Posted on 04/08/2020 9:35:25 AM PDT by GuavaCheesePuff
I grew up on Long Island, on the north shore of Long Island, in the 1960’s. A custom built home on two acres of land on a hill. It was a middle class neighborhood back then....lots of kids, PTA, school bands marching in the Memorial Day parade, Girl scouts, Boy scouts, etc.
It took my parents three years to sell the property. It finally sold in 1974 for $80,000, and my parents moved to California.
The property would be worth $1 million+ today, and the property taxes now must be $25,000 or more annually.
Like most places near a city, LI was a blue collar town. A lot of people worked in the defense industry, lots of multi generational cops and firefighters were the backbone of the area. Lots of vets, all my friend’s fathers were vets. One of my friends lost his dad in Vietnam. Late 80s was when the creep started. I left in 1993 because it was too expensive and you had to plan your life around traffic.
I miss it and I wish my kids could have grown up in that place.
SC = Suffolk County.
I did not, but now that I do know I'm not surprised.
This 1993 article about Long Island is hilarious (to me at least!). I have re-read it over the years a few times and it always makes me laugh. Anyway, almost 30 years later, I still think it sums up the Guyland like nothing else I have ever read. (If you are young and miss some of the references to people in the article, Google them for extra laughs.)
https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/22/magazine/the-devil-in-long-island.html
>>>I left for good in 1968, when my friends and I used to shoot .22 rifles in my Dad’s backyard - in Nassau County!<<<
We lived in Elmont / Valley Stream back in the late 50’s.
My Older Brother used to take his .22 Rifle to High School twice a week because he was in the Gun Club. They had a Shooting Range in the Basement.
Nobody freaked out seeing a Kid walking down the Street with a Rifle over his Shoulder on his way to School.
I will take a read.
Thank you for that article.
Yes, LI has a lot of blue-collar workers.
Retiring Rep. Pete King represents a lot of them.
Mr. King, who calls Mr. Schumer too liberal for many voters, considers himself a Republican with crossover appeal to blue-collar workers, union members, police officers and firefighters.
He has sometimes been at odds with his party leadership, criticizing Speaker Newt Gingrich and opposing the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.
https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/07/nyregion/long-island-congressman-considers-senate-run.html?
I know. $24 in glass beads doesn’t go as far as it once did ...
Not counting the invasion of the M13 gang children.
I grew up in Bethpage(Plainedge) in the 50’s/60’s. Seriously, I don’t think there was a better place back then. We played in the street until dark and often walked to Nunley’s Happyland to go on the rides and then on to miniature golf. All of my friends came from 2 parent families and basically we were happy kids.
Met my husband at Hofstra and after we were married we left the Island with a job transfer. We were transferred back once in 1974 and we couldn’t wait to leave. We only went back to visit the in laws but now we never return.
I got the brass ring at Nunley’s a few times!
The owner was a patient of my Dad, and it was very sad when he couldn’t do it any more and his kids weren’t interested.
same here....only return to visit the in-laws - both in their earl 90s. 19-mile the drive from whitestone bridge to Rockville Centre typically takes an hour.....as much as 2 in some occasions. once the in-laws pass on I will never set foot on LI again.
GC South/Franklin Square- enlisted in Air Force after HS and only visited family since. Caddied and delivered Long Island Press-
I always wondered why they changed the name of Kisch Field-—Aurora molding company right there- slot cars
I thought all those city-folk were supposed to be so smart. Guess they read all the wrong economics & political science books in college.
Some of the finest people I have ever met are from Long Island. Great conservative, common sense people living in a filthy communist dunghole for a state.
Not too expensive for all those gang members living there...
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