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.
I know, I've been on this forum forever and am still asking questions. This is what happens when you know *nothing* about LI to start and bought at the top of the market!
Last winter we drove around nearly every weekend and looked at areas and homes in Suffolk. I can see form my own posts that, in April or so when the weather became nice, we stopped and enjoyed the summer weekends out where we are (eastern Suffolk).
We still don't know where we're going to move, though, and never did venture west of Suffolk. So... our ideal criteria, in descending order of importance:
Safe area / good, safe school
Downtown, small town, or small shops; arts and culture
Reform temple nearby
Commute to Hauppauge less than 45 minutes
Jewish population
Asian/Korean population
Good health care/hospital nearby
Liberal ideology
We do like Huntington Village, but coming from the Riverhead school district we are a bit concerned about safety. Stony Brook, or Three Village SD), the other oft-mentioned place, is a bit too big-highway spread out. Both are contenders though.
We have some issues to work around. I am handicapped from a car crash and it's very hard for me to drive far and to shop in large supermarkets and stores. This is why small town or downtown is highly important. It's hard, as well, to drive my son far and we need things to be close to home. We just can't work around being 1/2 hour from the nearest [anything].
My husband was also injured but not as much. He'd commute farther than 45 minutes but isn't comfortable with it and would like to keep his commute as short as he can.
We're a transracial family; we're white, and our son is Korean.
I'm from the city, then lived in East Hampton for eight years before we bought our house in Riverhead. We love the east end for the light, nature, laid back feel but, being farther west as we are now in Riverhead, things have become too large (though mainly we're uncomfortable with the safety of the schools; I like diversity but despise danger). We do think about Hampton Bays and would easily move back to EH if the commute weren't so huge. I'm a city person and a small town, nature person. I don't really like Long Island - I can't negotiate the highway, strip mall culture - but my husband's work is in Hauppauge and we're trying to work around that.
Does anything in Nassau come close?
We've lost a lot of home equity and don't want to make the same mistake again. The next place, I hope, is long-term.
i dont think you are going to get much for under 400k in nassau, in a nicer area. and also remember the taxes, which tend to be a bit higher in nassau than suffolk.
you might want to consider western suffolk, like linderhurst, deer park, babylon. maybe even places like islip, and east islip on the south shore, or commack, hauppague, and smithtown further north. i just think you can get more for your money in suffolk
you might want to consider western suffolk, like linderhurst, deer park, babylon. maybe even places like islip, and east islip on the south shore, or commack, hauppague, and smithtown further north. i just think you can get more for your money in suffolk
Thank you.
There is a lot to like in Commack and Smithtown, and I do for my son. The fast highways and lack of "community" (downtown) have made us want to look further.
It's not "more" that we want, but more appropriate for us.
Is Lindenhurst less highway-orented than the others? The rest seem to be precisely what's difficult to me about LI.
There is a lot to like in Commack and Smithtown, and I do for my son. The fast highways and lack of "community" (downtown) have made us want to look further.
It's not "more" that we want, but more appropriate for us.
Is Lindenhurst less highway-orented than the others? The rest seem to be precisely what's difficult to me about LI.
well lindenhurst has a nice downtown area around wellwood rd and also montauk hwy. pretty much any town that main st./montauk hwy goes thru on the south shore will have a downtown/village area if thats something youre looking for. bay shore and islip have a nice downtown, as does babylon. smithtown also has a pretty decent village type area on main st. (rt. 25). theres also kings park up north and sayville in the south, both with nice village/downtowns
i work on the road so im all over western suffolk and i get to see alot of these places all the time, thats why im suggesting so many different areas. i personally just like suffolk better, because theres plenty of nice areas with villages/downtowns, and the residential areas are nice and spread out with some space... most of nassau seems to be very cramped with small properties and the homes very close together. unless you are going to a more upscale area, which youre not getting for under 400k in nassau. but thats just personal preference, u may like that style
We do like Huntington Village, but coming from the Riverhead school district we are a bit concerned about safety.
We're a transracial family; we're white, and our son is Korean.
Jennifer, I'm not sure I understand what you're referring to about "safety". To me, Huntington sounds like just the right place for your situation...
Foreign adoption has become very common; my oldest daughter recently adopted an adorable little girl from Guatemala and my daughter is definitely not a Latina LOL - they live in Huntington as well and have never encountered any negative comments, etc.
Jennifer, I'm not sure I understand what you're referring to about "safety". To me, Huntington sounds like just the right place for your situation...
Foreign adoption has become very common; my oldest daughter recently adopted an adorable little girl from Guatemala and my daughter is definitely not a Latina LOL - they live in Huntington as well and have never encountered any negative comments, etc.
Safety = no weapons, violence, gangs in school. No reports of violence. Nothing beyond typical kid stuff. A safe environment. No violence. I don't want to worry about my son when he goes to school. We like where we are, but worry about safety in the schools. Huntington schools, on this forum, have a reputation for violence and that concerns me.
International adoption is not "very common," and my son isn't Latin American. I don't see my son's connection to your grandaughter other than both children are adopted. His exposure to other Koreans is important to me. There is a large Hispanic population in Huntington; Korean, not so much as far as I know.
His exposure to other Koreans is important to me. There is a large Hispanic population in Huntington; Korean, not so much as far as I know.
You won't find much in the way of $400k houses in neighborhoods with a lot of Koreans, sorry to say.
I think the Herricks School District in Nassau has a good-sized (compared to other parts of LI) Korean population, but I don't think there are any $400K houses there right now ... maybe when the market goes down further.
If you want your son to be raised around a lot of Koreans, your best bet actually would be areas in Queens such as Bayside or Flushing. However, from what you write, I don't think Queens is much of an option for you.
Also, commuting to Hauppauge from Nassau, even the eastern-most parts of Nassau, may very well be more than 45 minutes. Maybe you should stay in Suffolk and look in a certain radius around Hauppauge.
There's a good sized Korean population in Plainview (I pass 2 Korean churches every day). However, it's unlikely you'd get in there under $400K. It's also not what I'd call walkable, and the drive to Happauge might be iffy. It ticks the other points on your list though, I think.
International adoption is not "very common," and my son isn't Latin American. I don't see my son's connection to your grandaughter other than both children are adopted. His exposure to other Koreans is important to me. There is a large Hispanic population in Huntington; Korean, not so much as far as I know.
I think Elke was trying to help you; and the similarity is obvious: you both adopted a child from a foreign country. No need to be defensive.
every community has some number of violence. In Suffolk, Huntington is a nice and peaceful place
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.
