Baldwin

Baldwin is an ethnically diverse, middle-class hamlet in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County. Though it is technically a hamlet, residents refer to it as a town. Unlike many of its neighboring hamlets and villages, Baldwin was well-established and prospering by the 1920s. With a third of its current housing stock built before 1939, Baldwin is a great place for anyone seeking an older, charming home.

Geographically, Baldwin is long and narrow, two miles wide and five miles long. Its population is about 23,000, with an additional 8,000 residents living in the southern community of Baldwin Harbor, established in 1990. Though settlements existed before the Revolutionary War, the current town was founded in 1855 as Baldwinsville, after the locally prominent Baldwin family. The name was later shortened to avoid confusion with Baldwinsville, an upstate NY town.

Though the town has waterfront access, there are no swimming beaches. However, the Town of Hempstead has four nearby beaches, all adjacent to each other: Point Lookout, Lido Beach, Lido West and Sands. Jones Beach State Park is also nearby. Baldwin Park, located on the water, has facilities for sports, a spray pool, playground and skate park. Coes Neck Park has similar offerings. There are two “passive recreation” areas, created for relaxation rather than activity. Lofts Pond Park and Silver Point Park both have fewer than 15 acres, with ponds, benches and walkways.

Grand Avenue is the main north-south road through the town, and is lined with stores and restaurants. Most residents probably find they can meet most of their needs locally. Baldwin Plaza, on Sunrise Highway, has Best Buy and CVS. Roosevelt Field Mall, about fifteen minutes away, is one of the largest malls in the U.S., with over 270 stores. Sunrise Highway and Grand Avenue also provide access to nearby highways, the Southern State and the Meadowbrook. Train commuters can take the LIRR from the Baldwin station, which makes the trip in 35 to 40 minutes.

The Baldwin UFSD educates 5,500 students from Baldwin and Baldwin Harbor. The district’s borders overlap slightly into some of the neighboring areas, and some students who reside in Baldwin attend school in Oceanside. There are seven elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Ninety-four percent of recent graduates continued on to two-year or four-year colleges. The high school has a strong academic program, with numerous Advanced Placement courses. There are over fifty interscholastic sports teams, in addition to an arts program and robotics team. The high school has been recognized as a “School of Excellence.”

Single-family homes form the bulk of Baldwin’s real estate inventory, but co-ops and condos are also available. Prices have decreased significantly, with good possibilities priced below $300,000. Unfortunately, taxes remain high, which is true of most of Long Island.