Quote:
Originally Posted by dhpflyn
Just wasn't sure with traffic how far from Farmingdale I could realistically look around.
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Again, 90 minutes gives you quite a bit a leeway, even considering rush hour traffic.
That said, it would be practical not to extend you usually commute to that limit if you don't have to.
In the 500-600k range you have plenty of options.
Your traffic snarls getting to/from Republic Airport will basically be:
Immediate vicinity. Rt 110 can be a problem, especially going north. If your destination is west of Republic, your road options are more limited. If heading east, there are some workaround (Rt 109, New Highway, Wellwood Ave, etc).
The Southern State Parkway can be a mess at rush hour. Sunrise Highway offers a decent alternative headed east (it becomes a limited access road just east of Republic). Going west, you don't have many south shore options.
Going north, there is the LIE and Northern State. Heading west, your big snarl is going to be at Rt 106/107 and then at Glen Cove Road. After that, The city line/Cross Island Pkwy is the next big jam.
Going east, you will run into heavy rush hour immediately (from Rt 110 to exit 50). After that, the Vets Highway area (exits 56-57) get very heavy during rush hour.
To me, one of the advantages to working on Long Island is the elimination of a 1hour + commute. If I wanted to travel that much every day, I would have kept my office in the city.
Considering the above, there are a few places I suggest you start your search. This is a general suggestion as I have no idea what you are really looking for. Various sections of these towns can differ greatly, so what you see will depend on where you look.
- Massapequa in the Massapequa School district. Merrick, Wantagh, Seaford or Massapequa Park might also be good options. These are all south and west of Republic, but easy to get to/from.
- Farmingdale is worth a look. There are sections of Farmindale in the Dix Hills SD which may make sense for you. Melville or Bethpage are also worth a shot (like Farmingdale with better schools). These are essentially adjacent to Republic.
- Huntington has some nice homes. School district may be an issue for some.
- Elwood, Greenlawn area - a little north and east but still pretty close. Basically Huntington, but a better school district.
Republic is basically on the border of Nassau/Suffolk County. The same exact home in Nassau will cost you about 30-40% more in annual school/property taxes. (Although Suffolk is trying to catch up.)
What the other poster wrote about Smithtown, St. James, Stonybrook is all correct. You will definitely get more for your money out there. The cost is commuting time. Areas I mentioned above will be a 10-30 minute commute in the worst of traffic. St. James could be closer to an hour, maybe more with bad traffic/weather.
I did the long commute for many years. While I dealt with it all that time, I didn't realize how bad it was until I cut my commute down. A short commute is SO much better - less wasted time, less stress.
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