the road was busy. I said the road is a double yellow line road. When the time comes to buy a house and you go house hunting, you will find yourself staying away from double yellow line roads. Did I say it was the best route?
You've stated you work very long hours each day. How often are you on these roads during the day/early evening when there is activity?
I am frequently in Lake Ronkonkoma. One night I was speaking with a fellow dance mom telling her I needed to run up to 25 in St James. She's from the LR area and she's the one who told me to use Hawkins to Smith St , turn on Hudson, quick turn onto Browns. (If you weren't aware, Smith St at Hudson is spitting distance to the actual Lake Ronkonkoma.)This was at 5PM and there was a fair amount of traffic. I've used that back route a number of times each month since it is better than dealing with the heavier traffic on Hawkins that time of the evening.
Quote:
Jackson Ave and St. James Ave both lead to side gates that are always locked (unless that has changed). The main access routes to Smithtown East are either Northern Blvd or Treadwell Ave to School St. Or has that changed recently?
I've been to a small number events at the school and have managed to get in that way. Northern may get school bus traffic, but how often is that? School starts at 7:20, ends at 1:55.(There may be one or two late buses, but no where near the volume the start and end of regular school day has.)Those two times represent the bulk of the traffic as well as times when younger children are either still asleep or in school -- in short, this traffic poses minimal risk to residential children as opposed to lengthy Browns Rd which serves many more people.
I agree with you that, all other things being equal, I'd much prefer a house on Northern Blvd than one on Browns Rd. But I would need to learn more about the houses before choosing. And while I agree that Browns Rd is busier than Northern Blvd, your post made Browns Rd sound busier than it actually is, and you made Northern Blvd sound less busy than it actually is.
Summing ti up: Browns is a double yellow line road that is much longer and connects Lake Ronkonkoma, Nesconset, and St James. It has no sidewalk and is not near stores in case the OP's wife needs to walk to pick up milk or eggs. I wouldn't want my children playing in a yard on Brown's Rd.
Wow, do you enjoy exaggerating and twisting things to suit your needs? I said the road was busy. I said the road is a double yellow line road. When the time comes to buy a house and you go house hunting, you will find yourself staying away from double yellow line roads. Did I say it was the best route?
You've stated you work very long hours each day. How often are you on these roads during the day/early evening when there is activity?
I don't usually work very long hours, since I'm lucky enough to have a job on Long Island, which I think that other posters here are jealous of. Yes, I do sometimes have to work long hours, but it's not the norm.
Quote:
I am frequently in Lake Ronkonkoma. One night I was speaking with a fellow dance mom telling her I needed to run up to 25 in St James. She's from the LR area and she's the one who told me to use Hawkins to Smith St , turn on Hudson, quick turn onto Browns.
Not surprised you're a dance mom. Explains the attitude you have.
Quote:
(If you weren't aware, Smith St at Hudson is spitting distance to the actual Lake Ronkonkoma.)This was at 5PM and there was a fair amount of traffic. I've used that back route a number of times each month since it is better than dealing with the heavier traffic on Hawkins that time of the evening.
I am well aware of where Browns / Smith / Hudson / Schoolhouse meet near the lake.
Quote:
I've been to a small number events at the school and have managed to get in that way.
I don't think Jackson and St. James are entrances used on a day to day basis, but I could be wrong. In any case, the fact that Woodlawn has a traffic light at Northern, but not at Treadwell, St. James, or Jackson means that Northern likely has the most traffic.
Quote:
Northern may get school bus traffic, but how often is that? School starts at 7:20, ends at 1:55.(There may be one or two late buses, but no where near the volume the start and end of regular school day has.)Those two times represent the bulk of the traffic as well as times when younger children are either still asleep or in school -- in short, this traffic poses minimal risk to residential children as opposed to lengthy Browns Rd which serves many more people.
Summing ti up: Browns is a double yellow line road that is much longer and connects Lake Ronkonkoma, Nesconset, and St James. It has no sidewalk and is not near stores in case the OP's wife needs to walk to pick up milk or eggs. I wouldn't want my children playing in a yard on Brown's Rd.
Don't get me wrong - there are people who are happy here. They tend to have money, or don't care about money, or are part of an ethnic or religious minority and like being around a lot of their own kind, or really love NYC and the amenities it offers if you can afford the price of admission
And there are people who like living here because their family lives here, and they like living close to family. Not sure why people on this board don't understand that.
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