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That is not a rhetorical questions. LI has some serious problems: like high cost of living and the greying of the population.
But every day and age has problems. And Long Island has an extremely high quality of life, above average schools, proximity to one of the greatest cities in the world. The crime rate is one of the lowest in the United States for places of comparable population density. Even the "ghetto" areas are relatively high income and low crime compared to the national average.
There seems to me on the board some overblown nostalgia for the 1970s. Is thsi nostalgia based in reality? Or simply because back then NYC stunk and LI was still "all white"?
Anyway, it's clear which side I lean towards. I was raised in Queens in the '70s and '80s so I don't know everything. And I'd really like to know what everyone thinks no matter what it is.
That is not a rhetorical questions. LI has some serious problems: like high cost of living and the greying of the population.
But every day and age has problems. And Long Island has an extremely high quality of life, above average schools, proximity to one of the greatest cities in the world. The crime rate is one of the lowest in the United States for places of comparable population density. Even the "ghetto" areas are relatively high income and low crime compared to the national average.
There seems to me on the board some overblown nostalgia for the 1970s. Is thsi nostalgia based in reality? Or simply because back then NYC stunk and LI was still "all white"?
Anyway, it's clear which side I lean towards. I was raised in Queens in the '70s and '80s so I don't know everything. And I'd really like to know what everyone thinks no matter what it is.
Thank you friends!
"high quality of life" that's a very subjective statement. I think many people on the board like long island a lot, but half of the time are here to vent. Hence all the negatives, but there is little need to make posts about all the things you are happy about, whats the point. People want to complain to hear others feel their pain and sympathize with them.
I personally think long island is a fairly decent place, but I don't know about the high quality of life. I hate the tiny pieces of property for large sums of money, the traffic, many of the people who don't seem very 'neighborly' (seems like soon enough we will all be boxed in solid white PVC and never see anyone but ourselves). But there are a lot of positives and proximity to city is nice. The thing is that if you have lived in other regions of the country or even the state (or even what is sometimes portrayed on TV), you see there can be nice friendly communities with well maintained homes on half acre plots to go around at easily affordable prices. When you make a six figure salary and still wonder if you can afford a house, you start to think something is wrong. In the end, if you retire and leave long island you will be sitting pretty though as your house will give you a big nest egg to leave with in addition to your retirement savings.
I also was from Queens the 70's and moved to long island 1980.The thing was that alot of people bought homes cheap then and because L.I.was prospering everyone was fine.Then the 90's hit and home prices were up,alot of good local businesses were closed.Areas like down port (port jefferson) which thrived on the loads of customers that would stroll in now had to deal with much less because the cops scared people away for loitering.In general it wasn't as friendly as in the 80's and people scampered around looking for entertainment that was no longer there.Long Island consumers were very supportive of their local communities and businesses but now had to leave their local areas. Eventually with rising taxes every year including property and eventually the housing crisis the areas were hit hard.People that bought their homes in the last 5 years roughly now own a home that is worth less then when they puchased it so now they have no equity.Plane and simple it had nothing to do with becoming grey.Ever since my high school years in the 80's I was regularly going to brentwood for weekend football games and the color of the crowd varied but everyone got along. Now when we are all scampering because of bills piling up and overcrowded areas do to overbuilding it gets people frustrated and lack of work because of layoffs and outsourcing doesn't help either.
This is not unique to the Long Island board or any forum or discussion board in general. "Misery Loves Company" happens all over and nostalgic posts pining for days gone by comparing a location, product, quality of life, etc. from yesteryear to today are part and parcel.
Some of these posts raise valid points and are informative. But all too often they are just a whiny rant.
I didnt grow up here either so I cant talk about the 70's and 80's here.
But I have a love hate opinion of Long island. I think most people come here to ask questions and give out information. A lot of the info has been great. Yes, it is expensive to live here ; we all know that. But when you consider the amount of people that live here, of course there are going to be some that like to whine to matter what the subject is.
I was born in Suffolk in the 70's, and stayed here until the mid 80's , grew up in Miami & Queens in the 90's and came back (to Nassau this time) in the new millennium. i love my long island. it's home. there are plenty of things i can complain about, but today i'm not here to complain. though this might change if something stupid happens and i want a place to vent about it
My cynicism is not based on nostalgia for the 70s but based on the inaffordability of long island for first time home buyers. It is very frusturating, wanting to stay in an area that you grew up in and have family in but are unable to afford...not because you do not have a good salary or education, but because the prices here are simply unreasonable.I tend to be very negative and distrustful towards the homesellers and real estate agents (and lenders and politicians) in long island because I think they are unreasonable in what they expect and demand. They place huge strains on the younger generation that wishes to remain here with their families. Ask yourself if you would be able to afford your home on your salary today and then ask me why I am pessimistic!
If you can afford Long Island and do not mind traffic, miserably hot & humid summers, mosquitoes, littering en masse, it is a nice place to live. The ocean beaches are the best in the country when the water is warm enough for swimming, the great shopping, great restaurants, proximity to the major airports. Alot of good qualities. The dollar goes a lot further elsewhere though.
Yes
In the spirit of the popular "top 10" lists , I offer 10 reasons (in no particular order) of what I believe many people on the board seem to think -
1) The grass is always greener.
2) I'm so special that majority opinion, others rights, and greater good should all take a back seat to the magnitude of me.
3) I'm jealous of anyone with more of anything.
4) I'm prejudiced and really don't like anyone who does not look, talk or pray like me.
5) Change is evil.
6) Something bad happened to me, so it must naturally be the fault of where I live.
7) I'm actually quite socially awkward, so coming on here and ranting away with extreme opinions allows me to feel strong without risk of real confrontation.
8) I have a BS, an MS, 5 Phd's, and a slew of other letters, certificates and titles. Therefore, I am clearly superior to you and must belittle any notion or opinion you have.
9) There is such a thing as a free lunch.
10) I'm just an idiot.
Of course, this is not isolated to the LI board. It can be seen all over City Data and most other internet forums as well. Fortunately, through all the muck and mire there is a fair amount of genuine thought provoking opinions, and a great deal of solid information to be had.
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