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Hello all,
My wife and I are looking at towns in Suffolk to move to. We are currently in Lindenhurst
Village, which we feel hasn't quite bounced back from hurricane sandy. Lots of people
were unable to sell their homes which has led to several homes in the area being rentals,
many of which are not well maintained. We have done some online research and it
appears Rocky Point, Shirley, Holbrook, Bohemia, Ronkonkoma, and Selden appear to be
within our price range and seem to have fairly low crime. We have twins about to enter middle school so a good school
system is a must...like to get something a quarter of an acre or larger in the 350-379
range, and the areas I mentioned seem to have a good amount of homes that fit the
bill. I will be retiring soon so commuting is not a factor and convenience to NYC also
not a big concern. I have heard and read mixed reviews on most of these towns
so any opinions would be a huge help. Thank you.
- Bohemia is the only one of those places that i'd consider nice.
- Shirley/Mastic is very popular among the Jerry Springer/hick crowd. Not a great area at all though there may be some okay pockets.
- Ronkonkoma has an LIRR stop where you can expect about a 1hr30 minute train ride to NYC.
The rest are alright...probably not much better than Lindenhurst. Most places in Suffolk will have a pretty long commute to NYC. Be aware that when you go deep into Suffolk there is a huge problem with heavy drugs like heroin, oxycodone and meth. I known Ronkonkoma, Smithtown, Medford and Coram have been hit extremely hard.
Last edited by MemoryMaker; 09-22-2015 at 08:29 AM..
Order in which I would look:
Bohemia, Holbrook, Rocky Point, Ronkonkoma, Selden, Shirley.
Personally, I would strike Shirley from the list.
I would be careful from a property tax perspective with the homes in Sachem. NYS has shorted the district a significant amount of the promised aid AFTER the budget was passed based on NYS's figure.
From a local petition:
Quote:
Many of you have been hearing about budget problems and canceling clubs and activities. It’s so much bigger than that, and so much scarier, that you really have no idea…
The budget issue is the worst it's been in about 20 years…last winter we were promised $14 million in state aid and that's what we based the budget on. That budget was passed. Last week we found out we only got $6 million…SHORT $8 MILLION DOLLARS! Where the hell are we supposed to come up with that kind of money???? We have an $8 million dollar hole to fill ASAP. Nolan doesn't want to get into it with Flanagan, but he's the one who promised the $14 million and when asked where the rest of the money was, Flanagan essentially said, "Be happy you got the $6 million.” To make matters worse, Flanagan started blocking Sachem parents from his social media pages when they started questioning him.At 10 pm Thursday night I was notified that we were having an emergency meeting on Friday after school (after school on a Friday of a long holiday weekend…we knew it was urgent). We are anticipating laying off 40 teachers ON OCTOBER 1ST!!!! As in the beginning of the school year!!!! And another round in January if necessary. So a month into school kids will be shuffled around into different classes. We have lost so many teachers the last few years AND IT SEEMS NO ONE CARES !!Our class sizes are larger than ever, but as long as we have early buses and late buses, and our clubs and sports, nobody cares. Already this year (in the very short few weeks we have been open) we have done many things that other districts have been doing to save money. We have:
increased childcare costs
not replaced our AP at Sachem East and possibly eliminating another AP position
stopped carrying additional insurance on our students (families can purchase it if they want)
cut clubs by at least 50%, but probably even more
put a freeze on hiring any office supplies (those silly things like copy paper, pens, etc.)
Closing buildings is going to have to be a necessity. It will likely be 2 elementary and a middle school. However, even though enrollment has been declining at the elementary level the past few years, we had a large kindergarten class register this year and it’s possible the numbers may be going up again. But that’s hard to predict.
Some districts (like shoreham wading river) have already eliminated honors classes too.
And we are talking no busing, like bayport bluepoint. There is talk of getting rid of sports at the middle school and combining the HS teams...maybe JV at one building and varsity at another. A varsity sport that has been winning championships and a lot of scholarships for players.will HAVE to cut or combine teams. It would be irresponsible NOT to. Clubs are being drastically cut…the latest list included about 4 that might still run, including drama and National Honor Society.
We are in danger of state receivership...like Roosevelt, Central Islip, Hempstead, etc. Not because our test scores are low or our kids and teachers aren’t being successful, but because we are in severe financial distress. The state can come in and take over. Get rid of everyone…the elected BOE, district office, principals, teachers, etc. and put in their own corporate people. The district will be run by a corporate entity, NOT local residents. Our kids will be taught by the cheapest teachers they can find, like Teach For America where college students pledge 3 years teaching and get 6 weeks of teacher training. They can turn sachem into a charter school. Because, as a corporation with no ties to our community, they can hire the cheapest and keep the extra money to pay themselves. Think I’m kidding? Look up Eva Moscowitz, CEO of some charter schools in NYC.
It will be considered a major coup for school reformers if they can have the state take over Sachem, as the 2nd largest public LI school.
And yet people are still bitching about sports. Late buses. Clubs. They have NO IDEA what's really at stake.We have extra mandates this summer with the CDOS certificate (instituted last year but this year the requirements and reporting measures are much stricter) in special ed, a new APPR plan that we have to submit by November 15th, and requirements for ESL that required hiring some teachers. Although ESL qualified for a lot of grant money it doesn't cover it all.
It seems Nolan needs to find his voice. He's must get angry and fight for us or we will lose everything. He’s leaving at the end of the year but I know he doesn’t want this to be his legacy.
The teachers are trying to organize a rally at Flanagan’s office to demand the money we were promised. But we need parents to get involved. The media. Parents need to start calling him out on his campaign promises and leaving us in the lurch AGAIN. This is SERIOUSLY BAD.If we go into receivership, you will not be able to sell your house to even move out of here.
Please tell everyone you know. Please get people to the BOE meeting on Wednesday. Many people are planning to go and carry on about canceling this club or that sport but the bigger picture is we ALL have to give up something and we ALL have to demand that Albany start refunding our district.
Not even all the buildings are aware. one called an emergency meeting at 10 pm Thursday night and met yesterday after school. People working in another building said they "heard something" but weren't notified of anything yet.
- Bohemia is the only one of those places that i'd consider nice.
- Shirley/Mastic very popular among the Jerry Springer/hick crowd. Not a great area at all though there may be some okay pockets.
- Ronkonkoma has an LIRR stop where can expect a 1hr30 minute train ride to NYC.
The rest are alright...probably not much better than Lindenhurst. Most places in Suffolk will have a pretty long commute to NYC. Be aware that when you go deep into Suffolk there is a huge problem with heavy drugs like heroin, oxycodone and meth. I known Ronkonkoma and Smithtown have been hit particularly hard.
First off, ALL of LI has been impacted by Heroin, as has most of the north east.
Second, the OP stated commute was not relevant, which opens up further east.
Third, You haven't addressed school districts.
Fourth, how about mentioning the Ronkonkoma hub project and the housing density it will create?
Fifth, Jerry Springer/hick crowd? I have to admit that I sort of snorted when I laughed. While there are some decent people trying to live like decent people in Shirley, there are a lot of absentee landlords, and Section 8 rentals, too.
Communities that have been hit very hard by heroin are both the Miller Place and Mount Sinai towns. They just lost another young man to an overdose. He was a junior in HS. Please understand that many of the "affluent" areas are suffering greatly from the drug epidemic as well. There is no easy street per say when it comes to steering clear of the drug issue. The best thing we can all do as parents is be involved and educate our kids on the loss of life that is happening around us due to both prescription drugs and illegal drugs.
As for the neighborhoods you are looking into they are all about equal in that they are pretty solid lower to lower middle income towns. If you are looking for a larger school district then Sachem, Middle Country and Longwood would be your best bet. Rocky Point would be a good fit if you are looking for a smaller district. Another area to consider would be Port Jeff Station (Comsewogue School District).
I would say sachem school district is the only one I'd consider. I think centerreach is in that district. Selden, bohemia, holbrook, aren't bad. Bohemia is pretty industrial with 454 being the main drag.
If you can, try to find something in nesconset or hauppague that go to smithtown schools. Those are great schools, and your taxes will be lower not actually residing in smithtown. 3 village (setauket, Stony brook), Mt. Sinai, and St. James schools are also great. Miller place is good above 25A. Wading river is cheap if you're looking further east, but make sure you're not in riverhead school district.
On the south shore, Sayville, blue point, bayport are great. Patchogue is not great now, but up and coming. Schools I would shy away from Pat-Med.
I would say sachem school district is the only one I'd consider. I think centerreach is in that district. Selden, bohemia, holbrook, aren't bad. Bohemia is pretty industrial with 454 being the main drag.
If you can, try to find something in nesconset or hauppague that go to smithtown schools. Those are great schools, and your taxes will be lower not actually residing in smithtown. 3 village (setauket, Stony brook), Mt. Sinai, and St. James schools are also great. Miller place is good above 25A. Wading river is cheap if you're looking further east, but make sure you're not in riverhead school district.
On the south shore, Sayville, blue point, bayport are great. Patchogue is not great now, but up and coming. Schools I would shy away from Pat-Med.
Just wondering if you've read into the financial issues looming over Sachem?
Centereach is Middle Country.
Parts of Ronkonkoma attend Sachem and parts attend Connetquot.
Bohemia south of Vets, east of Lakeland, north of Sunrise, and west of Connetquot park has some nice neighborhoods with some properties large enough for horses (between Pond, Oakwood, Oakdale-Bohemia Rd and Lanson) I find Bohemia better kept up than Selden, which can have some meh areas depending upon where one looks. Bohemia before Selden ANY DAY.
St James schools are in Smithtown school district.
Homes in the Hauppauge School District have lower taxes because of the huge industrial park there.
Miller Place is good below 25A as well.
Shoreham - Wading River, IIRC, is getting slammed because LIPA is no longer paying taxes or pilots.
Just wondering if you've read into the financial issues looming over Sachem?
Centereach is Middle Country.
Parts of Ronkonkoma attend Sachem and parts attend Connetquot.
Bohemia south of Vets, east of Lakeland, north of Sunrise, and west of Connetquot park has some nice neighborhoods with some properties large enough for horses (between Pond, Oakwood, Oakdale-Bohemia Rd and Lanson) I find Bohemia better kept up than Selden, which can have some meh areas depending upon where one looks. Bohemia before Selden ANY DAY.
St James schools are in Smithtown school district.
Homes in the Hauppauge School District have lower taxes because of the huge industrial park there.
Miller Place is good below 25A as well.
Shoreham - Wading River, IIRC, is getting slammed because LIPA is no longer paying taxes or pilots.
Thanks for the corrections. I've only lived on the island for the past 3 years, and in Patchogue for 2, so I don't really know where all the school district town lines are.
$350-$379K is extremely unlikely in 3V unless it's a townhome near 347. Good schools though.
I think for that price point OP is going to have to look east of Mt. Sinai.
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