living in Islip, Long Island

May 3, 2016 5:25 PM

One of my favorite brothers has a job opportunity that would bring him to the East Coast from a small town in the Midwest (Yay!). Specifically, he would probably move his family to Islip, Long Island. He called to ask me what the area was like and I had no idea how to answer him. I live in North Brooklyn and have only been to Long Island a couple of times for brief visits. So I'm asking here for any insight into what life is like in Islip. I can find some facts online, of course, but nothing that gives and inside view of day to day living. Is it really expensive to live there? What is the culture like? Anything unique and wonderful about the place? Does it totally suck?

A bit about his family:
They have two kids in elementary and middle school. The rest of their children have graduated. A couple of the older ones might make the move temporarily with them. The whole family enjoys close their close proximity to some amazing state parks and other natural areas where they can camp, hike, fish, and swim. They live in a place where the kids play outdoors freely. My brother and his wife are college professors. The teenagers who have graduated would want to be able to find jobs. I guess I would like to hear from anyone who grew up there, has lived and worked there, or spent enough time in the area to have a good idea of pros and cons of life in Islip. Also will it be easy or difficult for us to visit each other (Greenpoint Brooklyn to Islip on train? Islip to Brooklyn in car?) Thanks!

posted by catrae to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

Best answer: I have lived on Long Island, though not Islip specifically. Mostly, you'll need a car to get around Long Island. I recommend picking a house that is reasonably close to the highway-- otherwise it increases travel time to anywhere by quite a bit. Otherwise LIRR is always an option and has never given me any problems (aside from the annoying designation that somehow the hours of 6-10 AM and 4-8 PM are "on peak" and command an additional $3 or $4... really?! Who commutes to work at 9:30 AM?).

I don't think Long Island's state parks are that noteworthy, but the beaches aren't bad and accessible by car (and really, only by car). There are ample opportunities for fishing, crabbing, and swimming. There are wineries and lots of strawberry farms on Long Island. Montauk is pretty nice.

Culture-wise... Parts of Long Island are very Jewish and Asian, though Islip is less so. Long Island in general: Every weekend, people drive their black SUVS to various high-end shopping malls. The standard uniform used to be North Face jackets and so-low yoga pants and Uggs, give or take a Juicy Couture velour track suit and Tiffany heart-shaped pendant. Ample Trader Joes, Whole Foods. Compared to people in the Midwest (where I have also lived), I'd say that people on Long Island are more direct, competitive and less religious. Lots of lawyers, doctors, businesspeople, Cornell grads... lots of people work in the city, though Islip is a bit further out from the city so there might be more people who work on Long Island.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 6:55 PM on May 3, 2016

Best answer: I grew up in Islip! It's a great place to live. Lots of green open spaces. Some areas along Main Street/Montauk Highway are a bit run down, some areas are doing better. Islip is kind of a big spread out place consisting of Town of Islip, East Islip, West Islip, Islip Terrace, Bay Shore, and Central Islip - which gets a bad rap but is honestly fine. People often hear Long Island and think "rich" but Islip is a very working class kind of place imo in a way that isn't really portrayed in the media. The LIRR is pretty reliable; the southern Bay Shore branch through Islip proper may be more convenient for Brooklyn than the Ronkonkoma line going through CI. I would recommend just going there, hanging out, and seeing if they like it. Not sure what else, me mail me if you want to know anything specific I guess!
posted by bleep at 12:03 AM on May 4, 2016 [1 favorite]

Oh I thought of something else. Look for places convenient to the Southern State Parkway as it's the best way to get around the island and especially to Brooklyn. Much less traffic than the LIE (495) and much more pleasant too.
posted by bleep at 12:36 PM on May 4, 2016