Okay, here we go, let’s talk about finding a good spot to live on Long Island if you gotta commute to NYC.
First off, I started by hitting up Google. I wanted to know what areas people generally thought were good. I typed in something like “best places to live on Long Island for NYC commute”.

The search results started rolling in. I saw a bunch of names: Manhasset, Garden City, Port Washington, Rockville Centre, Massapequa, Woodbury, and a few others. These seemed to be the usual suspects when it comes to this kind of thing. I also noticed Bellmore mentioned – apparently, it’s good if you want a quieter vibe near the water.
Then, I dug a little deeper into each place. I found out that Manhasset is pretty swanky, with nice houses and good schools, and it’s only about a 30-minute train ride to Penn Station. That’s pretty convenient! Garden City and Great Neck seemed similar – good for commuting, from what I gathered.
- Manhasset – Quick train ride, fancy, good schools, safe.
- Garden City – Sounds a lot like Manhasset, from what I read.
- Bellmore – Quieter, waterfront, might be a bit farther out.
- Great Neck – Also a solid choice for getting into the city fast.
- Stony Brook – read about this place, nice and near a university.
I also looked up some real estate stuff. In Long Island City, the median listing price in November 2024 was around $965,000, which is a lot, but it was actually down 16.1% from the year before. The median sold price was even higher, at $1.2 million. Sheesh, that’s steep!
I read about a few other places, too. One was called Commack. It’s popular with some famous folks, like Rosie O’Donnell and Randy Rainbow. Another one was Plainview. I saw that it is considered one of the wealthier areas on Long Island.
After looking at all this stuff, I started to get a better feel for what each place was like. Manhasset, Garden City, and Great Neck all seemed like solid options for a quicker commute. Bellmore sounded good if you want something a bit more laid-back and near the water. And those other places, like Commack and Plainview, seemed worth checking out too, even if they might be a bit further from the city. I even read about Stony Brook, which has a university and sounds kind of charming by the sea.
So, that’s where I’m at so far. Still a lot to consider, but I feel like I’ve got a good starting point. Next, I’ll probably try to actually visit some of these places, talk to some locals, and see which one feels like the best fit.
