Hicksville

Hicksville is a large, densely populated hamlet in the Town of Oyster Bay. Despite its designation as a hamlet, its residents generally refer to it as a town. Located in central Nassau County and close to several major roads and highways, Hicksville has a mix of busy commercial areas and quiet suburban streets. Though the town is still predominantly white, the Asian and Hispanic populations are growing.

The town, or hamlet if you want to be technical, was named in the 1800s for the Hicks family, who counted among its members a well-known abolitionist and an early president of the Long Island Railroad. The train depot opened in 1837, and has been rebuilt three times, in 1873, 1909 and 1962. Today, the Hicksville train station is the LIRR’s busiest stop east of Jamaica, making the trip to Penn station in about forty-five minutes.

The Hicksville UFSD has a student population of approximately 5,500 students, attending seven elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. The vast majority of students met the state standards as measured by annual standardized tests. The high school offers Advanced Placement courses to allow qualified students to begin earning college credit. Extracurricular activities, focusing on the arts, community service, and academics, are also available for middle school and high school students.

The Town of Oyster Bay’s recreation department organizes a wide array of recreational programs and activities, including softball, mall walking, swimming lessons and running events. Nassau County runs Cantiague Park, whose 127 acres include a 9-hole golf course and mini-golf course, lighted tennis courts, a playground, and a swimming facility with multiple pools. It also has an indoor ice rink and fields for baseball and softball. Some of the Hicksville’s residents reside in Levitt houses, and are eligible to use the Levittown Joint District pools. The nearest pool is located on Levittown Parkway in Hicksville.

Hicksville’s shopping pales slightly in comparison to its neighbor Westbury, but it still has a lot to offer. Broadway Mall’s 1.5 million square feet include Macy’s, Target, and a multiplex cinema. The only Long Island location of IKEA, the Swedish furnishing giant, is at the Broadway Mall. Across the street is Sears, which has been open at that location for over thirty years. There is no real downtown or walkable village area, and the stores are not unique, but all the necessities are nearby.

Though significant traffic passes through Hicksville on its major roads, the residential areas are quiet, with well-maintained ranches, split levels and capes on small lots. The southwest part of town has several streets of Levitt houses, which were built using an assembly-line process. Some homes built during the town’s early days still stand, but like much of Long Island, Hicksville boomed during the post-war 1950s, which is when most of the houses were built. Though taxes remain high, prices have come down in the last few years, allowing homebuyers to get more for their money.