Buying a home in Huntington

 If you thirst for a lifestyle that's a little bit cosmopolitan and a little bit country, then head to the hamlet of Huntington, where the downtown is vibrant and the neighborhoods are serene.

"Huntington village is very popular," says resident Ann Evangelist of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Huntington. "It has great restaurants, culture and now we have the Paramount theater, which is a great draw," she adds.

The hamlet also offers shops, bars, art galleries, Cinema Arts Centre and the Heckscher Museum of Art in Heckscher Park, where free summer concerts and plays are staged. The Book Revue, a family-owned bookstore, is noted for its celebrity author book signings.

Homes within walking distance of the downtown tend to be vintage on smaller lots, while outer neighborhoods, where the terrain is rolling and wooded, feature a mix of styles on larger properties.

Four luxury town homes priced from $549,000 to $599,000 are being built near Heckscher Park and are scheduled for completion in the spring, says Joyce Eidelkind of Signature Premier Properties in Cold Spring Harbor, who is marketing the units with Elena D'Agostino.

Condos and town houses. 11 listings between $449,000 and $899,000

Co-ops. 13 listings between $265,000 and $349,000

Monthly rentals. 34 listings between $900 and $7,000

Sales prices. From Jan. 1, 2011, to Feb. 15, 2012, there were 305 sales in the 11743 ZIP code, which includes the hamlet, Halesite, Huntington Bay and Lloyd Harbor. The median sales price was $475,000, with a low of $150,000 and a high of $1,250,000. From Dec. 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2010, there were 285 sales with a median price of $510,000. The low was $141,000, and the high was $3,225,000.

Attractions. Town beaches and docks; annual events

BY THE NUMBERS
Town: Huntington

Area. 7.5 square miles

ZIP code. 11743

Population. 18,046

Median age. 44.9

Median household income. $103,830

Median home value. $481,000*

LIRR time to NYC. 55 minutes to an hour and 10 minutes at peak

Monthly ticket. $299

School district. Huntington

Sources: 2010 Census; mlsli.com; Long Island Rail Road;

*Based on sales in the 11743 ZIP code in the past six months according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island