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My husband and I are considering relocating to Long Island. We visited recently. Long Beach seemed nice, but I've read old posts here and it seems as if everyone who lives there doesn't like it. I hear high taxes, bad weather, etc. Maybe we went during a quirky week because everyone seemed really nice and the weather wasn't really that horrible for January.
What is it that makes it as bad as everyone states? Someone mentioned "bad" water--does that mean the actual water is bad, as in not safe to drink, or astronomically expensive (how much per month)? What about car insurance--are rates double than everywhere else?
Any comments would be appreciated and thanks in advance for answering. Truly, is it like Europe expensive or something? . Isn't pay better so in that case, isn't everything relative?
I rented an apt in LB for a year and hated it. High rent, the town apparently doesn't plow the sideroads after it snows for a while, there is no parking in the summer months (I was maybe 6 blocks away from the beach and I had a hard time parking during summer days), and there is a definite bad/good gradient between Long Beach Blvd. Also, they charge you to get on the beach. $10/pp unless you get a resident pass which is like 70$ AFAIK.
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".
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.
I lived there for 6 years and wish i could have stayed but my coop would not hold my growing family. The weather in the summer is sometimes up to 10 degrees cooler than the 'mainland' on the hottest days. In the winter it is usually warmer than the rest of the Island because the ocean is warmer and the breeze is coming in. It can be a little brutal when the wind kicks up in the cold for sure.
You don't have kids, right? if not you have a good range of places to live: Coops, condos, bungalows, partial apartments, building rentals etc. Not sure of your situation, how old you are and what you are looking for but LB is a great place if you like nightlife, restaurants and the beach - beautiful; beaches. Very unique place to live on LI - tons of activities like biking, surfing, volleyball, etc right there.
If you are moving there with kids then you will be limited to where you move to - East End mostly.
The vibe in LB is mostly "chill" - I miss it so much, you might love it there.
Long Beach is totally unique amongst all other places on Long Island. No other place offers as much stuff to do in such a small area, amazing beaches right at your doorstep, proximity to NYC and that "chill" vibe Jetties mentioned. You will pay dearly for it, but as long as you've got the right personality it's well worth it. I think a lot of younger people move to Long Beach thinking it's just gonna be a party all the time and then get bummed out when they realize they still have to go to work every day and it's so far away from "home" (getting to mainland LI from LB can be a royal PITA).
Personally, I had a real fascination with the place when I was in high school and college, but now that I'm closer to 30 I don't think I'd ever consider it. I still love it and think it's a fantastic place to live, but I don't party anymore and that was probably it's biggest appeal to me. I still hang out there very frequently, though. In the summer, the Long Beach boardwalk is absolutely magic. Nothing beats that cool ocean breeze in your face, the sound of the waves crashing and the smell of the salt water. I love the old early 20th century "resort" architecture too. Buildings that would be nondescript boxes elsewhere on LI have incredible brickwork and nautical-themed terracotta facades. The old stucco mansions, the beach bungalows....even some of the newer high rise buildings on the ocean side are really nice and visually striking.
If that's the kind of place you want to live and you don't have to deal with driving crazy far onto the mainland for work, then it's for you. I think most people just get tired of the grind of being so far from everything they grew up with being near.....and also, for the 20-somethings on the West End, the parking situation and cramped quarters are kinda rough. If you're working in Manhattan the LIRR commute isn't bad at all, pretty much the same as most places in Nassau.
The City of Long Beach has a different border than does the "Long Beach, NY 11561" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "Long Beach, NY 11561" mailing address and not be in the City of Long Beach): places that have a "Long Beach, NY 1561" mailing address that are not in the City of Long Beach are in the Hamlet of East Atlantic Beach and the Hamlet of Lido Beach, both of these hamlets are in the Town of Hempstead.
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. Isn't pay better so in that case, isn't everything relative?
