Moving to Long Island in New York Where to Live

In Nassau County some people ride the LIE service road, different areas on the north shore, and in SUNY Old Westbury campus.  You may want to plan to be closer to a pool or place to run instead.

There is a multi use path that runs from Bethpage State Park to Massapequa that is nice to run on but can get crowded on weekends and has a 15mph speed limit for bikes.  Here are some other running spots on the island http://lirunning.com/runs.htm .

As far as where to live at $3500 a month - that is a really difficult question.  On Long Island there are really nice neighborhoods within walking distance to really bad neighborhoods.   If you are going into the city a lot I would pick somewhere close to a LIRR station...but remember some branches are known for better service and more trains than others http://mta.info/lirr/Timetable/lirrmap.htm .  Best to enlist the help of a trustworthy real estate agent.

Sunrise Tri and Runner's Edge have two good sized tri clubs made up from people all over the island.

Good luck.

If you're working in Nassau, it's a no-brainer to pick somewhere in Nassau to live because traffic on the L.I.E, Southern or Northern State Parkways (the three main arteries) is a nightmare during rush hour.  Unfortunately, riding in Nassau County is sketchy.  I personally would not ride on the LIE service roads.  I've done it once and cars are whizzing past doing 80 mph.  There have also been a few fatalities.  Quite frankly, there is no where in Nassau County that I know of where you can ride any type of decent distance safely.  I'm sure there are short back routes here and there that are safe, but Nassau County is very populated, congested, with lots of traffic.  There are a few areas in Nassau on the North Shore by Glen Cove and Oyster Bay that have some picturesque, rideable areas; but the real estate prices are high.

I live out on the east end, Wading River, (by mscotthall) and the riding out here is lovely.  We have lots of farms, horse property, bike routes, roads with wide shoulders, and the traffic is a fraction of what you will encounter in Nassau.  There are some roads around me that are 15-mile stretches where I won't see a single car the entire time.  Lots of long lonely roads through the pine barrens and through farm lands.  We even have a fresh water lake that's not polluted that we can swim in!!  The downside is, during rush hour it used to take me 70 to 80 minutes just to get to the border of Nassau County.

 I belong to Sunrise Tri Club.  It's an awesome club.  If you visit Sunrise Tri in Bayshore ask to meet Matt. 

Your best bet would probably be to rent a house in Nassau, and then drive out east on the weekends for your Long Rides.  I know a lot of people that do this. 

I'm in a similar situation as you w/regards to your work locations. My job is based on the Nassau/Suffolk border and go into lower Manhattan ~3 times a month. I also happen to live near Dreamchaser and Mcsotthall. My daily commute is a solid 50 minutes when I work on the Island BUT when I go to the city, it's 2.5 hours each way.

Personally, I'd look to the Cold Spring Harbor/Huntington/Centerport/Northport area of the North Shore. They're on the Suffolk/Nassau border and close to the Huntington Station branch of the LIRR. It's not quite as open as the east end but also not as congested as mid Nassau. Pretty good compromise IMHO.

Good Luck!!

you should consider near Babylon , NY.   The Babylon LIRR has lots of trains to NYC about 75 mins....near sunrise tri in West Babylon....you can ride the service road of sunrise hwy or drive east towards me in Center Moriches and its great riding on montauk hwy on your way to montauk....also near hecksher park, its a 3.5 loop but quiet and safe

When you drive into Nassau depending what part its not too bad from Babylon area..traffic yes...but doable..probably need a 15-25 min buffer

good luck