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.
Here's an admitted tall order. I went to Hofstra, and I'm familiar with parts of the Island, but I need some opinions from current residents, since I've been in Portland, OR for 20 years.
My wife and I are thinking ahead a few years to retirement. Here are our dream requirements:
We want to be close to the City (Manhattan). By close I mean a two hour commute on LIRR. An hour and a half would be even better.
We'd love a place with beach rights or good public beaches. Either shore.
We don't want a huge piece of property to take care of. A three bedroom, 1500 sq ft home, like a one level mid century ranch, would be perfect.
No depressed towns.
I hate driving. Hate it. So a quieter town with less congestion is better than a traffic nightmare.
Here's a tough one: I'd like to stay at 400K or under, with of course, property taxes that are at 5K or under (HA.)
I like what I've seen of Wading River, but it seems to be way the heck out there, and I can't find a train nearby (is there one? Where is it?)
Thank you, experts. I'm eager to hear if you think I might be able to come close on my wish list.
Wading River is a nice, relatively quiet town that is woodsy and still has a lot of farm country. There is no train directly through the town. The train you would take to NYC is either out of Port Jefferson (about 25 min drive)...or Riverhead (about 15 min drive). You can also drive to a larger station in Ronkonkoma (about 20-25 min)...all times dependent on traffic of course!
From Ronkonkoma the train is about 1.5 hours to NYC.
Here is the LIRR map...
MTA LIRR - LIRR Map (http://www.mta.info/lirr/html/lirrmap.htm - broken link)
Some really nice homes in Wading River...as well as surrounding towns. Taxes can vary greatly from town to town as well...so some searching is in order. MLSLI.com is a great resource for searching.
May I ask why you are leaving Portland? I am planning on moving there within a year.
Hello:
PDX is a great town. Been here 20 years. Our kids are almost out of the house. We have a daughter at NYU who is an actress, and another daughter heading that way. Both my wife and I are theatre people. We'd like to be close to Manhattan because of the culture, and because of the fact our daughters will undoubtedly split time between NY and LA if they are going to make a career. The best scenario would be to have a 3 bedroom in a place like Wading River and a teeny tiny place in Manhattan, but the budget may not permit it.
Anyway, that's my story. Email me and I'll be happy to give you the run down on Portland.
Wading River is a nice, relatively quiet town that is woodsy and still has a lot of farm country.
Here is the LIRR map...
MTA LIRR - LIRR Map (http://www.mta.info/lirr/html/lirrmap.htm - broken link)
Some really nice homes in Wading River...as well as surrounding towns. Taxes can vary greatly from town to town as well...so some searching is in order. MLSLI.com is a great resource for searching.
Thank you so much. Do you have any thoughts about something directly on the line, like Port Jefferson? Or how about Rocky Point? someone on another forum suggested that.
I appreciate how helpful everyone is in sharing their personal knowledge.
Port Jefferson is great. It's in a beautiful historic town, right near the sound. The downtown area is lovely and so fun to walk around. It does get quite crowded during certain times during the year, but it can also be very peaceful and nice. It would be very hard to find a house under $400k here, but it's worth a try! If not Port Jefferson, consider Port Jefferson Station (The neighboring town). There's neighborhood areas and it can be somewhat quiet. Rocky Point, Mount Sinai and Miller Place is also very close to these two towns and very nice. I don't think you'll have much of a problem with any of these and you'll be close to a beach as well. Also check out Stony Brook.
Good luck and feel free to DM me with any questions, i've been living in Long Island all my life and would love to help.
Port Jefferson is great. It's in a beautiful historic town, right near the sound. The downtown area is lovely and so fun to walk around. It does get quite crowded during certain times during the year, but it can also be very peaceful and nice. It would be very hard to find a house under $400k here, but it's worth a try! If not Port Jefferson, consider Port Jefferson Station (The neighboring town). There's neighborhood areas and it can be somewhat quiet. Rocky Point, Mount Sinai and Miller Place is also very close to these two towns and very nice. I don't think you'll have much of a problem with any of these and you'll be close to a beach as well. Also check out Stony Brook.
Good luck and feel free to DM me with any questions, i've been living in Long Island all my life and would love to help.
I believe there's only one problem with PJV: the OP stated, " I hate driving. Hate it. So a quieter town with less congestion is better than a traffic nightmare." PJV can really hop. Some residents have posted concerns on the local newspaper's blog about noise. Main St in Port can get congested; on a pleasant day with cars disembarking from the ferry it can get nuts.
One of my gf's had a great house in PJV which was a long but doable walk to/from the LIRR. She was far enough from the village, but could hear the loud pipes from bikes cruising in and out of the town.
You might like Northport, near the village. It's a walkable village and not nearly as congested trafficwise as some others. You also didn't mention whether you want to be near the water for boating, or just for ambience. If it's for boating, there's a big difference between the North and South shores! North shore towns are more focused on sailboats, and most dockages are moorings rather than bulkheadings. South shore is more focused on powerboats, and docking is bulkheads and piers. You also mentioned a 2-hour commute; does that timeframe include drive-time between your house and the RR station, or just time spent on the train? You should look into Babylon Village also. It's an hour from Penn Station if you catch an Express. Will you be commuting into NYC daily for work, or do you just want to be within 2 hours away for leisure activities?
As for taxes under 5K, I can't think of too many towns with the ambience I think you're looking for, where you'll be able to find that.
You also didn't mention whether you want to be near the water for boating, or just for ambience.
Hi:
First of all, thank you again to the posters who have shared their information.
We'd like the water for ambiance. We're walkers, I write, and the idea of the beach is thrilling. I grew up in Jersey and summers were spent on the Atlantic. I know the Atlantic side would probably be too spendy (a Portland expression meaning "expensive." Cute, huh?)
When I was a boy my uncle, who was an ad exec in NY in the 60s and lived in Garden City, also had a summer home on Montauk. We were literally across the street from the beach. The road leading to his house had pastor and cows. On the beach, you could see the lighthouse directly to your left as you faced the ocean. The house was decorated with sea shells and nets, the eves were unfinished in that beach house way. It was a two story cape cod, I think. I'd kill to have that house today and I'm sure that based on my memory of location it's got to be north of a million.
So, that's why the beach. We are theatre people and will want to be able to come in to the city frequently. Two hours or so door to door seems ideal.
How about the Hamlet of Bayport in the Town of Islip, reportedly the Hardy Boys hometown?
For those who may not be familiar with Bayport:
Bayport is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the southeast part of the Town of Islip, in the south-central part of Suffolk County, along the Islip/Brookhaven town line.
Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Bayport in the Town of Islip is bordered on the north by Hamlet of Holbrook; on the east by the Hamlet of Blue Point in the Town of Brookhaven (the Islip/Brookhaven town line); on the south by the Great South Bay; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Sayville.
The Hamlet of Bayport has a different border than does the "Bayport, NY 11705" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "Bayport, NY 11705" mailing address and not be in the Hamlet of Bayport and a place can have other than a "Bayport, NY 11705" mailing address and be in the Hamlet of Bayport): places that have a "Bayport, NY 11705" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Bayport are in the Hamlet of Sayville; and, at the same time, there are places in the Hamlet of Bayport with a "Sayville, NY 11782" mailing address.
For a good set of town-by-town maps showing all the villages and hamlets in each of LI's 13 towns (3 in Nassau County and 10 in Suffolk County): //www.city-data.com/forum/long-...-resource.html
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.
Thanks!!
