Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We (young family of 4) are moving to Long Island and see the Port Washington LIRR (good commute to Manhattan) & good schools as a "must-have" (gotta decide somehow right...).
To make it fun
1) how would you rank Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington PERSONALLY
2) what do you consider the main differences between them
3) for a mixed Asian-American & European family (pretty progressive but not hipsters, fairly laid back, not the aggressive social type, non-relig) any particular strong suggestion between the three?
I'll keep it there for now to not bias the answers much further
1) how would you rank Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington PERSONALLY
1-Manhasset
2-Port Wash
3-Great Neck
2) what do you consider the main differences between them
Manhasset is the "richest" of the communities and provides the most suburban feeling with large lots (for the most part) and lots of greenery. Also, best schools (IMO) out of the three. There are several sections (Flower Hill, Plandome, Munsey, etc) which all have their own feel (and price tag) so you need to take that into consideration. It is nice that Manhasset has two LIRR stations.
Port Washington has a great downtown which can be easily accessed from Manhasset. Schools are good but not elite. It is nice to be at the "end of the line" for the LIRR so you can get a seat in the morning and also not worry about falling asleep and missing your stop in the evening. Least car traffic out of the three since its at the end of a peninsula. I prefer Port Wash North for its exclusive and secluded feeling.
Great Neck also has a vibrant downtown but it is not a quaint as Port Washington. Busier, more city like, with more car traffic. Big difference in demographic in Great Neck South and Great Neck North (how the high schools are split up). Folks are not as friendly in my experience from working in Great Neck. I did enjoy having lunch at Village Deli and eating it in the park across the street though!
3) for a mixed Asian-American & European family (pretty progressive but not hipsters, fairly laid back, not the aggressive social type, non-relig) any particular strong suggestion between the three?
I don't think your background will be an issue in any of the three.
Have you considered Garden City? It also has great schools and LIRR options to the City.
the problem with the port washington line is it is a pita to go anywhere else except manhattan ....going east if you want requires a lot of extra train riding in the opposite direction .
we live in bay terrace but always park in the lot in douglaston when we take the lirr
@ThePowerBroker We’d probably try to avoid Great Neck South as we hear the schools are hyper competitive/high pressure, I love the Asian community on Long Island in general but it might a but overwhelming.
We saw a perfect house for us in Great Neck North fairly close to the train station & EM Baker, now we are hearing Great Neck North is becoming more conservative & religious (Hasidi community growing) so not sure what to make out of that either. We are open-minded in general and prefer if the community is a bit diverse (and at least not becoming less diverse).
Garden City - we have not looked at really but will do some research on it.
@mathjak107 Just want to be close to the line to commute into the city, we’ll have a car to venture out further east
@ThePowerBroker We’d probably try to avoid Great Neck South as we hear the schools are hyper competitive/high pressure.
This is true. North isn't a cake walk either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kindness_is_kind
We saw a perfect house for us in Great Neck North fairly close to the train station & EM Baker, now we are hearing Great Neck North is becoming more conservative & religious (Hasidi community growing) so not sure what to make out of that either. We are open-minded in general and prefer if the community is a bit diverse (and at least not becoming less diverse).
It has always had a very Jewish (and Persian) presence which has gotten even more solidified in the past decade. GN North is not very diverse IMO. I am not religious (self proclaimed agnostic who was raised Catholic) and felt out of place working in GN North with locals.
@ThePowerBroker We’d probably try to avoid Great Neck South as we hear the schools are hyper competitive/high pressure, I love the Asian community on Long Island in general but it might a but overwhelming.
We saw a perfect house for us in Great Neck North fairly close to the train station & EM Baker, now we are hearing Great Neck North is becoming more conservative & religious (Hasidi community growing) so not sure what to make out of that either. We are open-minded in general and prefer if the community is a bit diverse (and at least not becoming less diverse).
Garden City - we have not looked at really but will do some research on it.
@mathjak107 Just want to be close to the line to commute into the city, we’ll have a car to venture out further east
we have a car too . but so many times we would love to simply hop on the train and take advantage of their special trips and go way out east with no traffic issues .
we have a car too . but so many times we would love to simply hop on the train and take advantage of their special trips and go way out east with no traffic issues .
hardly anybody ever does this. The OP can ignore this particular "concern".
Schools in Manhasset are becoming less diverse and they are (especially at the HS) kind of a pressure cooker too. Of the three, Port Wash. is the most laid back district.
hardly anybody ever does this. The OP can ignore this particular "concern".
how many want to do it is irrelevant ..all that matters is I would have liked to be able to do it
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
