What's good and bad about east meadow

Hi all,
We currently live in queens and are planning to move to Long Island. We are considering east meadow and would like to know the pros and cons about living there. We have a 5yr old and a 3 year old and I'm a teacher who would be commuting to queens for work. We want a good school district/good schools, safe, sense of community, things to do, and not extreme taxes. Plse let me know and be brutally honest. We are also considering massapequa park but just heard about the toxic plume and that they are opening a refugee camp there.
Thanks!
Cc

What's good and bad about east meadow

A refugee camp! Where did you hear about that?

Re: What's good and bad about east meadow

What's good and bad about east meadow

Im pretty familiar with East Meadow having gone to private school nearby and i think its a decent choice for a town. I also have two friends who recently have moved there within the past five years. Its a working class town that offers entry price points on pretty decent homes. I do think the area has suffered a bit of a decline in recent years but i would say this is the case with most towns on Long Island.

Message edited 12/5/2016 4:39:40 AM.

Re: What's good and bad about east meadow

We bought in East Meadow a few years ago. The area has very reasonable taxes, compared to some of the bordering towns. We just started full-day kindergarten so that's been a recent draw for young families, too. It's local to many parkways and shopping.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

What's good and bad about east meadow

DH grew up there, his parents still live there. They have had nothing but good things to say.

Re: What's good and bad about east meadow

I've lived in EM since 2007, and I'm very happy here. I have a nice neighborhood with lots of great couples and families. My daughter's school is excellent. There's tons of local shopping. Taxes are lower than other surrounding towns (thank you, Hempstead Tpke lol).

From a commuting standpoint, it's heaven lol. You drive five minutes in any direction and hit a major highway. If you need to take a train, Merrick, Bellmore, and Westbury are all options. (Hicksville too, though parking is tricky for non residents).

As for Mass Park... it's also great. I seriously doubt the existence of a refugee camp there. And the plume is in Bethpage, no?

What's good and bad about east meadow

The plume started in Bethpage, which is why it's the Bethpage Plume, but it's moving south/southeast and has started to affect Massapequa. This article has a map of it's movement over the years: https://www.longislandpress.com/2016/01/28/state-orders-testing-of-bethpages-toxic-plume/

Re: What's good and bad about east meadow

Re: What's good and bad about east meadow

As a realtor, I would say East Meadow is a large-spanning area, and different neighborhoods kind of have different characteristics (which may be pros/cons, depending on your point of view). Some areas are very similar to Levittown, with Levitt homes. Areas on the border of N. Bellmore, N. Merrick are more similar to those areas. I agree all parts of East Meadow are convenient to shopping and highways. Some people don't prefer the area up by Hempstead Tpke because of congestion and proximity to hospital, jail.

It's also a big school district with many schools, including two high schools.

So for those who may want a more close-knit, small community or small school district, that could be a negative.

Also, as others have pointed out, there's no dedicated train station for East Meadow. So for city commuters, you need to drive north or south (to Hicksville or Bellmore, Merrick) to catch a train.

Re: What's good and bad about east meadow

If I were ever going to live in Nassau, EM would be a great pick. It's affordable, with lots of areas that are not too close to main roads but still close to shopping. School system is very good. N. Bellmore would be a good option too.