Brightwaters Home w/Bay Shore Schools (Brentwood: real estate, homes, nicest)

[boomvang]

Mystic Oaks is a fairly new development just north of the RR tracks off Orinoco Dr., about 1/2mile from the center of the business district of Brightwaters. As far as the schools, my sister works in the high school, and sent both her boys there. I have been to many events there and have been very impressed both with the student body and the infrastructure. Don't listen to the naysayers, the schools are not bad at all.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by sassieskier

Walter,
Can you tell me what Brightwaters Farms is? I've seen a lot of listings on MLSLI that say Brightwaters Farms but are not in the Brightwaters section you posted.

Thanks!

Here's some background info on Brightwaters Farms in the Hamlet of Bay Shore.

[cottercutie]

Mystic Oaks is actually West Bay Shore, not Brightwaters.



You can see the circular road for one of the 3 Mystics on the corner area of Manor Lane and Orinoco Dr.

I have a coworker who lives in one of the 3 subdivisions and is very happy there. I do believe that all three have HOA's so if you're considering renting there you may want to ask about the HOA bylaws to see if any would affect your lifestyle.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by cottercutie

Mystic Oaks is actually West Bay Shore, not Brightwaters.

Good catch, cottercuttie.

Places in the Hamlet of West Bay Shore have a "Bay Shore, NY 11706" and a "West Islip, NY 11795" mailing address.

[DCopperfield]

Bay Shore is a REAL town. It has poor, middle and upper class areas. It has ethnic diversity. Whether it's economics, religion or racial diversity, everyone gets along. Also, the school district is considered one of the best on Long Island. Some people put young kids in the local religious elementary school, and these children are way behind the public school children. Most of the affluent parents take their children out of private and parochial schools and put them in Bay Shore schools to get a better education. Bay Shore schools certainly offer a lot more than WI schools. Read the Great South Bay Magazine. It gives you a nice look at life in Bay Shore. You know how WI is all developments....well Bay Shore has charm and unique qualities. You will be happy with your move.

[natschultz]

Mystic Oaks is a new development in Bay Shore. I think it is the townhouse one across from the RR tracks on Orinoco (just west of the Village) before the road to Lowes.

Brightwaters Farms is just a neighborhood in Bay Shore - North of Sunrise HWY above actual Brightwaters Village (I don't know what it's like now, but I wouldn't go there at night). Lawrence Farms is also in Bay Shore, right next to Brightwaters Village (to the east, between Montauk and Union) that is very nice.

I wrote my own review of Brightwaters (live here and love it) and the BS school district on another post 2 years ago. It has lots of info, so I'll just copy it here for you.

BTW: Kids in religious schools are NOT behind the public schools. Why would they be? They are more disciplined, something that is lacking in ALL public schools these days.

The big difference between Bay Shore and West Islip schools is the fact that W. Islip is WHITE Islip. As for the "character" of the towns - BS and Brightwaters are definitely more architecturally pleasing. As for schools, West Islip definitely scores better overall, but I'll post my long post from 2 years ago and you'll understand. In Bay Shore rich kids have active parents and high test scores, but the average of overall scores are brought down by others and that is why all the neighboring "white" towns post higher results.

Trust me, it is the parents that matter most. My mom was a grammar-Nazi and both my brother and I were forced into private tutoring when BS went to hell (when my younger brother was in Kindergarten) and that is why I came out OK. Back then most kids went to Catholic school (but my dad hated his Catholic school nuns, so he kept us out). Almost everyone I knew spent at least some of their time in Catholic schools. By HS my parents even tried to force me to go to St. Joseph's (all girls) but I refused; they did force my brother to go to St. Johns, but he got kicked-out for refusing to cut his hair.

[natschultz]

Here is my post from 2 years ago (under Thinking of moving to Brightwaters):
(not edited)


Brightwaters is Beautiful!

I have lived in Brightwaters my whole life; it is a beautiful village.
I graduated from Bay Shore in 1994. Here is my humble opinion: From what I have seen BS schools are still top-notch academically, BUT if I had children I would not send them there. Honestly, I wouldn't send my children to any public school, so my opinion is rather skewed. Here is the thing with Bay Shore SD: it is EXTREMELY diverse (much more so than when I grew up there), but, the academics and athletics and music/theatre departments are great.
The reason the school district is still top-notch is because the wealthy families from the nicer areas play an extremely active role within the schools. So, what you will notice is that you have a small percentage of high-achievers who are well behaved and well-educated, and as far as the rest of the student body goes, I'm way too afraid to ask.

Taxes: Brightwaters has long carried the brunt of paying for Bay Shore Schools, but in actuality the taxes on any Bay Shore home are very high now. The extra $1,000-3,000 extra Village taxes are well worth it if you ask me: they pay for keeping the village safe and beautiful (we have our own security as well as a Suffolk County police officer whom we pay to patrol the Village). And, honestly, the residents here will hoot and hollar the second any shenanigans happen, quickly nipping any problems in the bud. Plus, those taxes give you access to the beaches, parks (tennis) and docking rights in the canal.

I do not have children, but more and more families with children have moved into the Village over the past 10 years, replacing the retirement age residents. Most residents are active Catholics, so St. Patricks is a popular school, but I knew kids who attended St. Mary's and even St. Peter's By the Sea (Episcopalian), all Elementaries within 5-15 minutes away. A lot of parents send their kids to BS and then St. John's or St. Anthony's for High School (or St. Joseph's Academy for Girls or Chaminade for boys).

Brightwaters is definitely the best place on Long Island to live if you want a small community with lots of character within easy access to the LIRR and all kinds of shopping, from Main Street Bay Shore to the Malls and everything else within 5-10 minutes drive. And, you can walk to the lakes or the canal / bay within 5 minutes or drive to Robert Moses within 7 minutes or the Fire Island Ferries in less than 5 minutes.
If water is your thing, Brightwaters is your place!

My favorite thing about Brightwaters is the character: most homes are 50-100 years old; most are in great condition with more land than any of the subdivisions that have taken over every last parcel of land on this part of Long Island. And, there are very few plots left to build on. And, with rare exceptions (such as the tear-down cited (I was distraught when they tore that Craftsman house down, but they spent over a million rebuilding it to look exactly the same just 2x the size)), the village no longer allows tear-downs of historic homes (someone wanted to tear down a beautiful Tudor, but the Village said "no").

So, if schools are your biggest concern, one of the Islips may be a better fit. But, drive through West Islip and you have to admit that it lacks the character of Brightwaters or even old Bay Shore.
But, if you are an active parent then Brightwaters should be fine because honestly, your kids will mostly associate with other kids from the area (seriously - I looked through my yearbook and didn't even realize just how diverse my class was until after I graduated because all the kids I knew were from the Brightwaters / West Bay Shore area).

I believe the reason the taxes are so high is because the wealthy families are willing to bite the bullet to make sure the schools don't go to Hell. The major problem is that the less desirable population keeps increasing, but truthfully that is happening across the whole county (read Suffolk Life or the Islip Bulletin and the costs of illegals are killing eveyone!).
I agree that Brightwaters should have it's own school, but the problem is that that would cost so much in infrastructure alone, nevermind teacher salaries. The real problem is that we have paid so much to BS that we would lose everything, so it is just easier to make sure BS stays in top condition for our kids, even if most of the money doesn't end up going to our kids. The benefits of a big school district mostly come in the form of the extra-curricular activities: all the sports teams and music programs. Brightwaters has a total population of just over 3,000 (I would guess about 300 of those are school-age students). Also, where would the school be built?

I would suggest talking to some active Bay Shore School parents; not just from Brightwaters, but from the nice areas (O'Connee, Lawrence Farms, West Bay Shore). You can probably call the district and find out when they hold meetings/ budget votes/ PTA. Also, the Chamber of Commerce might know some active parents. Or, join St. Pat's RC Church (seriously - they seem very active in the schools).

As far as Bay Shore neighborhoods go, the area known as "Brightwaters Farms" has no relation to Brightwaters itself. BF is north of Sunrise Highway, below Southern State (north of Bay Shore Rd.) It was originally built as beach bungalows for the working class, but that didn't work out, so the homes were converted to year-round homes back in the 1950's or something.

Lawrence Farms is a really nice area that looks just like Brightwaters (older homes) right over the eastern border of Brightwaters starting with Sunset Rd. (Forum Diner corner) between Main Street (Montauk Hwy.) and Union Blvd. it goes until a couple blocks before St. Pat's.
It's nice because just like that section of Brightwaters the streets do not connect to any other neighborhood - you have to go to Main St. or Union to get out.

O'Connee is very nice on the water - south of Main St. with the brick column entrance between Friendly's and YMCA (look for St. Lukes).
The streets going down to the water around the ferries have gorgeous old Victorians, but during the 1970's-1990's the area was not so good, but I think it may be a lot better now.
Penataquit is a really nice area on the water too (south of Main, take the street next to the bank across from the hospital); also one of those areas where the streets don't connect to any other neighborhoods.

West Bay Shore is a good area (between Union and Main directly opposite SoHo country club from Brightwaters). The only problem I have with the area is the lack of character - classic 1950's-60's split levels and the western side has a lot of 1970's neo-Georgian homes. But most of those homes are on really big lots.

My best advice for anyone looking at Bay Shore is do NOT go north of Sunrise Highway! Also, avoid the areas between Union Blvd. and Sunrise that are east of Fifth Avenue (near the train station, High School, Brook Avenue). Pretty much avoid 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Avenues altogether, even between Main and Union (OK during the day, but I wouldn't venture there at night).
VERY BAAAAAAADDDDDDD!!!!!!!

[rocafeller05]

Come on this statement is a little overboard dont ya think? You make Brightwaters Farms out to be a East NY or something. Lets be real.

"Brightwaters Farms is just a neighborhood in Bay Shore - North of Sunrise HWY above actual Brightwaters Village (I don't know what it's like now, but I wouldn't go there at night). Lawrence Farms is also in Bay Shore, right next to Brightwaters Village (to the east, between Montauk and Union) that is very nice."

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by natschultz

Mystic Oaks is a new development in Bay Shore. I think it is the townhouse one across from the RR tracks on Orinoco (just west of the Village) before the road to Lowes.

natschultz, while Mystic Oaks may have a ""Bay Shore, NY 11706" mailing address, as cottercutie points out, "Mystic Oaks is actually (in) West Bay Shore ... "

Bear in mind that a place can have a "Bay Shore, NY 11706" mailing address and not be in the Hamlet of Bay Shore; and, such places that have a "Bay Shore, NY 11706" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Bay Shore are in the Village of Brightwaters, the Hamlet of North Bay Shore, the Hamlet of West Bay Shore, the Hamlet of Baywood, the Hamlet of Islip, the Village of Saltaire and the Hamlet of Fire Island.

[cottercutie]

Originally Posted by rocafeller05

Come on this statement is a little overboard dont ya think? You make Brightwaters Farms out to be a East NY or something. Lets be real.

"Brightwaters Farms is just a neighborhood in Bay Shore - North of Sunrise HWY above actual Brightwaters Village (I don't know what it's like now, but I wouldn't go there at night). Lawrence Farms is also in Bay Shore, right next to Brightwaters Village (to the east, between Montauk and Union) that is very nice."

Drive through Brightwaters VILLAGE and then Brightwaters FARMS and you'll see the difference is night and day. There's the actual FARM up there and the areas around it are run down, many homes had been tagged or were boarded up.... it's just an area of Bayshore that Realtors try to sell with the charm of actual Brightwaters but the dividing line of Sunrise Highway makes them WORLDS apart, kind of like what 5th ave does between Bayshore and Brightwaters Village