Valley Stream picked by magazine as ‘best place to live’ in New York

THE SCOOP

Valley Stream was named the best place to live in New York in Money magazine’s 2017 ranking of the top municipalities in each state. 

“I think a lot of people were surprised, but when you really look at what Valley Stream has to offer, it’s really not a surprise,” says longtime resident Linda Tobin Kettering of Linda Kettering Realty Corp. 

That includes the village’s proximity to New York City and easy access to major roadways and the Long Island Rail Road, along with the area’s recreation, diversity and affordable housing market.

Kettering says that with the Green Acres Mall and shopping areas on Rockaway Avenue and Merrick Road, “We do have a commercial base that helps keep our school taxes a little lower.” 
Valley Stream is one of the largest incorporated villages in the United States. Its mayor, Edwin Fare, says that several apartment and transit-oriented developments that have opened in recent years filled immediately. 

Being a half-hour train ride from Penn Station, 12 minutes from Kennedy Airport and half-hour from Jones Beach, Valley Stream is “a very easy place to live and get around,” says Bruce Blakeman, the Hempstead Town Deputy Supervisor who was born and raised in Valley Stream.

The area is home to over 100 acres of parkland. Restoration projects include the Town of Hempstead’s waterway along Brook Road in South Valley Stream, which Blakeman says will be outfitted with a nature walk and bulkhead.

CONDOS AND TOWNHOUSES There is three condos on the market, listed from $369,000 to $459,000, and six co-ops, priced from $95,000 to $199,000. 

HOME PRICES Between April 1, 2017, and April 3, 2018, there were 464 home sales throughout Valley Stream, including North and South, with a median sale price of $450,000, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price for that period was $210,000 and the high was $1.048 million. During that period a year earlier there were 501 home sales with a median sale price of $415,000. The price range was $195,000 to $775,000.

SCHOOLS Most students attend Valley Stream North, South or Central high schools.

OTHER STATS

Town Hempstead

Area 3.4 square miles

ZIP code 11580, 11581

Population 37,511

Median age 39.7

Median household income $94,681

Median home value $455,000

LIRR to NYC 31 to 41 minutes at peak

Monthly ticket $261

School district Valley Stream Districts 13, 24 or 30; Valley Stream Central High

SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR;

*Based on sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI

RECENTLY SOLD

$400,000

Verona Place

Style: Ranch

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 2

Built: 1978

Lot size: 50 by 104 feet

Taxes: $10,186

Reduced: $19,000

Days on the market: 161

$552,000

Page Road

Style: Colonial

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2

Built: 1946

Lot size: 53 by 100 feet

Taxes: $13,355

Increased: $18,000

Days on the market: 275

$652,000

East Oxford Street

Style: High-ranch

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 2

Built: 1981

Lot size: 68 by 100 feet

Taxes: $12,021

Reduced: $7,000

Days on the market: 126

NOW ON THE MARKET

$429,000 This four-bedroom, two-bathroom expanded Cape includes a living room, dining room and eat-in kitchen. The 46-by-104-foot property has a detached one-car garage. Taxes: $11,609. Sue Paugh, Realty Connect USA, 516-628-6427, 516-974-2708.

$499,000 This five-bedroom, two-bathroom expanded ranch includes a living room, a den with sliders to a patio, an eat-in kitchen and a dining room. The 59-by-102-foot property has an attached one-car garage. Taxes: $11,909. Jeannine Principe Puleo, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 516-840-5767.

$624,000 This four-bedroom, one-bathroom Cape features a living room with a wood-burning fireplace, a formal dining room and a kitchen with custom cabinetry. The 86-by-100-foot property has a detached one-car garage and heated pool. Taxes: $14,028. Leon Sanchez, Newman Realty, 516-599-2800.

On Multiple Listings

Number of houses 112

Price range $329,000-$999,000

Tax range $6,381-$24,795