Oyster Bay Whats the story? (Union, Brentwood: crime, buying a home, neighborhood)

[vwalex]

So whats the story with Oyster Bay? Between what I read here and what I here from Long Islanders, I don't know what to believe.

For starters I hear and have read that there is a large spanish population If so are they living in one area of Oyster Bay of all around. Is the neighborhood changing?

When it comes to the schools What I read in black in white the schools don't look bad. but I hear they are not the greatest.

I grew up in Woodhaven Queens now living bayside and not real big fan of long island. I have just took a car ride around Oyster Bay and I love it. I don't feel like I'm on LI but that I'm some where upstate.

Thanks for all you help and input.

Alex

[vwalex]

So whats the story with Oyster Bay? Between what I read here and what I here from Long Islanders, I don't know what to believe.

For starters I hear and have read that there is a large spanish population If so are they living in one area of Oyster Bay of all around. Is the neighborhood changing?

When it comes to the schools What I read in black in white the schools don't look bad. but I hear they are not the greatest.

I grew up in Woodhaven Queens now living bayside and not real big fan of long island. I have just took a car ride around Oyster Bay and I love it. I don't feel like I'm on LI but that I'm some where upstate.

Thanks for all you help and input.

Alex

[BovinaCowHateWindTurbines]

It's a very narrow view here of Long Island hit a bar in Oyster Bay where I was born and you might a better feel.

What makes it feel like upstate is all those mansions and Cove neck the better part let's say. Unless you like 18,000 a year in taxes and you don't like Long Island you won't like Oyster Bay. Certainly is one of the nicer parts and an ol' time favorite of mine.

[Walter Greenspan]

"Oyster Bay" can be quite confusing because about 9 of every 10 places that have an "Oyster Bay, NY 11771" mailing address (7,002 acres) are not in the Hamlet of Oyster Bay (763 acres).

Actually, there are 3 "Oyster Bays" (from smallest to largest, in order of acreage):

1. There is the Hamlet of Oyster Bay (763 acres);

2. There is the "Oyster Bay, NY 11771" ZIP Code postal zone (7,002 acres), and it includes the Hamlet of Oyster Bay and parts of 7 villages (municipal corporations) and 1 other hamlet (unincorporated area) within its service area; and,

3. There is the Town of Oyster Bay (70,908 acres), and it includes 18 villages and 18 hamlets as well as the "Oyster Bay, NY 11771" ZIP Code postal zone and all or parts of 27 other ZIP Code postal zones, within its borders.


For those who may not be familiar with Oyster Bay:

Oyster Bay is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the north most part of the Town of Oyster Bay, in the northeast part of Nassau County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Oyster Bay in the Town of Oyster Bay is bordered on the north by Oyster Bay Harbor; on the east by the Village of Oyster Bay Cove; on the south by the Hamlet of East Norwich; and, on the west by the Village of Upper Brookville and the Village of Mill Neck.





Oyster Bay is one of those many villages and hamlets on Long Island where most of the places that have the community name as part of their mailing address are not in the hamlet: places that have an "Oyster Bay, NY 11771" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Oyster Bay are in the Village of Centre Island, the Village of Cove Neck, the Village of Oyster Bay Cove, the Village of Laurel Hollow, the Hamlet of East Norwich, the Village of Muttontown the Village of Upper Brookville and the Village of Mill Neck.


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

[vwalex]

Thanks Walter. I have been looking at some houses on MLS some houses are very affordable any where from 350 to 500. I will cut and past the section I'm looking at. I was also thinking of taking a ride Friday around 2:30 - 3 o'clock to see the true bustle of the town when school lets out.

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by vwalex

Thanks Walter. I have been looking at some houses on MLS some houses are very affordable any where from 350 to 500. I will cut and past the section I'm looking at. I was also thinking of taking a ride Friday around 2:30 - 3 o'clock to see the true bustle of the town when school lets out.

I love Oyster Bay, great area. Beautiful waterfront, history on every corner. Unlike a lot of places on the North Shore, there are actually a wide variety of living accommodations and home prices. 350-500 will most likely put you in one of the older houses right near the center of town, or on the hill near the high school. If I was buying a home there, I would want one of those....but on the other hand, a lot of people will tell you that area stinks because many of those homes have been converted to multiple residences and are occupied by Hispanic families.

Aside from the fact that there's absolutely nothing wrong with non-white people inhabiting any given area (the crux of why you'll see a bad rep attributed to OB in some posts) "many" is more like 15-20%.....coming from Woodhaven, you're gonna say to yourself WTF are these people talking about? There is basically no crime at all in the area, the supposedly "bad" schools post excellent test scores and have glowing reviews on greatschools.net - class sizes are very small because the district covers an area that includes Centre Island, Cove Neck, Oyster Bay Cove and East Norwich - all extremely wealthy areas. Most of those kids go to private schools.

Depending on where you live, you can either walk to or have a very short drive to basically anything you'd ever need....but to get anywhere else, you definitely need a car - and getting up Route 106 from the parkways can be a pain in the neck. I don't even think buses run there. LIRR service isn't that great either, but not the worst.

Good luck, let us know what you think!

[vwalex]

After looking at the schools I'm worried about my daughter who is just 10 months old. What will the schools be like in 5 years. I'm back looking at East Rockaway. But I still love the area.

[Smash255]

Originally Posted by vwalex

After looking at the schools I'm worried about my daughter who is just 10 months old. What will the schools be like in 5 years. I'm back looking at East Rockaway. But I still love the area.

The schools in Oyster Bay are pretty well regarded. What exactly about the schools worries you a few years down the road?

[sean sean sean sean]

East Rockaway is very nice, but the schools are absolutely no comparison to Oyster Bay-East Norwich. Take a look at the regents scores on greatschools.net - somewhat close but still better in OB/EN. Then compare students scoring at a higher level (85+) on those same regents and the difference is staggering:

PSK12.com - East Rockaway JSHS: Standard Ranking: 87.8
PSK12.com - Oyster Bay High School: Standard Ranking: 151.6

These test scores don't mean everything, but that is a painfully low number. It's closest neighbors on this scale would be Uniondale, Brentwood and Bellport. East Rockaway is one of the lowest scoring districts in Nassau County in this regard, and has been for at least the last eight years. Oyster Bay HS on the other hand is consistently in the top 20% or higher....they are worlds apart. What do you have to be scared of?

[martha flanagan]

part of the reason OB gets a bad rap is because they are stuck between the best schools in the country; Jericho, Syosset and coldspring Harbor. I am very happy w/ the schools and their teaching (I have 3 kids ages 11-5). The only drag is there are 3 schools only. K-2, 3-6 and ()7-8 is in the HS. The busing is a problem.