Dix Hills: Schools, Coltrane house, highway access are draws

Bryson Carr, 15, of Wheatley Heights, practices figure skating at... — Bryson Carr, 15, of Wheatley Heights, practices figure skating at Clark Gillies Arena in Dix Hills. Credit: Jeff Bachner

By Frank LoveceSpecial to NewsdayUpdated March 25, 2025 3:01 pm

THE SCOOP An almost entirely residential enclave of large single-family homes, Dix Hills offers multiple parks, athletic amenities and such cultural touchstones as the Performing Arts Center at Five Towns College and the jazz-landmark John & Alice Coltrane House.

"I grew up here," said Wendy Sherman, 45, a former PTA president in the Half Hollow Hills School District and currently a board member of the area's Sweet Hollow Civic Association. "I graduated from Half Hollow Hills High School East," she said, and returned with her family to adjacent Melville, which shares that school district. Now, her daughter is a freshman at Sherman's alma mater.

"It was obviously fabulous," Sherman said of her youth in Dix Hills, "or I wouldn't have brought my family back here." The 15.7-square-mile hamlet "has always had a certain cachet about it," believes Town of Huntington Supervisor Edmund J. Smyth. "It's one of the nicer areas of Huntington to live in."

The hamlet had a population of just 200 in 1925, according to the Dix Hills-Melville Historical Association. But during the following decade, many homes rose up on former farmland. The Northern State Parkway stretched to Dix Hills in 1950 and the Long Island Expressway in 1963.

Deer Park Avenue is a main thoroughfare that houses businesses... — Deer Park Avenue is a main thoroughfare that houses businesses and eateries. Credit: Jeff Bachner

That proximity to major transportation routes is part of the draw, Smyth said. Despite no Long Island Rail Road station, "It's very easy to get to and from here. Coupled with an excellent school district, you have the critical mixture of what makes it a very appealing place to live."

Also contributing is the 152-acre Dix Hills Park, which Smyth calls "probably the most active-use park in the town [of Huntington]." It encompasses the Clark Gillies Arena, with two full-sized indoor ice rinks; the Olympic-sized Dix Hills Pool; the 9-hole, par-31 Dix Hills Golf Course; and the summertime Dix Hills Adventure Camp with children's sports, recreation and arts & crafts.

Dix Hills Junior Firefighter Academy introduces kids 11 to 14 to volunteer fire service, teaching fire safety, first aid and firefighting technique. Otswego Park has 14 playing fields, including seven for Little League and four for Pee Wee ball.

Jazz legend John Coltrane and wife Alice lived in this... — Jazz legend John Coltrane and wife Alice lived in this Dix Hills home. Credit: Jeff Bachner

Scheduled to open as a museum next year is the John & Alice Coltrane House. There the jazz stars lived and raised their family from 1964 to 1967, when John died, and 1973, when Alice moved away. Here John Coltrane composed his legendary album "A Love Supreme."

While supermarkets and big-box stores lay just outside its borders, Dix Hills does have some small businesses — with the most beloved, perhaps, being the Dix Hills Diner, opened in 1945 and under its current management since 2012.

"We used to go there when we were in high school, and now," said Sherman fondly, "we bring our family there."

Homes along Randolph Drive, top, and Burnham Lane in Dix... — Homes along Randolph Drive, top, and Burnham Lane in Dix Hills. Credit: Jeff Bachner

SALE PRICES Between Feb. 4, 2024, and Feb. 3, 2025, there were 245 home sales with a median sale price of $1.04 million, according to OneKey MLS. During that period a year earlier, there were 242 home sales with a median sale price of $950,000.

CONDOS AND CO-OPS There no condos or co-ops on the market.

OTHER STATS

Population 25,042

Median age 46.7

Median home value $1.07 million

Monthly LIRR ticket from Deer Park or Huntington $341

School districts, graduation rates Half Hollow Hills (95.5%), Commack (97.2%)

Libraries Half Hollow Hills, Smithtown

Transit Suffolk County Transit Routes 3, Suffolk Clipper

ON THE MARKET

$2.7 million

This custom brick Colonial has seven bedrooms, five baths and a fully finished basement. In addition to an attached two-car garage, this 6,500-square-foot manse features a newly designed backyard with a landscaped lawn, a pool and a deck. Taxes are $29,900. Imran Azeem, National Real Estate Agency, 516-659-9130.

$1.19 million

The kitchen in this renovated four-bed, 2½-bath Colonial built in 1970 offers a natural gas stovetop, an electric double oven and quartz countertops, and that opens to a family room with fireplace. The fenced backyard has Trex decking, a paver patio and a semi in-ground pool. Taxes are $17,692. Jennifer Levy, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, 631-427-6600.

$950,000

Built in 1994, this ranch sports three bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms. Within the last 10 years, it was updated with a refreshed master bathroom, a renovated basement, new central air conditioning and pool liner and an updated roof. A large deck overlooks a saltwater in-ground pool. Taxes are $17,223. A sale is pending. Jeffrey Bitsimis, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 917-304-5299.

RECENTLY SOLD

$2.375 million

Heather Court

Style Colonial

Bedrooms 6

Bathrooms 5½

Built 1970

Lot size 1.01 acre

Taxes $34,715

+/- List price -$424,000

Days on market 175

$1.125 million