Located at the head of Hempstead Bay, which opens five miles north into Long Island Sound, Roslyn and its surrounding area may have the best location on the Gold Coast. Because, though a waterfront community, it is remarkably close to major transportation into Manhattan, with just over a 35-minute commute, and is only 12 miles from the South Shore. Dating back to the mid-Seventeenth Century when Europeans settled here to raise cattle, it has a rich history including the American Revolutionary War. It actually can claim that, “George Washington slept here.” For over a century, it was popular as a mercantile port and for manufacturing. In the early Nineteenth Century, New York City barons of finance and industry discovered its verdant rolling hillsides and proximity to water and the city to build their huge estates.
In recent years, it has evolved into a charming village with a New England character. Its main street is filled with quaint historic architecture housing delightful one-of-a-kind boutiques and unique restaurants backing up to Gerry Park. This inviting 16-acre village green, with its scenic duck pond, offers winter sleigh rides, summer concerts, and a scenic and relaxing place to stroll or sit. For entertainment, the village has a bustling nightlife plus a movie theater and fine and casual dining.
Most of the manufacturing and related businesses have been replaced now by beautiful waterfront developments including apartments, condominiums, houses, and more shops and restaurants. A commitment to maintaining its historic charm has made Roslyn into a destination for day trips and a delightful place for its 2,800+ residents to live and play. Housing varies in both style, size, and pricing from colonials, ranches, and contemporaries to apartments and condominiums. Many are built into the hillsides on each side of the village center, and others are atop a wooded bluff.
Covering about one-sixth of a square mile, Roslyn is the center of a larger area often referred to as Roslyn, or Greater Roslyn, that includes the villages of Roslyn, East Hills, Flower Hill, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, and the hamlet of Roslyn Heights. All but one have their own local government and unique personalities. And all are located within the Roslyn Union Free School District with three elementary schools, a middle school and the high school, ranked 208th in the nation by US News.com, with SAT scores far above state averages, 97% graduating, and most accepted at great colleges. Those both in school and out enjoy the many services and programs at Roslyn’s Bryant Library.
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