Long Beach for Kids? (Hempstead, Oceanside: rentals, schools, restaurants)

[AVYinzer]

Is Long Beach an good place to move to with small kids? Obviously they have schools there but is it a place you would move your kids to? What are the advantages/disadvantages of the area?

[AlexisT]

There are plenty of families in Long Beach, though by LI standards, it's not the most family oriented town--lots of retirees and singles as well (but to someone from elsewhere, it wouldn't stand out, I think). Schools are okay, they've improved in the past 10 years.

The location is the tricky part. In the summer, it's unbeatable. However, it's a little out of the way. The commute to the city is okay, not great--nearly an hour by train. Getting to other parts of LI can take a while. There are a lot of restaurants and plenty to do, although it's a bit of a trip to the mall.

The other thing to know about is that lot sizes in Long Beach are small. There are very few lots of 60'x100' or larger and they cost a lot of money. The West End is on 30'x50', which is practically zero lot lines--not really great for kids. Long Beach, unlike a lot of Long Island, has an excellent choice of rentals if that's what you're looking for.

[hotkarl]

The traffic is kinda bad as well, especially in the summer. Gotta be super careful with letting the kids play outside or going anywhere. Most of LI is getting bad this way with the traffic, but LB in particular is not very kid friendly as far as letting them out and about. People try to beat the traffic on some of the bigger streets by ripping down the side streets, mostly ignoring stop signs. Some of the streets are very narrow and jam packed with parked cars, which leads to visibility issues for even the safest drivers. Kids running out between cars for the ball or crossing the street on their bike etc...You try to teach your kids to be safe and mindful of traffic, but somekids kids just do dumb things.

[MarqueseGilmore]

Originally Posted by AlexisT

There are plenty of families in Long Beach, though by LI standards, it's not the most family oriented town--lots of retirees and singles as well (but to someone from elsewhere, it wouldn't stand out, I think). Schools are okay, they've improved in the past 10 years.

The location is the tricky part. In the summer, it's unbeatable. However, it's a little out of the way. The commute to the city is okay, not great--nearly an hour by train. Getting to other parts of LI can take a while. There are a lot of restaurants and plenty to do, although it's a bit of a trip to the mall.

The other thing to know about is that lot sizes in Long Beach are small. There are very few lots of 60'x100' or larger and they cost a lot of money. The West End is on 30'x50', which is practically zero lot lines--not really great for kids. Long Beach, unlike a lot of Long Island, has an excellent choice of rentals if that's what you're looking for.

I agree with this....but the commute to the city is a about an hour on the train and about 30 to 45 minutes by car...not that bad. Theres a couple malls not too far away. The actual beach is nice for kids but Glencove might be better for kids.

[MarqueseGilmore]

Green Acres and Roosevelt Field are the malls I were thinking about.

[S.I.B.]

Originally Posted by MarqueseGilmore

I agree with this....but the commute to the city is a about an hour on the train and about 30 to 45 minutes by car...not that bad. Theres a couple malls not too far away. The actual beach is nice for kids but Glencove might be better for kids.

that's just a little optimistic...

[AlexisT]

45 minutes... at 3am if you're speeding. It took me 45 minutes from Oceanside without traffic.

Roosevelt Field is closer if you go up the Loop Parkway, and this is fine except on summer weekends. Also, nicer mall than Green Acres, and getting there is all surface streets and can be slow.

[Walter Greenspan]

Not a town, village or hamlet, Long Beach is one of the two cities in Nassau County (the other city is Glen Cove and there are no cities in Suffolk County).

Also, there are many places that have a "Long Beach, NY 11561" mailing addres (2,571 acres) that are not in the City of Long Beach (1,590 acres).


For those who may not be familiar with Long Beach:

Long Beach is a city (chartered in 1922) located on Long Beach Island in the southwest part of Nassau County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the City of Long Beach is bordered on the north by Hewlett Bay and Reynolds Channel; on the east by the Hamlet of Lido Beach in the Town of Hempstead; on the south by the Atlantic Ocean; and, on the west by the Hamlet of East Atlantic Beach in the Town of Hempstead.





The City of Long Beach has a different border than does the "Long Beach, NY 11561" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "Long Beach, NY 11561" mailing address and not be in the City of Long Beach): places that have a "Long Beach, NY 1561" mailing address that are not in the City of Long Beach are in the Hamlet of East Atlantic Beach and the Hamlet of Lido Beach, both of these hamlets are in the Town of Hempstead.


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

[MarqueseGilmore]

Originally Posted by Walter Greenspan

Not a town, village or hamlet, Long Beach is one of the two cities in Nassau County (the other city is Glen Cove and there are no cities in Suffolk County).

Also, there are many places that have a "Long Beach, NY 11561" mailing addres (2,571 acres) that are not in the City of Long Beach (1,590 acres).


For those who may not be familiar with Long Beach:

Long Beach is a city (chartered in 1922) located on Long Beach Island in the southwest part of Nassau County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the City of Long Beach is bordered on the north by Hewlett Bay and Reynolds Channel; on the east by the Hamlet of Lido Beach in the Town of Hempstead; on the south by the Atlantic Ocean; and, on the west by the Hamlet of East Atlantic Beach in the Town of Hempstead.





The City of Long Beach has a different border than does the "Long Beach, NY 11561" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "Long Beach, NY 11561" mailing address and not be in the City of Long Beach): places that have a "Long Beach, NY 1561" mailing address that are not in the City of Long Beach are in the Hamlet of East Atlantic Beach and the Hamlet of Lido Beach, both of these hamlets are in the Town of Hempstead.


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

Yeah I don't know why some places are consider LB but are not LB. Never understood that.

[MarqueseGilmore]

Originally Posted by AlexisT

45 minutes... at 3am if you're speeding. It took me 45 minutes from Oceanside without traffic.

Roosevelt Field is closer if you go up the Loop Parkway, and this is fine except on summer weekends. Also, nicer mall than Green Acres, and getting there is all surface streets and can be slow.

OK.........OK maybe 45 minutes to an hour!