Best Neighborhoods in Suffolk County, NY

Suffolk County is the easternmost part of New York State, the largest county on Long Island and is rich in history. It has approximately 1,000 miles of coastline. 

Suffolk County was part of the Connecticut Colony until 1662, when the British captured Nieuw Amsterdam, renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York, King Charles II’s brother. The King redrew some boundaries while he was at it, adding Long Island to the spoils. 

However, Suffolk and Nassau Counties got the last laugh when they chose not to become boroughs of New York City in 1898, and chose to stay part of Long Island instead. 

You can step back in time in Suffolk County. Sagtikos Manor in Bayshore was built in 1697, housed the British Army during the Revolutionary War, and in 1790, George Washington stayed there during a tour of Long Island. Deepwells Farm County Park in St. James was built in 1845, was home to New York City mayor William J. Gaynor. 

You can follow the Washington Spy Trail in Stony Brook or visit the Tesla Science Center in Shoreham. For people with a taste for horror, Amityville gained notoriety and the Hollywood treatment after paranormal events drove a family from their home. 

But is Suffolk County a good place to live? The rich and famous certainly seem to think so, but what about regular folks? Let’s find out. We looked at things like demographics, housing, crime rates and the commute to Manhattan. 

Here are the top neighborhoods in Suffolk County in alphabetical order. Since we covered the Hamptons in our Best Neighborhoods in Long Island post, we omitted that area. 

Cold Spring Harbor

Niche.com rates Cold Spring Harbor, a hamlet considered part of the town of Huntington, as the No. 7 place to raise a family in Suffolk County. Located on the north shore of Long Island, it earned an overall A grade, including top marks for good for families and health and fitness, an A for public schools, outdoor activities, and nightlife, and B+ for commute. 

John Lennon and Yoko Ono owned a home in Cold Spring Harbor. Meg Whitman, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and eBay, attended Cold Spring Harbor High School. Mariah Carey was born in Huntington. James Watson, Nobel Prize winner and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, served as director and chancellor of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. 

The median housing price is $1,466,800, and 96% of residents own their homes. The median household income is approximately $250,000, and people are well educated, with 34% holding a master’s degree or better, and 44% holding a bachelor’s degree.

CrimeGrade.org gives Cold Spring Harbor a B- grade for crime rates. It is safer than 61% of the cities in the U.S. It has a population of approximately 3,536.

If you’re commuting into Manhattan, it will take you just over an hour by train, a taxi will take you just under an hour but cost you close to $300, and driving will take you just under an hour, but there are tolls. 

Nesconset

A hamlet of the town of Smithtown, Nesconset is located in the southeast corner of New York State at the mouth of the Hudson River and 43 miles east of New York City. 

Novelist Jodi Picoult was born in Nesconset, and the hamlet traces its roots to 1904 when French immigrant brothers Louis and Clemen Vion built their home on what became Midwood Ave, joining a group of farmers in the area.  

By 1910, they added a lumber yard, post office, general store and schoolhouse, naming the area after local historical figure Nasseconsett, a Native American of the Nissequogue. Local legend claimed Nasseconsett agreed to cede title to any lands Richard Smith could encircle in one day, riding a bull, as a thank-you for Smith’s rescue of the chief’s daughter.  

Niche gives Nesconset an overall A rating, including an A+ for public schools and health and fitness, an A for outdoor activities and good for families, and a B+ for nightlife. 

84% of residents own their homes, and the median house price is $627,300. According to Niche, the median household income is approximately $148,291, and 14% of residents are 65 and older. 45% of residents are between the ages of 35 and 64. 

AreaVibes.com advises that its crime rate is significantly lower than the national average, including both violent and property crimes.

If you’re commuting into Manhattan, a train/bus combination will take two and a half hours, a bus alone will take you three hours and change, and driving will take you just over an hour. 

Stony Brook

An hour from the Hamptons, Stony Brook is located on the North Shore of Long Island, approximately 55 miles east of Manhattan. There’s a working grist mill that dates back to around 1751.

It’s also the home of the Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages, the Reboli Center for Art and History and the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery. It’s also the location of the Stony Brook campus of the State University of New York.

Niche lists Stony Brook as the #2 best place to live in Suffolk County and gives the area an A+ overall, including top marks for good for families, public schools and health and fitness, with an A for outdoor activities. The crime rate in Stony Brook is 62% lower than the New York, according to AreaVibes. The university has its own campus police department, in addition to Suffolk County Police. 

Bud Abbott (of Abbott and Costello) called Stony Brook home. So did actors Kevin James, Cliff Robertson and Awkwafina. Toronto Blue Jays pitchers Anthony Kay and Steven Matz both called Stony Brook home. 

90% of residents own their homes, and the median house price is $587,300. The median household income is just under $162,054. 

If you’re commuting into Manhattan, it will take you just over two hours by train, a bus will take you three hours, and driving will take you an hour and a quarter, but there are tolls. 

No matter what part of Suffolk County, you are within a short drive of beaches, fishing and all kinds of summer fun. But what happens when the temperature drops and winter sets in? If you need a place to store your boat, kayak, canoe, fishing equipment and sandcastle building material over the winter, Storage Post has various locations in Long Island, including Suffolk County to make it convenient and offers a variety of storage units to meet every budget.