West Hempstead

West Hempstead is part of Hempstead Town, the largest town in the United States of America. Prices for houses are considerably cheaper compared to those in New York City and places in Long Island, yet they provide big property sizes in comparison to those houses in New York City. West Hempstead is convinently located close to the city, and has two major highways, the Southern State Parkway and the Cross Island Parkway, both under 15 minutes away. The highways provide acces to food and shopping, something that West Hempstead has a lacking of. Even though there is a lacking of food, there are still places such as McDonalds, Starbucks, and the classics as well as the local stores. And there still is Stop and Shop, Best Yet and Western Beef to do major shopping. From everything that I have heard, West Hempstead has a little crime, although I am sure that the crime rate is considerably lower then more then half of New York. There are two train stations within West Hempstead that don't operate on Sundays, as well as a Nassau Boulevard station and a Garden City station close by. The schools are average, although the Middle School is supposed to be one of the better schools on Long Island. This is a great place for families with kids, as there are numerous things to do here. Within West Hempstead lies Echo Park, a pool complex perfect for kids and adults alike. For sports fans lies the Oppurtunity to be less then 20 minutes away from the Nassau Coliseum, home of the New York Islanders, as well as being less then 1 hour away from 2 MLB teams, 2 NBA teams (including the Nets who are a direct stop on the LIRR) and about 1 hour- 1:30 away from the Jets and Giants MetLife Stadium. The Long Island Ducks and Beidgeport Sound Tigers also play close to West Hempstead. Nearby for kids is Museum Row which include the Cradle of Aviation and Long Island Children's Museum, as well as three parks in West Hempstead, a state park in West Hempstead, and Eisenhower park which can host an Olympics, near West Hempstead. Old Westbury gardens is a good place for familes to visit (20 min away) as well as many Bowling places and bounce (trampoline) places. Parking is great: there are no meters and there are always parking spots. In West Hempstead, the most traffic you will find will be at most five minutes. West Hempstead has a pediatrics, two orthodontists, a couple of dentists and is close to Long Island Jewish Hospital and Winthrop Hospital. There isn't very mud nightlife, although during the summer there is a free concert and free movie series in Echo Park and Eisenhower Park. There is a little league baseball league as well as the West Hempstead Chiefs soccer league. People in the town are very respectful and kind. The library is beautiful as it over went a 10 million dollar renovation. Halls Pond Park is a beautiful overlook for the town, with ducks and kids playing. West Hempstead is a very religiously tolerant town, as I has 3 major synagogues, a couple of churches and a nearby mosque. To sum it up, West Hempstead is a good place to raise a young one, it has many nature and outdoor places and has low crime rates, an average school system, great transportation and parking system and nearby food and shopping vacinities.

West Hempstead is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town Of Hempstead. It occupies 2.8 square miles, and has a population of 19,000. Multiple main roads cut across the town, providing easy access to neighboring areas, and the Southern State Parkway forms the entire southern border.

The proximity of main roads to residential areas makes it easy for shoppers to easily obtain necessities. In addition to the Turnpike, local businesses and restaurants are located along Nassau Boulevard and Hempstead Avenue. Commuters can choose from three LIRR stations- West Hempstead, Hempstead Gardens within the town, and Lakeview, in an adjacent town. However, the line has no weekend or holiday service, and there is no parking at Hempstead Gardens.

Parts of the town had been in decline in recent years, but recently it has been rebounding. The Courtesy Hotel, which had once provided visitors with budget-friendly accommodations, had declined into a hotbed of criminal activity in recent years. However, efforts by the community led to its recent demolition. Luxury apartments will be built on the site, which is located in walking distance of the train station. The West Hempstead Library underwent a $10 million dollar renovation in 2007. It offers exercise and meditations classes, SAT prep, and children’s programs among its many activities.

There are numerous recreation options in the area. Echo Park, open to all Town of Hempstead residents, has an indoor pool. Hall’s Pond Park is a quiet 11 acre property, with a 5.5 acre pond. Hempstead Lake State Park is partially located in West Hempstead, with 20 tennis courts, a playground and three fishing ponds. The West Hempstead Chiefs soccer club has summer camps and several team options for children who are interested in the sport.

Students attend the West Hempstead School District, which has a student population of 2,500. At the elementary level, scores are adequate but not outstanding. The middle school fares slightly better, with a passing rate of 100% among middle school students who took Regents exams. The dropout rate at West Hempstead High School is 1%.

Housing inventory includes Tudors, colonials and splits. First-time buyers will find a good selection of affordable homes. The majority of the housing stock was built in the 1950s, though there are some older homes, as well as some new construction.

In West Hempstead it depends where you go. It's a very large town. To get a more community feel and suburban feel go to the section that is off of dogwood ave. It's a bit more expensive there but you get Award winning Franklin Square Schools nice family frendly parks and tree lined streets. Don't go to the part of west Hempstead where it's is off of Hempstead turnpike ( after Nassau blvd) that's where things get a bit more etchy and crime is a little higher. It is still nice there if you're atleast 3 blocks in from the turnpike. Schools aren't the best but if you go to dogwood you get Franklin square sd. FYI the dogwood section of West Hempstead has a very strong Jewish community.