Buying in North Babylon: Belmont Lake State Park, sense of community draw homebuyers

"There's always something going on to celebrate a sense of community," said Steward, who is also an agent with Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

With its many trails, scenic lake and dog park, the 463-acre Belmont Lake State Park is a community gathering place, where summers bring concerts and this year, a mega-reunion for graduates of North Babylon High School spanning 50 years, noted Steward.

The local environment will benefit from the recently completed Carlls River sewer expansion project, which impacts about 500 properties in North Babylon.

"Cesspools leech into our groundwater and on Long Island, our groundwater is our drinking water," Steward said, adding that with North Babylon's Belmont Lake feeding into Carlls River which empties into the Great South Bay, the project will help the marine environment.

A lifelong resident of North Babylon, Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer said the town is applying for funding to improve pedestrian safety along a mile-long corridor of Deer Park Avenue to help revitalize the area.

Through the years, the hamlet has pretty much stayed the same, Schaffer said.

"A lot of us are still here — that's a commonalty of North Babylon," Schaffer said. "Generations will buy the house from the parents, and the parents will stay there with the kids. You see a lot of that."

In the early 19th century, farms dotted the North Babylon landscape. Later in the century, the area experienced an influx of wealthy residents, notably financier/diplomat August Belmont. He built his 1,100-acre mansion, nursery and horse breeding farm in 1868, attracting the likes of President Chester Arthur, who would go there to fish. Much of the estate was taken over by the Army Air Corps in World War I and, in 1924, Belmont Lake State Park was created on the site.

Once Long Island Rail Road service reached Deer Park in 1842, Babylon Lane (now Deer Park Avenue) became a busy stagecoach thoroughfare, used for horse, foot and sack racing, as well as greased-pig chasing. After World War II, estates, farms and woodland gave way to a number of housing developments.  

House hunters will find mostly Colonial and ranch homes, mixed in with newer post-moderns and contemporaries, with prices ranging from $500,000 to $750,000 for a renovated four-bedroom home.

This renovated 2,200-square-foot Colonial has four beds, 2½ baths, new central air, alarm and camera system, whole-house generator, hardwood floors and radiant heat in a second floor bathroom. The 0.34-acre lot has a pool with diving board and a large rear deck with paving stones. Taxes are $16,620. A sale is pending. Tanya Negron, Marylou Swan Realty Corp., 631-289-5550.

This approximately 3,000-square-foot split-level features four beds, two baths, oak and laminate floors, a kitchen with oak cabinets, granite counters and updated bathrooms. The quarter-acre fenced-in lot has a bi-level deck overlooking a fish pond, hot tub, two sheds and attached one-car garage. Taxes are $13,247. Dorothy Hamilton, Hamilton Homes, 631-435-0870.

Built circa 1925, this 1,100-square-foot Dutch Colonial has three beds, 2½ baths, updated kitchen, baths and boiler, hardwood floors, cathedral ceilings and solar panels. The 0.16-acre property has a fenced-in backyard with brick patio and a large shed. Taxes are $8,162. Rosemarie DiChiara and Angela Parisi, Realty Connect USA, 516-714-3606.

Carlls Path

Ventura Drive

Hughes Lane