That house on Annandale Lane is a hideous monstrosity of more money than taste.
6
I have lived in Little Neck for 24 years. It unfortunately is NOT the lovely, peaceful, neighborhood that I moved into. We bought an older house and the taxes were reasonable. They are now almost $8,000 a year! We have lived through endless destruction of beautiful old and mostly well cared for homes to make room for Monstrous Mansions. This has caused much pollution. Our dead end block alone has had 6 demolitions and several new houses squeezed into lots. Many of the "backyards" this article spoke of were replaced with "cement" , beautiful old, healthy trees were destroyed. It was a friendly, family neighborhood when we moved here. When I see a MegaMansion with high Iron Gates in front, it does not make neighbors feel "welcome" We are constantly getting Real Estate adds in our mailbox stating that we can get "International CASH" for our houses. With the constant increase in the cost of homes, it is very unlikely that a middle class family can afford to buy a home here any longer. One recent sale on my block has gone to a person who runs it as an AIRBNB! No family lives there and my neighbors are rightfully concerned. So, this lovely, suburban sanctuary is sadly, Not really what it seems.
5
Those hideous houses have ruined the architecture of what was a beautiful neighborhood. Thanks for featuring them - NOT.
10
Who else do we blame for unaffordable housing in NYC? The New York Times Real Estate Section.
14
You stated...Little Neck, a hilly neighborhood of largely single-family homes in northeastern Queens, on the border of Long Island.
Little Neck is on the border between Queens county and Nassau county. We are all living on "Long Island" . Nassau, Suffolk , Queens and, yes, Brooklyn are all geographically located on Long Island.
Little Neck is on the border between Queens county and Nassau county. We are all living on "Long Island" . Nassau, Suffolk , Queens and, yes, Brooklyn are all geographically located on Long Island.
21
Spot on! And as a Social Studies educator, you'd be amazed at how many people, even life long natives, don't know, that Brooklyn and Queens are on Long Island!!!
8
It is possible the author lives in either Nassau or Suffolk counties, and would never consider Brooklyn or Queens as having the cache of Long Island. That's a misconception that will never die, as residents of these counties consider themselves better than Brooklyn and Queens. BK and Queens are in the "city" and because of that, inferior.
The "cache" of Long Island? To this native Manhattanite, Long Island has about as much cache as the suburbs of New Jersey. In other words, none.
3
Those tennis courts look mighty small, for tennis courts!
4
Camera angle
Those hideous mansions look so out of place and keep spreading throughout names like this. Too much house on too little property.
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Agreed. I assume you mean the ones with ridiculous marble or chrome fences, paved over yards, and always disproportionate columns. They look like the building plans were drawn by a 10-year old Richie Rich who had never seen the neighborhood.
17
What they mean is that the hideous McMansions that are plaguing the city have invaded Little Neck. Let's not beat around the bush. It's bad architecture and just plain ugly. And no, no one is jealous of your ugly house. Stop using that argument and go learn about architecture and things like proportion and good use of materials. Stop ruining previously beautiful neighborhoods! Please! Money cannot buy you class, no matter how hard you try.
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The addendum with this story says the driving commute "to city is 30 minutes". I'm laughing. Yes maybe 15 years ago...
20
Seems like the article got cut off-I don't see the usual language about the commute to the city, the schools or things to do in the neighborhood. In terms of the lower property taxes, as compared to what, Long Island? Maybe property taxes alone are lower, don't forget, this is still within NYC so one also pays NYC income tax.
8
True our taxes for a single, one family cape house built in the '50's is now being taxed for senior retirees at almost $8,000 a year. That is enormous tax for NYC which "used" to be reasonable! I blame it all on the McMansions that have gone up . and the Real Estate and developers who continue to Destroy this once beautiful, affordable, family neighborhood!
1
To compare Little Neck to Astoria—or even Forest Hills, which is certainly more similar but at least has a subway station—seems like stealing a base, slightly. If you work in the city, it takes half an hour from Little Neck on the LIRR—and for $10.25 at peak hours, which is when most people who work day jobs (which is most people who can afford to buy in Little Neck) will use it. Sure, you can do weekly or monthly—for $72.25 and $226, respectively.
It may seem like a small quibble, but when you factor in that these people are going to need a Metrocard as well, that kind of expense adds up fast. (To make it really simple: if you do the most economical thing and buy the monthly pass, you're looking at an extra $2,712 per year for train travel to and from the city.) My girlfriend commutes to Darien twice a week from our home in Manhattan via Metro-North, and even that adds up.
"But what about car commuting?" you may ask. Hey, if you've got the money and the patience for that, more power to you, but let's just say that's a whole lot more expensive than going by train; not necessarily any faster, really; and while I still do own a car myself, that's only because I own it outright. Tabula rasa, I wouldn't; and I won't replace it. Tolls registration fees maintenance gasoline lots of other misc. = not exactly a bargain. But hey, it's certainly quiet out there in Little Neck—it's pretty much Long Island, which is why I resist the Astoria (and even Forest Hills) comparison.
It may seem like a small quibble, but when you factor in that these people are going to need a Metrocard as well, that kind of expense adds up fast. (To make it really simple: if you do the most economical thing and buy the monthly pass, you're looking at an extra $2,712 per year for train travel to and from the city.) My girlfriend commutes to Darien twice a week from our home in Manhattan via Metro-North, and even that adds up.
"But what about car commuting?" you may ask. Hey, if you've got the money and the patience for that, more power to you, but let's just say that's a whole lot more expensive than going by train; not necessarily any faster, really; and while I still do own a car myself, that's only because I own it outright. Tabula rasa, I wouldn't; and I won't replace it. Tolls registration fees maintenance gasoline lots of other misc. = not exactly a bargain. But hey, it's certainly quiet out there in Little Neck—it's pretty much Long Island, which is why I resist the Astoria (and even Forest Hills) comparison.
13
This is why I think outer/south Brooklyn or northern Bronx is often a better deal for people seeking space and value than eastern Queens - the subway extends a lot further into quiet semi-suburban areas in those boroughs than it does in Queens. Your commute via subway from Woodlawn or Pelham Bay Bronx or south Brooklyn to Manhattan isn't quick - it may take an hour or so each way - but it is cheap, and you do avoid road traffic.
I suspect a lot of the people who live in Little Neck commute by car to positions in Nassau, Queens, the Bronx or Westchester, where they can park for free or at minimal cost at their work locations. This location is well suited for such a commute as multiple parkways are a few minutes away. Employers in places like Lake Success (e.g., LIJ Hospital) or Port Washington are only 15-20 minutes away by car.
Little Neck is a difficult neighborhood to live in if you commute to Manhattan because it entails expensive LIRR service to Manhattan (or Woodside in Queens at the same fare) plus a subway transfer at additional cost, or a long bus ride on congested streets to crowded subway terminals in Flushing or Jamaica for a free transfer to the subway for a long ride into Manhattan.
I suspect a lot of the people who live in Little Neck commute by car to positions in Nassau, Queens, the Bronx or Westchester, where they can park for free or at minimal cost at their work locations. This location is well suited for such a commute as multiple parkways are a few minutes away. Employers in places like Lake Success (e.g., LIJ Hospital) or Port Washington are only 15-20 minutes away by car.
Little Neck is a difficult neighborhood to live in if you commute to Manhattan because it entails expensive LIRR service to Manhattan (or Woodside in Queens at the same fare) plus a subway transfer at additional cost, or a long bus ride on congested streets to crowded subway terminals in Flushing or Jamaica for a free transfer to the subway for a long ride into Manhattan.
14
Please note that the 8:07 train that you mentioned as a possibility will be canceled during the LIRR'S summer of hell.
1