Flower Hill

Understand

Overview

Flower Hill was incorporated on May 25, 1931, as a result of Port Washington's plans to incorporate itself as the "City of Port Washington" with the same boundaries as the Port Washington Union Free School District. Carlos W. Munson, heir to a steamship fortune and Flower Hill's founding father, said so. As much of Flower Hill is located within the Port Washington UFSD, much of the area now within village limits would have been absorbed by the City of Port Washington, and would have been its major source of tax income, according to Munson (Sands Point was already incorporated when the proposals were made in 1930). The residents of Flower Hill were successful in establishing Flower Hill as a village, and stopping these plans; to this day, Port Washington remains an unincorporated hamlet governed by the Town of North Hempstead.

When incorporated, Flower Hill's population was 288, whereas in 2020 it was home to 4,794 residents.

Flower Hill is one village anchored by three of the Town of North Hempstead's major communities; the western parts are anchored by the hamlet of Manhasset (which is also the Town Seat of North Hempstead), the northern parts are anchored by the hamlet of Port Washington, and the southern and eastern parts are anchored by the Incorporated Village of Roslyn.

As such, the "Manhasset portion", "Port Washington portion", and "Roslyn portion" of Flower Hill each have their own unique touches, values, and feels to them, but at the same time are also intertwined and united as one village; residents take pride not only in their portion of Flower Hill – but also the entirety of the village, and enjoy working and living together as one proud, unified village.

Areas

As stated above, Flower Hill consists of three main areas:

• The Manhasset portion
• The Port Washington portion
• The Roslyn portion

Generally, people residing in Flower Hill consider themselves to be from one of these three areas (i.e. the Roslyn portion) as opposed to from a smaller housing development (i.e. Wildwood at Flower Hill) when asked what part of Flower Hill they live in.

Housing developments

Flower Hill consists of many housing developments. Many of these subdivisions were built at different times, and many of them have their own unique feels and styles to them, as well as different types of street layouts. This is exaggerated by the varied geography and the size of Flower Hill. A visitor may find it very interesting seeing the wooded serenity of Bonnie Heights Road and Manhasset Woods Road, and then traveling slightly east to Sand Miner's Overlook at the top of Woodland Road and seeing the Long Island Sound and the hills of Westchester County.

Get in

By car

Flower Hill has excellent road access. Two major state routes travel through it. Those routes are Northern Boulevard (NY 25A) and Port Washington Boulevard (NY 101). Additionally, it is served by the Long Island Expressway (I-495) and the Northern State Parkway, via Searingtown Road (which becomes Port Washington Boulevard at its intersection with Northern Boulevard) or Mineola Avenue (which becomes Willis Avenue south of the Long Island Expressway, in Roslyn Heights).

By bus

Flower Hill has great bus service, provided by Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE). Several NICE routes serve Flower Hill: the n20H (Great Neck – Hicksville), the n20X express bus (Flushing – Roslyn), the n21 (Great Neck – Glen Cove), and the n23 (Mineola – Manorhaven).

By train

While there are no train stations in the village, all of Flower Hill has good access to the Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch. The southeastern portion of Flower Hill also has great access to the Oyster Bay Branch (although residents make more use of the Port Washington Branch). In fact, portions of Flower Hill's western border are formed by the Port Washington Branch.

The nearest stations to Flower Hill are Manhasset, Plandome, and Port Washington on the Port Washington Branch and the Roslyn station on the Oyster Bay Branch. Most residents will advise for you to take the Port Washington Branch (which sees significantly better, more frequent service than the Oyster Bay Branch does), assuming that you do not need to go through Jamaica or Mineola.

Get around

The easiest ways to travel around Flower Hill are by walking, riding a bicycle, or by driving.

Additionally, it is possible to move about Flower Hill by bus. The n20H, n20X, and n21 run west–east near the southern boundary of the village with Roslyn Estates via Northern Boulevard and Old Northern Boulevard. The n23 runs north–south through the heart of Flower Hill via Port Washington Boulevard.

Stay safe

Overview

Flower Hill, in its entirety, is an extremely safe and friendly place to visit – both during the day and at night. On the rare occasion something does happen, it is usually due to someone leaving valuables exposed in their vehicle, leaving their key fobs in their cars, or neglecting to lock their car's doors overnight, leading to their car being broken into. Any suspicious activity gets noticed very quickly by locals and the police and is not tolerated. In fact, any questionable behavior will likely lead to you being questioned about your intentions.

You can reach emergency services (including the Nassau County Police Department and other emergency services) by dialing 911.

Speeding

Speeding is usually the biggest safety issue in Flower Hill, especially along roads like Woodland Road and Ridge Drive East. The speed limit on all of Flower Hill's village-maintained streets is 25 mph – having been lowered from 30 mph (48 km/h) in November 2022. And as many children tend to be outside to walk, bike, or play when it is nice out, speeding is a big concern amongst the locals. Please be mindful of pedestrians, and remember to "drive like your kids live here" like the signs say.

Walking on streets

Except for most of Northern Boulevard, Mineola Avenue, and West Shore Road, portions of Middle Neck Road and Old Northern & Port Washington Boulevards, and the bicycle/pedestrian pathway along Stonytown Road, sidewalks and designated foot/pedestrian paths along roads seldom exist (most streets lacking sidewalks, however, are quiet residential streets and are not needed). Along portions of Port Washington Boulevard lacking sidewalks, the shoulders are very generous in size, and are safe & legal to walk or bike along (in fact the n23 has numerous stops along the wide shoulder). However, more caution should be used along the portion of Middle Neck Road lacking sidewalks, and following detours along side streets might be a smart move if walking with dogs or small children, or riding a bicycle.

If taking an evening stroll be sure to wear light, reflective colors, as they make it easier for you to be seen by drivers.

Stay healthy

Flower Hill is home to St. Francis Hospital, which is the only specialty-designated cardiac center in New York, and is recognized nationally as being one of America's top heart care centers. The hospital includes an emergency room with state-of-the-art equipment – along with a stunning chapel.

There is also a GoHealth/Northwell Health walk-in urgent care center located on Northern Boulevard in the southern portion of Flower Hill.

Respect

Flower Hill is a very friendly place to visit and live in. The average neighbors care about their fellow neighbors, treat each other with respect, look after & help each other, and care about their community and their fellow residents. Residents take great amounts of pride in keeping a very clean, safe, welcoming, and tight-knit community.

If you are walking with dogs, please be mindful of neighbors and pick up after them.

Go next

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• North Hempstead – the larger town in which the village is located.

Adjacent hamlets and villages

• Manhasset – one of the village's three anchor communities.
• Port Washington – another of the village's three anchor communities.
• Roslyn – another of Flower Hill's three anchor communities.
• The Plandomes – a set of three villages located to the west of Flower Hill.

Eat & drink