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Long Island is a big place. Where will you be moving to? Or at least where will your husband be working. Traffic sometimes can be a problem during rush hours so my suggestion is to live west of where he will be commuting to. That will minimize his commute time.
If you give me more details, I will be happy to give you some suggestions. I have lived on LI for 35 years and have raised a family here.
I was born and raised on LI (I'm now 44 - LI was a different place then ) Anyway, many people are leaving because they can't afford to live there. I lived in Port Jefferson by the harbor and it was a great place to grow up and live. I since then revisited there and it is soooooo touristy now - the small village charm is gone.
The nice thing about Port Jefferson is that you are conveniently located. 1.5 hrs east and your in the Hamptons and west you are in the city.With the LIRR the trip to the city was fun (and amusing) and of course making a day trip out east to all the wineries were memories worth a million.
Unfortunately, unless you fell into some serious money, you will be living from paycheck to paycheck. When I was in my 20's I worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory out east and was making $13 an hr then and still wasn't able to afford a small apartment by the harbor.
Port Jefferson has very good schools too. Every town has something good to offer but the main thing about LI is the really bad traffic and the high price of housing - and the house you get is not worth the money when you can see how much house you can get for your $$ elsewhere.
Good luck to you in your choices!
... and take the initiative to try and fix where they live now.
In the political process there are winners & there are losers. Getting involved does not guarantee that you will prevail. On Long Island, the rich are doing greeat. The poor... well, they are poor. But, the middle class is not valued. The people have spoken and LI is quite 3rd world, the middle class lifestyle is dissappearing, despite the efforts of many people. The middle class are the losers & some of us are trying to move on with grace.
On Long Island, the rich are doing greeat. The poor... well, they are poor. But, the middle class is not valued. The people have spoken and LI is quite 3rd world, the middle class lifestyle is dissappearing, despite the efforts of many people. The middle class are the losers & some of us are trying to move on with grace.
Sad, but true...Looks like I'm going to be renting here for a while because DH's job is here...Really wished we could afford a small house because there are so many nice neighborhoods in Suffolk County!!!
In the political process there are winners & there are losers. Getting involved does not guarantee that you will prevail. On Long Island, the rich are doing greeat. The poor... well, they are poor. But, the middle class is not valued. The people have spoken and LI is quite 3rd world, the middle class lifestyle is dissappearing, despite the efforts of many people. The middle class are the losers & some of us are trying to move on with grace.
You could not have said it better. I've lived on Long Island for about 10 years now (grew up in Queens prior to that) and I have seen how much Long Island is becoming for the rich and the poor.
Have you gotten a teaching job here? It's very old boy network..good luck..I've been trying for years and I am a native..
I've lived in a variety of states, countries and in different cities on Long Island. Sadly, it's gone down hill here in one or two generations. People like my parents came from NYC or Brooklyn or Queens for a bit of the country life. In the 38 years on and off, I have seen it go from a nice area to a lot like Queens (more crime, crowding, racial problems, too many poor people who can't live on a working wage). We've been trying to move 3 years but it's hard to know WHERE to go.
I also have to agree about the class difference. It's a very materialistic culture here..what you own will make you popular, along with how much you own and where you own it. People without pools, second cars (YOU NEED 2 cars, but I only have one so I know this for a fact), a good home (renting is mostly 'illegal apartments), will make you a pariah.
Also for a place only 1-3 hours (depending on your town) from NYC, there is very little culture. People are obsessed with shopping at row stores and eating out. We try to go to parks, do simple things like that. Any activities you want to put your kids in are jammed up (like library programs) and you have to line up to get them in things. (like when the library opens). Sad way to live, really.
Last edited by GypsySoul22; 07-12-2006 at 11:01 AM..
I also have to agree about the class difference. It's a very materialistic culture here..what you own will make you popular, along with how much you own and where you own it. People without pools, second cars (YOU NEED 2 cars, but I only have one so I know this for a fact), a good home (renting is mostly 'illegal apartments), will make you a pariah.
Also for a place only 1-3 hours (depending on your town) from NYC, there is very little culture. People are obsessed with shopping at row stores and eating out. We try to go to parks, do simple things like that. Any activities you want to put your kids in are jammed up (like library programs) and you have to line up to get them in things. (like when the library opens). Sad way to live, really.
Tell me about it! I just visited Astoria not long ago and realized how much there was to do there!! Coming from a cosmopolitain city myself, I LOVE cosmopolitain culture!! I just realized how boring life can be here. And it is long and expensive to go into the city and yet, I am sure living in Queens has its downsides as well...I am just wondering, as I feel like enjoying life a little before having kids.
Tell me about it! I just visited Astoria not long ago and realized how much there was to do there!! Coming from a cosmopolitain city myself, I LOVE cosmopolitain culture!! I just realized how boring life can be here. And it is long and expensive to go into the city and yet, I am sure living in Queens has its downsides as well...I am just wondering, as I feel like enjoying life a little before having kids.
NYSinger
I grew up in Astoria. The biggest advantage that I see is the fact that you can literally walk to any of the stores you want. And the bus ride into the city is about 20 min or so. Trains are also there. The drawback to Astoria is the lack of land that you purchase. But it is nice and everyone basically knows each other.
You could also try towns in Nassau county like,: Wantagh,Bellmore, Seaford, Merrick. Rockville Centre is very nice also Massapequa and Massapequa park. All in close proximity to the Long Island Railroad which your husband would take to work in the city. Taxes unfortunately are high and they continue to rise. Which is why many people move away. But I have lived here all my life and if you choose a nice area, your kids will have great educations. Mandalay Elementary school in Wantagh is actually a blue ribbon school of excellence. The Wantagh school district makes Wantagh a very wanted area and great place to raise kids. In my area we pay $4400 in city (town) tax and $5000 in school tax. The owner of the property pays that. Hope this helps.
Consider Brooklyn. With public transportation you can get by with only one care instead of two (or none in my case). You can still find neighborhoods here that feel kind of like a suburb with with a cosmopolitan twist.
A great sense of community and close to Manhattan.
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