Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

We are starting to look at houses... Again! And levittown seems to be affordable. Was wondering how the schools were. Also, my hubby commutes to the city. What lirr station would he go to and does anyone know if he would be able to get a parking pass?
Also, i see most of levittown is oil heat. Is that super expensive and what are the drawbacks to having an underground oil tank?

Sorry for so many questions!
Thanks!!! :)

Re: Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

I live in a neighboring town, but like Levittown a lot. There are a few districts your child could attend with a Levittown address: Levittown, Island Trees, or East Meadow. IMO all of them are good, but I also think a "good" school district is somewhat subjective.

There's no train in Levittown, so you'd probably go to whichever is closest to your house. Wantagh, Bethpage, or Hicksville will take 40-45ish minutes into Penn.

There's no law (yet) about having an underground tank, but if yours unknowingly leaks, cleanup can be expensive. Having the tank filled and purchasing a new a/g one was about 2500 and totally worth it.

Oil prices fluctuate, and some winters were more expensive than others. We went on the budget plan and pay a set price per month.

Re: Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

I am in Levittown (grew up in and stayed) and love it. Taxes are a bit high though. Schools are good. We use Hicksville train occasionally, but I am not sure about parking though. I think parking is cheaper if you actually live in Hicksville?? And you then can get a pass for Tobay beach and Hicksville has Levitt houses and taxes are cheaper! I think schools are okay there but not sure?

Good Luck!

Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

I personally am not a fan of the schools but they surely are better then many towns. What I don't like about Levittown is that majority of houses have NO BASEMENTS/garages. The houses are mostly all built on slabs & some convert the garage for living space because they are small. I have worked in levittown for 10 years as a USPS mail carrier. If you look around at the houses many people leave things all over the place because there is no garage. Residents usually have 2 sheds in yard. There are of course MANY beautiful neat organzied houses too. This is just my opinion/observation & sorry if I offend anyone. I am jsut being honest from what i observe.

Re: Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

i am in wantagh but levittown schools. grew up here too. very happy with schools. i went to catholic school but my brother and sister went to mac arthur and had great experiences.

ETA: i have a split, not a levitt but have oil heat. it can get pricey in the winter but it balances out for us with the electric bill in the summer. we don't keep the house very warm (we use a lot less oil than the previous owners) and luckily our house holds the heat well.

Message edited 9/30/2012 8:32:29 AM.

Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

I grew up in Levittown. The houses are "inexpensive", but I know the taxes are high. When I went to the schools, I was happy with the programs (clubs, sports, AP courses, etc) they offered and the education that I received. My little sister just graduated this year from the high school and I know she had a great experience as well. As a PP said, I think it is hard to classify if a place is a "good" district because everyone is looking for something different. The best thing to do is check the district's report card.

Positives to living in Levittown (at least my block) was that there was a real sense of community. Lots of kids on the block and everyone always hung out together (the same held true for all of my siblings). My neighbors made sure to upkeep their houses well. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but every neighborhood has those. In terms of convenience, I feel like I was spoiled in Levittown. Grocery stores/Target are right there. Highways are easily accessible.

Negatives to living in a Levitt home are lack of a basement and (for many houses) a lack of a garage. My parents have a shed in their backyard, where they are able to store everything that would normally do in a garage. They also have a large attic over what used to be the garage.

I grew up in an undormered house...living with 7 people and a dog - you can make it work - my parents were just good with purging things that were not needed.

Re: Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

If you like Levittown I would highly recommend looking into Levittown in the Island Trees SD. The district is small and I've heard many positive things about it. I really wanted a small SD so it the size was a plus for me.
The taxes are much lower in the Island Trees area. Most of the house we looked at in the Island Trees SD were under 10k, whereas in Levittown SD they were usually over (or closer to) 10k.
There' a lot close by and we're near many major highways.
I definitely agree with the no basement as a negative. We ended up finding a house with a 1.5 car garage and A LOT of storage so we're okay. Although sometimes I still wish we had a basement.
Also, many Levittown houses have the washer and dryer in the kitchen (b/c there is no basement) which I didn't like. Once again, we found a house that had a separate closet for our washer and dryer.

ETA- As far as the train station goes, Hicksville is close by its Town of Oyster Bay so I dont think he could get a pass. Wantagh might be a good train station to use

Message edited 9/30/2012 10:23:17 AM.

Re: Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

I am in south Levittown and my daughter is in one of the Levittown school districts middle schools. the school as an overall is good. Teachers are supportive and responsive to concerns and I feel that her work load is appropriate for her age. There are many after school activities that she can join as well.

My house, yes its small amd has no basement but i do have a garage and just need to learn to get rid of things I know i dont need anymore. Holidays are difficult to have but hopefully we will be able to dormer within the next few years. Taxes are high, but honestly, this is LI. If you want a decent neighborhood you're going to have higher taxes. Levittown school district doesn't have all the tac breaks from the big box stores on Hempstead tpke, that's why island trees school district houses pay less.

My neighborhood is great. There is very few miskept houses by me, but when we were looking a fee years ago there were definitely areas that were more miskept then others.

Oil heat is a bit of a pain, but there's pretty much no other option right now. There are some locations that have gas access though.

I don't use the trains but depending on where in Levittown you buy you could use hicksville, Bethpage, Wantagh or bellmore.

Re: Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

I live in North Levittown and love the area and the community. I am not sure what the person who is a postal employee said about people leaving stuff around because I don't see that in my neighborhood. I don't have a basement but I don't really miss it because I grew up in a high ranch with no basement. We bought an expanded cape with a separate dining room and laundry room and lots of storage. My taxes aren't super high compared to other neighborhoods. DS is not in K until next year but from what I hear from my neighbors they love the schools. As for the commute to NYC, if I was ur husband I would park at Bellmore and commute. Right now, I park at Bellmore and carpool with someone else. Bellmore has no parking permits and I get there around 7 am and get a spot no problem!

ETA: i wouldn't buy a house with an underground tank. My next door neighbor just sold his house and I think part of their stipulation was they had to abandon their below ground tank and put an above ground. My oil is not that bad, but I go from company to company to get the better deal!

Message edited 9/30/2012 3:41:10 PM.

Re: Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

I am in Hicksville, but on the cusp of Levittown, so I am familiar. I have never heard anything negative about the schools. It IS a great neighboorhood, working class and afforadable. Buying a house on a slab (i have a levit) is, in my opion a pain in the A&&! I have very little storage and that is why we are moving. It also hurts resale. It also has other issues, you are essentially right off the street, so my first floor is always freezing (like a basement) and my top floor is always HOT. Some homes still have the boiler in the middle of the kitchen, which, is really not great for many reasons. ie aesthetics. I can go on. but if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would not buy a levit.

Re: Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

We live in Levittown (Island Trees Schools) and DH grew up here.

The basement thing doesn't bother me, because in Commack growing up I didn't have one. We do have 2 sheds in our backyard, but we don't just lay things around as the previous poster states. In fact, no one on my block does that, we have well maintained homes. Not having a basement means not having to worry about the issues that come with basements, like flooding, etc.

Most Levitts are expanded, we bought ours with a dining room expansion and we expanded back for 2 more bedrooms.

The Island Trees school district is smaller than Levittown Schools and it also has lower taxes than Levittown.

We also have gas heat, not oil. It is possible in Levittown to have gas, just not as likely.

When I take the train in to NYC, I park at Seaford, because that station is less busy than Wantagh or Bellmore I find. It's a 50 minute ride on the LIRR. The parking permit is only $5.

Message edited 9/30/2012 9:09:18 PM.

Re: Levittown? Commute to nyc? Schools?

the island tree school district is one of the best on long island from what i have been told