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I think your best bet would be Farmingdale, it's the only one with a legitimate downtown area and it's one of the best on LI. If you lived close enough to it (and there are some extremely nice areas nearby - not sure if they're in your price range, though) you could walk everywhere, including the train station which averages 50 minutes to Penn Station. Wantagh has one too, but it's much smaller and really geared towards the bar scene entirely. Massapequa and Seaford are nothing but strip malls and highways.
If you want to commute from Farmingdale station, keep in mind that village residents get preferential treatment for parking. There's a waiting list for non-residents. Massapequa Park is also village only.
Massapequa Park has a nice little downtown, and great proximity to the Bethpage Park bike trail. i know it wasn't on the list, but it's close enough.
True true....that one is extremely tiny though - like one block. I remember going to some ice cream shop over there during Christmas when I was really young, it was good!
Farmingdale is fairly close to that bike trail too, the lake in Massapequa (or Massapequa Park) is great. I used to go fishing there all the time. Wantagh also has a bike trail down to Jones Beach and a similar park/lake to Massapequa.
I think a lot would depend on other things that you may be interested in, or might be looking for. In many ways these areas could be considered very similar in terms of "nicer downtown". As far a "natural environment" you are a bit closer to the beach in Wantagh only because I think it's closest to the Wantagh Parkway. Beyond that there are plenty of parks in each hamlet and block after block of standard LI suburbia.
Are you looking to buy or rent? Kids or no kids? Commuting? Planning on staying 5 or more year? Is distance to family important? I think answers to questions like these will result in more specific answers as to which area might suit you best.
In terms of natural environment - where the people actually live in Wantagh is still several miles away from Jones Beach. And Seaford, and for that matter, Bellmore, Merrick and Freeport are not much further. Massapequa has the Massapequa Perserve right in the middle of it. And Farmingdale has the large Belmont state park.
Massapequa has great beaches. Farmingdale doesnt. Massapequa has great parks and bike paths. one starts on Curones on Merrick road and extends into bethpage. I used to ride it when I was a kid. Theres no need to leave Massapequa if you want to go shopping, it has "EVERYTHING".
I had the same choice to make, same budget, last summer. I had Seaford/Massapequa targeted. I ended up looking a bit further East. I recommend spending a day in Babylon Village before deciding.
In terms of natural environment - where the people actually live in Wantagh is still several miles away from Jones Beach. And Seaford, and for that matter, Bellmore, Merrick and Freeport are not much further. Massapequa has the Massapequa Perserve right in the middle of it. And Farmingdale has the large Belmont state park.
I think you meant Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale.
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#1 according to whom??
