North Shore -Suffolk County, what areas would you recommend? (Islip: house, neighborhoods)

[Glad2BHere]

Looking for about .5 acre to half an acre, Great Schools, great property values, a small town for shopping maybe, etc. We have looked at Northport, but didnt see any areas with property and didnt know if the schools were any good, plus the area we were in didnt seem as though many people maintained their properties. We like a well maintained area, too.

Anyone with any input? Thanks

[Giznot]

I'm looking for the same thing. I'm looking in smithtown, Commack, Stonybrook, and setauket. Three Villages seems like a good school district according to the scores on news day. I like smithtown also but the taxes are way up. Anyone with a good info please post. Thanks ahead.

[Glad2BHere]

Hi. We looked there too. We liked Commack, but then we found out from internet research there is a landfill b/w Northport, Commack and Kings Park. My personal opinion is that I will not purchase near a landfill. Sadly a few areas in LI that I like (Port Washington esp) have landfills that have caused increased rates of cancer in the surrounding villages.

But the property values still remain very high, so it is a personal choice. I am curious if anyone replies.

[kkahne9]

Try Hauppauge. Great schools and reasonable taxes. Town of Islip side of Hauppauge not the Smithtown side. On the map it would be south of townline road.

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by kkahne9

Try Hauppauge. Great schools and reasonable taxes. Town of Islip side of Hauppauge not the Smithtown side. On the map it would be south of townline road.

I believe there is a landfill by Hauppauage too. Plus we drove out there once and saw some huge facility for substance abuse on vets mem hgwy I think and we did not feel comfortable being so close to that. But I am sure the area is large and you could be far enough from there.

[lifetimeliguy]

Originally Posted by Glad2bhere

Hi. We looked there too. We liked Commack, but then we found out from internet research there is a landfill b/w Northport, Commack and Kings Park. My personal opinion is that I will not purchase near a landfill. Sadly a few areas in LI that I like (Port Washington esp) have landfills that have caused increased rates of cancer in the surrounding villages.

But the property values still remain very high, so it is a personal choice. I am curious if anyone replies.

The landfill is on the northern edge of Commack, and is actually real close to Fort Salonga and East Northport. It's been closed for some time, but there is a large incinerator there. Commack is a large town (in land area). - if you live down by Hoyt Farm you will have a Commack address, but will be about 3-4 miles from the landfill as the crow flies. The other landfill mentioned (Blydenburgh) is in Hauppague , north of the LIE between exits 57/58.
Schools in Commack are very good - much attention given to those who overachieve and those with special needs. Kids that fall in the middle seem to get slighted a bit (my personal opinion).
You can get .5 acre in many neighborhoods in North Commack. Expect taxes to be over 9k after the STAR exemption. It's a nice place to live. Smithtown has some real nice areas and has a real "village" or downtown , something that's missing in Commack.

[41Willys]

I grew up in Stony Brook about 3-4 miles from the college. Good schools but a bit pricey. My dad sold our 4 bedroom 2 bath house on .75 acre with built in pool in 1990. Back then he was paying close to 7 grand in taxes.

[Smithtownmomoftwo]

When we were house hunting we narrowed our search to St. James, Smithtown, Commack and Hauppauge. Smithtown was our favorite, and ultimately where we ended up. We liked the fact that Smithtown has a little town (unlike Commack and Hauppauge) and there are great restaurants in this area. The school district is great. Also, the taxes can be a little higher but the benefits can't be beat! We have beautiful beaches and parks and as a mom to two young children that is very important to me. For that reason, I disagree with the poster that said if you are looking into Hauppauge, go with town of Islip. I STRONGLY recommend if you are looking into Hauppauge that you look in the town of Smithtown. I have friends in Hauppauge school district and they have the best of both worlds...their taxes are significantly lower b/c Hauppauge Schools (the industrial park generates a lot of tax income) but they have all the benefits of the Smithtown parks system. the "bird section" of Hauppauge is considered to be a desirable area.

Also to address the concern about taxes...it depends on where you are in smithtown. We have a nice house on 1/4 acre (smaller...3 bedrooms) and pay just under 9k with STAR.
Good luck!

[VillageOfWestbury]

Dix Hills.