Long island downtown areas (Hempstead, Huntington: home, neighborhoods, to buy)
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.
This is bunk!! Half of these are not near train stations or at least not walkable.....what is your definition of "booming"???
Look at my REVISED POSTINGimmediately above your own posted response to my earlier post (my revised list was written before your posted response to my earlier post was posted & is cut down to a shorter list of downtowns):
If living in or near to the downtown sections of the following mentioned jurisdictions, they ALL have a walkable LIRR station (being within a mile walk at most or even less such as one-half mile more-or-less):
Patchogue, Babylon Village, Port Washington, Garden City, Mineola, Great Neck, Rockville Centre, Long Beach, Farmingdale Village, Bay Shore Village, Lindenhurst, Amityville, Sayville, Oyster Bay, Glen Cove, Hicksville, Westbury Village, Manhasset, Freeport, Valley Stream). <== IN CONTRAST, HUNTINGTON VILLAGE AND PORT JEFFERSON MAY BE CONSIDERED TO BE A BIT TOO FAR OR UNWIELDLY OR OF QUESTIONABLE SAFETY FOR MANY TO WISH TO WALK TO & FROM THEIR NEAREST LIRR STATION.
Apparently, judging from your posting, either you are not too familiar (or familiar at all) with these areas mentinoed above or Long Island geography at-large or else you are of the view that, if an LIRR station isn't two or three blocks away at most, then it is not walkable. This is understandable, as many Long Islanders who have spent much (if not all) of their lives "living out of a car" really do not like walking beyond a mere modicum and consider walking one-quarter mile or one-half mile to be "too much" or "unwalkable".
"Booming", in the way I meant it, means a multitude of stores and other enterproses of many different types (not just a single block or so of a relatively few shops) but really characterized by block after block after block after block etc. etc. etc. of continguous streets filled with stores and establishments of many types that can "likely" (?) meet one's day-to-day needs for shopping and provision of services. As a comparison between "booming" versus "non-booming", the downtown sections of Lindenhurst or Amityville, for instance, could not be labeled in the same way (i.e., not as "booming"), as they are rather smaller-scale or low-key downtowns (certainly not to be realistically compared with Huntington Village or Garden City or Rockville Centre or Patchogue and other much-more-expansive, developed, & diversified downtowns). So "booming" means comparing all the mentioned downtowns in my revised latest post IN RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER (not comparing them to Manhattan or to downtown Flushing, Queens or downtown Brooklyn . . . for none of them would really compare to these New York City-based locations to be realisticaly labeled as "booming" in the way that these New York City-based downtowns are). As another example, Port Jefferson is an active and vibrant downtown but mostly caters to entertainment, dining, and shopping for tourists & fun-seekers; it probably cannot be said to be a downtown to live in or near to fulfill one's complete day-to-day needs for shopping and provision of services (for instance, others have said there is no general-purpose supermarket in downtown Port Jefferson). Therefore, I wouldn't label Port Jefferson's downtown as "booming" in this larger, broader & diversified sense (not like, for instance, Huntington Village or Patchogue).
Do you now understand my entire perspective on these matters, LI*TEA?
I'd say this is a fairly accurate list. The only ones that wouldn't really qualify as "booming" might be Hicksville (because it's more spread out) and Garden City (because IIRC, the "Downtowns" are only in the areas bordering Mineola and Hempstead), and also because they're less walkable than the other ones.
But GARDEN CITY at-large (i.e., the varied Garden City-named or included jurisdictions or municipalities) have a multitude of LIRR stops amongst them (along with adjoining jurisdictions having their own nearby-to-Garden City LIRR stops) such as:
Carle Place (which virtually adjoins East Garden City)
Mineola
Merillon Ave. (Garden City Park)
New Hyde Park (which virtually adjoins Garden City Park)
Country Life Press
Garden City (the stop name itself)
Nassau Blvd. (which virtually adjoins Garden City South)
Stewart Manor (which is inside Stewart Manor)
And I guess that, unless one wants to live in or near to "downtown" HICKSVILLE (i.e., within a relatively short walk of the LIRR . . . which is said to not be such a desirable area to live in or near per se), then your are right in saying that HICKSVILLE is likely too spread out for one to live in an acceptable residential area and then also to be walkably-close to the main business district and the LIRR at the same time.
But GARDEN CITY at-large (i.e., the varied Garden City-named or included jurisdictions or municipalities) have a multitude of LIRR stops amongst them (along with adjoining jurisdictions having their own nearby-to-Garden City LIRR stops) such as:
Carle Place (which virtually adjoins East Garden City)
Mineola
Merillon Ave. (Garden City Park)
New Hyde Park (which virtually adjoins Garden City Park)
Country Life Press
Garden City (the stop name itself)
Nassau Blvd. (which virtually adjoins Garden City South)
Stewart Manor (which is inside Stewart Manor)
And I guess that, unless one wants to live in or near to "downtown" HICKSVILLE (i.e., within a relatively short walk of the LIRR . . . which is said to not be such a desirable area to live in or near per se), then your are right in saying that HICKSVILLE is likely too spread out for one to live in an acceptable residential area and then also to be walkably-close to the main business district and the LIRR at the same time.
I don't mean to go all "Walter Greenspan" on you, but when you said "Garden City", I just meant those within the borders of the hamlet/village (I don't know what Garden City is). So it doesn't include Mineola, Carle Place, East Garden City, or any of those other areas.
Besides, you mentioned Mineola seperately.
And in any case, just having an LIRR stop doesn't automatically mean there is a lot of shopping nearby. Look at the intersection of Nassau Blvd/Stewart Avenue on Google Maps. There aren't any stores there: It's all residential.
Look at the intersection of Nassau Blvd/Stewart Avenue on Google Maps. There aren't any stores there: It's all residential.
The downtown of Garden City is along Franklin Avenue and 7th Street. It's not Huntington Village, but it's a viable downtown area. The Garden City station on the Hempstead Branch is right there and there's frequent buses on Franklin Avenue.
Did anyone mention Bellmore? Small downtown area, but far more practical and walkable than most... plus there's decent housing right in the vicinity, which it appears the OP is looking for. Seems like lots of people walk from their homes to the LIRR over there...
Bedford Avenue & Broadway so the Google Map Street View aficionados don't have to search for matching yellow colored intersections...
I don't mean to go all "Walter Greenspan" on you, but when you said "Garden City", I just meant those within the borders of the hamlet/village (I don't know what Garden City is). So it doesn't include Mineola, Carle Place, East Garden City, or any of those other areas.
Besides, you mentioned Mineola seperately.
And in any case, just having an LIRR stop doesn't automatically mean there is a lot of shopping nearby. Look at the intersection of Nassau Blvd/Stewart Avenue on Google Maps. There aren't any stores there: It's all residential.
Not everyone will choose to live smack dab in the very middle of a "downtown business district" but will choose to live within a residential area which is "nearby enough" to that "downtown business district". And between their residential area & nearby walkable-enough areas & the downtown business district, there are likely enough enterprises to more-or-less fulfill their day-to-day shopping needs by walking or biking (or taking a very-short car hop to go a store or shopping area, park, and then walk around).
One can walk right over the border from downtown Garden City (such as where Franklin Ave. meets Old Country Road, near the Nassau County Executive Building area) and, right across Old Country Road (going northbound, when Franklin Ave. becomes Mineola Blvd.) is Mineola. And Mineola is very residential (many many single-family homes and apartment complexes througout) yet also has a reasonable deal of walkable shopping . . . and the LIRR station and intercity bus terminal is right there 2 blocks up from Old Country Road (along with the adjoining Winthrop University Hospital). I consider even walking up to Jericho Turnpike from there (where there is a good deal of useful shopping) to be "walkable".
Mineola, Carle Place, East Garden City, Garden City Park, Garden City South ALL adjoin downtown Garden City at different points (or enough so that it can be reasonably walkable). I am normally a big city dweller who can walk all around midtown Manhattan or downtown Flushing and environs or walk from Forest Hills to Rego Park to Kew Gardens to Elmhurst in Queens (all adjoining areas and yet reasonably walkable between them). Perhaps many suburban dwellers who are mostly used to car-dependent existences do not like to walk beyond a mere modicum and consider going more than two or three blocks or whatever to be too far to walk. That is understandable. I come from a perspective of someone who has made a lifetime out of walking (besides using a car or using public transit when need be or when desired otherwise).
The downtown of Garden City is along Franklin Avenue and 7th Street. It's not Huntington Village, but it's a viable downtown area. The Garden City station on the Hempstead Branch is right there and there's frequent buses on Franklin Avenue.
Did anyone mention Bellmore? Small downtown area, but far more practical and walkable than most... plus there's decent housing right in the vicinity, which it appears the OP is looking for. Seems like lots of people walk from their homes to the LIRR over there...
Bedford Avenue & Broadway so the Google Map Street View aficionados don't have to search for matching yellow colored intersections...
I've passed by or through BELLMORE but never quite got to explore it beyond a pass-through or pass-by (nor BALDWIN, MERRICK, WANTAGH and perhaps not MASSAPEQUA either [beyond driving east or west across Sunrise Highway and/or Merrick Road within Massapequa's boundaries]). I'll have to explore these areas sometime more in-depth and comprehensively.
And I guess that, unless one wants to live in or near to "downtown" HICKSVILLE (i.e., within a relatively short walk of the LIRR . . . which is said to not be such a desirable area to live in or near per se), then your are right in saying that HICKSVILLE is likely too spread out for one to live in an acceptable residential area and then also to be walkably-close to the main business district and the LIRR at the same time.
I wasn't really referring to that. In fact, I wasn't really paying attention to "desirability" of the Downtown areas (e.g. You could've said Hempstead had a booming downtown and I wouldn't have said anything). I'm just saying that Hicksville's "Downtown" isn't too pedestrian friendly. There's a lot of huge parking lots so that even if the distance isn't too large, some people might not want to walk it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean
The downtown of Garden City is along Franklin Avenue and 7th Street. It's not Huntington Village, but it's a viable downtown area. The Garden City station on the Hempstead Branch is right there and there's frequent buses on Franklin Avenue.
Alright.
And yeah, the N40/41 are some of the most frequent buses in Nassau.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UsAll
Not everyone will choose to live smack dab in the very middle of a "downtown business district" but will choose to live within a residential area which is "nearby enough" to that "downtown business district". And between their residential area & nearby walkable-enough areas & the downtown business district, there are likely enough enterprises to more-or-less fulfill their day-to-day shopping needs by walking or biking (or taking a very-short car hop to go a store or shopping area, park, and then walk around).
This is what I was disputing: The idea that Hicksville and Garden City have "Downtowns" in the first place. You said that Garden City, has a bunch of LIRR stops, but I said that it doesn't necessarily equate to having a Downtown. Then sean 4x said that there was sort of a Downtown by Franklin & 7th, which I accepted.
All I was saying was that those other areas bordering Garden City didn't have a "Downtown" area. All that was necessary was to say that Garden City had a Downtown area by Franklin & 7th, and the OP would be able to find areas in the neighboring villages/hamlets that bordered the Downtown. It's misleading to say that Carle Place has a "Downtown" when it's really Garden City's Downtown. (Not really misleading, but it's a technicality).
Usall, did you even read the original post? Here, I will post it again for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Back to LI
Are there any downtown areas in nassau or western suffolk close to a train station?
Looking to move walking distance to a train and downtown area with restaurants and bars. I've heard Rockville Centre's downtown is next to the train station, are there any others?
Thanks!
4 out of 5 areas you mentioned are not suitable to what the op is lookig for. Are you posting these merely for your amusement? Not only that, many of them are not walkable, have no downtowns to speak of, are not next to train stations, are not booming, are way out east, or are not afffordable if Rvc wasn't affordable. Others here mentioned viable downtowns, yours were way off.
Edit: do you mean garden city south, east garden city, garden city park, etc all share garden citys downtown??
checkmatechamp13, Garden Citys is at 7th street as another poster mentioned. Still if Rvc wasn't affordable, how is garden city , great neck, port Washington???
I wasn't really referring to that. In fact, I wasn't really paying attention to "desirability" of the Downtown areas (e.g. You could've said Hempstead had a booming downtown and I wouldn't have said anything). I'm just saying that Hicksville's "Downtown" isn't too pedestrian friendly. There's a lot of huge parking lots so that even if the distance isn't too large, some people might not want to walk it.
Alright.
And yeah, the N40/41 are some of the most frequent buses in Nassau.
This is what I was disputing: The idea that Hicksville and Garden City have "Downtowns" in the first place. You said that Garden City, has a bunch of LIRR stops, but I said that it doesn't necessarily equate to having a Downtown. Then sean 4x said that there was sort of a Downtown by Franklin & 7th, which I accepted.
All I was saying was that those other areas bordering Garden City didn't have a "Downtown" area. All that was necessary was to say that Garden City had a Downtown area by Franklin & 7th, and the OP would be able to find areas in the neighboring villages/hamlets that bordered the Downtown. It's misleading to say that Carle Place has a "Downtown" when it's really Garden City's Downtown. (Not really misleading, but it's a technicality).
I point out the other adjoining areas (Carle Place, East Garden City, Garden City Park, Garden City South, Mineola, et al) not to say that they have their own downtowns (per se) but because one can live in any of those places, walk to a nearby LIRR station, and still be walkably proximate to downtown Garden City (which encompasses MORE THAN just Franklin & 7th, by the way) as well as all the other shopping in their own areas and adjoining areas (for instance, Carle Place abuts the giant shopping area encompassing the greater Source Mall + Roosevelt Field shopping area plus the great plethora of other stores and other enterprises of all types lining all those streets along greater Old Country Road and environs that one can walk to & between). I can & have walked around, across & between those areas and found it wholly walkable, pleasant, safe, with many stores and waystations along the way to sustain you in your walk, with a host of buses passing by, etc. This stretch of geography, along with Hempstead Village, is likely the most urban-like conglomeration in all of Long Island (i.e., with great density of development & built for walkability through-and-through).
Usall, did you even read the original post? Here, I will post it again for you.
4 out of 5 areas you mentioned are not suitable to what the op is lookig for. Are you posting these merely for your amusement? Not only that, many of them are not walkable, have no downtowns to speak of, are not next to train stations, are not booming, are way out east, or are not afffordable if Rvc wasn't affordable. Others here mentioned viable downtowns, yours were way off.
Edit: do you mean garden city south, east garden city, garden city park, etc all share garden citys downtown??
checkmatechamp13, Garden Citys is at 7th street as another poster mentioned. Still if Rvc wasn't affordable, how is garden city , great neck, port Washington???
You must be living in a different "Long Island" from the rest of the world to think that all these mentioned locations on my master (revised & latest) list have no downtowns and are not walkable. I don't need to argue with someone that is so unknowledgeable (on confused?) to make such statements. I guess if you can't step right outside your home & walk only 2 blocks to a conglomeration of streets full of stores which we call a "downtown", then to you, it is "not walkable". Whatever! So you are submittting for all of us readers here that Great Neck has no downtown nor a walkable LIRR station? Nor does Port Washington? Nor Long Beach? Nor nearly all the other places on my revisedlatest list? Really? OK, whatever you say, my friend. No further arguing about it. I'll just respond to the posters from here-on that have a more realistic and accurate conception of these areas.
I didn't say that Garden City South, East Garden City, Garden City Park, Mineola etc. all share (or encompass) Garden City's downtown but just that they are relatively adjoining residential areas that one can live in &, depending on where you live in those jurisdictions, can reasonably still walk to Garden City's downtown (along with taking advantage of all the shopping & services in their own areas) and they are all served by their own or very-nearby walkable LIRR stations. Not everyone chooses to or is able to live in the very heart of a downtown business district but would consider nearby walkable adjoining areas such as those mentioned.
I wasn't giving any advice or input as to what area is more affordable or less affordable for the OP (in all those mentioned areas). That is for the OP to research and explore for him/herself.
As I said earlier: No further arguing about it. I'll just respond to the posters from here-on that have a more realistic and accurate conception of these areas.
Last edited by UsAll; 03-25-2012 at 10:01 PM..
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.
