Hempstead is a town on the South Shore of Nassau County, New York.

Garden City, encompassing the "Nassau Hub" region, has its own article. The other prominent communities in Hempstead include Floral Park, Hempstead Village, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, Freeport, Merrick, and the Five Towns area.

Understand

Freeport's Nautical Mile

St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre

Jones Beach

Hempstead is the nation's most populous civil township, and the second most populous municipality in New York. It is divided into several villages and hamlets, including the following:

• Bellmore is a village in Nassau County, 45 minutes outside of New York City. This town is a good place to live but can get very pricey the closer you get to the water and the taxes can be pretty high because of the area. There isn't much crime and the police are very responsive around here. This isn't the place to go if you are looking for action, but if you are looking for a nice place to just hangout this is a safe area.
• The Five Towns — Cedarhurst, Inwood, Lawrence, Woodmere, and "The Hewletts" (which are in turn composed of the hamlet of Hewlett plus the villages of Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Harbor, and Hewlett Neck) — are located in the far south west corner of Nassau County, New York, next to the New York City borough of Queens. As well, the adjacent village of Woodsburgh is often considered a "Sixth Town".

See

• 1 African American Museum of Nassau County, 110 North Franklin Street, Hempstead. One of the only African American museums in New York  
• 2 Jones Beach State Park. 6.5 miles/10.5km of white sand beach along the Atlantic Ocean, and another beach along calm Zachs Bay.  
• 3 Rock Hall Museum, 199 Broadway, Lawrence. A colonial house, now a Town of Hempstead museum  
• 4 Wantagh Museum, 1700 Wantagh Ave, ☏ +1 516-826-8767, wantaghmuseum@gmail.com. Sunday from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, from mid April through mid November. The Wantagh Museum features three structures: The Station (built in 1885), The "Jamaica" Railroad Car (built in 1912 for the Long Island Rail Road) and the Original Wantagh Post Office (built in 1907).  
• 5 Baldwin Historical Society & Museum, 1980 Grand Avenue, Baldwin. Sundays, 1–4pm, also open for special events. Free. (updated May 2016)

Eat

• 1 Freeport Nautical Mile, Woodcleft Ave, Freeport. Several restaurants and bars on a canal in Freeport. (updated Apr 2016)
• Five Guys Burgers & Fries, 3497 Hempstead Tpke, Levittown, ☏ +1 516 796-1237. Great burgers, fries and sandwiches. Also located in Long Beach. 
• Spasso's Pizzeria, 1159 Wantagh Ave, North Wantagh, ☏ +1 516 785-8560. 11:00-10:00, Open 7 Days/week. Considered the best pizza in Wantagh, Spasso's has over 15 different "specialty" pizzas and great authentic Italian food. 
• My Hero, 1005 Jerusalem Ave, North Merrick, ☏ +1 516 785-9226. Some would argue that they have the best sandwiches and heroes on Long Island. My Hero has been here for years and is extremely popular. It is advised to call ahead as there is always a line. 

Go next

• Garden City
• North Hempstead
• Long Beach
• South Oyster Bay
• Jamaica

Routes through Hempstead

Floral Park ← Garden City ←

W  E

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