Glen Head: Small town, Norman Rockwell vibes draw homebuyers
Glen Head LIRR station sits on the southern end of the small community. Credit: Howard Simmons
THE SCOOP With only 1.6 square miles of mostly single-family homes and one big country club, what Glen Head lacks in retail it makes up for with a bucolic charm that melts even die-hard New Yorkers' hearts.
"My wife dragged me here kicking and screaming," joked Brooklyn born-and-bred Terrence Kenniff, now head of the Gold Coast Business Association. A Glen Head resident for several years, he owns CoCo Confections and Coffee in next door Sea Cliff. Now, he said, "You couldn't pay me to leave and go back to New York City."
He and his wife chose Glen Head for its proximity to Brookville's LIU Post, where she attended graduate school. At first, he was frustrated by the small-town feel.
"When it snows, they don't plow here as fast as they do in the city," he said.
While Glen Head doesn't have a large business district, small shops surround the LIRR area. Credit: Howard Simmons
But then he saw how Glen Head School, where his son began third grade, had class sizes less than half that of the boy's Brooklyn school — and even though his son had been in a gifted-and-talented program, his new elementary's regular classes seemed more advanced, to the parents' delight. The incoming principal this fall is veteran educator and 2019 "Survivor" winner Tommy Sheehan.
"It's slower paced, but not to a point where you feel like you need a rocking chair," Kenniff said lightheartedly, comparing it to a "Norman Rockwell painting."
Glen Head also is home to North Shore Middle School, North Shore High School and the private Everbrook Academy, offering daycare, preschool, pre-K and afterschool programs for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years.
There is no central business district, but there are restaurants, greenhouse nurseries and other small businesses. The Gold Coast Public Library near the Long Island Rail Road station is getting a new building, set to open next year near Francis M. Gaynor Park, which has baseball and soccer fields and a playground.
While served by the Nassau County Police Department, Glen Head has its own firehouse. The volunteer Glenwood Fire Company Station 2 is an extension of the company in nearby Glenwood Landing.
Taking up a fair amount of the hamlet is the Glen Head Country Club, boasting an 18-hole golf course plus other amenities including tennis and pickleball courts, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a ballroom that seats 300.
House prices span a wide range, from about $869,000 to nearly $5 million.
Homes along Glen Lane, top, and Beechwood Drive in Glen Head. Credit: Howard Simmons
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are two co-ops, priced at $918,000 and $1.2 million, on the market.
SALE PRICES Between May 29, 2023, and May 28, 2024, there were 59 home sales with a median sale price of $890,000, according to OneKey MLS. During that period a year earlier, there were 78 home sales with a median sale price of $944,250.
OTHER STATS
Population 4,801
Median age 46
Median home value $895,000
Monthly LIRR ticket from Glen Head $287
School district, graduation rate North Shore (99.5%)
Library Gold Coast
Transit NICE Bus Route 27
Sources: 2022 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS via InfoSparks by ShowingTime; LIRR, data.nysed.gov
ON THE MARKET
$4.9 million
This $4.888 million Glen Head home sits on 2 acres. Credit: Compass Greater New York
Set on 2 acres of manicured grounds, this 1989 Colonial opens onto a two-floor portico. Befitting its eight bedrooms and 7½ bathrooms, it offers a formal dining room that can seat more than 20 guests. A finished basement contains a home theater, dance floor, bar, pool table and playroom. The luxury estate has yearly taxes of $52,112.
$1.3 million
This $1.3 million Glen Head home sits on 0.16 acre. Credit: Laffey Real Estate/Nicholas Conti
Built at the end of a cul-de-sac in 1954, this four-bed, 3½-bath home measures 2,400 square feet. The gourmet kitchen has radiant heated floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a wrap-around counter. In addition to a formal living room there is a sitting room, dining room, finished basement and one-car garage. A second kitchen sits outside beside a heated inground pool. Annual taxes are $17,137. Nicholas Conti, Laffey Real Estate, 718-314-8577.
$869,000
This $869,000 Glen Head home is more than 1,400 square feet. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty
With 1½ baths — including a Jacuzzi — this 1,438-square-foot home on 0.14 acres has an eat-in kitchen, formal dining room and detached two-car garage with a mechanics pit. Built in 1924, the house has $13,850 in annual taxes. John A. Langone, Daniel Gale Sothebys International Reality, 516-901-9116.
RECENTLY SOLD
$1.5 million
High Farms Road
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 4½
Built 1987
Lot size 2 acres
Taxes $36,000
+/- List price -$175,000
Days on market 164
$895,000
Frost Pond Road
Style Splanch
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 2½
Built 1968
Lot size 0.24 acre
Taxes $18,085
+/- List price -$34,000
Days on market 163
$632,000
Maiden Lane
Style Ranch
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 1
Built 1956
Lot size 0.16 acre
Taxes $11,253
+/- List price $3,000
Days on market 84
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 13
Price range $759,000 to $4.9 million
Tax range $9,736 to $52,112