Dix Hills or Melville (Deer Park, Cold Spring Harbor: relocating, real estate, broker)

[ppp678]

Relocating to LI - have looked all around, really interested in the Melville/Dix Hills area. What if any is the difference between the towns. Aesthetically, I think the area is beautiful and while I could have lived elsewhere proximity to the highways is a very important factor (liked Cold Spriong Harbor, but too far off the beaten path). Most important though is quality of life and character of the residents. Also the school district. Are these areas known for friendly neighbors? I am coming from an affluent but non-pretentious neighborhood - people have money but do not flaunt it and are genuinely down to earth nice people who would give you the shirt off their back. This is the one aspect of these areas I cannot get an idea about from the real estate brokers. I got a little worried when we started looking at houses for sale. You would think the owners would be nice if they were trying to sell in this market, but they really weren't. One even told me not to expect that the chandelier was included in the sales price (thank goodness, it was atrocious and saved me the trouble of having to remove and get rid of it.) Feedback really appreciated, please.

[Glad2BHere]

Overall, general vibe for Dix Hills is often referred to as pretentious (keeping in mind this is subjective) and not as community minded/friendly as some other towns.That could be attributed to people moving there with the desire for space, privacy and the desire to keep more to themselves. But again, opinions and experiences will vary. Hopefully someone who actually lives there will have an answer for you. When I was house hunting there I got the same vibe as well and it was a turn off to me.

Do a search on here, I think this topic has been discussed before.

[Kbinspections]

IMO I would pick melville.....good luck.

[ppp678]

Originally Posted by Kbinspections

IMO I would pick melville.....good luck.

Thanks - but why melville vs dix hills? Dix Hills seems more expensive than melville - is there a reason?

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by ppp678

Thanks - but why melville vs dix hills? Dix Hills seems more expensive than melville - is there a reason?

I would think b/c Meville has more industry, more areas that are less desirable than Dix Hills. DH is mostly just residential.

[GCGuy]

Originally Posted by Glad2BHere

I would think b/c Meville has more industry, more areas that are less desirable than Dix Hills. DH is mostly just residential.

Yes, DH get's the benefit of Melville's commercial development (RTE 110 area) in the HHH school district, but w/in DH I think there is little to no commercial development, even retail. There's nurseries and churches all along Deer Park Rd. in DH...the residetns fight hard to keep it that way.

My parents just moved there after 36 yrs in their current house in Queens (grew up in Queens and Brooklyn) and really like it so far. They are Italian and Irish (not Jewish) and don't seem to have any issues. Not a huge community feel, though. They moved for a change of pace, an acre of land, and less "city" feel.

[nancy thereader]

Gosh, I would take Cold Spring Harbor in a heartbeat if I could.

[GCGuy]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

Gosh, I would take Cold Spring Harbor in a heartbeat if I could.

I would agree as well...but my wife is the same way...she likes close to the highways, etc.

[ppp678]

I looked at Cold Spring Harbor and we were close to buying, beautiful house, but it was a journey off the LIE. Rather than going back and forth between neighborhoods, we really have to concentrate our search to a defined area so we picked DH/Melville. Same schools. I also like the 1 acre lots rather than 2 acres in CSH - felt too distant to facilitate a neighborhood feel. But I am really concerned about some of the posts I have read in older threads about DH snobbery. Does anyone have a realistic view on this - not just reputation, but first hand knowledge? This is an important decision and any advice you all have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

[nancy thereader]

Did you look at houses in the village of CSH ? You might find a villagey feel and houses that are closer together than two acres. About the snob-factor of DH & CSH..... . Cold Spring Harbor is more old money.