North Hempstead

Understand

North Hempstead is the western half of Nassau County's North Shore. The two peninsulas on its northern shoreline are the "West Egg" and "East Egg" of Great Gatsby fame. As it borders Queens, it has a fair amount of development as well. The major communities in North Hempstead include Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington, and Roslyn on the shore, New Hyde Park and Mineola on its southern border with Hempstead, and Westbury on its southeastern border with Hempstead and Oyster Bay.

The Town of North Hempstead also includes several incorporated villages, such as Flower Hill, Great Neck, Kings Point, Mineola, Roslyn, Russell Gardens, and Sands Point.

Get in

By train

The Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road connects the North Shore to Flushing and Manhattan. The Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road connects the southern part of North Hempstead to Jamaica, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. The Oyster Bay Branch, meanwhile, connects the southern and eastern parts of North Hempstead to Jamaica, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.

By car, taxi, or bus

The Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495) and the Northern State Parkway both pass through and serve the village – as do New York State Routes 25, 25A, 25B, and 101.

Get around

North Hempstead has a great network of roads bus routes, and great train service along the Main Line and Port Washington Branches (the Oyster Bay Branch, on the other hand, has less frequent service).

Bikes are a great way of getting around places like Port Washington, which has its own public bike-share system sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union.

Stay safe

North Hempstead is generally a very safe place to visit both during the day and at night. However, it has some areas which visitors might want to exercise caution in, especially at night. These areas include the hamlet of New Cassel and portions of the Incorporated Village of Westbury. Both of these places — especially New Cassel — suffer from crime, drugs, and rampant gang activity.

Westbury is safe during the daylight hours, and during the nighttime hours, it depends on where you are. Some places are fine at night, although the downtown section can become deserted during the late night hours, so you may find it spooky. Other places at night within the village, however, you may want to stay clear of, as they can get dangerous. However, as long as you use common sense, you will be fine; much of the crime is gang-related and is seldom targeted on visitors.

New Cassel, however, is a different story. The hamlet is generally safe at best during the daytime hours – but come nighttime and it is extremely dangerous. It is a notorious location for drugs, gang activity, and drug- and gang-related violence. Gangs like La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) have a major presence in the community, and while it is not Brentwood or Hempstead, these gangs make the hamlet a place worth avoiding altogether at night. Making matters worse is the urban decay which has plagued the hamlet for decades – although the town has made great efforts in the early 2020s to complete urban renewal projects and infrastructure improvements, which have certainly helped in making the community nicer. The Nassau County Police Department also constantly strives to be on top of the issue (the federal law enforcement agencies also frequently become involved, given the nature of the crimes). But despite these projects, crime is still a huge issue. That being said, there is very little which is of interest to a tourist in the area other than the town's Yes We Can Community Center (which is always very safe and well-staffed), and most of the violence is not targeted against visitors but instead against rival gangs or is related to drugs. Just use caution and common sense, stick to the roads used most heavily (i.e. Prospect Avenue and Union Boulevard/Brush Hollow Road), do not walk alone at night (especially if you are a woman – it is not uncommon in communities which struggle with gang activity to have rapes occur from time-to-time), and stay away from power lines with sneakers dangling from them (a common indicator that the location may be used by gangs or for drug deals), and you will be fine.

Contrary to the rumors, the Village of Manorhaven is a very safe and welcoming community both during the day and at night. It used to have some gang problems (including with MS-13) many years ago, but those problems have been virtually eradicated, and you do not have any reason to worry about gangs there; it is a wonderful working class community which is very inviting, welcoming, and tight-knit – and there are many great reasons to visit both during the day and at night.

If you have an emergency and require the police, paramedics, or the fire department, dial 911.

Respect

North Hempstead is a very diverse community. It has huge, thriving, and well-defined Jewish, Italian, Asian, Greek, Portuguese, African, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic/Latino communities. The average locals all take pride in how diverse their town is, and every community of every culture in the town grieves together whenever a culture gets attacked; everybody is hurt when that happens. While it may sound cliché, be kind and respectful to everyone when you visit, and be sure to treat everyone the way you would want to be treated.

Many residents lost relatives (or otherwise personally knew or knew of people) who died during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and many of the victims (including both those who survived and those who died) – either lived at the time in North Hempstead or grew up in the town. Many locals are very open about it and have no problem sharing their experiences, but others prefer not talking about it. Naturally being a very touchy and tragic subject, it is best to avoid making jokes about it and, if you are hoping to ask questions, to ask for permission first. If the person feels uncomfortable talking about it, respect their wishes and avoid the topic.

Go next

• Glen Cove
• Garden City
• Hempstead
• Oyster Bay
• Flushing

Eat & drink