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I don't know of any in S. Nassau, Hicksville is the spot to be. Have you been lately?
1 hrs. 21 min.
6:56 AM 8:20 AM 1 hrs. 24 min.
7:04 AM 8:19 AM 1 hrs. 15 min.
7:19 AM 8:28 AM 1 hrs. 9 min.
7:32 AM 8:47 AM 1 hrs. 15 min
Here are the peak times for LIRR from Ronkonkoma to Penn, 75-85 Minutes average depending which train you need. Add the 15 minute drive to the station and you have 90 minutes+ commute one way. That's 3-4 hours of your day commuting to and from Suffolk. I don't know anyone that does that or would do that by choice.
Nice of you to exclude Ronkos express service Peqs.
Now if my maths right...Ronko express
719-828a Penn 1hr 9min
As opposed to say the Cannonball from Massapequa
711-808a Penn 57min
Not too bad of a trade to escape Queens East get some open space, great QOL and blue ribbon schools.
Now I agree that commuting sucks but I assure you its not the last 12 minutes that kill you...its the first 57. Again, its all about the value. I think S Setauket Park would be a very good fit all things considered and its not very far from the rail.Again not optimal...but more than doable.Ask anyone of the thousands @ Ronko in the AM.
I commuted for decades and most of the time not in a 9-5 position - anything beyond Babylon or Huntington would have been too much for me!
Ronkonkoma?? Not enough "express" options for my taste and QOL? If you're getting home at 9PM there's no time left for quality let alone family/kids.
But that's just MHO
Oh, and here's a link to the schedule - make up your own mind(s):
I commuted for decades and most of the time not in a 9-5 position - anything beyond Babylon or Huntington would have been too much for me!
Ronkonkoma?? Not enough "express" options for my taste and QOL? If you're getting home at 9PM there's no time left for quality let alone family/kids.
But that's just MHO
Oh, and here's a link to the schedule - make up your own mind(s):
Thanks...yes check out the timetable and see if it works, better yet talk to folks in the area doing it.Im relatively certain you wont find many loving their commute from Suffolk (or Nassau), but you may find a few who love their homes and QOL.Ask them if its worth it.
If you can explain the 13 min difference getting you home @ 9pm and ruining your life, Ill gas up your moped Elke.
Are you referring to the Village of Valley Stream, or are you also including the Hamlet of North Valley Stream and the Hamlet of South Valley Stream, as well?
Hamlet of North Valley Stream = increase in Indians and Pakistanis, including businesses such as a brand new supermarket to replace what was "Dans' Supreme" back in the day (now called Desi Supermarket), a beauty/clothing store, a takeout food store. Increase may be due to people of S. Asian descent moving over from nearby Elmont, which has had an Indian/Pakistani presence for awhile, including a mosque and businesses such as takeout food (I patronize one of these places frequently -- great food).
Village of Valley Stream = has an Indian restaurant called Diya (fusion Indian cuisine - tried it, like the food, and it has lasted a couple of years so others do too), an Indian herbal beauty salon that also does eyebrow threading, Village population = has always had some Indian people, not sure how much it is increasing.
Hamlet of South Valley Stream = not sure, but would not be surprised if there were Indian and Pakistani people.
All in all, Valley Stream (North, Village, South) could be a good start for the OP, as the schools, solidly listed in the middle of LI school rankings, have been performing very well, have excellent programs, the property taxes are not as horrendous as many other areas, and the latest projected budget uptick in property taxes is not nearly as hideous as many other districts (latest budget 1.97% tax levy increase; 1.29% spending increase). There are a lot of activities and extras for the kids. If they make capital improvements to the schools, residents are invited to tour and see exactly what was done with their tax money.
Transportation: lowest priced monthly ticket within the LIRR system and good LIRR service at three stations that serve Valley Stream (Valley Stream in the Village, Gibson in Gibson/South Valley Stream, Westwood in Westwood/Northeast Valley Stream); the LIRR takes around 35 min. to get to Penn Station or Flatbush Ave Brooklyn; close to Southern State (3 exits are for Valley Stream); close to the Cross Island Parkway; very near to Belt Parkway which leads to Verranzano Bridge.
The Village has its own government and they watch over things very well, there are parking rules (can't park on the street all night), no illegal aliens running amok because the Village doesn't let that nonsense slide in terms of overcrowded and illegal housing as in some other places on LI. The school districts have more than one hotline to call to report nonresidents of the area illegally sending their kids to Valley Stream schools and there is also an extensive procedure for making sure new kids to the school districts actually live here. No "dozens of cousins" syndrome of kids commuting from Queens and beyond like some LI schools have suffered (Lawrence, Baldwin, etc.)
We have the 5th Precinct for police, plus we have a Civillian Patrol, Code Enforcement, Public Safety Dept., and Auxiliary Police just for Valley Stream.
Certainly things happen here like anywhere else, but, like much of LI, crime is not a big problem on the whole. The Green Acres Mall gets a bad rap because things do happen there that hit the media (a couple of years ago the WalMart stampede that left a security guard dead on a black Friday sale), but generally it is safe. I am at that mall an average of at least 3-4 times a month and never have problems. It is also off to the side of Valley Stream, near Queens, and most patrons of the mall are not from Valley Stream, many from the five boroughs, nor do they ever come into Valley Stream proper anyway when they are just shopping at the mall on the outskirts of the west side of town.
There is a nice Village green and they put on free concerts in the summer. There is an annual picnic and fireworks for 4th of July. Nice library with many events for kids. One of the high schools (or maybe more; I only get the news from my local high school) has a free pre-K/nursery school program where you can register your kids to be taken care of by students and teachers for their education program. There are several parks, including one with 18 holes of miniature golf, an outdoor swimming pool families can join in the summer, walking and biking trails, roller hockey rink, playgrounds with new equipment, public tennis courts, etc.
Now for the the "it is changing" part or "too many people from Queens around there" complaint (code for blacks). In the past several years, Valley Stream has gained a more diverse population (black, asian, etc.) rather than being overwhelmingly white as it used to be. It is still mostly white, but we do have a lot of other races and cultures too now. I rode through some of N. Valley Stream and noticed one black man actually sweeping the street in front of his house with a broom and a large dustpan on a stick. The homes are kept nicely. So while there are black people, they are not ghetto type losers. Think of people who are black you work with that you like and think if you would be afraid to live next door to them. Ridiculous, right? Those are the types of blacks buying homes in Valley Stream. Perhaps now in N. Valley Stream, judging from the new businesses, the area will become more Indian/Pakistani in the future. I think it is better for kids to grow up going to school with all different kinds of people instead of being in a bubble of just their own kind. Once kids get out in the world, they will be expected to cooperate and deal with all kinds of people, especially in this "globalized" environment of the current world.
This post has some of my favorite pics of Valley Stream parks and homes (not starter homes though). Be sure and enlarge the window to full size so you can see the pics on the left side too:
There are starter homes within the OP's budget (around $400K). The OP can DM me if he has any questions about particular neighborhoods or particular homes for sale.
Hamlet of North Valley Stream = increase in Indians and Pakistanis, including businesses such as a brand new supermarket to replace what was "Dans' Supreme" back in the day (now called Desi Supermarket), a beauty/clothing store, a takeout food store. Increase may be due to people of S. Asian descent moving over from nearby Elmont, which has had an Indian/Pakistani presence for awhile, including a mosque and businesses such as takeout food (I patronize one of these places frequently -- great food).
Village of Valley Stream = has an Indian restaurant called Diya (fusion Indian cuisine - tried it, like the food, and it has lasted a couple of years so others do too), an Indian herbal beauty salon that also does eyebrow threading, Village population = has always had some Indian people, not sure how much it is increasing.
Hamlet of South Valley Stream = not sure, but would not be surprised if there were Indian and Pakistani people.
All in all, Valley Stream (North, Village, South) could be a good start for the OP, as the schools, solidly listed in the middle of LI school rankings, have been performing very well, have excellent programs, the property taxes are not as horrendous as many other areas, and the latest projected budget uptick in property taxes is not nearly as hideous as many other districts (latest budget 1.97% tax levy increase; 1.29% spending increase). There are a lot of activities and extras for the kids. If they make capital improvements to the schools, residents are invited to tour and see exactly what was done with their tax money.
Transportation: lowest priced monthly ticket within the LIRR system and good LIRR service at three stations that serve Valley Stream (Valley Stream in the Village, Gibson in Gibson, Westwood in Westwood); the LIRR takes around 35 min. to get to Penn Station or Flatbush Ave Brooklyn; close to Southern State (3 exits are for Valley Stream); close to the Cross Island Parkway; very near to Belt Parkway which leads to Verranzano Bridge.
The Village has its own government and they watch over things very well, there are parking rules (can't park on the street all night), no illegal aliens running amok because the Village doesn't let that nonsense slide in terms of overcrowded and illegal housing as in some other places on LI. The school districts have more than one hotline to call to report nonresidents of the area illegally sending their kids to Valley Stream schools and there is also an extensive procedure for making sure new kids to the school districts actually live here. No "dozens of cousins" syndrome of kids commuting from Queens and beyond like some LI schools have suffered (Lawrence, Baldwin, etc.)
We have the 5th Precinct for police, plus we have a Civillian Patrol, Code Enforcement, Public Safety Dept., and Auxiliary Police just for Valley Stream.
Certainly things happen here like anywhere else, but, like much of LI, crime is not a big problem on the whole. The Green Acres Mall gets a bad rap because things do happen there that hit the media (a couple of years ago the WalMart stampede that left a security guard dead on a black Friday sale), but generally it is safe. I am at that mall an average of at least 3-4 times a month and never have problems. It is also off to the side of Valley Stream, near Queens, and most patrons of the mall are not from Valley Stream, many from the five boroughs, nor do they ever come into Valley Stream proper anyway when they are just shopping at the mall on the outskirts of the west side of town.
There is a nice Village green and they put on free concerts in the summer. There is an annual picnic and fireworks for 4th of July. Nice library with many events for kids. One of the high schools (or maybe more; I only get the news from my local high school) has a free pre-K/nursery school program where you can register your kids to be taken care of by students and teachers for their education program. There are several parks, including one with 18 holes of miniature golf, an outdoor swimming pool families can join in the summer, walking and biking trails, roller hockey rink, playgrounds with new equipment, public tennis courts, etc.
Now for the the "it is changing" part or "too many people from Queens around there" complaint (code for blacks). In the past several years, Valley Stream has gained a more diverse population (black, asian, etc.) rather than being overwhelmingly white as it used to be. It is still mostly white, but we do have a lot of other races and cultures too now. I rode through some of N. Valley Stream and noticed one black man actually sweeping the street in front of his house with a broom and a large dustpan on a stick. The homes are kept nicely. So while there are black people, they are not ghetto type losers. Think of people who are black you work with that you like and think if you would be afraid to live next door to them. Ridiculous, right? Those are the types of blacks buying homes in Valley Stream. Perhaps now in N. Valley Stream, judging from the new businesses, the area will become more Indian/Pakistani in the future. I think it is better for kids to grow up going to school with all different kinds of people instead of being in a bubble of just their own kind. Once kids get out in the world, they will be expected to cooperate and deal with all kinds of people, especially in this "globalized" environment of the current world.
This post has some of my favorite pics of Valley Stream parks and homes (not starter homes though). Be sure and enlarge the window to full size so you can see the pics on the left side too:
There are starter homes within the OP's budget (around $400K). The OP can DM me if he has any questions about particular neighborhoods or particular homes for sale.
I can now make an informed decision. The areas in Queens with good schools are way over my budget of $400K (like Bayside, Douglaston, etc.). That is why I am choosing Nassau as my first choice. The commute to Suffolk would add and extra 30 minutes which translates into 5 less hours per week I will spend with my little one. There's no perfect place.....but I'm not seeking champagne dreams on a beer budget.
BTW.....I keep hearing that the Port Washington branch is one of the preferable lines since it doesn't stop at Jamaica. What's the next best? Hicksville is on the Port Jefferson line....yes?
BTW.....I keep hearing that the Port Washington branch is one of the preferable lines since it doesn't stop at Jamaica. What's the next best? Hicksville is on the Port Jefferson line....yes?
Nice of you to exclude Ronkos express service Peqs.
Now if my maths right...Ronko express
719-828a Penn 1hr 9min
As opposed to say the Cannonball from Massapequa
711-808a Penn 57min
Not too bad of a trade to escape Queens East get some open space, great QOL and blue ribbon schools.
Now I agree that commuting sucks but I assure you its not the last 12 minutes that kill you...its the first 57. Again, its all about the value. I think S Setauket Park would be a very good fit all things considered and its not very far from the rail.Again not optimal...but more than doable.Ask anyone of the thousands @ Ronko in the AM.
Crooks
Off the meds today?
I'm not sure what Pequa has to do with this, but just to give you perspective and answer to your OT post:
Massapequa ~55 mins avg - Blue Ribbon
Garden City ~45 mins avg - Blue Ribbon
Ronkonkoma ~75 mins avg - all sub par schools within 10 mile radius
20 min drive to Ronko station - 95 mins avg , ~4 hour total commute. Those people you go up to in your pajamas are likely commuting to Nassau, Queens or even Brooklyn.
Youre confused and need refresher courses in Math, Reading Comp., Geography, English...
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