Excellent Suffolk towns

[sassaucounty28]

1. Centerport/Greenlawn (both are upper middle class areas with Centerport having some upper class pockets as well, has the best schools in Suffolk county (Harborfields SD); I don't think Greenlawn has a prestige factor but I know Centerport sort of does)

2. Dix Hills/Melville (Half Hollows SD) (both excellent hamlets and great schools; just make sure if you look in Melville that you are within HHH SD as I think there's this one part of Melville that goes to South Huntington SD which is not as good as HHH SD)

3. Cold Spring Harbor/Lloyds Neck/Lloyd Harbor/Laurel Hollow (all considered prestige and great schools although Laurel Hollow is within Nassau County but has a very similar vibe to Cold Spring Harbor besides not having a downtown)

4.Commack (defenitely considered to be an upper middle class area and great schools and besides not having a downtown; everything you need is right there on Jericho Turnpike)

5.Smithtown (also considered to be an upper middle class with a great school district and there's even a small downtown in what's known to be the Village of the Branch but other than that Smithtown is big so there's a lot of shopping)

These are the top 5 best Western Suffolk (and maybe for all of Suffolk County) hamlets/villages in my opinion. Good luck with your move

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by Juliannehughes

I probably mean west of stony brook when I saw “western”. Just FYI.

If you will consider a few minutes further east look at Old Field and the Strongs Neck part of Setauket. Stony Brook LIRR station is only a few minutes away. Three Village schools.

Once you get out to Suffolk there are increasing layers of “prestige”. North of LIE/Northern State/347, then north of 25, then north of 25A.

[lltnt342]

Most of the desirable towns in Western Suffolk have already been mentioned (Lloyd Harbor, Cold Spring Harbor, Northport, Centerport, Fort Salonga etc). You can’t go wrong with any of these… your budget is good for the area but given how competitive the market is right now, don’t be surprised if you need to make some sacrifices…. there are plenty of properties in this area that go into the multi-million $ range. These are all north shore communities - i.e., close proximity to water, beaches (on LI Sound so might not be the type of beach you’re envisioning), great schools and a prestige factor.

If you are open to going a bit further east, you will have some expanded options but keep in mind these towns will put you right around the 1.5 hour LIRR commute to NYC. On the north shore, check out Stony Brook, Old Field, Setauket, Port Jeff, Belle Terre. Similar to the other north shore towns mentioned above. Port Jeff has a charming and walkable town. Smithhaven mall shopping area is close too. Belle Terre (gated community) and Old Field are probably the most expensive. Pay close attention to the taxes… especially if you see something that is seemingly a great deal. On the south shore, check out East Islip, Sayville, Bayport, Blue Point. Property sizes are generally smaller, but you will find more of a community feeling in my opinion. Areas south of Montauk highway are typically more high end and prestigious. Sayville has a very charming town and nearby Patchogue Village has tons of great restaurants. There is a very big boating/beach culture… the local beaches are on a bay, but it’s a quick ferry ride over to Fire Island for beautiful ocean beaches.

Hope this helps.

[Juliannehughes]

Thanks all for the help!

[atypicalLIer]

Just west of Stony Brook:

Head of the Harbor
Nissequogue

Someone mentioned Commack. It's ok in a post 1950's suburban, home of the CMI kind of way. I wouldn't consider it to have prestige. It has more of a positive name recognition and a convenient White Castle next to the CMI.