Hempstead: Downtown revitalization, entertainment, transit draw buyers
Fulton Avenue slices through Hempstead and houses many of the village's stores and eateries. Credit: Rick Kopstein
THE SCOOP The oldest community in Nassau County, the village of Hempstead was known prior to World War II as The Hub, a place where people would come to shop as well as a connection point to travel to other areas.
"We are the transit hub," said Hempstead village Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. "We have the Long Island Rail Road. We have the Rosa Parks Bus Station right in our downtown area."
Friday nights in summer mean concerts at Denton Green Park, where the music runs the gamut from jazz to R&B, gospel to reggae and more. Throughout the year, there are family friendly seasonal events, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Memorial Day parades, Hempstead Homecoming and the Christmas caravan where local police give away toys.
Six parks dot the hamlet, including two with pool facilities, for which the village just received a $10 million grant to renovate. The village has a new parks department superintendent who is bringing line dancing classes, family game nights and other community events into the facilities.
Lincoln Park features a playground, football field and basketball and volleyball courts. Credit: Rick Kopstein
"We're in the process now of a whole downtown revitalization project where we'll be building mixed-use commercial on the bottom, residential on the top," said Hobbs, adding, "As we are modernizing our downtown, we want to make it affordable for our young professionals to be able to come, live, eat and be entertained in our downtown area."
St. George's Episcopal Church dates to the 1820s and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Credit: Rick Kopstein
The English settled in the hamlet in 1644, attracted to its streams that irrigated pastures for their cows and oxen, and Hempstead village was incorporated in 1853. Hempstead village attracted many wealthy New Yorkers and served as the summer home of financier and diplomat August Belmont, editor and real estate investor Arthur Brisbane, and Elliott Roosevelt and his daughter, Eleanor, the nation's future first lady. Country estates eventually gave way to middle-income housing and shops, and the village became increasingly urbanized.
The African American Museum of Nassau County, on Franklin Avenue, opened in 1970. Credit: Rick Kopstein
The hamlet is known for being home to Hofstra University, which began as a small commuter college and is now an internationally known university on a sprawling 244-acre campus, as well as the African American Museum of Nassau County.
Buyers will find a mix of house styles, including ranches, Capes, Colonials and Victorians.
Homes on Holly Avenue, top, and Botsford Street in Hempstead. Credit: Rick Kopstein
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are three co-ops, priced between $239,999 and $249,999, on the market.
SALE PRICES Between Sept. 4, 2023, and Sept. 3, 2024, there were 227 home sales with a median sale price of $565,000, according to OneKey MLS. During that period a year earlier, there were 244 home sales with a median sale price of $523,000.
OTHER STATS
Population 59,169
Median age 35.6
Median home value $580,000
Monthly LIRR ticket from Hempstead $253
School districts, graduation rates Hempstead (81.7%), Uniondale (82.6%)
Libraries Hempstead, Uniondale
Transit NICE Bus Routes 6, 6x, 16, 16x, 27, 49, 70, 71
Sources: 2022 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS via InfoSparks by ShowingTime; LIRR, data.nysed.gov
ON THE MARKET
$1.25 million
This $1.25 million Hempstead home has new windows, bathrooms and pavers. Credit: Greenroom Property/Mike Nelson
This 2,884-square-foot center-hall Colonial, which has a pending offer, has four beds and two full and two half-baths. It features hardwood floors, a dining room with built-in cabinets, kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a brick fireplace. Updates include new windows, renovated bathrooms and new pavers. The 0.57-acre fenced-in property includes a detached two-car garage. Taxes are $24,131. Leon Sanchez, Newman Realty, 516-599-2800
$875,000
This $875,000 Hempstead home has four bedrooms. Credit: Douglas Elliman Realty
This four-bed, 2½-bath Tudor is 2,307 square feet and sports hardwood floors, a four-season sunroom and full finished basement. Updates include new windows, gas stovetop, refrigerator and wine cooler. Facing a golf course, the 0.17-acre fenced-in property includes a brick patio and detached two-car garage. Taxes are $20,700. Tanya Lewis, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 516-354-8500
$759,000
This $759,000 Hempstead home is 1,363 square feet. Credit: Charles Rutenberg Realty
This 1,363-square-foot, three-bed, 1½-bath Colonial has hardwood floors, kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a four-season screened-in den and a finished basement. The 0.19-acre fully fenced property includes a spacious backyard and an attached one-car garage. Taxes are $15,211. Jennice Velasquez, Charles Rutenberg Realty, 516-575-7500.
RECENTLY SOLD
$965,000
Bedell Avenue
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 2½
Built 1948
Lot size 0.25 acre
Taxes $19,981
+/- List price -$20,000
Days on market 84
$665,000
Crowell Street
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 1½
Built 1940
Lot size 0.13 acre
Taxes $10,391
+/- List price -$40,000
Days on market 98
$358,000
Wellesley Street
Style Ranch
Bedrooms 2
Bathrooms 1
Built 1930
Lot size 0.06 acre
Taxes $6,473
+/- List price -$59,000
Days on market 352
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 68
Price range $239,999 to $1.996 million
Tax range $5,898 to $29,523
