Cities/Good places to live near JFK (Islip, Babylon: apartment, to rent)

[Cosmos07]

My husband will possibly be working for a contractor at JFK in the near future. I'm trying to look into possible places to live and cost of living for the area. We currently live about 35 miles west of D.C., so I'm used to living near a large city and am looking for a city/town close to where we live now (Herndon, VA). Definately looking for a low(er) crime rate and overall quite city. Any suggestions? He currently commutes around 45-50 minutes one-way, so something similiar would not be a problem.

We're looking to rent a house (or apartment if the only option), with the option to buy something in the next year or so. Our income will be around $70,000 from him and I'm assuming at least $30,000 from myself (I'm a legal assistant, working full time at the moment).

Thanks for any help.
-Cosmos

[jt1775]

Depends on what you are specifically looking for. There are literally hundreds of choices within a 1 hour commute of JFK. For a short commute of 1/2 hour or less, look into southwest Nassau County such as Long Beach, Atlantic Beach, Oceanside, Island Park, etc. They are nice areas with lower crime than some areas in Queens, closer to the airport. There are also many nice neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn as well, but if you want the suburbs, you are better of sticking with Nassau, and even towns in Suffolk such as West Islip, or Babylon. Good luck.

[Fred314X]

Howard Beach is a residential neighborhood in Queens, just to the west of Kennedy Airport. You can't get much closer than that! You might also want to explore some of the areas on the Rockaway Peninsula--Rockaway Park and Belle Harbour, for instance. From either one, you can get the subway to Howard Beach (where a shuttle bus takes you right into JFK). Or, of course, if you're driving, you'd be right across Jamaica Bay from the airport.

[NooYowkur81]

Kew Gardens in Queens maybe. It's pretty popular with a lot of people who work in JFK. But if your looking for a true-blue suburb, Kew Gardens might not be suburban enough for you.

[Jdawg8181]

Why would you want to live right near the airport?

[Jdawg8181]

Originally Posted by jt1775

Depends on what you are specifically looking for. There are literally hundreds of choices within a 1 hour commute of JFK. For a short commute of 1/2 hour or less, look into southwest Nassau County such as Long Beach, Atlantic Beach, Oceanside, Island Park, etc. They are nice areas with lower crime than some areas in Queens, closer to the airport. There are also many nice neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn as well, but if you want the suburbs, you are better of sticking with Nassau, and even towns in Suffolk such as West Islip, or Babylon. Good luck.

WI & Bab are pretty far...morning rush hour traffic can get nuts.. Be careful with Island Park- turning over big time- crime & whatnot. Barnum Island is the area of Island Park you want to be.

[NYC Beach]

I will recommend Arverne by the City, a new beachfront community in Rockaway. It's a very nice community. It's near the 67th st subway stop, 2 stops from Howard Beach/JFK. By driving, it's only about 10min to JFK. It might not have a lot of city life, ex. cafe or restaurants, but it's right by the beach and there are so many outdoor activities to do, all for free. It's convenient by car to all shoppings and dinings in queens and long island.

[009]

Originally Posted by NYC Beach

I will recommend Arverne by the City, a new beachfront community in Rockaway. It's a very nice community. It's near the 67th st subway stop, 2 stops from Howard Beach/JFK. By driving, it's only about 10min to JFK. It might not have a lot of city life, ex. cafe or restaurants, but it's right by the beach and there are so many outdoor activities to do, all for free. It's convenient by car to all shoppings and dinings in queens and long island.

Guess you missed this:

Originally Posted by Cosmos07

Definately looking for a low(er) crime rate ...

[akaroutsos]

Try Valley Stream. Its only a 15-20 min. drive to the airport. Its also has a short commute time into the city on the LIRR.

[Fred314X]

If you decided on Forest Hills or Kew Gardens, you could take the Q10 bus directly into KennedyAirport; it makes the same loop as the Air Train, and requires only the standard fare.