Is Rockaway Beach a nice place to live? (Valley Stream, Long Beach: sales, renting)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
you must not be from the area. most areas of rockaway are ROUGH! far rockaway is one of the worst neighborhoods in the entire city. far rock high school is the worst high school in nyc. having said that, rockaway starts to get nice after 116 st. but, i don't think that area is even called rockaway anymore; i think it's called neponsit. at any rate, there are some phenomenal houses in the 120's and 130's, but they cost an arm and a leg.
I thought Rockaway Park and Belle Harbor (the western Rock) are where all the Five-O's and firefighters lived at.
good point, good point...lots of firefighters in rockaway, ex-fdny too. but, rockaway as a whole is still a hole. little pockets of the brotherhoods gathered together in a little enclave, but that's it. if you're just a joe looking to move to rockaway, you gotta stay above 116 st. and, whatever you do....don't send your kids to far rock HS.
The western sections of Rockaway are still decent. Like the others have said, stay west of Beach 116 St. Even better.... go to Breezy Point.
Here's a rough breakdown of where these neighborhoods begin. Rockaway Park is generally from Beach 110 St to Beach 126 St depending on who you ask. Belle Harbor is the section from Beach 126 to B. 142 St and then Neposit is B142 to B148. Then you are into Riis Park. The beaches are really nice and the best in the city.
The down side of the Rock is that it's so far from everything. Shopping will be an excursion to Roosevelt Field or Manhattan. The closest malls, Kings Plaza & Valley Stream are convenient in an emergency but are basically dumps. The publc schools are very limited. PS114 is very good but you're screwed after that. JHS180 & Beach Channel HS are a free for all. St. Francis de Sales has a Catholic School which is pretty good but there is a waiting list as far as I know. And there is an all girls HS called Stella Maris which is just OK. Most of the kids travel to far away schools in Queens, Brooklyn and even Manhattan. Oh, and there are a few Hebrew schools scatterered through the penisula.
My opinion ... check out Long Beach. It is only a few miles east of Rockaway but is much, much nicer. Many amenities, decent schools and a great community sense.
The western sections of Rockaway are still decent. Like the others have said, stay west of Beach 116 St. Even better.... go to Breezy Point.
Here's a rough breakdown of where these neighborhoods begin. Rockaway Park is generally from Beach 110 St to Beach 126 St depending on who you ask. Belle Harbor is the section from Beach 126 to B. 142 St and then Neposit is B142 to B148. Then you are into Riis Park. The beaches are really nice and the best in the city.
The down side of the Rock is that it's so far from everything. Shopping will be an excursion to Roosevelt Field or Manhattan. The closest malls, Kings Plaza & Valley Stream are convenient in an emergency but are basically dumps. The publc schools are very limited. PS114 is very good but you're screwed after that. JHS180 & Beach Channel HS are a free for all. St. Francis de Sales has a Catholic School which is pretty good but there is a waiting list as far as I know. And there is an all girls HS called Stella Maris which is just OK. Most of the kids travel to far away schools in Queens, Brooklyn and even Manhattan. Oh, and there are a few Hebrew schools scatterered through the penisula.
My opinion ... check out Long Beach. It is only a few miles east of Rockaway but is much, much nicer. Many amenities, decent schools and a great community sense.
this is a good call. i forgot all about long beach. i've only been there a couple of times, but i remember long beach being quite nice.
If you want to live by the ocean, be prepared for coastal storms. You may have to evacuate. At least one house, in Sea Gate, fell into the sea during that big storm in 1992. Long Beach, from what I have seen, is very nice, but I would be concerned about living so close to the ocean. I live about 2 miles from the ocean, in southern Brooklyn, but I am in a Category 3 evacuation zone and just a few blocks, if that, from the Category 2 evacuation zone.
A hurricane is rare this far north, but one can happen, and with global warming the vulnerability is increasing. I don't mean to scare you, but living near the sea does come with that kind of risk. In addition, the risk may be reflected on your home insurance premiums, assuming you can get home insurance (you probably can - this isn't Florida).
If you want to live by the ocean, be prepared for coastal storms. You may have to evacuate. At least one house, in Sea Gate, fell into the sea during that big storm in 1992. Long Beach, from what I have seen, is very nice, but I would be concerned about living so close to the ocean. I live about 2 miles from the ocean, in southern Brooklyn, but I am in a Category 3 evacuation zone and just a few blocks, if that, from the Category 2 evacuation zone.
A hurricane is rare this far north, but one can happen, and with global warming the vulnerability is increasing. I don't mean to scare you, but living near the sea does come with that kind of risk. In addition, the risk may be reflected on your home insurance premiums, assuming you can get home insurance (you probably can - this isn't Florida).
The next big hurricane is expected to hit NYC very soon. Sometime in the next few decades. It will be a disaster since the city is not well prepaired, the shape of the coast strengthens the surge, and it will be underestimated. NYC is the 3rd city most likely city to be devistated by a hurricane. First was Maimi, which got hit really had back in the early 90's. Next was New Orleans, recently devestated. NYC is estimated to be next.
As for the Rockaways. Crime is a serious problem in the east half of the neighborhood. West side is so-so.
Can I get some clarification on Rockaway Beach. It's on Long Island but it's considered part of Queen's? Is this correct? Long Island takes into account parts of Queen's?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
