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I think it's obvious that for people who make less that 100K a year, living on long island is a challenge. We are aware of the costs, but still trying to see if it will work for us. If someone made over 300K a year is that good? Is everything else nice on LI except the cost? It must be so expensive because people want to live there, because public schools are good, because it has something good to offer? Otherwise it would be cheap....
I think it's obvious that for people who make less that 100K a year, living on long island is a challenge. We are aware of the costs, but still trying to see if it will work for us. If someone made over 300K a year is that good? Is everything else nice on LI except the cost? It must be so expensive because people want to live there, because public schools are good, because it has something good to offer? Otherwise it would be cheap....
It's not that LI is expensive; It's that you get very little for your money, compared to most other places. Read my previous posts and other threads on this forum. There is a lot wrong with LI. It has lost a very large percentage of it's original residents, because people of all income levels get disgusted with the day-to-day quality of life.
Schools on LI are no better than anywhere else; in fact, they are worse. The "quality" of education is about the same as it is anywhere else (In a recent national magazine's ranking of the best school districts in the country, only 3 of LI's 250 made it onto the list). The schools there are more like prisons. Go to the school on parent teacher night, and they will run a background check on you before they even let you enter; drug-sniffing dogs routinely scrutinize every locker. Class sizes are large, and chances are that the teachers do not share your values, and in general, are not a part of the community as they may be where you live.
Coming from a saner place, you will notice the flaws of LI sooner, and they will likely have a greater impact on you. It's hard to describe, unless you've lived on LI and somewhere else, so that you have something to compare it to. Most LIers have lived there all of their lives, and think that anywhere outside of NY is tantamount to the third world.
Bear i n mind too, that most LIers are liberals. If you happen to be conservative (or worse yet, a Libertarian, like me) you will pull your hair out every time you hear one of your neighbors speak....
I live in Stony Brook and will be happy to answer questions. Please disregard most of this thread. A fair portion of the replies are from people who have never lived in Stony Brook.
The above statement is so true with the multiple new posts of people looking to move to LI.
I have to agree with you there- LI is definitely a breath of fresh air (literally) compared to NYC. If all you've ever known is NYC, yes, LI will seem like a paradise by comparison- but that's like saying that swimming in a swamp is so much better than swimming in a cesspool.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mumbly Joe
It's not that LI is expensive; It's that you get very little for your money, compared to most other places. Read my previous posts and other threads on this forum. There is a lot wrong with LI. It has lost a very large percentage of it's original residents, because people of all income levels get disgusted with the day-to-day quality of life.
Schools on LI are no better than anywhere else; in fact, they are worse. The "quality" of education is about the same as it is anywhere else (In a recent national magazine's ranking of the best school districts in the country, only 3 of LI's 250 made it onto the list). The schools there are more like prisons. Go to the school on parent teacher night, and they will run a background check on you before they even let you enter; drug-sniffing dogs routinely scrutinize every locker. Class sizes are large, and chances are that the teachers do not share your values, and in general, are not a part of the community as they may be where you live.
Coming from a saner place, you will notice the flaws of LI sooner, and they will likely have a greater impact on you. It's hard to describe, unless you've lived on LI and somewhere else, so that you have something to compare it to. Most LIers have lived there all of their lives, and think that anywhere outside of NY is tantamount to the third world.
Bear i n mind too, that most LIers are liberals. If you happen to be conservative (or worse yet, a Libertarian, like me) you will pull your hair out every time you hear one of your neighbors speak....
If you're stuck in NY/NYC whether it's for family or for your career, you really don't have many better options. Everything here is expensive relatively speaking.... NJ, Westchester, NYC etc.
I think it's obvious that for people who make less that 100K a year, living on long island is a challenge. We are aware of the costs, but still trying to see if it will work for us. If someone made over 300K a year is that good? Is everything else nice on LI except the cost? It must be so expensive because people want to live there, because public schools are good, because it has something good to offer? Otherwise it would be cheap....
Your way of thinking has been too skewed by these boards. I make well under 100K and have no challenge living in the town right next to SB, Smithtown.
I don't know your lifestyle and if you'll be happy on 300K here. But if you can't live happy with 300K, I don't think the problem would be LI.
Your way of thinking has been too skewed by these boards. I make well under 100K and have no challenge living in the town right next to SB, Smithtown.
I don't know your lifestyle and if you'll be happy on 300K here. But if you can't live happy with 300K, I don't think the problem would be LI.
This is the point I'm trying to make, that if you can't live happy with 300K that's a problem. (not because I'm personally not happy with that but if people on these message boards say that 300K doesn't get you much then that concerns me....)
Everything is relative, what may be okay for one person may not be good enough for another. Plenty of people live on far less than 300k here, even in the top districts. It is up to the individual to calculate the hit they would take moving to LI from wherever they're living now. But don't expect to live exactly as you do now without a comfy raise. Cost of living calculators are available to do some comparisons.
I'd take what mumble joe says with a grain of salt, don't know where he was from on LI and don't know where he lives now. Go to usnews.com and find your current district, then look for a comparable district on long island in the Stony Brook area. Smithtown is #76 for NY, how does that compare to your current district? I doubt there are metal detectors etc at smithtown. Port Jeff looks good too
Over 250k and you could prob be a 'Jones' in 75% of the island
You mention you planned for kids to go to private school, I don't know the cost of that in NC but you could just move that money to your taxes and easily call it a wash so that helps.
Your income will be fine for this area of LI. If you feel the 3V district will be too large, definitely consider Port Jefferson (not Port Jefferson Station) or Mount Sinai too. Very comparable in quality to the 3V district and much smaller.
If you're stuck in NY/NYC whether it's for family or for your career, you really don't have many better options. Everything here is expensive relatively speaking.... NJ, Westchester, NYC etc.
True. To someone from NYC, LI may be no more expensive, and definitely offers a better quality of life compared to NYC. To someone from NC. it may be total culture shock, and a great reduction of quality of life- depending on what part of NC they are from.
Quote:
Originally Posted by th003g
I'd take what mumble joe says with a grain of salt, don't know where he was from on LI
I lived most of my 39 years on the island 5 minutes from Stony Brook. Stony Brook is one of the nicer areas- but to someone from out of state, Lloyd Harbor would probably even be culture shock; and anywhere in the NY metro area will likely be quite a dramatic reduction in quality of life, regardless of income. Life-long NYers are skewed [more like skewered! ]; they are used to it, because it is all they have known.
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]; they are used to it, because it is all they have known.
