B/W couple looking for safe home... (New York, Huntington: houses, neighborhoods)

[KittyNY]

Hi, I'm a white NYer looking to buy a home on LI with my husband, a black New Englander. Where would be a safe place for us to live? I want to live in Kings Park or Huntington, but I heard they are 97% white and would we be welcome? We are in our late 40s, quiet, hardworking, and houseproud. We have no children to upset the gene pool worriers, and are relatively isolated. We just want to have a little house to live in peace and be left alone. We can only afford about 300-mid300s K for a house, and only want a little two bedroom cape with a wooded yard. No response from haters, please, we've heard it all before and you have nothing new to say. Thanks to all who offer advice.

[nymom]

I don't know about Kings Park but I know Huntington isn't 90% white. There are parts of huntington that may be primarily white but I know that there are other parts where there are plenty of black, hispanic and other minority populations. I think no matter where you go, as long as your property is kept well, and you're hard working, tax paying, good citizens, then you will be accepted whatever your race may be.
By the way, I can't believe in this day and age people still get freaked out by interacial couples. It's 2006 people!!

[KittyNY]

NYMom, thanks for responding. I was taking the data from the City Data database, which listed Huntington at 97%. I love it there because it seems rather wooded, and I love trees. I would like to have a heavily treed yard that I can sit out in. I love LI and don't want to leave the good health care, good food, beaches, and access to the city. We used to live in NE and the health care was atrocious, the food worse and the weather terrrible.

You would not believe the hostility there still is. The comments, the looks, the places we can't go together. Until you are in the sitch, you just aren't exposed to it, because it is not overt.

Thanks again.

[Glen NY]

Two neighborhoods come to mind as good strong communities that have have a diversity among their population. Baldwin, which is western Nassau county and Wheatly Hieghts which is closer to where you are looking. Both neighborhoods are very nice and very mixed and I really doubt you would encounter any problems. I'd like to say you won't encounter any problems anywhere and that is probably so for the most part, but there is always the possibility of dealing with some real ignorant people out there. Good luck

[momix5]

hi, i have lived on Long Island my whole life. Huntington is not all white, however there are parts now with alot of gang trouble. Stay ou of Smithtown and its towns(Kings Park, Commack, Nesconset) last year an African American family were practically run out of the neighborhood just because they were not white. Patchogue is another good choice the taxes are low and the houses are affordable. Good luck!

[homeward bound]

Assuming you might be able to live some place other than Long Island, I'd encourage you to look more upstate. Ithaca, where Cornell Univ. & Ithaca College are, is a very civilized town. Its economy is quite vibrant, high-tech, and varied. It's got people from all over the world getting along just fine, and a lot of cultural amenities, from theater to shopping. People there don't think twice about "mixed" marriages, friendships, etc. Some of the small towns around there, particularly Trumansburg, are very civilized, too. They pride themselves on being neighborly in the best senses of the word, and have a lot of people who work at Cornell or Ithaca College living there. A smaller college town, Aurora, is very civilized too. It's not too far from shopping, bigger cities, etc., if you want that. For your price range, you could get a gorgeous home, older or newer, and a nice piece of land. Or you could still buy the small home and smaller yard you've got in mind now and keep a big chunk of the money you'd have to spend for that same kind of home on Long Island. Just don't live among the college students if you can help it! That was our big mistake where we live now (in Virginia), and their drinking, vandalism, etc., is unbearable. But, generally, a college town in upstate New York, as long as you avoid student-dense areas, would be a real good bet for having the kind of life you're seeking (and of course deserve). And you'd have beautiful country around you instead of the LI/NYC crush and craziness and much lower local taxes, too. I wish you both the best of luck.

[williamter]

No one has said but what will $300k get you? Not anything with a yard and lots of trees. Huntington Station is more ethnically diverse than Huntington.

[jdhall1]

If you are considering other areas in the metro ny area, I would recommend Danbury,ct area. The city is very diverse, reasonable property taxes ($4000 for a $400,000 property), and you can find the property you are looking for in that price range. The city has a large regional hospital and there are plenty of shopping and good NYC quality restaurants. The only downside is it's about an hour north of Manhatten by car and 75 minutes by train.

[KittyNY]

Thanks to all of you who sent advice and best wishes. It was great to get the support!

Homewardbound and jdhall, we did live in New England for several years and just couldn't take the weather and small town stuff anymore. Besides my mom is getting older and I want to be close to her.

Does anyone know anything about the town of Selden? It looks fairly wooded but I was wondering what the economic median was, type of neighborhood, etc. It's about 20-30 minutes outside of Huntington.

Mommix5 and Glen, thanks for the tips. Kings Park is no good, huh? It looks like a nice place but might be too close to Smithtown which I heard is very bad.

Thanks again for any advice and especially for all your encouraging comments. You are very good people.

[nymom]

Selden is OK. There are good and bad parts like most towns I guess. You can get a decent house for $3-400,000. If you have children or are planning to start a family, the school district isn't all that great.