Considering moving to Staten Island areas near the Verrazano bridge (Bath: low crime, house)
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.
My wife and I are newly weds looking to purchase our first house to start a family. Originally we were searching near southern Brooklyn (bay ridge, bensonhurst, gravesend, sheepshed bay, dyker heights) but were unable to find anything satisfactory in our price range (~450k). For various reasons we need to stay within a 20 min drive of bensonhurst/bay ridge. A friend had mentioned Staten Island in a discussion and I started doing some more research. So far I've narrowed it down to two areas which seem feasible on paper, Grasmere/Concord and Shore Acres.
I choose these areas based on the following requirements:
1 - Not in flood zone and no damage by Sandy.
2 - Walkable within 10 min (per google maps) to various of Express buses to midtown. We work in LIC, so we would like to keep the commute around 1 hr on average.
3 - Easily access bay ridge by bus.
4 - Single family homes with 3 bedrooms around 1200 sq feet are within my price range.
5 - Low crime
I was hoping people could comment and provide advice. Specifically I would like to know:
1 - Is it reasonable that I should expect my commute (travel time on bus and train only) to be around an hour on average?
2 - If I get on an express bus during morning rush hour in that area, is it most likely going to be standing room only? Any recommendations for the least crowded bus routes?
3 - I've read news stories that report the express buses do not run on schedule. Is this true? I don't care about the express bus route I take as long as it gets me into midtown. From there I can take various subways to LIC.
4 - Any other areas that would fit my requirements above?
5 - I judge the areas based on the crime maps provided here and on trulia. Are they accurate?
6 - I've lived in Brooklyn and Queens most of my life. Are there any nuances that I should consider for moving to SI?
7 - Share your stories if you've done something similar.
Apologies for the long post and thank you all in advance for taking the time to read it .
I don't mean to derail this thread but have you look at Marine Park and Mill Basin? It could be a nice alternative since moving to SI might feel a bit isolated. Don't forget about the Verrazano bridge toll either.
1 - According to NYC Hurricane Evacuation Map that area is Zone 3
2 - BM4 serves the area
3 - B9, B82 takes you to bay ridge in 40 minutes or 20 minutes if you drive
4 - Mostly single family homes priced around 400s to 600s
5 - Yes
1 - Nope
2 - You'll get a seat
3 - Usually late and/or traffic
4 - Marine park, Mill basin?
5 - Fairly accurate to me
6 - Isolated
7 - I considered moving to SI but realized its far too isolated for me. Have a few coworkers who live in SI and commute to midtown. Their average commute time is 1.5 hours. That is just taking the express bus.
if you work in LIC DO NOT MOVE TO STATEN ISLAND.
the commute will suck in a matter of days.
Bath Beach, in Brooklyn where I live is nice and affordable for the average person. There is a lot of new construction going on.
I lived in SI. It took me 2 hours to get to work to 55th and 3rd in manhattan. I lived in Bay Terrace and Port Richmond. The commute sucked from both places, never again would I live in SI
if you work in LIC DO NOT MOVE TO STATEN ISLAND.
the commute will suck in a matter of days.
Bath Beach, in Brooklyn where I live is nice and affordable for the average person. There is a lot of new construction going on.
I lived in SI. It took me 2 hours to get to work to 55th and 3rd in manhattan. I lived in Bay Terrace and Port Richmond. The commute sucked from both places, never again would I live in SI
Agreed. I would only move to SI if I work in SI, or lower Manhattan near the ferry.
I do not think your commute will be an hour. Going from SI--->Brooklyn alone=tons of morning traffic.
I'd either keep saving my money or check out Marine Park like otherwise suggested. If you put the max budget at $500,000 into Trulia, a few homes pop up. It's not my taste (too suburban of a feel to me) but I will say it's a nice place to raise a family.
I do not think your commute will be an hour. Going from SI--->Brooklyn alone=tons of morning traffic.
I'd either keep saving my money or check out Marine Park like otherwise suggested. If you put the max budget at $500,000 into Trulia, a few homes pop up. It's not my taste (too suburban of a feel to me) but I will say it's a nice place to raise a family.
I'd say it's doable. Remember that there's an HOV lane on the Gowanus that the express buses can use, and then once in Manhattan, it's pretty easy to get to LIC. I would just avoid the heart of rush hour (leaving SI from say, 7:30 to 8:30 or so).
Ok area but no way can you expect 1 hour to LIC round trip. Allow 15 min to get from Manhattan to LIC, meaning 45 from SI to Manhattan? Not reasonable at all.
Again, if you work in LIC, would you think you would like to live close to work?, since that is where you will be going everyday.
Id check out Astoria, or LIC as well.
Id live closer to work as i can. i do, and Im home in 15 minutes, cant beat that.
trust me, after taking 2 hours to get home and now im home in 15 minutes, it really is a no brainer
It takes an hour and a half to get to Midtown Manhattan and then give an 15-25 minutes to get to LIC. You're looking at about a two hour commute, one-way. I used to live right off the bridge and would get on the bus at the last stop before getting onto the bridge - getting a seat was hit-or-miss depending on what time it was. You might get a seat if you live in Grasmere. (I would avoid Concord.) My parents lived in Dongan Hills and it took my mother anywhere from 1:30-2 hours to get to Gramercy Park and this was with taking the bus to lower Manhattan and then transferring to the train.
Yes, they have HOV lanes. But there's also a buttload of traffic on SI getting onto the bridge, over the bridge and into the HOV lane. The only way I'd live on SI is if I worked from home. The commute is exhausting.
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.
