Coastal living in Belle Harbor

Stats
What you’ll pay: $825,000
What you’ll get: A three-bedroom, one-bath 1,500-square-foot home
Distance to midtown: A 90-minute trip, by car or the A train. A pilot program for ferry service that will cut this time to 40 minutes starts this month.

In Manhattan’s real-estate parlance, “water view” can describe the most meager slice of the East River visible only from a bathroom window. Not so in Belle Harbor. In this stretch of the narrow Rockaway peninsula that constitutes southernmost Queens, you’re never more than a few blocks from the ocean. The tight-knit middle-class enclave is home to teachers, firefighters and police officers, many of whom were raised in the area. “I live around the corner from my parents, and down the street from a woman both my husband and I grew up with,” says Maud Smith, mom of Kiernan, 6, Charlie, 3, and a third child due in August.

Of course, newcomers are welcome, too. Nancy Melchiorri, mother of twins Mia and Cara, 8, and Nina, 5, moved to Belle Harbor from Sheepshead Bay five years ago and loves the sense of community. “It’s the best place to raise a family—there are kids everywhere. You’ve got the beach, nature, plus tons of activities like soccer and gymnastics.” Among the many options for athletics, Aviator Sports and Recreation (Hangar 5, Floyd Bennett Field, Flatbush Ave at Belt Pkwy, Marine Park, Brooklyn; 718-758-9800), a five-minute ride by car (you’ll need one to get around out here) from Belle Harbor, is popular for its ice-skating lessons and soccer teams.

For little ones, the play center Kids ’N Shape (162-26 Cross Bay Blvd between 162nd and 163rd Aves, Howard Beach, Queens; 718-848-2052) is a ten-minute car ride away. The space runs toddler groups and birthday parties as well as after-school classes for children up to age 11. Smith currently takes Charlie to toddler time at the Seaside Branch of the Queens Public Library (116-15 Rockaway Beach Blvd at Beach 116th St, 718-634-1876).