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If you're considering Stony Brook, there's a listing MLS# 2537004 which is in a nice neighborhood and a quick ride to UHSB. Price seems fair, but taxes are $13,142. No mention of whether that is/isn't with STAR. My children have had several friends in there.
We are moving to Commack from Nassau in June. We love the area and I can also be obsessive about school districts (I went to a top high school and feel I benefited from it greatly). I also attended SUNY Stony Brook. That hospital is awesome and congrats to your husband on the job!
To me, Commack is the best school district of the bunch and is so centrally located that you can go anywhere on the island easily. Right off the Sunken, LIE, and Northern so easy commuting options. Stony Brook is very nice, but it really is "out there" to me. It's a pain to get to other parts of the Island from there. You can find some lovely houses in Commack for the 500k price range. Your husband would also be doing a reverse commute from Commack so it shouldn't be that bad traffic wise. Depending on how close you are to the Northern, his commute would probably be 20-30 mins from Commack.
Your husband would also be doing a reverse commute from Commack so it shouldn't be that bad traffic wise. Depending on how close you are to the Northern, his commute would probably be 20-30 mins from Commack.
On a really good day/night with little to no traffic, it takes me 15-20 mins to get from NSP/347/454 merge to the Stony Brook LIRR. 25-30 mins to/from Commack sounds reasonable in good weather, minimal traffic
1) Very, very few things have as powerful impact on quality of life as short/non-existent commute!
In Stony Brook, you can be within a walking/biking distance from both the beach and the hospital. Cannot match that with Smithtown or Commack.
2) When considering the 3 school districts, discussed here, ranking is meaningless - splitting hairs. In my experience, the differences between the 3 (if any) have zero impact on the student performance and options afterwards.
3) If other factors (other than the "out there" worry) are important to you - for example, a vibrant young neighborhood where kids play on the street, then it is worth a second look - to compare the 3 places. Very few neighborhoods in the 3V area meet this criterion...
As a lifelong Stony Brook resident, I would recommend Smithtown. 3V schools are great if you are extremely gifted or special ed. If you are just a nice average student, you'll get lost. All extra curricular activities are incredibly competitive (you have to audition to be on the yearbook staff). The proximity to SUNYSB, while it has positives, I think also has negatives, i.e. otherwise nice neighborhoods with all houses packed with college kids. Smithtown is best of the 3, IMHO
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