Flower Hill is an incorporated village in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York.
Understand
Flower Hill was incorporated on May 25, 1931, as a result of rumors that Port Washington wished to incorporate itself as a "City of Greater Port Washington" with the same boundaries as the Port Washington Union Free School District. Carlos W. Munson, heir to a steamship fortune and Flower Hill's founding father, said so. As much of Flower Hill is located within the Port Washington UFSD, much of the area now within village limits would have been absorbed by the City of Port Washington, and would have been its major source of tax income, according to Munson (Sands Point was already incorporated when the proposals were made in 1930). The residents of Flower Hill were successful in establishing Flower Hill as a village, ultimately stopping these plans; to this day, Port Washington remains an unincorporated hamlet governed by the Town of North Hempstead.
When incorporated, Flower Hill's population was 288, whereas in 2019 it was home to over 4,900 residents.
Flower Hill is noted for being one village anchored by three of the Town of North Hempstead's major communities; the western parts are anchored by the hamlet of Manhasset (which is also the Town Seat of North Hempstead), the northern parts are anchored by the hamlet of Port Washington, and the southern and eastern parts are anchored by the Incorporated Village of Roslyn. Additionally, it is served by three school and library districts (Manhasset, Port Washington, and Roslyn), three fire districts (Manhasset-Lakeville, Port Washington, and Roslyn), and three water districts (Manhasset-Lakeville, Port Washington, and Roslyn). In fact, there are a few places throughout Flower Hill where the school district boundaries bisect a street (such as Maple Drive in the Overlook Estates subdivision, which is split roughly in half between the Port Washington Union Free School District and the Roslyn Union Free School District).
As such, the "Manhasset portion", "Port Washington portion", and "Roslyn portion" of Flower Hill each have their own unique touches, values, and feels to them, but at the same time are also intertwined and united as one village; residents take pride not only in their portion of Flower Hill – but also the entirety of the village, and enjoy working and living together as one, unified village.
| “ | You have the quaint feel of Roslyn, you have Main Street of Port Washington, and then you have downtown Manhasset. | ” |
—Elaine R. Phillips, Mayor (2012 – 2016) | ||
Areas & subdivisions
Areas
As stated above, Flower Hill consists of three main areas, which typically correlate with the school district boundaries:
- The Manhasset portion
- The Port Washington portion
- The Roslyn portion
Generally, people residing in Flower Hill consider themselves to be from one of these three areas (i.e. the Roslyn portion) as opposed to from a smaller subdivision (i.e. Broadridge at Flower Hill) when asked what part of Flower Hill they live in.
Subdivisions
Flower Hill consists of the following subdivisions:
- Chanticlare at Flower Hill
- Colonial Estates at Flower Hill
Colonial Estates in October 2020. - Flower Hill Country Estates
- Flower Hill Estates
- Flower Hill–Manhasset (split between Flower Hill and Plandome)
- Harbor Village
- Harbour Oaks
- Hewlett Farm
- Homewood
- Manhasset Glen (split between Flower Hill and Plandome)
- Mashady Estates
Mashady Estates in December 2020. - Overlook Estates
- Pinewood at Flower Hill
- Real Estate Development of Flower Hill (this is the oldest subdivision in Flower Hill)
- Rolling Wood at Flower Hill
- Roslyn Hills
- Stratford Woods
- Sunset Hills
- Wildwood at Flower Hill
Many of these subdivisions were built at different times, and many of them have their own unique feels and styles to them as well as different types of street layouts. This is exaggerated by the varied geography and the size of Flower Hill. A visitor may find it very interesting seeing the wooded serenity of Bonnie Heights Road and Manhasset Woods Road, and then traveling slightly east to the top of Woodland Road and seeing the Long Island Sound and the hills of Westchester County.
Get in
By car
Flower Hill has excellent road access. Two major state routes travel through it. Those routes are Northern Boulevard (NY 25A) and Port Washington Boulevard (NY 101). Additionally, it is serviced by both the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State Parkway, via Searingtown Road (which becomes Port Washington Boulevard at its intersection with Northern Boulevard) or Mineola Avenue.
By bus
Flower Hill has great bus service, provided by Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE). Three NICE routes serve Flower Hill: the n20H (Great Neck LIRR – Hicksville LIRR), the n21 (Great Neck LIRR – Glen Cove), and the n23 (Mineola LIRR – Manorhaven).
By train
While there are no Long Island Rail Road stations located within the village limits, all of Flower Hill has good access to the Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch and the Roslyn portion of Flower Hill also has great access to the Oyster Bay Branch (although the Port Washington Branch is the most popular choice amongst residents). In fact, portions of Flower Hill's western border are formed by the Port Washington Branch.
The nearest stations to Flower Hill are Manhasset, Plandome and Port Washington on the Port Washington Branch and the Roslyn station on the Oyster Bay Branch.
See & do
- Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society, 336 Port Washington Blvd, Port Washington, ☏ 1 516 365-9074. The main historical society for the entirety of the Cow Neck Peninsula. It is located within Flower Hill, at the historic Sands-Willets House, which the organization operates as a museum and as their headquarters.
The Sands-Willets House in September 2020. It is home to the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society. - Elderfields Preserve, 200 Port Washington Blvd, Manhasset, ☏ 1 516 571-8130. A historic preserve, museum, and art gallery. The Elderfields Preserve consists of the historic Hewlett-Munson-Williams House. This was the home of Carlos W. Munson, the founding father of Flower Hill, and was named "Elderfields" by him.
- Flower Hill Village Park. A park owned by the Village of Flower Hill. It consists of walking paths, a stage, a field, a playground and sports facilities, and an exceptionally-planned and maintained garden. The park was purchased by Flower Hill from Nassau County in the 2000s, and was redesigned and beautified after the purchase by arborist and then-Village Trustee Ann Frankel.
- North Hempstead Country Club, 291 Port Washington Blvd, Port Washington, ☏ 1 516 365-7500. A private country club, featuring a large golf course designed by the late, famed golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast.
Eat & drink
- Bryant & Cooper, 2 Middle Neck Rd, Roslyn, ☏ 1 516 627-7270.
- Dunkin', 1063 Northern Blvd, Roslyn, ☏ 1 516 627-2499.
- Joanne's Gourmet Pizza, 1067 Northern Blvd, Roslyn, ☏ 1 516 869-8686.
- Landmark Diner, 1027 Northern Blvd, Roslyn, ☏ 1 516 627-4830.
The Landmark Diner in October 2020 - Limani, 1043 Northern Blvd, Roslyn, ☏ 1 516 869-8989.
- Subway, 1087 Northern Blvd, Roslyn, ☏ 1 516 627-4526.
- Wild Fig, 1085 Northern Blvd, Roslyn, ☏ 1 516 918-9700.
Sleep
- Holiday Inn Express Roslyn – Long Island, 1053 Northern Boulevard , Roslyn, ☏ 1 516 627-2460.
Stay safe
Overview
Flower Hill is an extremely safe and friendly place to visit – both during the day and at night. While – like any other place – crimes do happen from time-to-time, it is very rare when a crime takes place, and the Nassau County Police Department regularly patrols the streets both during the day and at night.
On the rare occasion something does happen, it is usually due to someone leaving valuables exposed in their vehicle and neglecting to lock their car's doors overnight, leading to their car being broken into.
In the unlikely event something happens to you or you see something that concerns you, call the Nassau County Police Department by dialing 911.
Speeding
Speeding is usually the biggest issue in Flower Hill regarding safety – especially along certain roads (i.e. Woodland Road and Ridge Drive East in the Roslyn portion of Flower Hill). This issue is no secret, and a solution to mitigate the issue is in the works as of 2021. With that in mind, please remember that the speed limit on Flower Hill's residential streets is 30 mph (48 km/h). And as many children tend to be outside to walk, bike, or play when it is nice out, speeding is something very concerning to locals – especially to parents and grandparents. Please be mindful of pedestrians, and, as the signs throughout Flower Hill say, remember to "drive like your kids live here" for the safety of you and children (or any other pedestrian or motorist, for that matter).
Walking on streets
If walking, be sure to keep an eye out for traffic, and walk to the left-hand side of the road. Spare for much of Northern Boulevard, small portions of Middle Neck and Port Washington Boulevards, and the bicycle/pedestrian pathway along Stonytown Road, sidewalks and designated foot/pedestrian paths along roads seldom exist. If walking along portions of Port Washington Boulevard lacking sidewalks, the shoulders are generous in size, and are safe to walk or bike along (in fact the n23 has numerous stops along the wide shoulder). However, more caution should be used if walking along Middle Neck Road, and following detours along side streets might be a smart move if walking with dogs or small children, or riding a bicycle.
If walking at night, be sure to wear light, reflective colors in order to be seen easier and quicker by drivers.
Stay healthy
Flower Hill is home to St. Francis Hospital, which is the only specialty-designated cardiac center in New York, and is recognized nationally as being one of America's top heart care centers.
Additionally, a GoHealth/Northwell Health walk-in urgent care center is located on Northern Boulevard in the Roslyn portion of Flower Hill.
Cope
Parking on streets overnight without a permit provided by Flower Hill is prohibited between the hours of 2AM and 6AM. Doing so will likely result in a parking ticket being placed on your windshield by the Nassau County Police Department when doing their overnight patrols.
Parking on streets during snowstorms is also prohibited in Flower Hill when the snow accumulates to at least 2 inches; this is to ensure the safety of motorists and to allow for the streets to be plowed safely and efficiently.
If you become lost and need directions, do not be hesitant to ask a local for help. You will find that many residents will be more than happy to assist in getting you where you are trying to go.