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.
I hope you can tolerate another "moving to LI, where should I live?" post without screaming. I've read all the recent posts I can find and have gotten lots of good info, but nothing that answers all of my questions, so here goes ...
We are relocating this fall from out of state to LI. We know very little about the neighborhoods/areas of LI (most of what I know is from these forums). My husband and I are older (=not in our 20s) and we have a young child, so we're looking for an area that is child-friendly but where geezers like us will fit in. My husband's job is in Melville. We don't need rock-bottom rent prices, but have other financial commitments that mean that we don't have an unlimited amount to spend on rent. So we're looking for good value, and to rent, not buy, at the moment. We like relatively mellow places where we can take walks to interesting places (like the water, a park, or an interesting downtown).
The areas that interest me are Northport and Huntington (no surprises there). Is the commute from Melville to that area crazy during the summer? (Maybe it's crazy all the time ...)
Are there other areas I should consider (like, say, south shore or central-island towns) that are an easy commute to Melville?
Thanks so much in advance for your help. I'm feeling rather overwhelmed at the moment.
I hope you can tolerate another "moving to LI, where should I live?" post without screaming. I've read all the recent posts I can find and have gotten lots of good info, but nothing that answers all of my questions, so here goes ...
We are relocating this fall from out of state to LI. We know very little about the neighborhoods/areas of LI (most of what I know is from these forums). My husband and I are older (=not in our 20s) and we have a young child, so we're looking for an area that is child-friendly but where geezers like us will fit in. My husband's job is in Melville. We don't need rock-bottom rent prices, but have other financial commitments that mean that we don't have an unlimited amount to spend on rent. So we're looking for good value, and to rent, not buy, at the moment. We like relatively mellow places where we can take walks to interesting places (like the water, a park, or an interesting downtown).
The areas that interest me are Northport and Huntington (no surprises there). Is the commute from Melville to that area crazy during the summer? (Maybe it's crazy all the time ...)
Are there other areas I should consider (like, say, south shore or central-island towns) that are an easy commute to Melville?
Thanks so much in advance for your help. I'm feeling rather overwhelmed at the moment.
Many questions on this end:
Are you looking for a 2 or 3 BR rental?
What is your budget?
Where in Melville?
##1 and 2 will help determine availability and location; #3 will help figure out how bad traffic/commuting will be and if South Shore location might be a good option.
IMHO Northport might be a bit too far north and east - depending on your tolerance for traffic, time spent on the road, etc. regardless of summer or not.
From Huntington, there are plenty of side roads (depending on #3) that you can take and avoid a good part of Rte 110--the main corridor through the business section of Melville.
Melville itself might be another option, although rentals are few and usually houses - that's where #2 comes into play.
Depending on #3, possibly Farmingdale?
Welcome to Long Island - it's a great place to live! At least IMHO
A decent-sized 2BR would be adequate, a 3BR would be so much better. (Sorry to be wishy-washy, but this is something my husband and I are disagreeing about.) As far as budget, we're trying to figure that out. If we could get something for $2k, that would be great, but after looking on mlsli.com, up to $3k might be more realistic. Can't see us wanting to spend more than that on rent.
I've seen less expensive places, but part of the problem is that we don't know if they're less expensive b/c the area is shabby or dangerous.
I don't know where the business is in Melville. I'll have to check with my husband and get back to you.
My husband wants to keep it below a half-hour; less would be better. I've used mapquest to figure out distances and times, but I don't know how realistic the time estimates are, given how bad traffic can be.
He tends to work long days and get in early and leave late, so he often misses the worst of the commute times.
Getting back to you with the location in Melville ... Just off of 495, east of the junction with 135.
Any ideas for me of towns I should consider?
Thanks!
Getting back to you with the location in Melville ... Just off of 495, east of the junction with 135.
Any ideas for me of towns I should consider?
Thanks!
Melville, Woodbury, possibly Syosset would be closest - now to find what you want/need in the price range. Melville is probably the "easiest", without checking...
Check out Oyster Bay, I think that might be a great fit for you. It's got a similar vibe to places like Huntington and Northport - except smaller and sleepier. The drive to Melville shouldn't be any more than 20-25 minutes at absolute worst, and your husband would be traveling in the opposite direction from most people at both rush hours. I can't imagine he'll really have to fight with too much traffic... and if it ever does get backed up, there are side roads he can duck down as well.
The only places on Long Island that really see increased summer traffic are the East End and the barrier beaches on the south shore. No real tourist action on the north shore of Nassau or Western Suffolk.
I browsed through MLSLI.com's selection quickly and there were a couple of home rentals that looked extremely nice around $2,400. MLS #2420668 really caught my eye. 3BR and a nice big yard in back. Most of them look like they're within walking distance of Oyster Bay's downtown strip as well - which is right next to a waterfront park and a small beach. The LIRR station is also right there in case you ever want to take a ride into NYC or over to one of the other towns along the line. It's probably one of the best towns in Nassau County to spend a day walking or biking around... Planting Fields, Sagamore Hill and Bayville Amusement Park are also nearby (but not close enough to walk to). Schools are good - better than Huntington, not as good as Northport... and it's a small district, which most people seem to consider a positive.
Good luck, lemme know what you think! All the other places mentioned are solid towns as well.
Huntington near the village, including Heckscher Park (Elke can probably tell us if there are rentals around there).
I think Oyster Bay is a good call....I like it, others will complain about illegals taking over. It might be a bit at the longer end time wise for commuting, but it would be an easy commute.
Farmingdale, maybe even Massapequa Park. I agree with Elke that Northport is too far east. You can get the gist of Northport living in Huntington anyway...heading there on the weekend for a change of pace. They have a great park right on the harbor for your child then you can walk Main Street and go tot he Sweet Shoppe
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.
At least IMHO 
hmm
