As with other unincorporated communities in New York, its local affairs are administered by the town in which it is located, the Town of North Hempstead, whose town hall is in Manhasset, making the hamlet the town seat.
Etymology
The name Manhasset was adopted for the community in 1840. It is most likely the anglicized rendition of the name of a nearby Native American tribe[2] whose name translates to "the island neighborhood".[3][4][5]
The Matinecock had a village on Manhasset Bay.[6][7] These Native Americans called the area Sint Sink, meaning "place of small stones".[6][7] They made wampum from oyster shells. In 1623, the area was claimed by the Dutch West India Company and they began forcing English settlers to leave in 1640. A 1643 land purchase made it possible for English settlers to return to Cow Neck (the peninsula where present-day Port Washington, Manhasset, and surrounding villages are located.).[8]
Manhasset Bay was previously known as Schout's Bay (a schout being roughly the Dutch equivalent of a sheriff), Martin Garretson's Bay (Martin Garretson was the Schout at one point), and later Cow Bay or Cow Harbor.[7] Cow Neck was so called because it offered good grazing land. By 1659, there were over 300 cows and 5 mi (8 km) fence separating Cow Neck from the areas to the south. The settlers came to an agreement that each of them could have one cow on the neck for each section of fence the individual had constructed. The area was more formally divided among the settlers when the fence was removed in 1677. Manhasset took on the name Little Cow Neck, Port Washington was known as Upper Cow Neck.[8]
During the American Revolution, Little Cow Neck suffered at the hands of the British. Many structures and properties, such as the 1719 Quaker Meeting House were burned, seized or damaged. The Town of North Hempstead separated from the Town of Hempstead in 1784 because the South, inhabited mainly by Church of England people, was loyal to the king. The Northern communities and villages, dominated by Yankee Congregationalists supported independence.[8]
In 1801, it cost two cents to travel between Roslyn and Spinney Hill on the North Hempstead Turnpike, the newly opened toll road (now Northern Boulevard).[8]
The Manhasset name was adopted in 1840 and comes from the native word "Manhanset", roughly meaning "the island neighborhood".[9] Dairy farming was still a major endeavor, but the oyster industry was also on the rise. In 1898, the Long Island Railroad arrived, bringing with it wealthy New Yorkers looking for country homes with easy transportation to more urban areas of New York City.[8] Manhasset Valley and Spinney Hill attracted a number of skilled workers and immigrant families.[8]
The North Hempstead Town Hall opened in Manhasset on Plandome Road in 1907.[8] Town councilmen had previously been meeting in Roslyn taverns after North Hempstead split away from Hempstead in 1775.
The Manhasset Valley School, originally built to serve the children of the help on the local Gold Coast Estates, eventually came to serve Manhasset's African American community, and was closed in the 1960s by a desegregation lawsuit. It is still standing and is currently used as a community center. The centrally located but antiquated Plandome Road School was demolished in the early 1970s, having been replaced by the new Shelter Rock Elementary School in North Hills by 1969. Currently, Mary Jane Davies Green sits on the site of the old school.
Manhasset is served by the Nassau County Police Department, with the Sixth Precinct station house located on Community Drive, just south of Northern Boulevard. RMPs 608 and 616 are the cars assigned to patrol duties in Manhasset. In 2005, a Wall Street Journal article ranked Manhasset as the best town for raising a family in the New York metropolitan area.[10] The Manhasset area, settled by 1680, grew quickly after it began being served by the Long Island Rail Road in 1898. The LIRR provides access to New York City via the Manhasset station with an approximately 40 minute commute to Penn Station or Grand Central. Express trains, which run during rush hour, make the trip in less than 30 minutes. The hamlet of Manhasset is located 19.5 miles (29.2 km) away from midtown Manhattan.
In the 2010s and 2020s, talks have been restarted to connect the businesses on Plandome Road to sanitary sewers operated by the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District.[11][12][13] These proposals have been discussed for decades but historically had been met with opposition, ultimately killing some of the earlier plans.[11][12][13]
Failed incorporation attempts
There have been several unsuccessful attempts over the years – especially throughout the 1940s – for some or all of the unincorporated areas of Manhasset to incorporate as villages.[14][15][16][17][18] The most recent proposal to incorporate the hamlet took place in 2016.[19]
Geography
U.S. Census map of Manhasset
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2), of which 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2), or 1.24%, is water.
The commercial center of Manhasset is situated around the railroad station on Plandome Road, where the LIRR connects directly into Manhattan for a 37-minute commute.[24] The area has bakeries, pizzerias, delis, bars, coffee shops, and a movie theater. Centralized in town is a small park and a gazebo. The community's public library is located one block east of Plandome Road, on the corner of Onderdonk Avenue and Northern Boulevard, adjacent to the historic Quaker Meeting House.[24]
Prior to the Long Island Rail Road's arrival, the commercial center of Manhasset was located in the Manhasset Valley (near the present-day Manhasset Valley Park), along Manhasset Bay.[24]
The North American headquarters of Sabena was located in a 36,000 square feet (3,300 m2) office building in Manhasset. 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.[25]
As of the census[26] of 2010, there were 8,080 people and 2,744 households residing in the census-designated place (CDP) which covers 2.38 square miles. The population density was 3,392.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,309.7/km2). According to the 2018 American Community Survey,[27] the racial makeup of the CDP is estimated to be 72.5% white (65.1 non-Hispanic white), 13.8% Asian, 8.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.0% Pacific Islander, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.9% of the population.
There were 2,744 households, out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.28. The population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18 and 19.2% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $133,456, and the median income for a family was $180,086. The per capita income in the CDP was $72,973. 5.5% of the population and 4.0% of families were below the poverty line. 6.3% of people under 18 years of age and 4.6% of people 65 and older had incomes below the poverty line.
Government
Town representation
North Hempstead Town Hall in December 2022
Manhasset, an unincorporated area within the Town of North Hempstead, is directly governed by said Town.[28] It is located in the Town of North Hempstead's 4th council district, which as of January 2023 is represented by David Adhami (R–Great Neck).[29]
As of 2024, the entire hamlet will be located within the Town of North Hempstead's 5th council district, due to redistricting.[30]
Furthermore, as Manhasset is the town seat of North Hempstead, the Town's government is seated in the hamlet, and North Hempstead Town Hall is located on Plandome Road in the hamlet's downtown area.[31]
Mary Jane Davies Green, formerly the site of the Plandome Road School
The Town of North Hempstead owns and operates several parks within the hamlet. These parks include Manhasset Valley Park, Mary Jane Davies Green, and Whitney Pond Park.[41]
The portion of Manhasset zoned for the Manhasset Union Free School District is located, in its entirety, within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Manhasset Park District. This special district owns and operates numerous parks and parking facilities throughout the Greater Manhasset area.[28] Meanwhile, the portion of the Spinney Hill section of Manhasset zoned for the Great Neck Union Free School District is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Great Neck Park District, which owns and operates numerous parks and parking facilities throughout the Greater Great Neck area.[28]
The only portion of the hamlet not located within either of the two park districts is the southernmost, sparsely-populated tip of the hamlet.[28]
Education
Schools
Manhasset is primarily located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Manhasset Union Free School District, while some of the hamlet's southernmost portions and a portion of its western panhandle are located within the boundaries of (and are thus served by) the Great Neck Union Free School District.[28][42] As such, children who reside in Manhasset and attend public schools go to school in one of these two districts, depending on where they reside within the hamlet.[28][42]
Manhasset is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Great Neck Library District and the Manhasset Library District.[28] The boundaries of these two library districts within the hamlet are coterminous with those of the school districts.[28]
Manhasset is served by the n20H, n21, n25 and n26 bus routes, which are operated by Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE).[44] The n20H and n21 run east–west through Manhasset on Northern Boulevard while the n25 and n26 pass through the western part of Manhasset en route between Great Neck and Lynbrook and Jamaica respectively.[44]
As of 2022, plans are underway to connect the hamlet's downtown area along Plandome Road to the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District's sanitary sewers.[11][12][13][28][49][51]
Miracle on 34th Street (1947): In the film, Fred Gailey tells Mr. Kringle that he would like to buy a colonial home in Manhasset.[96]
"Love Ludlow" (2005) The Sundance hit was shot mostly in and around Manhasset. Myra and Ludlow's entire Queen's railroad apartment was a set built in the basement of Christ's Church in Manhasset.
Boiler Room (2000): Portions of the driving scenes feature noticeable areas of Manhasset
This Is Where I Leave You (2014): Scenes filmed in Munsey Park at a house on the corner of Burnham Place and Park Avenue.[98]
Television
Saturday Night Live (1980): A short film called Manhasset was presented. It was a parody of Woody Allen's Manhattan, with sweeping shots of the Miracle Mile instead of the Manhattan skyline.[99]
Will & Grace: Karen states in one episode that she would like to use her helicopter to fly to Fortunoff's in Manhasset. However, in real life, there is no Fortunoff in Manhasset.
The Caine Mutiny (1951): Protagonist Willie Keith's home is located in Manhasset.[102]
The Tender Bar (2005): Coming of age memoir by J.R. Moehringer that takes place in Manhasset.[103] The bar featured in classic novel, The Tender Bar called Publicans, reopened in Manhasset on Plandome Road in 2017
Manhasset negotiations (2007–2008): The Manhasset negotiations (also known as Manhasset I, II, III and IV) were a series of talks that took place in four rounds in 2007-2008 at Manhasset, New York between the Moroccan government and the representatives of the Saharawi liberation movement, the Polisario Front to resolve the Western Sahara conflict.
Greentree Accord (2006): Otherwise known as the Bakassi Accord, it was an agreement between Nigeria and Cameroon on the issue of the Bakassi peninsula. Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Paul Biya signed what is now being called the Greentree Accord, in regard to the location of the meeting in Manhasset.
^Oppenheimer, Jerry. House of Hilton, p. 88. Crown/Archetype, 2006. ISBN9780307351951. Accessed June 7, 2016. "Ted Bessell, a Manhasset boy who starred with Marlo Thomas on That Girl and knew Kathy Dugan from the old days, had problems with her on programs he later directed and produced, shows that had either Kim or Kyle in the cast."
^NORTH COUNTRY LAX ACADEMY (NCLA) - BOYSArchived 2014-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, Bitter Lacrosse. Accessed June 7, 2016. "Billy grew up in Manhasset learning the game of lacrosse from one the preeminent youth coaches in the country, his Father, MC Bitter."
^Barry, Mike. "Breen’s Busy X-Mas"Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Manhasset Press, December 23, 2011. Accessed June 3, 2012. "Known for his extensive preparation, smooth delivery, and precise play-by-play style, the Manhasset resident and married father of three is scheduled to broadcast about 40 of the 56 Knicks games airing this season on MSG. “This is my 20th year with the Knicks,” the 50-year-old Breen added."
^Green, Jesse. "Billy Crudup: Almost Infamous", The New York Times, October 10, 2004. Accessed December 3, 2007. "That he was born of humans somewhere—Manhasset, on Long Island, the rumor goes—may be too far to speculate..."
^Zagoria, Adam. "Dunlap Says It’s ‘Possible’ Bobcats May Trade Down From No. 2", Sheridan Hoops, June 27, 2012. Accessed June 8, 2016. "Dunlap is living in a hotel next to the Charlotte arena while his wife, Mollie, and his daughter, Ellie, are in the process of relocating to Charlotte from Manhasset, NY."
^Eskenazi, Gerald. "Don Dunphy, 90, Distinctive Fight Broadcaster", The New York Times, July 24, 1998. Accessed June 8, 2016. "At his home in Manhasset, N.Y., Mr. Dunphy kept a tape of one of his famous broadcasts, Joe Louis's 1941 heavyweight fight against Billy Conn -- his first broadcast of a title fight."
^Fabrikant, Geraldine. "TALKING MONEY WITH: BOOMER ESIASON; Quarterback Lets Adviser Call the Plays", The New York Times, April 26, 1998. Accessed November 20, 2007. "Mr. Esiason, 37, also owns a home in Manhasset, N.Y., on Long Island, worth an estimated $1.3 million, where he lives with his wife, Cheryl (the girlfriend he put through school), and their two children, Gunnar, 7, and Sydney, 5."
^ObituariesArchived 2008-09-20 at the Wayback Machine, Manhasset Press, September 5, 2003. Accessed December 7, 2007. "Jinx Falkenberg McCrary of Mill Neck, longtime resident of Manhasset, died on Aug. 27 at the age of 84."
^Best, Neil. "A trip to Mike FrancesaLand", Newsday, March 15, 2014. Accessed June 7, 2016. "This is where Mike Francesa watches most of the games he talks about on the radio: an upstairs office and basement viewing room in the Manhasset home he shares with his wife, Roe, and three children."
^Fowler, Glenn. "Ray Goulding, 68, Genial Satirist As Part of Bob and Ray, Is Dead", The New York Times, March 26, 1990. Accessed June 7, 2016. "Ray Goulding, who was half of the Bob and Ray comedy team that delighted radio and television audiences for more than four decades with low-key humor and gentle satire, died of kidney failure on Saturday at his home in Manhasset, L.I."
^Gilpin, Kenneth N. "J. Peter Grace, Ex-Company Chief, Dies at 81", The New York Times, April 21, 1995. Accessed June 8, 2016. "J. Peter Grace, the outspoken and at times controversial industrialist who headed a major American company longer than any other chief executive, died of cancer on Wednesday at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan after a long illness. He was 81 and lived in Manhasset, L.I."
^Tarshis, Alex. "Hanging Out in the NBA TV Green Room With ... Ken Howard", NBA.com. Accessed November 23, 2007. "A native of Manhasset, N.Y., Howard had basketball in his blood well before 'The White Shadow' debuted, having played in both high school and college, serving as the captain on his Amherst College team before he attended the Yale School of Drama."
^Castillo, Alfonso A. "Pro wrestler and author Chris Jericho: 'I'm not a Long Islander'", Newsday, October 11, 2014. Accessed June 8, 2016. "He's an accomplished pro wrestler, the front man of a successful rock band, and a New York Times bestselling author. But, despite living in Manhasset until he was 4, there's one thing Chris Jericho says he is not."
^Staff. "Erin McCann, Joseph Lenehan", The New York Times, September 17, 2006. Accessed June 8, 2016. "Erin Moore McCann, the daughter of Marylou and Jim McCann of Manhasset, N.Y., was married yesterday to Joseph Patrick Lenehan, a son of Mary and Thomas Lenehan of South Windsor, Conn."
^Reif, Rita. "The Paysons' home on view", The New York Times, April 27, 1984. Accessed November 12, 2007. "JOAN WHITNEY PAYSON, the ebullient, highly visible owner of the New York Mets until her death in 1975, was the extremely private mistress of a 50-room, fieldstone mansion in Manhasset, L.I., that she and her industrialist husband, Charles Shipman Payson, filled with art, antiques, collectibles and souvenirs."
