No mailboxes in 'now I can relax' Great River
The mansion at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
THE SCOOP
Great River, a bucolic hamlet along the Connetquot River, has everything from a park to an arboretum to a golf course. One thing the area doesn’t have: mailboxes.
One of the few areas on Long Island without mail delivery, residents must pick up their mail at the Great River post office, making it something of a community center. “On Saturdays, it becomes quite the meeting spot,” says Jim O’Connor, a Great River resident and Town of Islip councilman. “People who haven’t seen each other in weeks are all going to pick up their mail.”
It adds to the sense of community within the parklike hamlet, which features just over 500 houses and a small commercial area alongside the post office consisting of George Martin’s Strip Steak and Great River Deli.
“It’s only a quarter-mile of commercial space,” says Beth Roswell of Coach Realtors, a longtime resident. “The area is very quiet and peaceful. You come down Great River Road, and you just feel like, ‘OK, now I can relax.’”
The hamlet, Roswell says, features mostly farm ranches and Colonials with prices ranging from homes around $450,000 to waterfront properties commanding as much as $3 million. Many houses along the water, she adds, are being knocked down and rebuilt into larger, modern homes.
With Timber Ridge Golf Course and Heckscher State Park to the south of the hamlet and the Bayard-Cutting Arboretum along the river on the northeastern border, Great River is a tucked-away community that offers plenty of activities, says Cliff Gibbons, president of the Great River Community Association.
This Great River Colonial, with five bedrooms and 3-1/2 bathrooms, is listed for $1,149,000. Credit: Coach Realtors
“It’s a rare community,” Gibbons says. “Not many people can say I have a golf course over here, an arboretum over here and a park over here.”
Great River is also home to Emmanuel Episcopal Church, which was founded in 1862, and the Great River Fire Department, which celebrated its 100th year in 2016.
O’Connor adds that the hamlet is a boater’s paradise, featuring multiple boat launches. “Great River offers access to all of the natural resources that we have here on Long Island,” he says.
CONDOS AND TOWNHOUSES
This Great River Colonial, with four-bedrooms and 2-1/2 bathrooms, is listed for $839,000. Credit: Ramsay Realtors
There are no condos or co-ops on the market.
SALES PRICE
Between July 1, 2017 and August 10, 2018, there were 18 home sales with a median sale price of $548,500, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price for that period was $340,000 and the high was $2.3 million. During that time period a year earlier there were 26 home sales with a median sale price of $531,250. The price range was $322,875 to $1.65 million.
SCHOOLS
Most students attend East Islip High School.
This Great River high-ranch, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, is listed for $495,000. Credit: Douglas Elliman Real Estate
OTHER STATS
Town: Islip
Area: 6.9 square miles
ZIP code: 11739
Population: 1,489
Median age: 45.5
Median household income: $128,250
Median home value: $560,000*
LIRR to NYC: 68 to 89 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $391
School district: East Islip
SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR;
*Based on sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI
RECENTLY SOLD
$685,000
Great River Rd.
Style: Colonial
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 half
Built: 1978
Lot size: 100x200
Taxes: $18,017
Reduced: $14,000
Days on the market: 156
$560,000
Woodhollow Rd.
Style: Farm Ranch
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 3
Built: 1960
Lot size: .46 acres
Taxes: $17,797
Reduced: $29,000
Days on the market: 93
$420,000
River Rd.
Style: High-ranch
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 half
Built: 1964
Lot size: .46 acres
Taxes: $13,865
Reduced: $5,000
Days on the market: 225
NOW ON THE MARKET
$495,000
This high-ranch, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, includes a living room with a fireplace, a formal dining room and a new granite kitchen with stainless steel appliances. The .47-acre property, with taxes of $13,284, includes an attached two-car garage. Nancy Stein, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 631-766-8577
$839,000
This renovated Colonial, with four bedrooms and 2-1/2 bathrooms, has an open concept with a living room, eat-in kitchen and dining room. The .58-acre property, with taxes of $17,990, features a finished basement, attached two-car garage and outdoor patio with built-in barbecue and firepit. Tammy Ramsay, Ramsay Realtors, 516-319-8605
$1,149,000
This five-bedroom, 3-1/2 bathroom Colonial offers a living room, den with a fireplace, eat-in kitchen, dining room, master bedroom with a bathroom and sauna, and a separate guest quarters. The .64-acre property, on a cul-de-sac, includes a two-car garage, multi-level deck and in-ground pool. Taxes: $22,879. Darren Sebor, Coach Realtors, 631-581-7979
On Multiple Listings
Number of houses 6
Price range $495,000-$1,899,999
Tax range $13,284-$1,899,999
