Atlantic Beach

Atlantic Beach is a small, affluent village in the town of Hempstead, located on the western end of Long Beach Island, a barrier island off the south shore of Nassau County. Its population is approximately 2,000 year-round residents; during the summer the population grows as visitors flock to its many private beach clubs. Atlantic Beach has been featured prominently in several movies and television shows.

In addition to its member-only beach clubs, which range in price, the Town of Hempstead operates parks in Atlantic Beach. Veterans Memorial Park has a pool and playground, as well as a basketball court. Scott Drive Park also has a playground and basketball court. Atlantic Beach Estates is for residents of the village only, and is located on the water.

A bridge connects Atlantic Beach to Long Island via the Nassau Expressway, which briefly separates Queens and Nassau. Train commuters must travel to either Long Beach or Inwood to catch the LIRR. A bus route is located along Park Street. There are some businesses and retail in the village, but nearby Long Beach offers additional shopping and dining options.

Atlantic Beach does not have its own school district. Students travel off the island to attend school in the Lawrence School District, which is located in southwestern Nassau. Lawrence has three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. There are 3,000 students; 23% of the student population lives in poverty. The district was recently identified by the state education department as being in need of improvement in English Language Arts across grade levels. At the high school level, Regents scores were adequate.

The majority of Atlantic Beach’s housing consists of single-family house. Current prices begin in the mid-$300,000 range and go beyond $1 million. There are two condominium options in Atlantic Beach. Pebble Cove is a luxury complex, where prices hover around a million dollars, while the Oceanview condos are more moderately priced.