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this will tell you stations and trip times. 30 miles would actually be a long trip, here--1 hour on the train, longer door to door.
Having done it, I would say that the train is the way to go. Traffic here is awful, tolls are high and parking is ruinous.
I don't think they'll think you're a hillbilly--you're from Atlanta, not Kentucky. People may be a bit dismissive of Atlanta. Emory is a popular college choice up here, so people may be a little more familiar with it than you'd expect. But New Yorkers can be very parochial, so expect that.
A good public daycare like Tutor Time would probably run you about 200/wk per child (not sure what types of family discounts they give). Private day care (in someone's home) is a bit cheaper. Having a babysitter come to your home may be the least expensive option (and the most convenient)
If you're looking to rent a 3/4 BR house in a decent area, you'll easily be paying upwards of 3K/mo plus all utilities. If you want to rent a 3BR apt (in someone's house, not in a building), you'll probably be paying 2,000-2,500/mo plus utilities. If you're looking for something in a building/complex, you'll be paying more than that.
Shopping/dining? There are places for that all over LI.
All the high schools have sports programs. You should look more at the academic standings of the school.
What part of LI are you interested in? What are your interests as far as commuting? Are you going to be working in Manhattan? What about your spouse? Do you both drive/have cars? How old are all your children? What are your interests as a family? (in other words, what family activities do you do together on weekends?)
Long Island is a big place. Effectively, you're asking the equivalent of "I'm moving to Atlanta and we want to live in the suburbs. Where should we go?" There's 2.6M people on LI--that's more than Fulton, DeKalb and Cobb counties put together.
We'd need to know more about what you want in an area. What's more important, space and yard or commute? Most of Nassau is on fairly small lots (unless you go big $$$), but it will be quicker to the city. Do you have any religious or ethnic concerns (i.e. want to be near a particular house of worship or other community resources?) Plus the questions omigawd gave above.
Most school districts here have good sports. Something to keep in mind is that districts here are quite small--often one high school and the schools feeding into it. So you have to pay attention and make sure which schools you're zoned to.
Go to MLSLI.com – Long Island Real Estate – Find A Home in Nassau, Suffolk & Queens and you can search rentals; you won't see everything there, since not all rentals go through MLS, but you'll get an idea of what things run. Keep in mind that utility costs are substantially higher here (NYS has the highest electric rates in the US); this will add to your costs.
1. What are some nice areas for a family of five? I want good schools, and would love to be in an area that has a sense of place and community, if that makes any sense. I've never really visited L.I, but from what I've been told and seen on television, there are many different areas, some of which seem sort of quaint to be so close to NYC. I'd like to be no more than 30 miles or so from NYC.
2. Could someone elaborate on commuter options into Manhattan? Cost, practicallity, and ease of use.
3. Here is a big one. I have spent all my life in the south. Therefore, I have somewhat of a genuine southern accent. We (as well as my family) would not be confused with the beverly hillbillies, but I'm a little apprehensive as to how we would be recieved here. I have a perception of being shunned to an extent by locals as I've heard they aren't very receptive to "outsiders".
4. What can I expect to pay for quality daycare for a 4 year old and 2 year old?
5. What should I expect to pay for rent on a decent 3-4 bedroom house? Is it pretty doable for 2500 or so?
Any other input or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
I'll try to answer most of your questions...
1. Personally, I'm kind of partial to the Huntington area (although Babylon has a lot going for it too...). It has a lot to offer, regardless of your interest(s).
2. All trains, express or local, stop at Huntington. In fact, all electric trains on this line start and end here (except for the dual powered double deckers, which continue further, to Pt. Jefferson).
Plenty of trains, and always a seat in the morning
Currently, monthly (web) ticket is $243, plus subway, if applicable.
The same holds true for Babylon.
3. I don't believe you'd be "shunned as an outsider" but instead, "welcome as a new neighbor" in both areas; and your kids would adjust very quickly at their age.
4. Day care - I know the following from my daughters: One pays $1,200/mo for five full days/wk at Tutor Time for a 21-months old. My other daughter currently pays $12/hr for a mature sitter coming to her home for a 1-yr old. Babysitters get between $12-$15/hr, depending on sitter and number of children. (Cash)
5. House rental - in the above mentioned areas, you should be able to find what you're looking for (4 BR, min 2 Ba) definitely for under $3,000/mo, depending on timing, even around $2,500/mo. - of course utilities are not included.
I'm not particularly concerned with having a huge yard. I'd like to have enough to at least get out and throw a little baseball with my boy's. Being close to some baseball fields would be nice. I know that we won't be able to get the square footage that we'd have here in Atlanta for the price, so we accept that. I would need 3-4 bedrooms at least though. I'd like to be within an hour (or so) commute of Manhattan. Right now, we're 30 miles from downtown Atlanta and that's 90 minutes on a good day, so we are accustomed to terrible traffic. The train sounds really nice though.
I don't really know that much at all about L.I, so that's why I'm here. Looking for a little help and advice. I just know that living in one of the 5 boroughs would not be what my family would want.
I'd imagine that if we rent, which we probably will at first, we'd definitely need to stay in the 3,000 range, hopefully not that much but we'd swing it if we need to. I hope this doesn't sound bad, which I'm sure some will take it that way. We don't want to be in the minority as we are white. I don't have a problem with diversity and am fine with that, but I don't want to be somewhere that I am in a group that consists of a very small part of the population. Hopefully that makes sense without sounding offensive.
We attend non denominational churches here, so that's what we would look for in L.I.
As far as school goes, what age do they begin, if they even have pre-k in the area. Here they have a pre-k program that is basically free to all residents. As for my oldest son, sports (baseball) is a big deal for him, therefore we would want access to either school programs / and / or travel and tournament baseball. We actually played a team from Long Island in a tournament here in Georgia.
I'd imagine that if we rent, which we probably will at first, we'd definitely need to stay in the 3,000 range, hopefully not that much but we'd swing it if we need to.
As far as school goes, what age do they begin, if they even have pre-k in the area.
Steven, in the towns I mentioned earlier, your rent range is definitely doable, very possibly closer to $2,500 (I checked LOL)
We have pre-school programs here, but they're not free... Kindergarten starts at age 5; cut-off dates vary among school districts...
Some districts have UPK, some do not--I think there's a thread on which ones do.
I'm not in the competitive sports age yet, but I see lots of signs in my area (Melville/Dix Hills) for Little League/soccer/lacrosse. Plenty of ball fields in the parks.
I always chuckle at the people who post things to entice others to buy/rent in a certain community like "the commute to NYC from ______ is only 1 hour" who only go by what the LIRR schedule says because that tells me right there that the person probably never commuted to NYC and does not know what they are talking about. Especially the ones posting about communities in eastern Suffolk County. For some reason people are always trying to foist Suffolk County off on those who clearly post they want A LIMIT OF A 1 HOUR COMMUTE INTO NYC. You will not get a 1 hour commute into NYC from Suffolk County. Forget Huntington, Babylon, etc. (and those are the Western parts in Suffolk County), if you want a limit of a 1 hour commute to NYC! Plus, the further out you are, the more expensive the monthly train ticket is. To find the true total commute time you have to take the following into account for your situation:
1. Distance from home to train station and how you will get there (walkable, drive and park easily, drive and park and circle like a vulture for 10-15 minutes each day to find a legal parking spot, be dropped off, take the bus, etc.). Add anywhere from 5 minutes for walkable on up, depending on where the train station is in proximity to your home.
2. LIRR does not usually run on time. What they consider officially "on time" can be up to 5 minutes later than what is on the schedule. Always add the 5 minutes.
3. Regarding Penn Station, just getting upstairs from the tracks can take a good 5-10 minutes during rush hour because of the crowds. At Flatbush Avenue it is more compact, but certain subway lines are a bit of a walk, including marching up and down several staircases. Hunterspoint Avenue only has 1 train available (the 7 train, great if you work midtown east side). Add a minimum of 10 minutes to get you to your next leg of your commute, or if you go to Penn Station and are lucky enough to work right in Penn Plaza.
And finally,
4. The LIRR lets off during rush hour in only 3 places: Penn Station (Manhattan, around 32-34th St and 7th-8th Ave), Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, and there are a few trains you can change to at Jamaica that go to Long Island City. If you do not work right at one of those areas (and most commuters do not), naturally you will have to commute further, usually using the MTA subways or buses. Add a minimum of 30 minutes of additional transportation time to get you to your office.
Good luck and remember the total commute is not what it says on the LIRR schedule is the "start" and "end" time. That is just the beginning!
As for the two towns in Nassau you mentioned you were interested in:
Valley Stream: Choose either School District 24 or 13. As for school information regarding baseball programs and pre-K or after-school programs, you can go to the webpages and find information or the phone numbers to call and ask for information. Here is the webpage for high schools: Valley Stream Central High School District. Here is SD 24's webpage: http://www.valleystreamdistrict24.org/. Here is SD 13's webpage: Valley Stream Union Free District.
VS is a very easy commute to NYC. You could take the N4 bus to the E train and get a free transfer ($2 each way right now). That would take around 1 hour and 15 to 30 minutes each way. The LIRR is quicker and Valley Stream has the cheapest LIRR monthly ticket cost (Zone 4, $185).
As for parking at the railroad station, if you live in the Inc. Village of Valley Stream, the parking lot cost is $20 for 2 years. If you don't live in the Inc. Village, it is a lot more ($375 for 1 year), plus there may be a waiting list to get a parking permit. There are also meters at the station where you can pay daily.
It is a well-kept area with amenities such as a park with a pool, walking/biking trail, etc., a good library, excellent shopping, and a well-run Village. There are baseball fields.
Levittown: Levittown, centrally located in Nassau County, is further from NYC than Valley Stream. Levittown does not have a Long Island Rail Road station of its own and bus/subway riding to NYC would take very long from here and would drive you nuts. I am not sure which stations Levittowners use for the LIRR. Maybe someone could chime in.
I have heard the schools in Levittown are nice and that it has a lot of parks, etc., there so there should be plenty of baseball fields too. It is also close to a lot of good shopping.
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thanks for the replies,
