Great Neck (Hempstead, Union, Hyde Park: fit in, house, neighborhood)

[JaNaPad]

We are currently living in Suffolk and are considering moving to Great Neck (for the shorter commute). We really want to make sure we do the proper research before buying another house this time around because I feel like we slacked the last time. Are there any areas of Great neck to avoid? We're looking for good schools and a good neighborhood. My kids are very young. We're not religious, but have no problem being in a religious area as long as people are nice. We're also considering Port Washington. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[Walter Greenspan]

JaNaPad, first off, you need to be aware that 8 out of every 10 places that have a "Great Neck, NY" mailing address (6,022 acres) are not in the Village of Great Neck (866 acres), and there are 13 communities (9 villages and 4 hamlets) that are at least partially within the borders of the "Great Neck, NY 11020 to 11024" ZIP Code postal zone.


For those who may not be familiar with Great Neck:

Great Neck is a village (incorporated in 1921) in the northwest part of the Town of North Hempstead, in the northwest part of Nassau County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Village of Great Neck in the Town of North Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Village of Kings Point; on the east by Manhasset Bay; on the south by the Hamlet of Great Neck Gardens, the Village of Great Neck Estates and the Village of Saddle Rock; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Saddle Rock Estates and the Village Kings Point.





Great Neck is one of those many villages and hamlets on Long Island where the majority of the places with the community name as part of their mailing address are not in the village: places that have a "Great Neck, NY 11020 through 11024" mailing address that are not in the Village of Great Neck are in the Village of Great Neck Estates, the Hamlet of Great Neck Gardens, the Village of Great Neck Plaza, the Hamlet of Harbor Hills, the Village of Kensington, the Village of Kings Point, the Village of Lake Success, the Village of Russell Gardens, the Village of Saddle Rock, the Hamlet of Saddle Rock Estates, the Village of Thomaston and the Hamlet of University Gardens.


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

[Walter Greenspan]

And, JaNaPad, a similar situation also occurs in Port Washington, where about 6 out of every 10 places that have a "Port Washington, NY 11050" mailing address (6,652 acres) are not in the Hamlet of Port Washington (2,732 acres), and there are 6 communities (5 villages and 1 hamlet) that are at least partially within the borders of the "Port Washington, NY 11050" ZIP Code postal zone.


For those who may not be familiar with Port Washington:

Port Washington is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the northeast part of the Town of North Hempstead, in the northwest part of Nassau County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Port Washington in the Town of North Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Village of Baxter Estates, the Village of Port Washington North and the Village of Sands Point; on the east by Hempstead Harbor; on the south by the Village of Flower Hill; and, on the west by the Village of Plandome Manor and Manhasset Bay.





Port Washington is one of those villages and hamlets on Long Island where the majority of the places with the community name as part of their mailing address are not in the hamlet: places that have a "Port Washington, NY 11050" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Port Washington are in the Village of Sands Point, the Village of Port Washington North, the Village of Manorhaven, the Village of Baxter Estates and the Village of Flower Hill.


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

[azzurrony]

Janapad,

Great Neck is predominantly Jewish, particularly Persian Jews. It's a lovely area, but if your kids are not Jewish, you will have to take that into consideration. Many have said that if you aren't Jewish, you won't feel welcome there. I can't say for sure because I've never lived there. That said, the schools are very strong, and there are other religions and ethnicities in the area.

[S.I.B.]

Originally Posted by azzurrony

Janapad,

Great Neck is predominantly Jewish, particularly Persian Jews. It's a lovely area, but if your kids are not Jewish, you will have to take that into consideration. Many have said that if you aren't Jewish, you won't feel welcome there. I can't say for sure because I've never lived there. That said, the schools are very strong, and there are other religions and ethnicities in the area.

one of my co-workers would always rant about the "Iranians" who were moving into and taking over Great Neck. Kind of interesting I guess....although I honestly don't know anything about the topic.

[azzurrony]

SIB

Yes, a strong contingent of Jews left Iran during its turbelent times and first went to Europe before eventually settling in the US. Most are in Great Neck or LA. There are very few Persian Muslims in that area.

[djdairyp]

Originally Posted by azzurrony

Janapad,

Great Neck is predominantly Jewish, particularly Persian Jews. It's a lovely area, but if your kids are not Jewish, you will have to take that into consideration. Many have said that if you aren't Jewish, you won't feel welcome there. I can't say for sure because I've never lived there. That said, the schools are very strong, and there are other religions and ethnicities in the area.

This is not really true, it becomes more diverse every year. The northern part of town and northern schools are very jewish still and there is a larger persian population as well, but the southern part of great neck near the expressway and the parts of new hyde park that are in great neck schools have a large mix of etnicities. 1/3 of the south high school is asian, small amount of latino and black, and a mix of white denominations jewish and otherwise.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by djdairyp

This is not really true, it becomes more diverse every year. The northern part of town and northern schools are very jewish still and there is a larger persian population as well, but the southern part of great neck near the expressway and the parts of new hyde park that are in great neck schools have a large mix of etnicities. 1/3 of the south high school is asian, small amount of latino and black, and a mix of white denominations jewish and otherwise.

The North Part is basically dominated by Persian Jews, the South more mixed. I'll avoid any sweeping generalizations, but I'd go there and experience the attitudes of the people there before jumping into a house, especially the North side.

[Walter Greenspan]

JaNaPad, when people refer to the north part and the south part, they are referring to the north part and the south part of the Great Neck peninsula, which is much a larger area than the Village of Great Neck.

Also, while no part of the Village of New Hyde Park is in the Great Neck Union Free School District, parts of the Hamlet of North New Hyde Park and the Village of Lake Success that have a "New Hyde Park, NY 11040" mailing address are in the Great Neck Union Free School District.

[JaNaPad]

I'm Asian and my husband is Jewish. However, he is neither religious or Persian. We really want an area where we'll fit in and feel welcomed. Schools are very important as well. We're moving from a very good school district and we'd like to move to an area with comparable schools. I've heard mix reviews about the schools in Port Washington, but otherwise we think that would be the best fit for us. Any suggestions?? Also, in regards to PW, what are the more "desirable" areas closer to the trains- preferable walking distance? I understand that parking is horrendous there.