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I live in Valley Stream now. The people who said they wouldnt feel safe parking there care in Green Acres? WTF. I go to Green Acres a lot to eat and nothing has ever happened to the car. The crime in Valley Stream is usually petty crime, Teenagers stealing form Teenagers. I go to Central High school, nothing is bad. Just in the middle school theres alot of Queens implants who swear they are ghetto. But they realize that there not and end up calming down. My parents have decided that they want to move to PA though, so were leaving. But Valley Stream is excellent. So many places to hang and eat with friends. Proximity to Queens Public Transport. Lots of pros.
The issue is that historically people of color were unable to purchase homes in many suburban areas because both economic challenges/inequalities, as well as "defacto" segregation. As this has significantly changed over the last thirty to forty years, more brown folks have the means to purchase a home in traditionally white areas. Ultimately whites, who are unaccustomed to diversity in there community see the influx as losing what they once knew...
Bottom line. The world is changing...not V/S alone. Truthfully, I have more respect fror someone who can afford to buy a $500K in this market because at least that means they didn't just inherit the "wealth", which in my mind, increases the socioeconomic baseline for the area...
Is Roosevelt Field considered crime free? Didn't used to. I rarely go there b/c as a double stroller jockey on a budget, I find it insanely annoying. Too many people, too many pricey stores, and two active toddlers. I'll stick with Broadway Mall, it gets the job done, and I can hit Target there as well now. Malls (and their parking lots) seem like they would be more prone to crime no matter where they are. All those people wandering around with money.
There's lots of complaining about diversity on these boards, and to me it's veiled racism. I just find it interesting because there are a number of historically AA (middle-class) communities in Nassau, which co-existed with white communities, without destroying them. Look at Lakeview and Malverne. They've always had the same make-up and the same school district lines, yet Malverne has remained an attractive community for many. It doesn't seem like a giant issue (but I could be wrong). People stay there and their children return there. There were integrated towns as well. If anything, I think it's the middle-class, working minority folks who get the worst of it when these criminal and gang elements come in from the city. The de facto segregation practices being so firmly entrenched, their towns got destroyed. As I said somewhere else, pre-70s, Hempstead was a thriving town. The whites took off, but they didn't/couldn't/wouldn't. As for the recent immigrating groups, their very different cultures are definitely having an effect on everyone, I think. I can understand the reasons for the anger shown by many, though I don't always agree.
Anyway I'm totally babbling, but what I wanted to express in my original post, is that VS is a large, and diverse area. And I mean in types of neighborhoods, houses etc., not race. Also served by a number of districts. So if someone likes it, they've got a number of options. The areas that I was more familiar with and looked at didn't seem all that different from FS or Lynbrook to me.
Carbon County. Ill be going to Jim Thorpe schools. Its like the country out there compared to here. I wonder how i will fare.
It will be an adjustment going to a rural area, but the Poconos area is building up quite a bit. Plenty of ex NYers there for company. Be careful with the driving, especially the deer!
You'll get used to it. Use your high beams when able, and just be prepared. Ceratin times of the year the deer are more active and will cross the roads more. When you get up there, talk to some of the locals for tips on areas to avoid and shortcuts that the visitors don't know about.
A good forum (in addition to the PA forum here) is poconocommuter(dot)com. It is full of people who live in PA, many of whom are from NYC/LI. I visit the area frequently and like to check out the site to see what is going on in the area. The people on the site on friendly and have lots of "inside" info on the area.
Best of Luck on your move.
Just go to the mall for 5 minutes and ask yourself if youd be comfortable there.
C
Clamboy,
Do you mean the Green Acres Mall? I remember when that mall was outdoors and was frequented by people from the 5 towns. Now, they go elsewhere.
I was there about 2 years ago, got out of there fast!
Valley Stream is NOT Queens, however, it has a lot of the wonderful traits that you would find in Queens like great transportation, great people and great shopping. Greens Acres has the best shops and now with Walmart and BJ's yu can't find better prices if you have a family to raise. The churches are wonderful and the pools and parks awesome! Lots of diversity keeps the teachers on their feet and actually raises the standards of education. Valley Stream has beautiful older homes and the people are very friendly-no matter how you look-people are respectful and kind. I used to live in Valley Stream and moved. It was a MISTAKE! I will most likely move back- check out Mill Brook-its quiet, pretty and in five minutes or less you can walk to the mall, a great park and nice little elementary school.
My husband is a real estate investor so we have moved all over LI. Don't believe the lies. There really aren't many "bad" places on LI. You have small pockets of problem area to avoid but truthfully none are in VS. Of all the places I lived on both North Shore and South Shore, VS is my peronal favorite.
Oh and by the way, I lived in North Queens-if you join a pool its about $1200 for a family for the summer. Compare that to $150 for a pool pass in the town of hempstead or $350 for incorporated village! VS is a great place to live! Crime is everywhere but it is not disproportionate because VS is closer to Queens. Also Check out US News and World report LI Best Schools. Valley Stream South HS is high on the list and that school if full of "brown" and "olive". Its the diversity that keeps it competative.
When I was a kid in Oceanside, I'd ride my bike to Green Acres to shop. It was just over the city line and NYC folks came there because Nassau then (believe it or not) had no sales tax. It was an outdoor strip mall with a few dept store anchors back then.
My then girlfriend (now wife of 37 years) and I learned a lot about love at the Sunrise Drive in Theater. It was neat seeing the LIRR trains come by while watching the movies.
Valley Stream was always a bit lower level than say Lynbrook or RVC but wasn't a bad place in any way.
Now live in Raleigh, NC and heard things like gang activity and shootings at the theater which replaced the drive-in.
Would love to see my home area again. Perhaps we can get back on vacation. Still have relatives in Hempstead and Suffolk.
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