New York Communities

Nassau County, New York

Nassau County, New York sits just to the east of glamorous New York City.  It shares the expanse of lovely Long Island shoreline with the NYC boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens to the west, and the NY county of Suffolk to the east.

Affluent Nassau County claims the richest per capita income in New York State and the sixth wealthiest in the United States.  Census 2000 recorded the median household income as over 72,000, while the national average is just under $42,000.  Only 3.5% of Nassau County residents exist below the poverty level, as compared to the 9.2% national norm.  NY 2000 census estimates show a per capita income of almost $50,000, while the US average sits at just over $30,000.  Nassau County’s 2000 population stood at 1,334,544.

In the 1990’s, like neighboring New York City, Nassau County government faced an enormous budget crisis, partly due to phenomenal growth in the preceding decades.  County leaders had to greatly increase property taxes, forcing some residents who still desired suburban living to vacate to Suffolk County and New Jersey.  After recovering from its financial crunch, Nassau County’s economy boomed again since the year 2000.  Housing prices here are some of the highest in America, but new construction continues at a rapid rate.  Heavy urbanization is occurring in some areas.  The communities of Hempstead, Mineola and Westbury begin to take on a distinctly urban look, rather than the elegant suburban atmosphere that this section of Long Island is famous for.

Nassau County contains two cities and three towns.  Glen Cove, situated on the southern shore of enchanting Long Island Sound, is a delightful city where Gold Coast mansions still grace the tree-lined avenues.  These elegant homes are reminiscent of Nassau County’s not so distant past, when this end of Long Island was the exclusive summer retreat of the nation’s wealthy and elite.  Financial genius J.P. Morgan, retail mogul Frank Woolworth and American novelist Thomas Pynchon all resided in beautiful Glen Cove.

Long Beach is Nassau County’s other city, known as the “Riviera of the East” in the 1900’s.  It lies on a barrier island off Long Island’s southern shore, and faces the dramatic waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

The towns of Nassau County include Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay.  Each town contains numerous villages and hamlets, providing a large range of lifestyle choices for Nassau County residents.  The Nassau County school system is one of the finest in the nation, and students have 13 outstanding colleges and universities within the county borders.

Nassau County, New York boasts a vibrant economy, an affluent atmosphere, and a pleasant landscape of carefully planned communities.  With an opulent and elegant history, Nassau County creates an abundant future.