North Hempstead (officially known as the Town of North Hempstead) is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 7th most populous city or town in New York.[2]
What is now the Town of North Hempstead was first settled by European explorers around 1643, as part of the Town of Hempstead.[3][4]
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.[5] 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."[5] (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.")[5]
During the American Revolution the southern part of Hempstead was primarily Tory, while the northern part, having been settled by Yankees, supported the revolution.[4] Following the war, the Town of North Hempstead was split off from Hempstead in 1784.[4] 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.[4]
The Town of North Hempstead is made up of 30 incorporated villages that claimed the right to set zoning restrictions to protect their rights and resources.[6] No new villages have been created in the Town of North Hempstead since 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.[3][7]
There are also some unincorporated areas in the Town of North Hempstead which are not part of villages; these areas are instead governed by the Town of North Hempstead.[8]
On September 11, 2025, the Town of North Hempstead formally dedicated its 9/11 memorial in Manhasset Valley Park; the memorial had been planned for over 10 years, and construction work had been completed earlier that year.[9][10][11]
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.
North Hempstead town, New York – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the census[15] 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.[16] 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.[17]
Communities in North Hempstead
Villages (incorporated)
The Town of North Hempstead contains 31 villages:[8][18]
The Town of North Hempstead is governed by a seven-member board composed of six council members and the Town Supervisor. Council members are each elected by and represent a single 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: Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes.[20]
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.[45] At one time, Servisair's Americas offices were in Great Neck.[46]
File:I-495.svgInterstate 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.
↑"Charter Vote Ban Sought in Nassau: Lone Beach Brings Suit to Keep Proposition Off the November Ballot. Home Rule Threat Seen Republican Control of Democratic Areas Feared by Proposal, Which Is Called Invalid". The New York Times. September 17, 1936. Template:ProQuest.
↑"Contact Details". Archived from the original on March 27, 2006. Retrieved March 27, 2006.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Penauille Servisair. Retrieved on September 13, 2011. "Americas Penauille Servisair, 111 Great Neck Road, Suite 600 P.O. Box 355, Great Neck, NY 11022-0355 USA"
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