For those that live in Manhasset??

DH would like to move here when he gets promoted. I was wondering about the community itself because it always seems when you are in a upper middle class neighborhood everyone keeps to themselves (Just my observations from visiting places - never living in one) I hardly see kids outside playing together or just anyone outside in general.. Is is a friendly community? Do neighbors talk with each other? Are there any less desirable areas? I am a South Shore, Eastern LI kind of gal so Manhasset and the North Shore are like foreign lands to me

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

All I know is Manhasset is a very nice area.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

I worked in Manhasset for 5+ years. I know the schools are top-notch. I never really noticed kids out playing much, except in the park on Plandome when I would walk there on my lunch hour.

Obviously, I was never up there on weekends, so I don't know how people are...but the traffic is horrible during the week. Plandome Road is crazy busy.

Sorry I'm not much help. It is a beautiful area and the homes are really nice!

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

My cousins lived there when they moved up here before they bought a house...she hated it. Said the neighbors weren't friendly and the kids next door kept throwing trash in her backyard.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

Kids hardly play outside (eta I mean on the street or outside their properties/yards) in many LI towns, esp those of higher income bracket. Normally those parents are busy working, and instead schedule play dates. Also often children are in many extracurricular scheduled activities.

In Manhasset, you are not generally going to find children playing with friends from next door on the street. I would say if you are looking for this, Manhasset is probably not what you are looking for.

I know 2 people in a very $$$ area of Manhasset and they work very high profile jobs. People keep more to themselves mainly b/c they are busy working and taking their children to and from activities. Also many families have summer homes, which is why you also won't see children just playing on the street. That is a thing of the past for the most part.

Message edited 1/12/2011 8:57:54 AM.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

My grandparents and my aunt, uncle, and cousin live in Manhasset. My cousin grew up in Strathmore Vanderbilt. I do not remember him playing on his street, but over the summer, everyone in the community hangs out at the club. My entire family spent a lot of time there when I was growing up.

Message edited 1/11/2011 7:35:42 PM.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

I live in Manhasset and it is a great community. There is a real sense of pride in our community and tons of opportunities for people to meet others. There is a Newcomers organization for just that and the events are really fun. Also there is a very large Mothers' group that has a ton of activities also - for both mothers and for children.

As for children playing outside, it depends on which neighborhood you move to. Where I live kids are outside playing ALL the time. I live in one of the less hilly areas. there are neighborhoods that are very hilly and in those areas you will not find a ton of kids out on the street because it would be dangerous.

My neighbors are all awesome. It's the type of place where people bring you baked goods when you move in and bring you dinner when you have a new baby or death in the family. I have had a really positive experience here, and while people tend to range from upper middle class to very wealthy, everyone is super friendly and down to earth.

Please don't listen to people who speak negatively about Manhasset that don't have firsthand experiences living here. I think that all wealthy areas get a bad rap for being unfriendly but it is really not the case here. There are so many opportunities to meet people here and get involved so my view is that if you have a bad experience it's kind of your own fault.

Please FM me if you want more info.

Message edited 1/11/2011 7:57:33 PM.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

Manhasset is a great town! We just sold our apartment and will be looking for houses in both Manhasset and Garden City.

My DH grew up in Manhasset and loves it!! His family is still there. I can just tell you from my IL... They are very friendly with their neighbors. All completely different age ranges too.


They babysit for the next door neighbors when emergencies come up. They house sit for the elderly couple across the Street when they go on vacation. So YES, they are all very friendly.

It's a TOP school district too. Plus it's a great commute. Also, for resale value Manhasset really doesnt drop in value. I believe I read in a recent article...that despite the market...Manhasset/Great Neck Area was still maintaining it's value.

All the areas in Manhasset are very nice. North or South Strathmore, Munsey Park, Flower Hill, Plandome.

Hope that helps!

Message edited 1/12/2011 8:29:52 AM.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

Message edited 1/12/2011 8:51:19 AM.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

I'm a teacher in Manhasset, so I don't see it first hand, but in my experience with the children of the town, they are very close. The parents are very involved in their children's lives, so I'd imagine they're also involved with one another as well.
It really is a lovely town, with lovely people. The kids in Manhasset are some of the nicest kids I've met.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

Message edited 1/12/2011 8:56:00 AM.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

As I said in my post, depending on the neighborhood there are places in manhasset where kids are outside playing on the street. In fact, in our neighborhood kids are always outside in the front yard because our backyards are pretty small and our front yards are fairly large. If you drove down my street you would see a bunch of kids out front playing and riding their bikes around the neighborhood. It is one thing I love about it here because it does remind me of my own childhood, when we just walked over to our friends houses and played outside.

During the springtime almost every front yard with school-aged children has a lacrosse net out front. It's not everywhere in manhasset because like I said, some of the areas like strathmore vanderbilt are very hilly and it wouldn't be safe.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

I grew up in Manhasset and absolutely LOVED my childhood there. I grew up in Plandome and there were tons of us that would get together in the neighborhood. However, this was a very long time ago and it IS a different place now. There were no developments south of Strathmore on either Searingtown or Shelter Rock Rd. We hung out as teenagers on the Miracle Mile all the time. Then there were place to "hang out" in. Now, it's the Rodeo Drive of the East and not kid friendly at all. Then again, the kids there today have much more to do then just "hang out."
No question it is a beautiful town. MHS is wonderful and the class sizes are so reasonable. My closest friends are those from HS rather then college. We are ALWAYS reminising (sp) about the wonderful childhoods we shared.
Though it has always been known as a $ town, I was blissfully unaware of those things then. Plus we feel right in the middle of those that "had more" and those that "had less." No great emphasis was put on that back then. There's no getting away from that now. It is very competetive.
IMO, it really depends on you and your feelings about living around a lot of $$$. Since I don't have that, it isn't the place for me anymore. In other words, would you then be "house poor?". Would you be living in one of the less exclusive areas of town? You may be reminded of that often and only you can decide whether that would be an issue for you. Would your kids be from the minority of those who do not go away on school breaks? These are the kinds of things that bother some a lot when surrounded by those more wealthy then themselves.
No matter where you go, you'll find people you love and people you don't. What matters most is how comfortable and happy you are in the town you're in.
Congrats on your hubby's upcoming promotion and best of luck house hunting. If Manhasset turns out to be right for you, you will not regret it.

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i know people that grew up there in the muncey park section. they absolutely loved it.

Re: For those that live in Manhasset??

Message edited 1/26/2011 2:35:44 PM.