West Hempstead | Imamother

amother

Tue, Apr 26 2022, 1:47 pm

We're considering moving from Washington Heights to West Hempstead. We've visited a handful of times and liked it. A few questions for anyone who lives there- thanks in advance!

Do you like the community?

Would a couple with preschool age kids and below fit in (early 30s)? From what I saw, it was a lot of elementary + age kids.

We're very social and involved in the community- are people friendly and there are ways to get involved? Organizing events, davening, etc. I know in some communities that things are very entrenched and harder for new people to break in.

Do your (older) kids go to 5T schools? Do you feel like they're subject to the same material pressures despite living in West Hempstead? We're pretty low-key and don't like brands, etc.

Where do people send to preschool?

What are the best streets to look at for real estate on Zillow? Do people sell "offline" a lot that I'd have to schmooze to find out who's selling?

amother

Mimosa

Tue, Apr 26 2022, 2:21 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

We're considering moving from Washington Heights to West Hempstead. We've visited a handful of times and liked it. A few questions for anyone who lives there- thanks in advance!

Currently live in the heights and from west hempstead originally - there’s been a bunch of people who have moved from heights to WH recently

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Do you like the community?

Would a couple with preschool age kids and below fit in (early 30s)? From what I saw, it was a lot of elementary + age kids.

Would say that there’s a lot of preschool and below - even people moving in before kids, so it might be dependent on what shul you spent time in.

amother [ OP ] wrote:

We're very social and involved in the community- are people friendly and there are ways to get involved? Organizing events, davening, etc. I know in some communities that things are very entrenched and harder for new people to break in.

Yes - especially because some shuls are newish also - for example a new shul was just announced

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Do your (older) kids go to 5T schools? Do you feel like they're subject to the same material pressures despite living in West Hempstead? We're pretty low-key and don't like brands, etc.

Where do people send to preschool?

A decent amount of people send to schools in 5T/ Queens.
For preschool - HANC ECC, Morah faigy, Morah Amy, outside of WH

amother [ OP ] wrote:

What are the best streets to look at for real estate on Zillow? Do people sell "offline" a lot that I'd have to schmooze to find out who's selling?

Best to be part of groups and asking around.
Also check out the Eruv barriers - there are some areas that can not be added to the eruv, so don’t spend too much time looking at those places

(And on that note - I am more then willing to connect you with some heights -> w hemp people if you wanna speak with someone more directly)

amother

DarkCyan

Thu, Apr 28 2022, 11:07 am

I'm still relatively new to the community (moved about 3 years ago) but I'll do my best to answer your questions.

Do you like the community?
Yes, b"h we are very happy here so far.

Would a couple with preschool age kids and below fit in (early 30s)? From what I saw, it was a lot of elementary + age kids.
Absolutely! There are lots of young families in the neighborhood. Lots of elementary aged kids too but very many failures with young kids. The preschools are all completely full and there's definitely a need for more groups for toddlers/preschoolers so I think that shows that there are plenty of families with young kids.

We're very social and involved in the community- are people friendly and there are ways to get involved? Organizing events, davening, etc. I know in some communities that things are very entrenched and harder for new people to break in.
The community as a whole is very warm and welcoming. I think how easy it is to break in is going to depend on part on how involved you want to be and which shul you want to be a part of. There are some newer shuls that I would imagine are easier to take on such roles as they are still growing. It's possible that the more established shuls (like young israel) might be harder but I can't really say as that's not really my thing so I've never tried.

Do your (older) kids go to 5T schools? Do you feel like they're subject to the same material pressures despite living in West Hempstead? We're pretty low-key and don't like brands, etc.
My kids go to school in queens but plenty send to the 5towns. We're personally very simple, not into brand names or just getting the latest stuff. In general west hempstead is very down to earth. Since my kids are not in a 5T school I can't really say if kids that do go there are more likely to be pressured to keep up with their friends.

Where do people send to preschool?
Lots send to ECC, they have for 3 and 4 year olds. Gan Amy is infants-4 year old but she has limited space and hard to get in. Morah Faigy is I'm pretty sure for 2 and 3 year olds but think she might only be a part time program (though don't hold me to that I never looked into her program to get details). Morah Debbie has just for 3s. And I think there's a newer one called Kiddie Klubhouse but I don't have much information on that one but I'm pretty sure they have for 2 and 3 year olds.

What are the best streets to look at for real estate on Zillow? Do people sell "offline" a lot that I'd have to schmooze to find out who's selling?
The best streets are going to depend on if there's a specific shul you want to be part of and how far you are willing to be from that shul. If you don't mind a walk or you don't really plan on attending then you can branch out further.
With the current housing market I'm sure that there are houses that don't really end up ever officially being listed. Your best bet would either be to speak to a real estate agent or have friends in the neighborhood keep you posted if they hear of anyone looking to sell.

Overall it's a really nice place to live. Low key, warm, and welcoming. Good luck with your decision.