Point Lookout

Point Lookout is a tiny waterfront hamlet located on the eastern tip of Long Beach Island. It began as a small community of summer cottages, and grew into a year-round home for 1,200 residents. Long Beach Island is a barrier island, located between Reynolds Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. Point Lookout is the only town in New York with a uniform speed limit of 15 miles per hour.

There is a residents-only beach, as well as the public Point Lookout Town Park, which is run by the Town of Hempstead. The Town operates three other beaches; Nassau County operates one. Point Lookout residents can also take advantage of other Town of Hempstead and Nassau County recreational facilities. Down the road, Long Beach’s oceanfront is open to residents, but non-residents can purchase season or day passes. There are a few establishments which offer boat rentals for fishing.

Students who reside in Point Lookout attend the Long Beach City School District, which serves the entire island. There are 4,600 students attending seven schools: one pre-kindergarten center, four elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. The high school offers several Advanced Placement courses; students can also earn college credit through collaboration with Syracuse University. Eleventh and twelfth grade students can also participate in the International Baccalaureate program, a rigorous, multidisciplinary college prep curriculum. The majority of students met state standards as measured by standardized annual assessments.

With a few exceptions, retail establishments are limited to a grocery store and a pharmacy. There are several restaurants along Lido Boulevard and Bayside Drive. Long Beach, which is a few miles down the road, has substantial shopping. However, the Loop Parkway, which connects Long Beach Island to Nassau County, leads to the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Mall. The only other way off the island is by Long Beach Road, however train commuters can use the LIRR station in Long Beach, which makes the trip to Penn Station in under an hour.

There are only 850 houses in Point Lookout, and no condos or co-ops. The oceanfront location drives up the home prices, even in the current housing market. At present, the least expensive house on the market is $399,000, for a place that would undoubtedly be cheaper somewhere else. Generally, the smaller homes were built between the 1920s and the 1940s. A limited number of larger, newer homes have been constructed within the last 30 years.