Port Washington, New York, United States

🇺🇸 Port Washington is a hamlet and place in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The hamlet is the anchor community of the Greater Port Washington area.

History Much of the Port Washington area was initially settled by colonists in 1644, after they purchased land from the people of the Matinecock Nation.

In the 1870s, Port Washington became an important sand-mining town; it had the largest sandbank east of the Mississippi and easy barge access to Manhattan. Some 140 million cubic yards of local sand were used for concrete for New York skyscrapers (including the Empire State and Chrysler buildings), in addition to the New York City Subway. In 1998, the sand mines were redeveloped as Harbor Links – a golf course for North Hempstead residents.

In 1930, Port Washington tried to incorporate itself as a city, which would have had the same boundaries as the Port Washington Union Free School District's, excluding Sands Point, which had already incorporated itself as a village. This plan ultimately failed when the bill was killed after Baxter Estates, Flower Hill, and Manorhaven incorporated themselves as villages in order to retain home rule of their respective areas.

In the late 1930s, prior to the opening of the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport, Port Washington was Pan-American World Airways' New York base for their Yankee Clipper Boeing B-314 flying boats; the waters of Manhasset Bay were ideal for flying boat operations. Common destinations served included London, Southampton (UK), the Azores, and Bermuda.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.6 square miles (15 km²), of which 4.2 square miles (11 km²) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), or 25.22%, is water.

The hamlet is bordered on two sides with bodies of water: Manhasset Bay on its western side and Hempstead Harbor on its eastern side.

Port Washington is located on the Cow Neck Peninsula.

Two enclaves exist above the northern portions of the main, contiguous part of the hamlet.

Greater Port Washington area The Greater Port Washington area is home to four incorporated villages in their entirety, in addition to the hamlet of Port Washington: • Baxter Estates • Manorhaven • Port Washington North • Sands Point

Additionally, the Greater Port Washington area also includes part of the Incorporated Village of Flower Hill (which is split between the Greater Manhasset, Greater Port Washington, and Greater Roslyn areas), as well as a small part of the Village of Plandome Manor (which is split between the Greater Manhasset and Port Washington areas).

Economy There are numerous small stores in Port Washington with 6 shopping centres, 4 strip malls and an industrial complex on the east side of Port Washington next to Hempstead Harbor, off West Shore Road. Entertainment One, NPD Group, Pall, and Systemax, as well as a Hilton Garden Inn are located in that industrial complex.

Business improvement district Additionally, the entirety of the hamlet is located within the Greater Port Washington Business Improvement District's boundaries.

Parks and recreation Several public parks are located within Port Washington. These include: • Blumenfeld Family Park • Harbor Links • Merriman Park (Manhasset Bay Park District residents only) • North Hempstead Aerodrome • North Hempstead Beach Park • Alvan Petrus Park • Sand Miner's Monument • Sunset Park • Town Dock Park

Park district A small portion of Port Washington is located within a park district, named the Manhasset Bay Park District. This special district, which is operated by the Town of North Hempstead, covers the hamlet's Manhasset Bay Estates subdivision, as well as a portion of the Plandome Country Club in the adjacent, incorporated village, Plandome Manor.

The Manhasset Bay Park District is responsible for operating and maintaining Merriman Park, located on the former site of the Port Washington Union Free School District's Merriman School; the park is open exclusively to residents of the Manhasset Bay Park District.

Yacht clubs • Manhasset Bay Yacht Club • North Shore Yacht Club • Port Washington Yacht Club

The former Knickerbocker Yacht Club was also located within the hamlet.

Education Port Washington is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Port Washington Union Free School District. Additionally, a small portion of the hamlet's south-eastern corner is located within the boundaries of the Roslyn Union Free School District. However, there are no homes in the area within the Roslyn UFSD's boundaries, and as such, all students who reside within the hamlet and attend public schools go to Port Washington's schools.

In 2022, the Port Washington UFSD's high school, Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School, was ranked #733 nationally out of 17,843 schools and #77 in New York High Schools out of 1,212 schools.

Library Port Washington is located entirely within the boundaries of the Port Washington Library District.

Transport: Road One state road passes through and directly serves Port Washington: Port Washington Boulevard (NY 101). Other major roads within the hamlet include Harbor Road, Mackey Avenue, Main Street, Murray Avenue, North Plandome Road, Radcliff Avenue, Sandy Hollow Road, South Bayles Avenue, West Shore Road/Beacon Hill Road, and Willowdale Avenue.

Parking District Port Washington, in its entirety, is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Town of North Hempstead's Port Washington Parking District – a special district. Several of the parking facilities operated by the district are located within the hamlet.

Transport: Rail The Port Washington LIRR station's station house on June 6, 2021.

Port Washington is the terminus of the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, which opened for passengers in 1898.

Transport: Bus The n23 bus, which is operated by Nassau Inter-County Express and runs from Manorhaven to the Mineola Intermodal Center in Mineola, serves Port Washington, running along Main Street and Port Washington Boulevard.

Additionally, NICE's Port Washington Shuttle provides local service in the hamlet and throughout the Greater Port Washington area, with limited service to the Village of Roslyn, which is located slightly south-east of Port Washington.

Natural gas National Grid USA provides natural gas to homes and businesses that are hooked up to natural gas lines in Port Washington.

Power PSEG Long Island provides power to all homes and businesses within Port Washington.

Sewage Port Washington is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Port Washington Water Pollution Control District, which operates the sanitary sewer system serving the hamlet.

Water The Port Washington Water District provides water for the heavy majority of the hamlet, with the exception being the portion of the hamlet located within the Roslyn Union Free School District's boundaries, which is served by the Roslyn Water District.

Healthcare There are no hospitals located within Port Washington. The nearest hospital to the hamlet is St. Francis Hospital in the Village of Flower Hill.

Fire The heavy majority of Port Washington is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Port Washington Fire District, with the exception being the portion of the hamlet located within the Roslyn Union Free School District's boundaries, which is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Roslyn Fire District.

Police The Port Washington Police District provides police protection for the heavy majority of the hamlet, with the exception being the portion of the hamlet located within the Roslyn Union Free School District's boundaries, which is served by the Sixth Precinct of the Nassau County Police Department.

Landmarks The Thomas Dodge Homestead, Main Street School, and the Monfort Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.