North Hempstead

History

What is now the Town of North Hempstead was originally inhabited by Native Americans – specifically the Matinecock Nation. It was first settled by European explorers around 1643, as part of the Town of Hempstead.

The Census of Slaves, conducted in the Province of New York in 1755, contains a long list of enslaved individuals in Oyster Bay, including the hamlets of Jericho and what is now North Hempstead. It is followed by an additional list of "free Negroes Melattoes [people of Afro-European ancestry] and Mustees [people of Afro-Indigenous ancestry] Resideing within ye Township of Oysterbay that may probably Be Likely In case of Insurrections To be as Mischevious as ye Slaves." (Free individuals were not supposed to be reported for the Census; a local militia captain supplied it on his own initiative, with the expectation "that ye Other Captains in Oysterbay will acquaint Your Honour [governor of New York] of those Resideing in ye Other parts of ye Township.")

During the American Revolution the southern part of Hempstead was primarily Tory, while the northern part, having been settled by Yankees, supported the revolution. Following the war, the Town of North Hempstead was split off from Hempstead in 1784. North Hempstead became more affluent with the opening of the Long Island Rail Road through to Great Neck, and the inauguration of steamboat service from Manhattan in 1836.

The Town of North Hempstead is made up of 31 incorporated villages that claimed the right to set zoning restrictions to protect their rights and resources. No new villages have been created within the Town of North Hempstead since Port Washington North in May 1932, and prospective villages were further discouraged from incorporating when the county charter was revised in 1936, which denied zoning powers to future villages in the county. Every village incorporation attempt within North Hempstead made following the county charter revision – most notably a mid-20th century push to incorporate all of Strathmore south of Northern Boulevard (NY 25A) – has been unsuccessful.

There are also several unincorporated areas in the Town of North Hempstead that are not part of villages – such as Carle Place, Hillside Manor, Manhasset, Port Washington, and Roslyn Heights; these areas are instead governed directly by the Town of North Hempstead.

Etymology

North Hempstead's name reflects its geographical location north of the Town of Hempstead, which, about the time of the split, was also known as "South Hempstead."

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 69.2 square miles (179 km2), of which 53.5 square miles (139 km2) is land and 15.7 square miles (41 km2), or 22.62%, is water.

The western town line is the border of Queens County, New York, part of New York City. The northern town line, delineated by the Long Island Sound, is the border of Bronx County (also part of New York City) and Westchester County. The Town of Oyster Bay and the City of Glen Cove are its eastern neighbors, and the Town of Hempstead is its southern neighbor.

North Hempstead is the only town on Long Island that does not have a corresponding hamlet or village in its borders with the same name; Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County and the towns of Huntington, Babylon, Islip, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, Shelter Island and East Hampton in Suffolk County all have smaller neighborhoods with the same name.

Climate

The Town of North Hempstead features a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen climate classification and is located near the transitional zone between humid subtropical and humid continental (Dfa) climates. Accordingly, the hamlet experiences hot, humid summers and cold winters, and experiences precipitation throughout the entirety of the year.

Communities

The Town of North Hempstead contains 31 villages:

The Town of North Hempstead includes the following unincorporated hamlets, which are governed by North Hempstead:

Cow Neck, or Manhasset Neck – A peninsula into the Long Island Sound.

Great Neck – A peninsula into the Long Island Sound.

Hempstead Harbor – A bay of the Long Island Sound.

Lake Success – A lake near the western town line.

Little Neck Bay – A bay of the Long Island Sound.

Manhasset Bay – A bay of the Long Island Sound.

United States Merchant Marine Academy – located in Kings Point.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 237,639 people residing in 79,546 households in the town. There were 83,729 housing units, 76.5% of which were owner-occupied. The racial makeup of the town was 56% White, 23.1% Asian, 4.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 7.8% from other races, and 7.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.8% of the population.

There were 79,546 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, and 12.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.2% of all households had individuals 65 years of age or older.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18 and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.8 years. The population was 51.6% female.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $96,517, and the median income for a family was $115,697. Males had a median income of $60,094 versus $41,331 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,621. About 3.1% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Between the 1990 census and the 2000 census, North Hempstead lost some population growth to Queens.

Government

Town government

The Town of North Hempstead is governed by a seven-member board – known as the North Hempstead Town Council, which is composed of six council members and the Town Supervisor. Council members are each elected by – and represent – a single councilmanic district within the Town. The Supervisor is elected at-large and represents the entirety of the Town.

In addition to Supervisor, there are two other town-wide positions elected at-large: the Town Clerk and the Receiver of Taxes.

As of January 2026, the Town Supervisor of North Hempstead is Jennifer S. DeSena (R–Manhasset).

The following is a list of North Hempstead's supervisors, from 1784 to present:

As of January 2024, the North Hempstead Town Council consists of the following council members:

As of January 2026, the Town Clerk of North Hempstead is Ragini Srivastava (R–Manhasset Hills).

As of January 2026, the Receiver of Taxes of North Hempstead is Mary Jo Collins (R–Flower Hill).

Politics

In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Joseph R. Biden (D) carried the vote in the Town of North Hempstead, with 396,504 votes – 54.11% of the electorate. Donald J. Trump (R) received 326,716 votes, placing him at 44.59% of the vote.

Economy

Northwell Health, the largest employer on Long Island, is based in Great Neck.

The Americana Manhasset (and the "Miracle Mile", as a whole) – one of Long Island's most famous shopping malls and areas – is located on Northern Boulevard (NY 25A) in Manhasset.

The North American headquarters of Sabena were located in a 36,000 square feet (3,300 m2) office building in Manhasset in North Hempstead. In April 2002 Knightsbridge Properties Corp. bought the building for $4.9 million. Due to the bankruptcies of Sabena and Swissair, the real estate deal took over a year to finish. During that month, the building was 30% occupied. Sabena was scheduled to move out of the building on May 10, 2002. The buyer planned to spend an additional $2 million to convert the building into a multi-tenant, Class A office and medical facility. At one time, Servisair's Americas offices were in Great Neck.

Sumitomo Corporation operates its Lake Success Shared Services Center in an area in the town of North Hempstead, south of Lake Success.

Systemax, Pall, Publishers Clearing House and NPD Group are based in Port Washington.

Top employers

According to North Hempstead's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the town are:

Transportation

Rail

The Long Island Rail Road's Oyster Bay Branch serves the town's vicinity from Mineola to Greenvale. The Main Line runs through the southern parts of the town with stations at Merillon Avenue in Garden City Park through Westbury. The Port Washington Branch runs through the northern part of the town and uses stations from Great Neck across the Manhasset Viaduct into Port Washington.

Bus

The Town of North Hempstead is served primarily by Nassau Inter-County Express bus routes, though at least two of New York City's MTA Bus Routes enter Nassau County from Queens and travel within North Hempstead.

Major roads

Interstate 495 is the Long Island Expressway, and the sole interstate highway in the Town of North Hempstead, with interchanges from Exit 33 in Lake Success to Exit 39 in Old Westbury.

Northern State Parkway is a suburban continuation of the Grand Central Parkway that has interchanges from Exit 25 in Lake Success to Exit 34 in Westbury. The route runs along the south side of the Long Island Expressway. As a parkway, no trucks are allowed.

Meadowbrook State Parkway runs south to north and only exists within the town between Old Country Road (Exits M1) and the Northern State Parkway, at the Westbury Interchange.

Wantagh State Parkway only exists within the town between Old Country Rd (Exit W2) and Northern State Parkway.

New York State Route 25A is the northernmost west–east route in the town, and is a suffixed route of NY 25.

New York State Route 25B is another west–east suffixed route of NY 25 that runs from the Bellerose section of Queens into NY 25 in Westbury.

New York State Route 25

New York State Route 101 is a south–north state route that runs from Flower Hill, through downtown Port Washington, and eventually into Sands Point.

Beacon Hill Road

Bryant Avenue

East Broadway

Glen Cove Road

Herricks Road

Mineola Avenue

Old Country Road

Airports

Sands Point Seaplane Base