Babylon Village or Kings Park (Huntington, Smithtown: renting, house, transfer)

[Transpl]

As a future Philly transplant I have not had a chance to explore the island as much as I'd like. I have done the south of Montauk areas and really like the south of 27A neighborhoods from Merrick to Babylon, minus a few towns.

Recntly I've read alot of good things abou KP. I see that the prices seem to be cheaper there as well.

I need advice. I can buy a South of Montauk 1900 SF house completely redone for 450K in Babylon Village, West Babylon Schools, great house.

For that price I have seen some nice listings in KP as well. Now I'm second guessing Babylon, I have not had a chance to see all the Areas. I know Baylon has an express to the city, which I need to do 3-5 times a week. Is the KP commute as good?

Candid advice appreciated as I am very close to putting ink on paper.

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by Transpl

As a future Philly transplant I have not had a chance to explore the island as much as I'd like. I have done the south of Montauk areas and really like the south of 27A neighborhoods from Merrick to Babylon, minus a few towns.

Recntly I've read alot of good things abou KP. I see that the prices seem to be cheaper there as well.

I need advice. I can buy a South of Montauk 1900 SF house completely redone for 450K in Babylon Village, West Babylon Schools, great house.

For that price I have seen some nice listings in KP as well. Now I'm second guessing Babylon, I have not had a chance to see all the Areas. I know Baylon has an express to the city, which I need to do 3-5 times a week. Is the KP commute as good?

Candid advice appreciated as I am very close to putting ink on paper.

I am one town east from KP and really like the area, but the Babylon line is a much better express in. No contest if you are comparing LIRR options. Both areas are nice in my opinion.

[iluvmycuties]

What are you looking for eactly in terms of a home? Tell us every wish/requirement.

BTW, I don't know if I'd rush to purchase a home so fast if you don't know the island enough yet. You should seriously consider renting in one of the towns for a year.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by Transpl

I can buy a South of Montauk 1900 SF house completely redone for 450K in Babylon Village, West Babylon Schools, great house.

From your brief description of the property, might it be in the part of the Hamlet of West Babylon that has a "Babylon, NY 11702" mailing address, and not in the Village of Babylon?


For those who may not be familiar with West Babylon:

West Babylon is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the central to southeast part of the Town of Babylon, in the southwest part of Suffolk County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of West Babylon in the Town of Babylon is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of Wyandanch; on the east by the Hamlet of North Babylon and the Village of Babylon; on the south by the Great South Bay; and, on the west by the Village of Lindenhurst and the Hamlet of North Lindenhurst.





The Hamlet of West Babylon has a different border than does the "West Babylon, NY 11704" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "West Babylon, NY 11704" mailing address and not be in the Hamlet of West Babylon and a place can have other than a "West Babylon, NY 11704" mailing address and be in the Hamlet of West Babylon): places that have a "West Babylon, NY 11704" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of West Babylon are in the Village of Lindenhurst, the Hamlet of North Lindenhurst, the Hamlet of East Farmingdale, the Hamlet of Wyandanch, the Hamlet of North Babylon and the Village of Babylon; and, at the same time, there are places in the Hamlet of West Babylon with a "Lindenhurst, NY 11757", "Wyandanch, NY 11798", "North Babylon, NY 11703" and "Babylon, NY 11702" 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

[Kbinspections]

We have been in KP for 14 years and love it. LIRR is about 55 minute ride....which is longer. Some people drive to Deer Park, more trains and less time.

One great thing about KP is that you get all the nice benefits of the North Shore at a reasonable price with good schools.

Negative, 1/2 day Kindergarten....ugh!

The other benefit is the Sunken Meadow Parkway gets you to a parkway within 7 minutes.

Another great thing is that KP is surrounded by really nice towns........

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by Kbinspections

Another great thing is that KP is surrounded by really nice towns........

For those who may not be familiar with Kings Park:

Kings Park is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the northeast part of the Town of Smithtown, in the northwest part of Suffolk County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Kings Park in the Town of Smithtown is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of Fort Salonga, Long Island Sound and the Village of Nissequogue; on the east by the Village of Nissequogue and the Hamlet of Smithtown; on the south by the Hamlet of Smithtown and the Hamlet of Commack; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Fort Salonga.





The Hamlet of Kings Park has a different border than does the "Kings Park, NY 11754" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "Kings Park, NY 11754" mailing address and not be in the Hamlet of Kings Park and a place can have other than a "Kings Park, NY 11754" mailing address and be in the Hamlet of Kings Park): places that have a "Kings Park, NY 11754" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Kings Park are in the Hamlet of Smithtown and in the Village of Nissequogue; and, at the same time, there are places in the Hamlet of Kings Park that have a "Smithtown, NY 11787" 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

[GigiBowman]

Babylon gets you Babylon Beaches and a bit more excitement in the town inself --more stores, restaurants, bars etc

Kings Park gives you North Shore greenery & landscape and more for your money house and land wise...also has a cute little town. Close to parkway--jump on the Sunken Meadow Parkway and get anywhere really fast!

[VTP]

Babylon is very nice south of Montauk. That said, I think Kings Park is nicer largely because, as KB said, of its proximity to other really nice places. The overall area on that part of the North Shore is prettier than than much of what surrounds Bablyon, IMO. The schools in Babylon proper are also reputed to be somewhat better than those in West Babylon. However, Kings Park LIRR can't compare to Babylon. As others wrote, the LIRR runs many express trains out of Babylon, right into Penn. Some only make 1 or 2 other stops. It's very quick. Taking a train from Kings Park to Penn on a regular basis would wear one down quickly, I think. I believe there is only one double-decker that runs right into Penn without a transer; leaves KP around 6:00 a.m. It returns home some time around 4:30. And it's not really an express b/c it makes a few stops after KP and before Penn. All of the other trains involve transfers at Huntington or Jamaica, which is unpleasant and uses up a lot of precious time. Although some may drive to Deer Park to use the Main Line, this is a time-consuming proposition as well, as the ride should take a good 20 minutes, esp. in rush hour. Any chance you could cut your NYC trips down to 2 days a week or so? Plenty of people do the KP-Penn LIRR commute, but the Babylon run is so much better.

[Transpl]

Thanks for all of the advice. The delta in LIRR service between the 2 towns is a big considertion. This helps push me off the fence.

I did consider renting to get a feel of the neighborhoods but I have relo benefits with this move that favor a home prurchase. I believe the market has not hit the bottom, but I think we can see it from here. I don't see a hard crash happening in housing anywhere within an hour commute of the city. Too much demand.

Thanks again all.

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by Transpl

Thanks for all of the advice. The delta in LIRR service between the 2 towns is a big considertion. This helps push me off the fence.

I did consider renting to get a feel of the neighborhoods but I have relo benefits with this move that favor a home prurchase. I believe the market has not hit the bottom, but I think we can see it from here. I don't see a hard crash happening in housing anywhere within an hour commute of the city. Too much demand.

Thanks again all.

...coming from somebody who has done the LIRR from Ronkonkoma, if the delta is the train schedule then the Babylon line wins it hands down. Again, Babylon is a nice area with a great village and wonderful beaches. Good luck on your move, and welcome.