Wantagh, the gateway to Jones Beach, gets LIRR upgrades
In addition to the renovated LIRR station, Wantagh has a train museum that includes the original 1885 station and original Wantagh Post Office. Credit: Howard Schnapp
THE SCOOP
Few hamlets offer more direct access to Long Island’s most famed beach than Wantagh, which is known as the gateway to Jones Beach. The primary roadway leading to Jones Beach even bears the South Shore hamlet’s name.
“It’s named Wantagh Parkway for that reason — it goes right from Wantagh to Jones Beach,” says 41-year resident Ella Stevens, president of the Wantagh/Seaford Homeowners Association. “We are five miles away. You can Rollerblade, bicycle ride, or run from here to Jones Beach.”
As for other modes of transportation in Wantagh, a just-completed $27 million renovation of the Long Island Rail Road train station added new platforms, digital signs, an elevator, platform waiting room and lighting.
Just a half-mile down the road is Wantagh’s train station from yesteryear at The Wantagh Museum, one of the area's attractions. The property, which hosts community events, includes the original 1885 station, complete with a ticket booth, plus a vintage railroad car and the original Wantagh Post Office.
“Wantagh has traditional values and a community that’s very involved,” Stevens says. “We have traditions that have been done for over 60 years that continue to thrive, like the Fourth of July parade and the Miss Wantagh pageant, which focuses on young ladies in high school that are academically enriched and give back to community.”
Town of Hempstead council member Erin King Sweeney, a Wantagh resident, says she has been going to the parade for 44 years.
This Colonial is listed for $799,000. Credit: Signature Premier Properties
“Wantagh is an idyllic place to grow up,” King Sweeney says. “Like a lot of communities on the South Shore, it is really tight-knit where in many cases you have multiple generations."
Shops and eateries line Wantagh Avenue, including the recently opened Pipeline Coffee Co., which is near the Wantagh train station.
"We have a lot of local small businesses," King Sweeney says. "People who live here own shops here and are always giving back to the community."
Wantagh features a variety of housing styles, including Capes, ranches, split-levels and Colonials, says longtime resident Tony Smith of S.A.S Real Estate in Wantagh. Prices can range from $300,000 to more than $1 million, he says. “The average price is in the high $400,000s to the low $500,000s, but they are climbing,” says Smith, in his 43rd year of business in Wantagh.
This Cape is listed for $449,000.
Smith says young families flock to the area for the school district, which he says boasts an all-day kindergarten and a highly regarded special-needs program. Sensory Beans, a gymnasium and recreational facility for children with special and sensory needs, opened in Wantagh last year.
Wantagh Park features a marina, swimming pools, mini-golf course, barbecue area, athletic fields and a playground. The hamlet is also home to the 58-acre Twin Lakes Preserve.
And of course, Smith says, nearby are the white sands of the Atlantic Ocean beachfront, the two-mile Jones Beach boardwalk and the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater.
CONDOS
There are two condos on the market ranging in price from $375,000 to $425,000.
This split-level is listed for $569,800. Credit: S.A.S. Real Estate
SALES PRICES
Between Oct. 1, 2017, and Oct. 19, 2018, there were 294 home sales with a median sale price of $505,000, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price for that period was $320,000 and the high was $1.15 million. During that time period a year earlier, there were 274 home sales with a median sale price of $460,000. The price range was $133,000 to $1.295 million.
SCHOOLS
Most students attend Wantagh High School.
OTHER STATS
Town: Hempstead
Area: 3.8 square miles
ZIP code: 11793
Population: 18,871
Median age: 41.4
Median household income: $127,375
Median home value: $505,500
LIRR to NYC: 46 to 58 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $297
School district: Wantagh
SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR;
*Based on sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI
RECENTLY SOLD
$362,000
Wantagh Ave.
Style: Cape
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 1
Built: 1957
Lot size: 50x116
Taxes: $11,794
Reduced: $10,000
Days on the market: 144
$525,000
Daffodil Ln.
Style: Expanded Cape
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2
Built: 1951
Lot size: 65x100
Taxes: $10,161
Reduced: $20,000
Days on the market: 112
$700,000
Brookside Ave.
Style: Colonial
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2
Lot size: 0.14 acres
Taxes: $18,688
Reduced: $39,900
Days on the market: 118
NOW ON THE MARKET
$449,000
This four-bedroom, one-bathroom Cape features a living room, updated bathroom and eat-in kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a ceramic floor. The 49-by-100-foot property is surrounded by 6-foot PVC fencing. Taxes: $12,063. Michael Fink, Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International, 516-647-3737
$569,800
This split-level, with four bedrooms and 2-1/2 bathrooms, includes an eat-in kitchen, dining room, living room and den. The 100-by-70-foot property also includes an unfinished basement and attached one-car garage. Taxes: $17,466. Tony Smith, S.A.S. Real Estate, 516-781-5050
$799,900
This Colonial, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, includes a family room with vaulted ceilings, a granite kitchen and a formal dining room. The 0.26-acre property also has a basement, detached one-car garage and semi-in-ground pool. Taxes: $12,776. Jane Clifford and Marty Sorrentino, Signature Premier Properties, 516-359-2060, 516-551-0082
On Multiple Listings
Number of houses: 49
Price range: $449,000-$1.89 million
Tax range: $8,880-$26,551
