Looking for a nice place to raise a family (Huntington: fit in, attorney)

[seyi]

Currently, I am looking to purchase in Long Island and am in need of some information as to the best places to move. I am an African American female with a husband and a 5 year old. Obviously my number one concern is finding a good school district that is diverse. However, the problem that I have found is that the areas with the higher minority rates, tend to have the worst schools and the most crime. While this saddens me I have to put my daughters needs first and find a school district that is good. Additionally, I would like to find an area that would be welcoming of my family and myself. While I do not want to be the only black person in the neighborhood, I am more concerned with being safe and living in an area that feels like a community where neighbors interact with one another. I was told that Nassau County is very racist and that I should stay away (not sure if this is true). I was looking at areas like Hicksville, Rockville Centre, Massapequa, Bayshore, etc..... While I am an attorney, do not want to live in an area where the people are stuckup and turn their noses up to the rest of the world. I want to live around good people with values. Any help would be appreciated.

[hotkarl]

LI is a crapshoot.
You could get all kinds of information and positive feedback about a community, but end up buying the house next door to the village idiot, or worst case, the village bigot.
There is a ton of info on this board about this very subject. Do a search, you'll be on here for days reading all the posts.
Where are you moving from?

[Walter Greenspan]

seyi, in case you are unfamiliar with the local geography:

What people refer to colloquially as "towns" are actually villages and hamlets, which are within actual towns; and, because villages and hamlets are referred to as "towns", then, many times, the error is compounded when actual towns are referred to as "townships".

Also, many colloquially refer to a "downtown business district" in a hamlet as a "village".

http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-y...-glossary.html and http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...-resource.html may be of some help to you in understanding the geography of "Lawn Guyland".

http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...you-think.html may help you understand the great geographic confusions caused by non-conforming ZIP Code postal zones.

When you do find a house that you like, you can find out in which community (city, village or CDP) that house is actually located, which is oftentimes different from the community named in that house's mailing address, by using the Census Bureau's online address search function. (CDP or Census Designated Place is the Census Bureau equivalent for a hamlet in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.)

And, very importantly, among other things, the Census Bureau's online address search function also indicates in which school district an address is located.

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by seyi

the problem that I have found is that the areas with the higher minority rates, tend to have the worst schools and the most crime. While this saddens me I have to put my daughters needs first and find a school district that is good. ... I was told that Nassau County is very racist and that I should stay away (not sure if this is true).

Unfortunately your analysis of the school district demographic disparity is sadly correct. As for Nassau being notably more racist than Suffolk, IMHO that's not necessarily true although there are certain Nassau communities that are predominately one ethnicity or religion (for example the "Five Towns", and others such as Great Neck, have a very large Jewish population; parts of Hicksville are now predominately Middle Eastern, and so forth). Whether people are assuming that racism automatically follows from situations like that, I don't know.

It would help to know what your house price/property tax range is. Another sad truth is that money is often a great leveller when it comes to demographics. In other words, someone who would be upset if a middle-income African-American family bought the $450K/$8000-yr-taxes house on their block in Massapequa might not be perturbed at all if an African-American attorney or doctor bought the $975K/$25K-yr-taxes house on their street in Cold Spring Harbor. Their so-called logic being "Hey, if they can afford to live here, then no problem." It's twisted and sick but I've seen and heard it many times over the years.

[Crookhaven]

Originally Posted by totallyfrazzled

Unfortunately your analysis of the school district demographic disparity is sadly correct. As for Nassau being notably more racist than Suffolk, IMHO that's not necessarily true although there are certain Nassau communities that are predominately one ethnicity or religion (for example the "Five Towns", and others such as Great Neck, have a very large Jewish population; parts of Hicksville are now predominately Middle Eastern, and so forth). Whether people are assuming that racism automatically follows from situations like that, I don't know.

It would help to know what your house price/property tax range is. Another sad truth is that money is often a great leveller when it comes to demographics. In other words, someone who would be upset if a middle-income African-American family bought the $450K/$8000-yr-taxes house on their block in Massapequa might not be perturbed at all if an African-American attorney or doctor bought the $975K/$25K-yr-taxes house on their street in Cold Spring Harbor. Their so-called logic being "Hey, if they can afford to live here, then no problem." It's twisted and sick but I've seen and heard it many times over the years.

Classism is really the new racism on LI.

Forget Massapequa... its old school Badabing.
You'll hate it.

Maybe try Stony Brook.
Its more than tolerant (and educated) if you got the coin.
Great schools too.


Crooks

[StephM]

What is your budget? Where will you be working?

[KellyFG]

Dix Hills, Wheatley Heights, Huntington, Stony Brook, Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station, Happaugue, Lake Grove, Nesconset are Suffolk towns worth looking into.
Its hard to say for sure without knowing much about your budget or commute requirements.
Good luck on your home search!

[BigMike50]

This is very easy........Baldwin would be perfect for you and the family

[Port North]

Other tolerant places with decent school districts: Roslyn Heights, Port Washington, Huntington Village, Greenlawn, Dix Hills, Stony Brook, Port Jefferson.

[WJFM]

Nassau county is very diverse, probably one of the most diverse places in the country. Most of the schools in Nassau county are also one of the best in the country. You should be able to find many places where you can fit in and find good schools. I live in a block with African American, Indian, Jewish, Korean, Chinese, and Italian families and we all get along well.