Looking to buy in Holtsville?

THE SCOOP Sprawling north and south of the Long Island Expressway, Holtsville is often touted for its central location. "You can get to either shoreline in 15 minutes," says Christopher Armstrong, broker of Century 21 Princeton Properties in Holbrook. And without traffic, the Hamptons aren't more than a 45-minute ride off Sunrise Highway, Armstrong adds.

In addition to easy access to major highways, the Ronkonkoma train station and Long Island MacArthur Airport, also in Ronkonkoma, are nearby, says Joseph Barton, associate broker of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in East Setauket.

The hamlet, home to the Internal Revenue Service's Northeast processing center, has strip shopping centers, eateries, pockets of industry, a nursing home and a rehabilitation center. As for recreation, the Town of Brookhaven's Ecology Center and Animal Preserve is "fabulous," says Deborah Ahrem of Charles Rutenberg Realty in Plainview.

Housing choices include single-family homes, a gated homeowners association, condos and co-ops. Renting is also an option. Architectural styles include Colonials, ranches, Capes, split-levels and Postmoderns. Lot sizes typically range from a quarter acre to a half acre, Armstrong says.

CONDOS 19 listings, $99,999 to $350,000

CO-OPS 21 listings, $87,900 to $254,000

MONTHLY RENTALS 10 listings, including six garden apartments, $1,100 to $1,400

SALES PRICE According to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island data, there were 63 sales with a median sales price of $320,000 from Dec. 1, 2010, to Jan. 15, 2011. The low price was $80,000 (for a small ranch in poor shape), and the high was $565,000. From Nov. 1, 2009, to Nov. 30, 2010, there were 46 sales. The median price was $352,495 with a low of $125,000 and a high of $620,000.

ATTRACTIONS The Town of Brookhaven Wildlife & Ecology Center includes three pools, an exercise-fitness trail and a zoo.

MORE STATS

Town: Brookhaven and Islip

Area: Brookhaven, 6.1 square miles; Islip, 0.8 square-miles

ZIP code: 11742

Population: 19,714

Median age: 39.3

Median household income: $94,618

Median home value: $331,495*

LIRR time to NYC: From Ronkonkoma, 1 hour, 6 minutes to 1 hour, 25 minutes at peak

Monthly ticket: $334

School district: Most students attend Sachem; a few go to Patchogue-Medford

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

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