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HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
My husband and I have one child and just found out we are expecting our second (YAY!) We have been house hunting for ages in Queens where we currently live and unfortunately the type of house and lifestyle we want is just out of our reach here. We have expanded our search to Long Island and have settled on the Merrick/Bellmore area. We found a home in South Bellmore that we really like, the area seems beautiful! I am just nervous because we don't know much about the neighborhood. I've heard that South Merrick and Merrick in general is "nicer" and more "high-end" than the Bellmores, but what does that mean exactly? Quite honestly, coming from queens, it all seems like a utopia to me! LOL The school district is Bellmore and the high school is Kennedy. Also, are there any parts of Bellmore to generally stay away from? we have seen some other larger homes closer to, but still South of Sunrise that we would like to consider as well. Thanks, our budget is 600kish max. Any help you guys can give would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
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Posted 8/23/13 7:41 AM  |
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Ellynrose
LIF Adult
Member since 10/11 1714 total posts
Name:
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HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
First - bellmore and Merrick share a central HS district. With that said, Kennedy houses kids from south Merrick and south bellmore. This HS typically has kids from families who have a lot of money. You can find that anywhere. It's a very good school system. As a doe teacher - I'd send my kids in a heartbeat to Kennedy rather than a "city" school.
Everyone is going to have an opinion between the merricks and bellmores. I love Merrick, but I would live in South Bellmore as well
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| Posted 8/23/13 8:26 AM |
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ShhhTTCin11
3 under 3?!
Member since 5/11 2229 total posts
Name:
Coleen
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HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Any part of Bellmore or North Bellmore is great. I've never heard that Merrick is more "high-end". Both areas are great.
Just be careful looking at some of the houses south of Merrick Rd. the reason these houses are so "cheap" now is because a lot of people suffered a ton of damage with Sandy. Just make sure that any damage was taken care of and know that the possibility exists of flood damage again in that area! Good luck!
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| Posted 8/23/13 8:50 AM |
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Ian&EmmesMommy23
My family is complete!
Member since 11/08 12970 total posts
Name:
Diana
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HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
i went to high school in north bellmore. IMHO i do not like south bellmore/south merrick because of Kennedy high school. people will disagree with me and thats totally fine! but thats my opinion. i was raised in brooklyn and moved to bellmore in 9th grade so my view of LI was different from people who grew up here. I saw that north bellmore/merrick were a lot more grounded than the kids from "the other side of the track". kennedy had a high drug rate than mepham and calhoun for expensive drugs. granted its a good school, but i also have a friend who was a teacher there and quit because the principal made her pass a kid because the parents were wealthy. i live in north merrick and absolutely love it. i rent, but its where i plan to buy a house and stay. going to mepham i wanted to go to calhoun.
also keep in mind anything below sunrise high is a flood zone so it may be harder to get insurance.
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| Posted 8/23/13 8:54 AM |
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ElizaRags35
My 2 Girls
Member since 2/09 20494 total posts
Name:
Me
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Posted by IansMommy23
i went to high school in north bellmore. IMHO i do not like south bellmore/south merrick because of Kennedy high school. people will disagree with me and thats totally fine! but thats my opinion. i was raised in brooklyn and moved to bellmore in 9th grade so my view of LI was different from people who grew up here. I saw that north bellmore/merrick were a lot more grounded than the kids from "the other side of the track". kennedy had a high drug rate than mepham and calhoun for expensive drugs. granted its a good school, but i also have a friend who was a teacher there and quit because the principal made her pass a kid because the parents were wealthy. i live in north merrick and absolutely love it. i rent, but its where i plan to buy a house and stay. going to mepham i wanted to go to calhoun.
also keep in mind anything below sunrise high is a flood zone so it may be harder to get insurance.
I agree and I also grew up in the neighborhood.
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| Posted 8/23/13 9:25 AM |
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twicethefun
Loving life
Member since 7/06 4088 total posts
Name:
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Posted by ElizaRags35
Posted by IansMommy23
i went to high school in north bellmore. IMHO i do not like south bellmore/south merrick because of Kennedy high school. people will disagree with me and thats totally fine! but thats my opinion. i was raised in brooklyn and moved to bellmore in 9th grade so my view of LI was different from people who grew up here. I saw that north bellmore/merrick were a lot more grounded than the kids from "the other side of the track". kennedy had a high drug rate than mepham and calhoun for expensive drugs. granted its a good school, but i also have a friend who was a teacher there and quit because the principal made her pass a kid because the parents were wealthy. i live in north merrick and absolutely love it. i rent, but its where i plan to buy a house and stay. going to mepham i wanted to go to calhoun.
also keep in mind anything below sunrise high is a flood zone so it may be harder to get insurance.
I agree and I also grew up in the neighborhood.
I grew up in the area as well and I have heard these rumors too. BUt Kennedy is a better rated school for whatever reason. I live in North Bellmore SD and would not choose it again as I am not impressed with the district. My kids are happy and settled here, but I feel like I am sacrificing some of their education.
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| Posted 8/23/13 9:37 AM |
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Leahbink
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/12 663 total posts
Name:
Meredith
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
I've lived in south Bellmore for the past five years. I'm one block south of Merrick road. Bellmore is a great area to live in, schools are great, and its quiet. However we are in a flood zone and many of the houses below Merrick road were flooded, including mine. We just got back in our house in April. If I could move out of Bellmore I would. Not because of the area but every time I see rain I live in fear of my house flooding. If you want buy a house here make sure to find out if the house was flooded, were proper repairs done ( including mold elimination), who did the repairs, etc. Some people left their house as is and put it on the market, some made repairs super quick, just be careful. Especially with a family. Getting insurance is going to be another issues. Most everyone south of Merrick road was dropped from State Farm for homeowner's insurance. Getting someone to give us insurance was tough but we got through Allstate. Flood insurance our rates were grandfathered in so they didn't go up. Good luck
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| Posted 8/23/13 11:14 AM |
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ShhhTTCin11
3 under 3?!
Member since 5/11 2229 total posts
Name:
Coleen
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Posted by twicethefun
Posted by ElizaRags35
Posted by IansMommy23
i went to high school in north bellmore. IMHO i do not like south bellmore/south merrick because of Kennedy high school. people will disagree with me and thats totally fine! but thats my opinion. i was raised in brooklyn and moved to bellmore in 9th grade so my view of LI was different from people who grew up here. I saw that north bellmore/merrick were a lot more grounded than the kids from "the other side of the track". kennedy had a high drug rate than mepham and calhoun for expensive drugs. granted its a good school, but i also have a friend who was a teacher there and quit because the principal made her pass a kid because the parents were wealthy. i live in north merrick and absolutely love it. i rent, but its where i plan to buy a house and stay. going to mepham i wanted to go to calhoun.
also keep in mind anything below sunrise high is a flood zone so it may be harder to get insurance.
I agree and I also grew up in the neighborhood.
I grew up in the area as well and I have heard these rumors too. BUt Kennedy is a better rated school for whatever reason. I live in North Bellmore SD and would not choose it again as I am not impressed with the district. My kids are happy and settled here, but I feel like I am sacrificing some of their education.
DH went to Kennedy and said that he had a hard time because his family never tried to "keep up" with the wealthier families of South Bellmore. That is one of the reasons we ended up looking in the Mepham district. It is just a different mix of people in the areas.
But do you mind sharing what you are unhappy with in North Bellmore? We did a lot of research before buying, and Dinkelmyer and Mepham both had above average ratings. I think the difference between Kennedy and Mepham ratings has to do with Kennedy having a little more technology and the graduation rate is a little higher.
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| Posted 8/23/13 11:20 AM |
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Thank you everyone. Flooding is a huge concern of mine with images of Sandy so fresh in my head. The house is on a bit higher land and is somewhat elevated. Those of you who live in South Bellmore, is flooding a regular thing or did it happen just during Sandy?
Ugh decisions, decisions...
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| Posted 8/23/13 2:07 PM |
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
btw...
Does South Bellmore start below Merrick or below Sunrise?
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| Posted 8/23/13 2:10 PM |
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ShhhTTCin11
3 under 3?!
Member since 5/11 2229 total posts
Name:
Coleen
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HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
There actually is no "south Bellmore". Just Bellmore and North Bellmore :). The cutoff between the 2 towns is somewhere north of sunrise, actually.
Typically, when people reference south Bellmore, I think south of Merrick Rd.
Message edited 8/23/2013 2:18:32 PM.
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| Posted 8/23/13 2:16 PM |
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Got it! Thank you :)
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| Posted 8/23/13 2:22 PM |
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Leahbink
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/12 663 total posts
Name:
Meredith
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Posted by NervousNellyMommy
Thank you everyone. Flooding is a huge concern of mine with images of Sandy so fresh in my head. The house is on a bit higher land and is somewhat elevated. Those of you who live in South Bellmore, is flooding a regular thing or did it happen just during Sandy?
Ugh decisions, decisions...
Yeah I'm one block south of Merrick road and most everyone on my block was flooded. The past two years flooded streets have become an issue and also flooding in basements. I don't have a basement. I have a cape right on slab but my neighbor has a basement and has flooding when it's very bad rain. The year before Sandy the water got up to my front door. With Sandy our entire first floor and garage was destroyed. If I had a choice, I would move but we are stuck being that we owe more than what our house is worth. If you are contemplating moving here I would check to see if anyone will insure you for flood insurance first and what the rates are.
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| Posted 8/23/13 4:27 PM |
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babydreams21
LIF Adult
Member since 12/12 3656 total posts
Name:
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HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Those areas are both nice. I would send my kids to either. However with the hurricanes that occurred lately I wouldn't buy south of Merrick Road. I personally wouldn't buy south of Sunrise HYWY. I found a house I loved in south wantagh but it was south of Merrick rd (a few years ago) and I'm so glad I didn't buy it bc it was so close to the water and probably got flooded. There are so many nice ares in nassau county. Also don't move anywhere where you need to buy flood insurance, just another expense. If you want a list of towns I think are "good" in nassau county PM me. I'm a teacher so SD is important as well as safety. GL
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| Posted 8/23/13 8:32 PM |
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my3bugs
Mom of 2 Boys
Member since 5/05 4381 total posts
Name:
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Posted by NervousNellyMommy
Thank you everyone. Flooding is a huge concern of mine with images of Sandy so fresh in my head. The house is on a bit higher land and is somewhat elevated. Those of you who live in South Bellmore, is flooding a regular thing or did it happen just during Sandy?
Ugh decisions, decisions...
I live south of merrick road...and had no flood damage. 3-4 houses on my block did. It was really sporadic. I have friends who live on the water who had no water in but 2 doors down did. I have friends north of merrick road who lost their whole house in bellmore. My friend was hit bad with Sandy as was most of her block was destroyed (all one family houses - lost most everything). She lived on the block her entire life and only 3 times did her house flood..Irene, Sandy and one other recent storm. Sandy was by far the worse.
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| Posted 8/23/13 9:35 PM |
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mbg1007
LIF Adult
Member since 3/09 1247 total posts
Name:
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
I grew up on the south shore and had friends from south merrick and bellmore who went to Kennedy. From what Ive seen and the things ive heard from them, its A LOT of keeping up with the Jones's in that area. A lot of towns in LI have some aspect of that but this area seems especially prone to overindulged kids whose parents first priorities involve getting the right jeans from max n ginos. This is the major reason that area is off my list when we look for a house.
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| Posted 8/23/13 9:43 PM |
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Momma2Be
Mommy of an angel
Member since 10/09 5911 total posts
Name:
Dina
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Posted by ShhhTTCin11
Posted by twicethefun
Posted by ElizaRags35
Posted by IansMommy23
i went to high school in north bellmore. IMHO i do not like south bellmore/south merrick because of Kennedy high school. people will disagree with me and thats totally fine! but thats my opinion. i was raised in brooklyn and moved to bellmore in 9th grade so my view of LI was different from people who grew up here. I saw that north bellmore/merrick were a lot more grounded than the kids from "the other side of the track". kennedy had a high drug rate than mepham and calhoun for expensive drugs. granted its a good school, but i also have a friend who was a teacher there and quit because the principal made her pass a kid because the parents were wealthy. i live in north merrick and absolutely love it. i rent, but its where i plan to buy a house and stay. going to mepham i wanted to go to calhoun.
also keep in mind anything below sunrise high is a flood zone so it may be harder to get insurance.
I agree and I also grew up in the neighborhood.
I grew up in the area as well and I have heard these rumors too. BUt Kennedy is a better rated school for whatever reason. I live in North Bellmore SD and would not choose it again as I am not impressed with the district. My kids are happy and settled here, but I feel like I am sacrificing some of their education.
DH went to Kennedy and said that he had a hard time because his family never tried to "keep up" with the wealthier families of South Bellmore. That is one of the reasons we ended up looking in the Mepham district. It is just a different mix of people in the areas.
But do you mind sharing what you are unhappy with in North Bellmore?
I'm very curious to hear what you have to say as well. We recently bought in N. Bellmore and my kids will be going to Dinkelmeyer in a few years.
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| Posted 8/23/13 10:06 PM |
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ItsaJoya19
my cup runneth over
Member since 1/10 2949 total posts
Name:
E
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Posted by ShhhTTCin11
Posted by twicethefun
Posted by ElizaRags35
Posted by IansMommy23
i went to high school in north bellmore. IMHO i do not like south bellmore/south merrick because of Kennedy high school. people will disagree with me and thats totally fine! but thats my opinion. i was raised in brooklyn and moved to bellmore in 9th grade so my view of LI was different from people who grew up here. I saw that north bellmore/merrick were a lot more grounded than the kids from "the other side of the track". kennedy had a high drug rate than mepham and calhoun for expensive drugs. granted its a good school, but i also have a friend who was a teacher there and quit because the principal made her pass a kid because the parents were wealthy. i live in north merrick and absolutely love it. i rent, but its where i plan to buy a house and stay. going to mepham i wanted to go to calhoun.
also keep in mind anything below sunrise high is a flood zone so it may be harder to get insurance.
I agree and I also grew up in the neighborhood.
I grew up in the area as well and I have heard these rumors too. BUt Kennedy is a better rated school for whatever reason. I live in North Bellmore SD and would not choose it again as I am not impressed with the district. My kids are happy and settled here, but I feel like I am sacrificing some of their education.
DH went to Kennedy and said that he had a hard time because his family never tried to "keep up" with the wealthier families of South Bellmore. That is one of the reasons we ended up looking in the Mepham district. It is just a different mix of people in the areas.
But do you mind sharing what you are unhappy with in North Bellmore? We did a lot of research before buying, and Dinkelmyer and Mepham both had above average ratings. I think the difference between Kennedy and Mepham ratings has to do with Kennedy having a little more technology and the graduation rate is a little higher.
DH went to Mepham but was zoned for Kennedy when he moved to the district in 4th grade. The lines changed before he hit HS. I've heard the same things about "keeping up with the Jones'" at Kennedy (from DH), which is one reason we looked in (and ultimately bought in) N. Bellmore. DD is not school-aged yet so I don't have actual experience with the district so I'm also curious, what about the SD are you disappointed with?
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| Posted 8/23/13 10:35 PM |
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LizD
LIF Adolescent
Member since 4/06 763 total posts
Name:
Liz
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
I grew up in Bellmore and went to Mepham. We live in Bellmore and when we were looking I refused to look at anything that would put my DD in Kennedy, While it is a good school and a nice area, it is so much keeping up with the Joneses. My sisters family went to Kennedy, and they spent a lot of time and money keeping up. I also have nieces and nephews that went to Mepham as well and I have to tell you, while they are all smart kids who are doing well for themselves, the Mepham grads are much more grounded, while the Kennedy grads, while I love them to pieces, are a bit uppity.
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| Posted 8/23/13 10:41 PM |
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ElizaRags35
My 2 Girls
Member since 2/09 20494 total posts
Name:
Me
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Posted by Momma2Be
Posted by ShhhTTCin11
Posted by twicethefun
Posted by ElizaRags35
Posted by IansMommy23
i went to high school in north bellmore. IMHO i do not like south bellmore/south merrick because of Kennedy high school. people will disagree with me and thats totally fine! but thats my opinion. i was raised in brooklyn and moved to bellmore in 9th grade so my view of LI was different from people who grew up here. I saw that north bellmore/merrick were a lot more grounded than the kids from "the other side of the track". kennedy had a high drug rate than mepham and calhoun for expensive drugs. granted its a good school, but i also have a friend who was a teacher there and quit because the principal made her pass a kid because the parents were wealthy. i live in north merrick and absolutely love it. i rent, but its where i plan to buy a house and stay. going to mepham i wanted to go to calhoun.
also keep in mind anything below sunrise high is a flood zone so it may be harder to get insurance.
I agree and I also grew up in the neighborhood.
I grew up in the area as well and I have heard these rumors too. BUt Kennedy is a better rated school for whatever reason. I live in North Bellmore SD and would not choose it again as I am not impressed with the district. My kids are happy and settled here, but I feel like I am sacrificing some of their education.
DH went to Kennedy and said that he had a hard time because his family never tried to "keep up" with the wealthier families of South Bellmore. That is one of the reasons we ended up looking in the Mepham district. It is just a different mix of people in the areas.
But do you mind sharing what you are unhappy with in North Bellmore?
I'm very curious to hear what you have to say as well. We recently bought in N. Bellmore and my kids will be going to Dinkelmeyer in a few years.
I went to Dinkelmeyer 3rd-6th. Then to Grand, then Mepham. I have no complaints! I went back to Dinkelmeyer when I was in college b/c that was where I had to go vote and I ran into former teachers who still remembered me!
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| Posted 8/23/13 11:27 PM |
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yankinmanc
Happy Days!
Member since 8/05 18208 total posts
Name:
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HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
I went to Kennedy and I never felt any pressure to keep up with the Joneses. Thats more to do with how you bring your kids up than where they go to school. There were plenty of non-jappy, artsy, normal kids in the school and there probably will be in the future. Again, this is about how you bring your kids up. My parents live just south of Merrick road and I think the area is a nice place to live, all of the Merrick/Bellmore area is a nice place to live.
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| Posted 8/23/13 11:40 PM |
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ricki528
LIF Infant
Member since 4/10 155 total posts
Name:
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HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
I went to Kennedy and I never felt like I needed to keep up. My parents still live in south bellmore and had minimal hurricane damage. I think it's a great area and would love to maybe move back there one day but my husband likes the north shore better. You will love it!
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| Posted 8/24/13 12:43 AM |
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ElizaRags35
My 2 Girls
Member since 2/09 20494 total posts
Name:
Me
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HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
A family member works at Kennedy and has been made fun of by students when they see her pull up in a 2012 Civic.
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| Posted 8/24/13 12:44 AM |
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HisNoMore
LIF Toddler
Member since 12/10 415 total posts
Name:
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
Posted by yankinmanc
I went to Kennedy and I never felt any pressure to keep up with the Joneses. Thats more to do with how you bring your kids up than where they go to school. There were plenty of non-jappy, artsy, normal kids in the school and there probably will be in the future. Again, this is about how you bring your kids up. My parents live just south of Merrick road and I think the area is a nice place to live, all of the Merrick/Bellmore area is a nice place to live.
I live south of Merrick Rd. My son will graduate from Kennedy next June. I've never felt any pressure and nor does my son. It's a fantastic school and a great area to live. Bttw, my house backs onto a canal & I had no flooding. As a pp said it was sporadic when Sandy came through. As far as flood insurance that is written through the federal government so you shouldn't have an issue with getting the policy if you are within the flood zone. Surprisingly, I am not required to carry it, go figure.
Message edited 8/24/2013 12:02:50 PM.
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| Posted 8/24/13 12:01 PM |
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Kathy042806
LIF Adult
Member since 5/06 1417 total posts
Name:
Kathy
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Re: HELP! Tell me about South Bellmore please
We bought in North Bellmore 3 years ago...we love it! Love the area, including Merrick. Ds is going into 1st grade @ Park Ave elementary. We love the school system, it's the reason we chose the area, whether Bellmore, North Bellmore or Merrick. We are zoned for Mepham, but if it were Kennedy, how can you "keep up" if you don't have the means?? I'm born and raised in the Bronx for 30 years. This gal will not teach her son to keep up with anyone
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| Posted 8/24/13 7:29 PM |
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