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So Mikey you're saying that if this person wanted to live in Babylon village making 120,000 it would be a struggle? I'm using Babylon village because it's a typical middle to upper-middle class community on Long Island.
So Mikey you're saying that if this person wanted to live in Babylon village making 120,000 it would be a struggle? I'm using Babylon village because it's a typical middle to upper-middle class community on Long Island.
Babylon Village is a "TYPICAL middle to upper-middle class community"?
Arguably THE #1 commute from Suffolk county - somewhat walkable downtown - excellent restaurants - great bay access - good schools. Seriously, I need to get some of what you're smoking... there's nothing typical about Babylon and comparing it to Medford is very laughable.
So yes... I would think it's a struggle to make $120k household income and raise a family in Babylon. UNLESS you bought 15+ years ago there or sold somewhere West of that in the last 5 years and put a very large downpayment on it.
According to most stats from several different sources the typical resident of Babylon village is making far less than 120,000 a year. One source gave their median income to be 92,000. Another source I found stated 1st time home buyers median income to be 78,000 but that was for a starter home. Long Islanders do well but compared to many other suburban counties in the tri-state area, Long Island counties do average or are at the bottom. To convince someone that making a salary of a middle class family means you will struggle on Long Island is just silly.
Jdma gave the best stats, about 90,000 is what a family should make to live comfortable in a typical town (Bellmore, E.Northport, Bethpage, Hauppauge, Oakdale) on Long Island. Long Islanders tend to exaggerate the wealth here. I went to SUNY Binghamton in the 80's and I remember many of my friends who lived on Long Island back then who claimed their parents made 200,000 plus. On the holiday breaks I drove friends who lived on LI and Westcheter home. I dropped off in Katonah, Dobbs Ferry, Yonkers, Plainview and Syosset. The biggest braggards lived in Plainview and Syosset but what was so laughable was that they had the least impressive homes. Split levels in a development on 1/8 property. My friend who lived in Yonkers had a nicer home, an older but large colonial (back of the kitchen had a maid's room) and he said it was a "mixed" area. If you have to make 300,000 plus to afford a little "lookalike" split level in Plainview, you're an idiot for wanting to live there.
I never compared Babylon to Medford and yes according to stats Babylon village is a typical middle to upper-middle class community on Long Island. In fact many other South Shore towns are far more expensive than Babylon (higher median incomes, higher per capitas and more expensive homes) Merrick, Bellmore, Wantagh, Massapequa, Great River, Sayville, just to name a few. If these aren't typical LI towns, then enlighten me and name a few.
Well, sure you can make it... But you assume that a person is OK with being relegated to Medford (and equivalent). While someone making significantly less then that is able to afford a much better area because they got into a home 15+ years ago.
Just a matter of perspective.
Relegated? Since when is buying a started home a prison sentence?
I never compared Babylon to Medford and yes according to stats Babylon village is a typical middle to upper-middle class community on Long Island. In fact many other South Shore towns are far more expensive than Babylon (higher median incomes, higher per capitas and more expensive homes) Merrick, Bellmore, Wantagh, Massapequa, Great River, Sayville, just to name a few. If these aren't typical LI towns, then enlighten me and name a few.
Please enlighten me with those "stats" and what you use as an established/accepted gauge for "typical middle to upper-middle class community on Long Island". We're likely arguing OPINIONS and that makes this a whole other game.
To that end, Babylon is one the top Suffolk county draws if you're commuting to NYC. There's no way demand for housing there will make it "typical". I don't think it's fair to compare it to the Nassau towns you mention... maybe to the south shore towns you listed, but those aren't typical IMO either. My personal opinion is that "typical" LI is found around the middle of the island and not at the shores. For some reason you're stuck on the better south shore towns as being typical - I disagree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LocalX
Relegated? Since when is buying a started home a prison sentence?
I don't wish to offend so I'll save my wise crack statements on starter homes in Medford and just concede that you could be very happy there.
OKMikey, if only towns in the middle of the island, meaning those towns not touching a shore are typical towns (A concept that I think is ridiculous because most people live on LI to live by the shore.) Your point is moot because with the exception of a few hilly towns such as Dix Hills, someone making 120,00 should be able to live very comfortable on LI. You have a very strange concept of what is typical and atypical on LI. One of the first considerations for a sububanite in picking a home is commuting. As you pointed out Babylon is a commuter town or bedroom community, that makes it typical.
IMHO atypical towns on LI are Cove Neck, Mill Neck, Peconic, Wyandanch, Belle Terre, Sagaponack, Roosevelt, Calverton just to name a few. Those town have demographic, ethnic make-up, industry or population counts that are not the norm for typical LI towns. Claiming that typical LI'ers only live in the "middle" is silly, you leave out a large part of the LI population.
If you were in say Westchester or Fairfield county and told someone that they would struggle making 120,000 your point would be more valid. Many of the homes in those counties are much larger by square footage, better commutes, the towns demand ordinaces of at least a 1/2 acres to many towns demanding at least 4 acre properties and far less developments of lookalike homes, "typical" of LI. Living in New Rochelle an ethnic-diverse town, 120,000 wouldn't help you in many of its neighborhoods.
BTW, I checked many sources and one of them includes this site.
OKMikey you make me laugh. Better South Shore towns in Nassau are the Five Towns, excluding Inwood (sorry Inwood residents) Rockville Centre, in Suffolk, Bellport village, Great River (yes, I'll give you that LOL) Brightwaters, Remsenburg just to name a few and not going into Hampton proper. Those towns have home prices OR median incomes that exceed the other towns I mentioned.
I mentioned the previous towns because they have stops on the Montauk branch, not because they were "better" towns. It was very random.
OKMikey you make me laugh. Better South Shore towns in Nassau are the Five Towns, excluding Inwood (sorry Inwood residents) Rockville Centre, in Suffolk, Bellport village, Great River (yes, I'll give you that LOL) Brightwaters, Remsenburg just to name a few and not going into Hampton proper. Those towns have home prices OR median incomes that exceed the other towns I mentioned.
I mentioned the previous towns because they have stops on the Montauk branch, not because they were "better" towns. It was very random.
You're completely misunderstanding... You can't compare Nassau to Suffolk. I was referring to "better" South Shore towns in Suffolk county - like Babylon Village - like Great River - like Sayville. Going back to your original post... I don't consider them to be typical LI. I consider them to be above average for there schools and access to the Bay. That was my point. BTW - why don't you mention any towns not on the south shore?
I wasn't being literal with touching a shore (middle) and assumed you knew what I meant. Your references now lead me to believe you don't know LI well because you are randomly all over the place. You seem to be using a reference (again you didn't actually link it) and I'm struggling to figure out what it could be - it's certainly not 40 years of growing up on LI like I have. Maybe it's your friends from SUNY Binghamton? You also seem to be predisposed to think that Westchester / Connecticut is "where it's at". I'll save you arguing with me anymore... Could you buy a <$400k house in Babylon and live on $120k a year? Sure - knock yourself out. But for me personally that's not going to be a "typical middle to upper middle class LI life".
Personally - anyone making $120k household income is not anywhere near "upper" middle on LI. At that salary you're getting squeezed into the lower and if you're going to buy in a town like Babylon you're going to be looking at some pretty hurting homes.
Mickey, this site, City-Data, has all the info on median incomes, housing prices etc. Unlike yourself I'm not giving opinions, I'm stating facts and stats, keep up. I used towns on the South Shore because you requested similar towns. As you said, you can't compare Babylon to Medford. So type in the town's name and get the real stats, not the ones in your mind.
I have lived on LI since the late 70's coming from Carroll Gardens moving to Hauppauge at 13, only living in other areas off island briefly for school purposes. Believe me I know LI well from growing up here and as a 2nd job as a driver.
I love LI, in the end this is where I decided to purchase my house three years ago in Wading River, North of 25A, and I make no where near 120,000 dollars.
My only reason for using Westchester and Fairfield was to point out that your comments are true in other parts of the NY metro but on a whole LI is a much more affordable NY subuirb. That's why I bought here and not let say Somerset or Bergen county in NJ.
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