Best Areas on LI for young family? (Babylon, Huntington: mortgage, loan)

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by TheBS19

Hows Huntington/Huntington Village then? I've definitely heard people talk about those towns (more because of nightlife for the college-age group though).

Huntington is a hamlet in the Town of Huntington, and the downtown business district in the Hamlet of Huntington is colloquially known as "Huntington Village".


TheBS19, 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, (as stated above) 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.


You can get a fact sheet for any city, village or hamlet on Long Island by going here American FactFinder and input the name of the city, village or hamlet for "city/town" (leave out the ZIP Code) and New York for "State", and then click "GO".

You'll get a lot of demographic, and some economic, statistics for the city, village or hamlet you selected, and if you click on "Reference map" (it's on the right hand side), you'll get a map.


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.

[TheBS19]

Thanks to everyone for the advice so far. Definitely helped us get a feel for the areas we should be targeting and I took a poster's suggestion and created an MLSLI account to track listings in a targeted area.

Although our initial thought was 100% Nassau due to commuting to NYC, it seems like some of the more direct Suffolk commutes in the western part of the county wouldn't be much, if at all, worse and taxes appear to be more, shall I say, "moderate" there? Is this generally the idea?

So far it seems I've gotten Lindy, West Bab, Bab Village and West Islip suggested as western Suffolk area to look into (someone mentioned the Elwood and Harborfields districts but the commute appears to be a bear from there, which would hurt). Does this sound about right? Schools are pretty good there, commute is "reasonable", etc?

[PizzaPedro]

The commute from Elwood/Harborfields wouldn't be any worse than Lindy, Babylon, etc. It's an hour to Penn from Huntington, same as any of the South Shore towns.

[I_Love_LI_but]

I always chuckle at the people who post things to entice others to buy/rent in a certain community like "the commute to NYC from ______ is only 1 hour" who only go by what the LIRR schedule says because that tells me right there that the person probably never commuted to NYC and does not know what they are talking about. Especially the ones posting about communities in eastern Suffolk County. For some reason people are always trying to foist Suffolk County off on those who clearly post they want A LIMIT OF A 1 HOUR COMMUTE INTO NYC. You will not get a 1 hour commute into NYC from Suffolk County. Forget Huntington, Babylon, etc. (and those are the Western parts in Suffolk County), if you want a limit of a 1 hour commute to NYC! Plus, the further out you are, the more expensive the monthly train ticket is. To find the true total commute time you have to take the following into account for your situation:

1. Distance from home to train station and how you will get there (walkable, drive and park easily, drive and park and circle like a vulture for 10-15 minutes each day to find a legal parking spot, be dropped off, take the bus, etc.). Add anywhere from 5 minutes for walkable on up, depending on where the train station is in proximity to your home.

2. LIRR does not usually run on time. What they consider officially "on time" can be up to 5 minutes later than what is on the schedule. Always add the 5 minutes.

3. Regarding Penn Station, just getting upstairs from the tracks can take a good 5-10 minutes during rush hour because of the crowds. At Flatbush Avenue it is more compact, but certain subway lines are a bit of a walk, including marching up and down several staircases. Hunterspoint Avenue only has 1 train available (the 7 train, great if you work midtown east side). Add a minimum of 10 minutes to get you to your next leg of your commute, or if you go to Penn Station and are lucky enough to work right in Penn Plaza.

And finally,

4. The LIRR lets off during rush hour in only 3 places: Penn Station (Manhattan, around 32-34th St and 7th-8th Ave), Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, and there are a few trains you can change to at Jamaica that go to Long Island City. If you do not work right at one of those areas (and most commuters do not), naturally you will have to commute further, usually using the MTA subways or buses. Add a minimum of 30 minutes of additional transportation time to get you to your office.

Good luck and remember the total commute is not what it says on the LIRR schedule is the "start" and "end" time. That is just the beginning!

[Jdawg8181]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

I always chuckle at the people who post things to entice others to buy/rent in a certain community like "the commute to NYC from ______ is only 1 hour" who only go by what the LIRR schedule says because that tells me right there that the person probably never commuted to NYC and does not know what they are talking about. Especially the ones posting about communities in eastern Suffolk County. For some reason people are always trying to foist Suffolk County off on those who clearly post they want A LIMIT OF A 1 HOUR COMMUTE INTO NYC. You will not get a 1 hour commute into NYC from Suffolk County. Forget Huntington, Babylon, etc. (and those are the Western parts in Suffolk County), if you want a limit of a 1 hour commute to NYC! Plus, the further out you are, the more expensive the monthly train ticket is. To find the true total commute time you have to take the following into account for your situation:

1. Distance from home to train station and how you will get there (walkable, drive and park easily, drive and park and circle like a vulture for 10-15 minutes each day to find a legal parking spot, be dropped off, take the bus, etc.). Add anywhere from 5 minutes for walkable on up, depending on where the train station is in proximity to your home.

2. LIRR does not usually run on time. What they consider officially "on time" can be up to 5 minutes later than what is on the schedule. Always add the 5 minutes.

3. Regarding Penn Station, just getting upstairs from the tracks can take a good 5-10 minutes during rush hour because of the crowds. At Flatbush Avenue it is more compact, but certain subway lines are a bit of a walk, including marching up and down several staircases. Hunterspoint Avenue only has 1 train available (the 7 train, great if you work midtown east side). Add a minimum of 10 minutes to get you to your next leg of your commute, or if you go to Penn Station and are lucky enough to work right in Penn Plaza.

And finally,

4. The LIRR lets off during rush hour in only 3 places: Penn Station (Manhattan, around 32-34th St and 7th-8th Ave), Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, and there are a few trains you can change to at Jamaica that go to Long Island City. If you do not work right at one of those areas (and most commuters do not), naturally you will have to commute further, usually using the MTA subways or buses. Add a minimum of 30 minutes of additional transportation time to get you to your office.

Good luck and remember the total commute is not what it says on the LIRR schedule is the "start" and "end" time. That is just the beginning!

Actually, it's 6 minutes, lol. And yeah you are right...b/c from bellmore it's 50 minutes. On the Babylon line, it's about 3 minutes to get from one stop to the next. That puts Massapequa right at the hour mark. Meaning anything EAST of that is going to be longer than hour. Change-at-jamaica trains always take longer b/c they have to stop there to let people on & off.

[Burb]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

I always chuckle at the people who post things to entice others to buy/rent in a certain community like "the commute to NYC from ______ is only 1 hour" who only go by what the LIRR schedule says because that tells me right there that the person probably never commuted to NYC and does not know what they are talking about. Especially the ones posting about communities in eastern Suffolk County. For some reason people are always trying to foist Suffolk County off on those who clearly post they want A LIMIT OF A 1 HOUR COMMUTE INTO NYC. You will not get a 1 hour commute into NYC from Suffolk County. Forget Huntington, Babylon, etc. (and those are the Western parts in Suffolk County), if you want a limit of a 1 hour commute to NYC! Plus, the further out you are, the more expensive the monthly train ticket is. To find the true total commute time you have to take the following into account for your situation:

1. Distance from home to train station and how you will get there (walkable, drive and park easily, drive and park and circle like a vulture for 10-15 minutes each day to find a legal parking spot, be dropped off, take the bus, etc.). Add anywhere from 5 minutes for walkable on up, depending on where the train station is in proximity to your home.

2. LIRR does not usually run on time. What they consider officially "on time" can be up to 5 minutes later than what is on the schedule. Always add the 5 minutes.

3. Regarding Penn Station, just getting upstairs from the tracks can take a good 5-10 minutes during rush hour because of the crowds. At Flatbush Avenue it is more compact, but certain subway lines are a bit of a walk, including marching up and down several staircases. Hunterspoint Avenue only has 1 train available (the 7 train, great if you work midtown east side). Add a minimum of 10 minutes to get you to your next leg of your commute, or if you go to Penn Station and are lucky enough to work right in Penn Plaza.

And finally,

4. The LIRR lets off during rush hour in only 3 places: Penn Station (Manhattan, around 32-34th St and 7th-8th Ave), Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, and there are a few trains you can change to at Jamaica that go to Long Island City. If you do not work right at one of those areas (and most commuters do not), naturally you will have to commute further, usually using the MTA subways or buses. Add a minimum of 30 minutes of additional transportation time to get you to your office.

Good luck and remember the total commute is not what it says on the LIRR schedule is the "start" and "end" time. That is just the beginning!

I'l add to this. The quality of commute is almost as important as the length of commute. I catch the 6:32 from Babylon to Penn everyday. It starts at Babylon and is waiting with doors open when I get there a few minutes ahead. It arrives at 7:38 reliably (not sure what the scheduled arrive time is, but it's 7:38 on my watch)

The train picks up passangers in Massapequa Park, Massapequa and Seaford. The train arrives in Seaford a 6:45ish. I sit in the same seat every day, inside seat of a 3 seat bench. By the time we get to Seaford, folks are scrambling a bit to get a proper seat. Would I rather have the shorter Seaford commute? Nope, I'll take the extra few minutes and not have to stand in the rain or cold and wait for the train to arrive, and, have a guaranteed seat.

Best to check these things out before deciding.

[Crookhaven]

Originally Posted by Jdawg8181

Actually, it's 6 minutes, lol. And yeah you are right...b/c from bellmore it's 50 minutes. On the Babylon line, it's about 3 minutes to get from one stop to the next. That puts Massapequa right at the hour mark. Meaning anything EAST of that is going to be longer than hour. Change-at-jamaica trains always take longer b/c they have to stop there to let people on & off.

Execept for the frequent trains that avoid Nassau and are Express to Babylon then local to Patchogue/Hamptons.

Then Babylon is the Hour(ish) mark



Crooks

[S.I.B.]

Originally Posted by Burb

I'l add to this. The quality of commute is almost as important as the length of commute. I catch the 6:32 from Babylon to Penn everyday. It starts at Babylon and is waiting with doors open when I get there a few minutes ahead. It arrives at 7:38 reliably (not sure what the scheduled arrive time is, but it's 7:38 on my watch)

The train picks up passangers in Massapequa Park, Massapequa and Seaford. The train arrives in Seaford a 6:45ish. I sit in the same seat every day, inside seat of a 3 seat bench. By the time we get to Seaford, folks are scrambling a bit to get a proper seat. Would I rather have the shorter Seaford commute? Nope, I'll take the extra few minutes and not have to stand in the rain or cold and wait for the train to arrive, and, have a guaranteed seat.

Best to check these things out before deciding.

I'd rather have the shorter commute...and it's not like that's the only option for people west of you. There are trains that originate in different spots along the line. Also, your scenario obviously only applies in the morning.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by S.I.B.

I'd rather have the shorter commute...and it's not like that's the only option for people west of you. There are trains that originate in different spots along the line. Also, your scenario obviously only applies in the morning.

It's always nice to be the first stop of the train.

You are scrambling for a seat with everyone else on the way home, so no commute is perfect.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by Crookhaven

Execept for the frequent trains that avoid Nassau and are Express to Babylon then local to Patchogue/Hamptons.

Then Babylon is the Hour(ish) mark



Crooks

We're talking an hour DOOR TO DOOR not an hour LIRR SCHEDULE DEPART TO LIRR SCHEDULE ARRIVE.