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My wife and I may have the chance to move from Pleasanton, CA (east bay area) to Long Island. My job would be in Upton, NY. Our price range for a house would be 300K-400K. What makes me interested in the area around Upton is that it seems to be more affordable than Nassau to the west and Hamptons to the east, its got all four seasons(something I miss having grown up in southern Delaware), there's lots of water around, and it has lots of parks. Please inform me if I'm offbase.
Our questions/concerns are:
1)What are the best locations to live within 25min drive from Upton...we'd ideally want a house with .25 acre lot, plenty of trees, good/established neighborhood feel, and some type of downtown nearby for restaurants/library/church(grew up methodist, now going to lutheran church).
2)We haven't really gotten to know anyone out here in CA. This could be certainly our fault, but we'd like to be part of a friendly community, whether at church or neighbors or whatever. Is this likely in these areas?
3)We'd like to start a family once settled in, so are most areas very safe around there with again...good community feel? Don't know if we'd be there long enough to send the kid to school, so school ratings may not be that important.
4)Is the area urban sprawl? Or is it well managed/scenic/not claustraphobic?
5)Are the taxes outrageous? Can't be much worse than the upcoming 9.75% sales tax here I guess. What would be typical prop tax on 350K house?
6)What are outdoor activities available/popular?
7)We'd love to explore new england some while there and apparently there's a ferry to CT nearby. Is this easy to accomplish? Say, if we wanted to get away with our dog, could we just show up on a weekday, hop on the ferry and go? Or is it really crowded/require reservations way ahead of time or just not that convenient?
8)What's average drive time, if planned correctly, to get west of New York City?
9)How rural is the area? Does it feel like you're near NYC or is there open space...and is that open space likely to stay there or is there building going on everywhere?
I know those are a lot of questions, but thanks very much for your time. Looking forward to seeing what's out there.
I'm guessing this is BNL. (Upton pretty much IS BNL.) That's quite a way out. It's past the sprawl. 90 mins to the city (at least), more like 2hrs to get west of NYC. You definitely don't feel like you're near NYC. It's fringe exurb to almost rural, that far out. If you go a bit west, you'll see slightly denser exurban building.
Taxes are fairly high. Sales tax is 8.625%. Property tax is not capped like CA so is higher (but no Mello-Roos and most homes are not HOA here). But, overall, it seems like NY and CA are pretty comparable taxwise. Property taxes vary by district (school districts here are relatively small) so it's hard to give an estimate--if you look at listings on MLSLI.com – Long Island Real Estate – Find A Home in Nassau, Suffolk & Queens they'll tell you the taxes.
[quote=civilsurfer;7922271]My wife and I may have the chance to move from Pleasanton, CA (east bay area) to Long Island. My job would be in Upton, NY. Our price range for a house would be 300K-400K. What makes me interested in the area around Upton is that it seems to be more affordable than Nassau to the west and Hamptons to the east, its got all four seasons(something I miss having grown up in southern Delaware), there's lots of water around, and it has lots of parks. Please inform me if I'm offbase.
Our questions/concerns are:
1)What are the best locations to live within 25min drive from Upton...we'd ideally want a house with .25 acre lot, plenty of trees, good/established neighborhood feel, and some type of downtown nearby for restaurants/library/church(grew up methodist, now going to lutheran church).
Downtowns on LI are not that easy to come by, and usually you pay a premium for being near one that is actually walkable and not run down.
You should look into Rocky Point, Miller Place, and Sound Beach for houses in your range.
2)We haven't really gotten to know anyone out here in CA. This could be certainly our fault, but we'd like to be part of a friendly community, whether at church or neighbors or whatever. Is this likely in these areas?
People can be friendly here, but also fancy themselves as being "hard", ie, tough and sometimes unfriendly.. Make the first move and hope for the best
3)We'd like to start a family once settled in, so are most areas very safe around there with again...good community feel? Don't know if we'd be there long enough to send the kid to school, so school ratings may not be that important.
Schools on LI are generally high rated outside of a few areas. The schools in the areas I mentioned are fine. Avoid Longwood and William Floyd School Districts.
4)Is the area urban sprawl? Or is it well managed/scenic/not claustraphobic?
It is suburban but not completely sprawled out. Pockets around the main roads do feel sprawly, but away from the main roads, it is more rural. the area near the lab is pretty rural.
5)Are the taxes outrageous? Can't be much worse than the upcoming 9.75% sales tax here I guess. What would be typical prop tax on 350K house?
Yes taxes are outrageous, probably the biggest issue most people have here. A 350K house you are looking at 6-9K depending on the school district, age, etc. Sales tax is not as high as CA, but you'll get screwed someplace else, don't worry.
6)What are outdoor activities available/popular?
Mountain biking and hiking can be done in many parks. We don't have the outdoor enthusiasm here that you had in CA, though, partly because the winter is miserable.
7)We'd love to explore new england some while there and apparently there's a ferry to CT nearby. Is this easy to accomplish? Say, if we wanted to get away with our dog, could we just show up on a weekday, hop on the ferry and go? Or is it really crowded/require reservations way ahead of time or just not that convenient?
You need ot reserve the ferry, but it is pretty easy, not super expensive, and definitely worth avoiding the Throgs Neck bottle neck if you can afford it. The drive out east on a summer morning can be beautiful.
8)What's average drive time, if planned correctly, to get west of New York City?
It's going to take you at least 1.5 hours to get past Manhattan unless you leave at 2Am and there is no construction (there often is), and during any rush hour, twice that long.
9)How rural is the area? Does it feel like you're near NYC or is there open space...and is that open space likely to stay there or is there building going on everywhere?
You will be a long way from NYC, but you'll still hear people who sound like they were born in Brooklyn (the Long Island accent). In terms of culture and feel, apart from that accent and pizza parlors, it's pretty far removed from what NYC is all about. Much less diversity, much more conservative, much less to offer culturally, but it's not bad. In exchange, you get cleaner air, more space, less noise.
Good schools, miles of beachfront, breathtaking waterviews, 5000 acre nature preserve with some of the best biking around, a humble little downtown thats walkable and currently being revitalized, low taxes but above all a great sense of community.
Youll love it here, BNL is a stones throw, best bang for the buck in the area.
civilsurfer, while there is an "Upton, NY 11973" ZIP Code postal zone, places with an "Upton, NY 11973" mailing address are in the Hamlet of Yaphank.
For those who may not be familiar with Yaphank:
Yaphank is a hamlet (an unincorporated community) in the central part of the Town of Brookhaven, in the central part of Suffolk County.
Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Yaphank (including the Brookhaven National Laboratory) is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of Gordon Heights, the Hamlet of Middle Island and the Hamlet of Ridge; on the east by the Hamlet of Shirley; on the south by the Hamlet of Brookhaven and the Hamlet of North Bellport; and, on the west by the Hamlet of North Bellport and the Hamlet of Medford.
The Hamlet of Yaphank has a different border than does the "Yaphank, NY 11980" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "Yaphank, NY 11980" mailing address and not be in the Hamlet of Yaphank and a place can have other than a "Yaphank, NY 11980" mailing address and be in the Hamlet of Yaphank): places that have a "Yaphank, NY 11980" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Yaphank are in the Hamlet of Medford and the Hamlet of Middle Island; and, at the same time, there are places in the Hamlet of Yaphank with an "Upton, NY 11973", "Medford, NY 11763" and "Middle Island, NY 11953" mailing address.
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): Excellent Long Island Geographic Resource
Sure! We're renting right now in a very nice town in the east bay, but want to move somewhere with all four seasons, less traffic, closer to the beach would be nice, and a bit slower pace of living.
Another couple question to throw out there...
How dog-friendly is the area around where I'll be looking? Are there trails to walk your dog and are beaches dog-friendly?
Also, are there some ocean beaches that are uncrowded, even during the summer? Just trying to get a feeling. I grew up in Delaware, and there were some very crowded beaches during the summer(ocean city, rehoboth) but also some less crowded (fenwick, cape henlopen park). Thoughts?
I saw some averages of home prices near 400K in Stony Brook...is that accurate? Can I get something nice between 300-400k with lots of trees, .25 acre lot, established neighborhood? I don't need/want new construction.
Stony Brook is a great buy--3V is arguably the best school district in the area. Crooks will always try to sell you on RP, but the schools there aren't as highly rated--you may not have kids yet, but schools are an enormous factor in house prices here. Also, the university gives the area a flavor some of the surrounding areas lack.
The North Shore in general has lots of trees--as you go towards the Sound it gets hillier, whereas the middle of the Island and the south shore are flat. Going out towards Upton are the Pine Barrens, which is a very different landscape.
This is suburbia; lots of dogs, but you may not be able to bring them on many beaches because of cleanliness and bird issues. I remember Long Beach had to stop doing the dog beach because they were disturbing the birds.
The main public south shore beaches get very busy in the summer, but if you take the ferry to Fire Island it's much quieter. The sound beaches are also quieter though they vary in quality (some are sandy, some are rocky, while the south shore is basically a sandbar).
For those who may not be familiar with Stony Brook
civilsurfer, Stony Brook is part of the "Three Village" (usually abbreviated as '3V') area -- it's really 2 villages and 2 hamlets -- that also includes the Village of Old Field (incorporated in 1927), the Village of Poquott (incorporated in 1931) and the Hamlet of Setauket-East Setauket.
For those who may not be familiar with Stony Brook:
Stony Brook is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the northwest part of the Town of Brookhaven, in the north-central part of Suffolk County, along the Brookhaven/Smithtown town line.
Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Stony Brook in the Town of Brookhaven is bordered on the north by the Village of Old Field; on the east by the Hamlet of Setauket-East Setauket; on the south by the Village of Lake Grove; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Saint James and the Village of Head of the Harbor in the Town of Smithtown (the Brookhaven/Smithtown town line) and Long Island Sound.
The Hamlet of Stony Brook has a different border than does the "Stony Brook, NY 11790 and 11794" ZIP Code postal zones (i.e., a place can have a "Stony Brook, NY 11790 and 11794" mailing address and not be in the Hamlet of Stony Brook): places that have a "Stony Brook, NY 11790 and 11794" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Stony Brook are in the Village of Old Field and in the Hamlet of Setauket-East Setauket.
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): Excellent Long Island Geographic Resource
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For those who may not be familiar with Yaphank
