Levittown Reputation (Seaford, Farmingdale: student loans, buying a house, neighborhood)
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I was wondering why Levittown has such a bad reputation. I recently moved from Brooklyn and bought a house here and absolutely love it. My neighborhood is quiet, safe and I feel very comfortable. My house was gut renovated and is great (besides walking directly into the kitchen, that will have to change) I've heard the school system is solid as well. No kids yet but hopefully soon. My wife is from Seaford and her father voiced his displeasure with the area when we told him we were buying a house there.Can anyone explain why Levittown seems to be frowned upon?
Good luck in your new home. I have relatives who had children in the Levittown School District and went on to getting generous scholarships to very respected colleges. A motivated student will do well anywhere. Levittown is a good school district. I find people are critical of any school district if it is not a top 10 school district. I feel even if not a top 10, most are still very good districts even if not considered one of the the "high "achieving" ones. People have to do what is right for their families. I think Levitown was well planned when it was developed and is a lovely community. There seems to be a lot of young families there, too. Don't let those being critical sway you into being unhappy with your decision. Some people are more concerned about what their zip code is to keep up with the Jones'. Having relatives there I see it as a solid community with people living the dream of a safe community to raise children. Wishing you many happy years in your new home.
Levittown isn't a bad area but when people hear you live there, I imagine they must just assume you are an average middle class white family. Anyone with a budget of $ 450-600K for a new house would probably not look for homes in Levittown since they can afford more expensive towns. At least in my circles, Levittown homes are considered rather small and have no gas heat (most, if not all, are built on slabs with no basements and for some folks, that's not very desirable when house hunting). Also, some people don't like that there is no LIRR station and residents who work in Manhattan must drive a few miles north or south to access a LIRR line.
My old friend from HS lived there and she even says she was happy to leave because the community there seemed very insular (ie no racial diversity in her school, most families and neighbors were tight knit and very nosy, etc). While the top of her class at McArthur went on to great colleges and Ivies, most in the middle and the bottom were relegated to CW Post (where she enrolled), NYIT, Adelphi, Farmingdale, and Hofstra. Like the above poster said, school district matters greatly. The SD isn't the best, but its far from the worst..Its just "meh" to many so that could be a contributing factor. If you bought a house in Levittown as a starter house and in several years plan to sell, you aren't in a bad spot. Ignore the haters, lol. If you are happy and can comfortably afford the taxes, then more power to you!
I think for those high taxes you could get a better school district. I think another recent thread said their school taxes alone are going to be 9k. But a plus is the home prices are lower to start.
While the top of her class at McArthur went on to great colleges and Ivies, most in the middle and the bottom were relegated to CW Post (where she enrolled), NYIT, Adelphi, Farmingdale, and Hofstra.
Levittown isn't a bad area but when people hear you live there, I imagine they must just assume you are an average middle class white family. Anyone with a budget of $ 450-600K for a new house would probably not look for homes in Levittown since they can afford more expensive towns. At least in my circles, Levittown homes are considered rather small and have no gas heat (most, if not all, are built on slabs with no basements and for some folks, that's not very desirable when house hunting). Also, some people don't like that there is no LIRR station and residents who work in Manhattan must drive a few miles north or south to access a LIRR line.
My old friend from HS lived there and she even says she was happy to leave because the community there seemed very insular (ie no racial diversity in her school, most families and neighbors were tight knit and very nosy, etc). While the top of her class at McArthur went on to great colleges and Ivies, most in the middle and the bottom were relegated to CW Post (where she enrolled), NYIT, Adelphi, Farmingdale, and Hofstra. Like the above poster said, school district matters greatly. The SD isn't the best, but its far from the worst..Its just "meh" to many so that could be a contributing factor. If you bought a house in Levittown as a starter house and in several years plan to sell, you aren't in a bad spot. Ignore the haters, lol. If you are happy and can comfortably afford the taxes, then more power to you!
Really? Top went to Ivys and the bottom were "relegated" to private and state schools?! Sounds like a fantastic district. Most send a few to good schools, lots to community college and plenty to the military. Levittown is the best kept secret for young families and starter homes. Taxes are disproportionately high due to little to no industrial base. Small commercial tax base mostly retail. Homeowners take the big hit on taxes. It's a very typical LI suburban, kid friendly, family first community...exactly how it was first conceived.
My old friend from HS lived there and she even says she was happy to leave because the community there seemed very insular (ie no racial diversity in her school, most families and neighbors were tight knit and very nosy, etc). While the top of her class at McArthur went on to great colleges and Ivies, most in the middle and the bottom were relegated to CW Post (where she enrolled), NYIT, Adelphi, Farmingdale, and Hofstra. Like the above poster said, school district matters greatly. The SD isn't the best, but its far from the worst..Its just "meh" to many so that could be a contributing factor. If you bought a house in Levittown as a starter house and in several years plan to sell, you aren't in a bad spot. Ignore the haters, lol. If you are happy and can comfortably afford the taxes, then more power to you!
The colleges mentioned here are very good local colleges. Not everyone can or wants to go away. In the end like everyone else they have a college education with a solid background to start their careers whatever they may be. And they may not have huge student loans that may go with "great colleges and ivies.".
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