Valley Stream (Hempstead, Levittown, Elmont: crime, buying a home, neighborhoods)

[VSMom]

Why does everyone keep saying Valley Steam is bad? Is it because its black? I am a Irish Catholic girl and I live in Valley Stream. I have three children also. I dont feel Valley Stream is ENTIRELY black. When you look at the public school stats I do see they show its black. However what about the Catholic Schools stats? What about the people who choose to send there children to Our Lady of Peace? St. Raymonds? I know of several families who send there children to those schools NOT bc the local public schools are black but because hey prefer those schools. BUT the children and families LIVE in Valley Stream. I know some of my friends are school teachers and they choose to send there children to another school to avoid conflicts.
I live on a quiet dead end block. I have 8 houses on my block. There is only one two black families. I am not saying some families dont choose to send there kids to private schools so there children are in diverse atmosphere or for other religious purposes but honestly I feel Valley Stream is a great mix.
I see a lot posting saying STAY AWAY from Elmont. Elmont borders Valley Stream that i feel is a nice mix and borders Franklin Square. Franklin Square a solid community also. Elmont has a great Italian section of it as well.
I dont understand why people dont want to move to Valley Stream. It has such low taxes compared to other towns. People who work in the city have such a short commute. I will stay where I am. The school my kids in I cant say enough about. My husband works in the city and is home at a decent hour instead of sitting on a train that he doesnt get paid to sit on wasting time on a commute. He is home helping me with the kids and having dinner w. the family.
Personally I will not leave Valley Stream. It has to many great factors about it.

Also the shopping here is the best.
You have Walmart, Target the new BJs, they opened up some new stores in the Green A Mall. You are minutes from Brooklyn, Queens, Southern State a hop skip jump away and so is the Cross Island Its just an ideal location!

I forgot to mention. Valley Stream has such a nice pool. The state park is to die for. The pool is great. The PAL offers a lot of extra things for children. The parks department always has events for kids. The local library ALWAYS has events going on. The summer rec program over at Barret is affordable and nice.
The community itself I feel is kept very clean. They always have street cleaners.
I am not saying its the most fabulous looking community ever posted. BUT I do feel its a nice diverse community w. strong schools. Go to schooldigger.com Out of how many schools VS schools in the top 100.
I just feel Valley Stream is a nice community. It is what you make it. Parents just have to stay on top of there children and make sure they excel. Its our responsiblity. Not just the schools. I could live in Garden City in a 2mill buck home and have a child out of control not going to school getting mixed up in the wrong crowd.

[Seann]

I think you're right. The sentiments here disturb me and it's the reason I don't post too often. I live just off Fletcher Ave on the Valley Stream/Elmont border. Take a drive through Dutch Broadway(runs through Elmont) and make a left or right turn on any block. The streets and homes are as nice as anything you will find in Valley Stream or Franklin Square. Some folks are so narrow minded that choose to reside in less diverse, yet inferior towns like Levittown. You'll never convince me that places like Levittown are more appealing to live than Valley Stream or Elmont. Other than a rough patch along Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont gets pretty nice once you head south. I hear the same crap about Baldwin & Westbury, which is actually very nice, excluding New Cassel.

[llama8]

Originally Posted by Seann

I think you're right. The sentiments here disturb me and it's the reason I don't post too often. I live just off Fletcher Ave on the Valley Stream/Elmont border. Take a drive through Dutch Broadway(runs through Elmont) and make a left or right turn on any block. The streets and homes are as nice as anything you will find in Valley Stream or Franklin Square. Some folks are so narrow minded that choose to reside in less diverse, yet inferior towns like Levittown. You'll never convince me that places like Levittown are more appealing to live than Valley Stream or Elmont. Other than a rough patch along Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont gets pretty nice once you head south. I hear the same crap about Baldwin & Westbury, which is actually very nice, excluding New Cassel.

I grew up in Elmont and I now live in Levittown in the Island Trees area. I don't find Levittown inferior at all. I love where I live. I choose to live in Levittown even though I can afford some pretty nice areas. My husband and I are both professionals with Master's Degrees. I don't know how it is inferior to Elmont at all. That is simply your opinion.

As someone who lived in both areas, I can honesly say that I would choose Levittown any day over Elmont. It has nothing to do with race. Levittown is more family friendly with parks and pools all over. The schools are much better than Elmont (with the stats to prove it). It has lower crime and much better shopping. I also love the surrounding towns. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I never heard of Levittown being inferior to Elmont. Perhaps you have your own prejudices that you need to address.

This particular thread will only incite anger and has no real purpose with regards to a question or information. You just need to realize that everyone has an opinion. By posting general and unwarrented negative things about other's towns, you are the ones that appear ignorant

[Seann]

I am far from ignorant, and you wouldn't seem so ignorant if you were able to discern context. My intent was not to pick on Levittown, I was making a bigger point regarding perceptions. I should have categorized Levittown as a comparable area as apposed to an inferior one, because that's all subjective. But Levittown was secondary to the point I was making, which had a lot more to do with Elmont.

Crime is low in Elmont, it's not high, but's that's all relative to Long Island of course. I'll give you a more specific example: I'll browse the forum and and read threads from soon to be Newbies to the island or just those who are relocating within seeking affirmation on things they've heard about certain areas that are just patently false! And the truth is that the area that they've espressed a desire to reside in isn't really much different than the area they hold negative perceptions of. That's the point i'm referring to. I just read a thread her last night about Mineola being overtaken by gangs. Does anyone really think that they'll be harmed passing though or residng in Mineola? It's absurd!

And this sort of stuff isn't repudiated nearly enough.

Quote: "This thread will incite anger and has no real purpose with regards to a questionj or information."

******

Really? As opposed to the not so subtle inferences and tacit approvals that gets past off as useful discussion here at times?

[arangoa79]

[SIZE=2]I lived on the south side of VS right off Rockaway and Horton, that particular area is predominantly caucausion. It seemed really nice for the two years we were there. I think that the reason people say to stay away from the area of VS that borders Elmont is that unfortunitly the closer you are to a predominantly minority area the lower the home values or rents are. When most people buy a home they would like to see an increase in value over time not a decrease. Buying a home close to a minority area lends you to the added risk of that area expanding into yours and thus lowering your home value. I beleive this is why many people try to stay away from the area of VS that borders Elmont. [/SIZE]

[napjester666]

I moved from one house in VS to another in VS because I really like the area and the fact that its diverse. My wife and I work in Manhattan and the commute is great (it almost takes me longer to get to midtown from Bklyn than Valley!). If you're someone who likes having close access to the city and wants a little piece of the suburbs, VS is for you.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by Seann

Really? As opposed to the not so subtle inferences and tacit approvals that gets past off as useful discussion here at times?

I couldn't have said it better myself! Rep point for you!

[TheTruth08]

Valley Stream is a lovely place to grow up, I would know because I live here. I go to Central High School, and even in the public schools all different races mingle with each other. I'm glad I got to experience this amount of diversity.

[llama8]

Originally Posted by Seann

I am far from ignorant, and you wouldn't seem so ignorant if you were able to discern context. My intent was not to pick on Levittown, I was making a bigger point regarding perceptions. I should have categorized Levittown as a comparable area as apposed to an inferior one, because that's all subjective. But Levittown was secondary to the point I was making, which had a lot more to do with Elmont.

Crime is low in Elmont, it's not high, but's that's all relative to Long Island of course. I'll give you a more specific example: I'll browse the forum and and read threads from soon to be Newbies to the island or just those who are relocating within seeking affirmation on things they've heard about certain areas that are just patently false! And the truth is that the area that they've espressed a desire to reside in isn't really much different than the area they hold negative perceptions of. That's the point i'm referring to. I just read a thread her last night about Mineola being overtaken by gangs. Does anyone really think that they'll be harmed passing though or residng in Mineola? It's absurd!

And this sort of stuff isn't repudiated nearly enough.

Quote: "This thread will incite anger and has no real purpose with regards to a questionj or information."

******

Really? As opposed to the not so subtle inferences and tacit approvals that gets past off as useful discussion here at times?

I do understand your point. Many people here do spout false ideas about towns based on prejudice and misinformation. I did understand your context. My point is that in trying to attempt to address certain biases on this forum, you too did make a judgement call about another area in an attempt to provide evidence in regards to Elmont. I agree with you 100% that many tales spun on this site are from the result of ignorance, but in trashing Levittown, did you not too make that type of judgement call?

I agree that Valley Stream and Elmont get a bad rap, when in fact they are nice towns. I grew up there and went to school there and the things posted on this site do not positively or accurately reflect these areas. However, posting what you did about Levittown mimicked the same thing you are speaking of, just in the opposite direction. Just like you don't like people offending Elmont or Valley Stream with misinformation...I feel the same way when people offend Levittown.

I do recant, however, that this topic has no purpose. Perhaps it is a useful tool to discuss ingnorance and tolerance in regards to posting.

[Seann]

Llama8, I apologize for belittling Levittown, as it wasn't my intent. I didn't imply Levittown was bad due to drugs, gangs, ethnic groups, or anything that connotes a stigma. What I meant was that Elmont would hold it own(imo) home for home, block for block with a lot of middle class neighborhoods on the island that looks down upon it.