Suffolk County, NY

[EmC Hammer]

Hi all! I'm headed to Stony Brook for my MSW in the fall, and I still need a place to live! I have a golden retriever, so I need a place that allows dogs, and we'd rather rent a house than an apartment.

Any suggestions on where to look/who to contact/places to avoid/etc? I was born and raised in NY, but I moved to NC when I was 14, did my undergrad at UNC, and now I'm heading back, but it's been so long since I've lived there that I'm at a total loss.

[Spore]

Call your department coordinator and she/he may be able to put you in touch with current students.

I lived in an apartment complex in Saint James that allowed cats but not dogs.

Dogs are always harder to find homes.

[MyWorkIsDone]

I'm sure you've already found a place by now (I hope), but in case anyone else is wondering the same thing I may as well put in my two cents. As someone who was born and raised in Suffolk County until I moved away for undergrad a few years ago, I can safely say that the quality of housing and towns varies considerably throughout the county, and even within towns. For example my family lives in Islip Hamlet near the beach. Our part of town is middle class and very nice, but if you walk just ten minutes down the road you get to areas that you would never want to be caught in after dark on your own. Having said this, I now live in a very low income area of downtown Rochester, which I personally think is about 50x more dangerous than any part of Suffolk. Really, even the "bad" parts of LI aren't that bad when you compare them to other cities. On another note (and you're probably aware of this), cost of living on Long Island is one of the highest in the country, and it can be pretty tough to find a "cheap" place to rent in one of the really nice upscale areas. Sometimes a nice apartment is the best option.