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Long Beach isn't much of a family community- lots of youngins drinkin all the time...and it's ghetto pretty badly by the waldbaums & the train station. IMO, Long Beach sucks. Atrocious parking and it's so far from everything.
Yo Waldbaums is deadly son I got mugged by a little old lady at the pharmacy. Better watch out over there...old ladies and strip malls ain't no effin game!!
That's nuts... there are tons of families living in Long Beach and there is plenty to keep them busy. The summer cannot be beat. LB has some of the nicest beaches on in the northeast, the boardwalk is great. (It is the one thing I miss from the old neighborhood).
There are plans underway to refurbish the recreation center's pool & gym. The bay front park is really nice with several ball fields, ice skating rink, skateboard park & fishing pier.
The west end of Long Beach is crowded, particularly during the summer. It was mostly a bungalow community until about twenty years ago & most of the homes were made for all year-round living. These smallish homes are going for $300+ with taxes $5000 and up. The main drag is full of bars & restaurants. It can can loud at night during the summer.
The east end is a vibrant full year round community with all walks of life. There are pockets of orthodox Jews with a handful of synagogues around. The center of town is a hub for restaurants and other businesses. The area behind Waldbaums is mostly black but relatively quiet. The city is trying to develop the area along Reynolds Channel where the old incinerator was to make a marina and housing. I suspect the real estate in the immediate area will change when plans are fortified. Along the beach side & boardwalk you will find mostly coop/apartment buildings. Prices are on the high end. Houses throughout the east end vary greatly from $350+ into the millions.
Long Beach has an exciting real estate market. It is approximately 40 minutes from the city. It has beautiful beaches and excellent shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. I know you will still enjoy Long Beach.
The "ghetto"-ness of Long Beach is, IMHO, overrated. Sure, someone from Garden City or Manhasset might be clutching their purse or cell phone (press "9-1, then when something happens, press 1 again) tightly, but it's nothing even remotely like the less affluent areas of, say, Freeport or Hempstead.
As a resident of LB, these are my honest opinions:
Beach/Boardwalk: Absolutely fantastic. It's the main focal point of the city - lots of festivals held there during the summer, and always full of people. The beach itself is also very nice - it may get a little overcrowded during the summer because of its proximity to NYC (much closer and easier to get to than, say, Jones Beach if you're commuting from the city). And, because Long Beach is long and thin, everywhere's within walking distance to the beach.
Housing: As mentioned before, taxes tend to run high here, but nothing any more or less drastic than the rest of Nassau County. Houses run the gamut here from smaller ($300,000) to larger ($5-600,000); condominiums that run along the length of the boardwalk will be in the million-dollar range. Lots tend to be small, especially in the western end of Long Beach, with very little land; as you move eastward, towards Lido Beach and Point Lookout, you'll see houses with somewhat more yard (although, still, this is Nassau County, you won't be getting so much no matter where you go).
Schools: Long Beach used to be a bad school district, but is rapidly improving. Still a long way to go, but its science programs are especially strong. I only see them improving.
Community: Long Beach has a very strong sense of community and pride. There are usually festivals or events going on every week. The main street of Long Beach (by the train station) has some nice shops and some excellent restaurants; as you travel west, you'll eventually hit the bars and nightlife (trust me, nothing at all to write home about). There is a strong secular Jewish population in Long Beach, as well as some strong pockets of Irish Catholics; orthodox pockets exist as well, but do not have as much of a presence. If you're looking for bigger-box chain/retail stores, the best place to go is Oceanside, but be warned: Long Beach Road (the main artery to and from Long Beach) is usually full of traffic, especially on the weekends, and other nearby shopping spots (Sunrise Highway, Westbury/Carle Place) do seem out of the way.
So, if I had to sum it up:
best: beaches, community, improving school district
worst: proximity to other things on the island, can get very overcrowded in the summer
LB houses don't have much of a backyard...and if you have little kids...the streets can get quite busy there. I don't like Long Beach...most people love it. I have lived there and I lasted 6 months. It's a horrible horrible place, IMO of course.
You may also want to check out the Bay Park neighborhood in East Rockaway.
Actually, Bay Park is not in East Rockaway; Bay Park is a hamlet and East Rockaway is a village, and both the Hamlet of Bay Park and the Village of East Rockaway are in the service area of the "East Rockaway, NY 11518" postal zone. Parts of the Hamlet of Hewlett and the Village of Lynbrook are also in the "East Rockaway, NY 11518" postal zone and, at the same time, parts of the Village of East Rockaway are in the "Lynbrook, NY 11563" postal zone.
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