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I am about to view 3 houses in these towns, all in Uniondale school district.
Fwiw, I am a woman of color... Professional, highly educated, mid 30s. I am divorced with a 4 year old. The house will be for the two of us. I like the way the homes and streets looked for all of these towns. Also the taxes seem to be reasonable for LI standards. This will be my first home, are these areas ok generally speaking? I know the schools are not really the best though.
I have been in the area and always found it well maintained for the most part. Are there some parts of Uniondale better than others? Is South Hempstead 11550 with Uniondale schools ok compared to the other Hempstead in terms of safety and quality of life? What about the part of North Baldwin within Uniondale school district? Any insights, please share. Thanks to everyone for their feedback on my other posts as well.
Why not check out Baldwin, the part of (NW) Freeport(Baldwin Schools)(May have most affluent predominantly Black census block in the state with a median HH income of about $141,000) or Lakeview(Malverne Schools)? Perhaps even West Hempstead as well. You can find what you want and the schools seem to be solid in each of those areas. Same for North Valley Stream/Valley Stream and Elmont.
I believe that the Belmont Park area of West Babylon(North Babylon Schools) and i believe a part of North Amityville(Farmingdale Schools) May also also work. Same with southern Greenlawn(South Huntington Schools).
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 02-15-2016 at 06:30 PM..
I am about to view 3 houses in these towns, all in Uniondale school district.
Fwiw, I am a woman of color... Professional, highly educated, mid 30s. I am divorced with a 4 year old. The house will be for the two of us. I like the way the homes and streets looked for all of these towns. Also the taxes seem to be reasonable for LI standards. This will be my first home, are these areas ok generally speaking? I know the schools are not really the best though.
I have been in the area and always found it well maintained for the most part. Are there some parts of Uniondale better than others? Is South Hempstead 11550 with Uniondale schools ok compared to the other Hempstead in terms of safety and quality of life? What about the part of North Baldwin within Uniondale school district? Any insights, please share. Thanks to everyone for their feedback on my other posts as well.
By Long Island standards, Uniondale isn't that great. There is not a lot of amenities there, the main street is not pretty and the schools perform below-average by LI standards. When it comes to neighborhood appearances, most homes throughout the town are kept up well; it tends to get a bit nicer as you get further away from Hempstead though it's not really a big difference. The part of Baldwin/South Hempstead that is within the Uniondale School District is actually pretty nice but I would personally be concerned about the quality of education.
If you're concerned about the quality of education while having a lot of diversity then Baldwin or West Hempstead schools would be the best option in that area. Baldwin has a lot of professionals and is socioeconomically higher than Uniondale. I remember reading an article that stated that the West Hempstead black HS graduation rate was 100%; hopefully I can find the link. Also check out East Meadow and West Hempstead, which are pretty decent areas that have gotten a bit more diverse throughout the years. If you're budget permits it then even consider Rockville Centre!
Here is some census info that should help paint a better picture:
Is your budget pushing you to Uniondale or is it the desire to be around other people of color?
It is not all bad (but not great) but I would be very careful about investing in the area. Prices may be good, but the area does not attract young professionals of color. You will find professionals in the area (older) but Uniondale has dramatically changed and for the most part, not for the better.
There's a huge illegal problem in the community (as well as homes rented to Hofstra students) but as you say, some parts are well kept and there are people who take pride in their homes, etc.
I will say I was bit surprised at the civic activity when it came to the recent East Garden City issue and how many Uniondale residents were aware of the issue and active in it.
I will say parental involvement (if you are posting here on CD I'd say you are far ahead in that dept.) you can probably do OK with the schools especially at the elementary level.
You need to keep in mind that you are investing in an majority minority area with a very negative perception and that will not only impact the value of your potential home but the types of people who will buy homes in the future.
There's a part of Baldwin zoned for Uniondale schools?
Anyway you should see if you can find a home zoned for Baldwin schools, the black graduation rate (assuming you're black) is the same as the white graduation rate at around 94% IIRC. I graduated in 2013 and your kids can definitely get a good education there, the learning environment is overall pretty good and there are MANY kids of color in the honors and AP classes. It seemed like there was pretty much no racial discrepancy between honors and regents classes, not there's anything wrong with being in the latter.
You mentioned that you have a child of 4 years. Uniondale has a new full day prekindergarten program that was just started this year, one of the few districts that has a district-run free full day pre-k program. Everything is new, new furniture, new toys, etc.
Why not check out Baldwin, the part of (NW) Freeport(Baldwin Schools)(May have most affluent predominantly Black census block in the state with a median HH income of about $141,000) or Lakeview(Malverne Schools)? Perhaps even West Hempstead as well. You can find what you want and the schools seem to be solid in each of those areas. Same for North Valley Stream/Valley Stream and Elmont.
I believe that the Belmont Park area of West Babylon(North Babylon Schools) and i believe a part of North Amityville(Farmingdale Schools) May also also work. Same with southern Greenlawn(South Huntington Schools).
Taxes- I'm very limited . I'm capped at $10,000 and there is virtually nothing in those areas with taxes that low.
There's a part of Baldwin zoned for Uniondale schools?
Anyway you should see if you can find a home zoned for Baldwin schools, the black graduation rate (assuming you're black) is the same as the white graduation rate at around 94% IIRC. I graduated in 2013 and your kids can definitely get a good education there, the learning environment is overall pretty good and there are MANY kids of color in the honors and AP classes. It seemed like there was pretty much no racial discrepancy between honors and regents classes, not there's anything wrong with being in the latter.
Yes, it's closest to the Southern State Parkway and Grand Ave. I would prefer Baldwin schools but taxes are sky high mostly. I have a good friend who lives in that town and the neighborhood is beautiful.
Is your budget pushing you to Uniondale or is it the desire to be around other people of color?
It is not all bad (but not great) but I would be very careful about investing in the area. Prices may be good, but the area does not attract young professionals of color. You will find professionals in the area (older) but Uniondale has dramatically changed and for the most part, not for the better.
There's a huge illegal problem in the community (as well as homes rented to Hofstra students) but as you say, some parts are well kept and there are people who take pride in their homes, etc.
I will say I was bit surprised at the civic activity when it came to the recent East Garden City issue and how many Uniondale residents were aware of the issue and active in it.
I will say parental involvement (if you are posting here on CD I'd say you are far ahead in that dept.) you can probably do OK with the schools especially at the elementary level.
You need to keep in mind that you are investing in an majority minority area with a very negative perception and that will not only impact the value of your potential home but the types of people who will buy homes in the future.
My budget is pushing me to Uniondale. As a single person, I feel like I have a very limited ability to get a home in a decent area reasonably close by.
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