I fell madly in love with Port Jefferson this week. (Brookhaven: house, safest area)

[luvmyfirefly]

It's one of the most beautiful, charming places I've ever seen and the schools look fabulous. They even have frequent vegetarian lunch menus so I wouldn't have to pack for my daughter every day.

Is there a downside to living there? Is it just too packed with tourists in the summer?

No matter what, we'll be visiting there A LOT.

[slynn41072]

It is a great town (I grew up there) but yes, it is PACKED with tourists in the summer. It is also about a 2 hour train ride to the city each way.

[alexei27]

We did the same. We just moved to the North Shore in Jan. We looked in Port Jeff...and in fact it came down to Lake Panamoka or Port Jeff village based solely on the town. We just couldn't find a house with what we needed, so we settled in Sound Beach.

We are thinking of opening up a business specializing in cloth diapers in Port Jeff...and in our travels thus far...we have noticed a lot of foot traffic on the weekends. I have talked to some local merchants who say it does get very busy in the summer and that lasts into mid-fall esp on weekends. However...the crowds do not tend to venture too far away from the main shopping area near the Ferry (again, this is hearsay).

Home prices are higher in Port Jeff then in areas a little further from the water...as you might expect.

[Walter Greenspan]

For those who may not be familiar with Port Jefferson:

Port Jefferson is a village (incorporated in 1963) in the northwest part of the Town of Brookhaven, in the north-central part of Suffolk County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Village of Port Jefferson in the Town of Brookhaven is bordered on the north by the Village of Poquott, Port Jefferson Harbor, the Village of Belle Terre and Long Island Sound; on the east by the Hamlet of Miller Place and the Hamlet of Mount Sinai; on the south by the Hamlet of Port Jefferson Station; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Setauket-East Setauket.





The Village of Port Jefferson has a different border than does the "Port Jefferson, NY 11777" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "Port Jefferson, NY 11777" mailing address and not be in the Village of Port Jefferson and a place can have other than a "Port Jefferson, NY 11777" mailing address and be in the Village of Port Jefferson): places that have a "Port Jefferson, NY 11777" mailing address that are not in the Village of Port Jefferson are in the Village of Belle Terre; and, at the same time, there are places in the Village of Port Jefferson with a "Mount Sinai, NY 11766" and a "Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776" mailing address.


For a good set of town-by-town maps showing all the villages and hamlets in each of LI's 13 towns (3 in Nassau County and 10 in Suffolk County): http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...-resource.html

[Moth]

I lived there as a little kid. My earliest memories and fond ones they are. I go back every 10 years (wish it were more) and though inevitably much has changed, there is still that cool vibe I recall from so long ago.

I would love to live there again and I just may do it someday.

[okaydorothy]

I love Port Jeff. Its a very nice village and a wonderful place to stroll. Dont know if it still has the motorbikes on a sat night. It gets a little crowdy at the weekends esp around the ferry.

Good Luck
d

[nancy thereader]

When I grew up on Strongs Neck, we would take the boat to Lyon's Dock to fill it up with gas & there were these great soda machines with bottled (glass) cokes.. I think that they were only five cents. We would have lunch at The Schooner which was a restaurant in a real boat.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by okaydorothy

I love Port Jeff. Its a very nice village and a wonderful place to stroll. Dont know if it still has the motorbikes on a sat night. It gets a little crowdy at the weekends esp around the ferry.

Good Luck
d

The weather was gorgeous tonight -- and several of us took our bikes into town.

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by okaydorothy

I love Port Jeff. Its a very nice village and a wonderful place to stroll. Dont know if it still has the motorbikes on a sat night. It gets a little crowdy at the weekends esp around the ferry.

Good Luck
d

I just drove there a few weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon and noticed a few bikers parked and hanging out. Caught my eye, so you may be right.

[Lancet71]

I have lived in PJ for about 25 years. It's not as crowded as it used to be in the summer because the cops scare away people who they believe are just hanging out. In the 80's it was much better and the businesses thrived because the police weren't harrassing people like they have done for about 17-18 years. Nowadays there is still money to be made but no where near from the past. Home prices are a little tough considering the best and safest areas down there are in belle terre and the prices are crazy in there.A good idea is to check out homes in Setauket,Old Field,and Poquott areas. They are also very nice and you just have to ride west broadway to get down port. Otherwise Mt.Sinai and Port Jefferson Station are nearby and especially PJS has more reasonably priced homes.