Hewlett, New York

Hewlett is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Hempstead, in southwestern Nassau County on Long Island. It is one of the communities traditionally associated with the Five Towns, a group of established residential and commercial communities along the western portion of Long Island’s South Shore. Hewlett is particularly known for its tree-lined neighborhoods, historic homes, Broadway shopping corridor, educational institutions and convenient railroad connections to New York City.

Although Hewlett is predominantly residential, it has a distinctive history extending back to the earliest European settlements in the Town of Hempstead. The community takes its name from the Hewlett family, whose agricultural landholdings helped shape the surrounding region. The historic Hewlett House, a surviving colonial-era homestead, provides a tangible connection to that past.

Modern Hewlett is closely connected to neighboring Woodmere, Cedarhurst, Lawrence and Inwood, as well as the nearby villages of Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck and Hewlett Bay Park. According to the 2020 United States Census, Hewlett had 7,262 residents within approximately 0.88 square miles of land.

History of Hewlett and the Hewlett Family

Hewlett’s history is closely associated with the early settlement of southwestern Long Island. Before European colonization, the surrounding region formed part of the traditional homeland of Indigenous peoples, including communities associated with the Rockaway area. The landscape consisted of woodlands, agricultural clearings, streams, wetlands and tidal waterways connected to the South Shore.

European settlement expanded during the 17th century, when families established farms and acquired property within what became the Town of Hempstead. The Hewlett family was among the early landowning families in the region, and successive generations maintained farms and other properties throughout the area.

Historical records connect the family’s landholdings with George Hewlett and his descendants. An early Town of Hempstead transaction, dated January 2, 1718, records George Hewlett transferring a house and approximately 50 acres, along with additional meadow and woodland, to his grandson John Hewlett. The property was associated with a location historically known as George Hewlett’s Point.

For much of the 18th and early 19th centuries, the surrounding area remained agricultural. Farming and fishing were important occupations, and development was limited compared with the densely populated communities that would later emerge along the railroad.

The arrival of rail transportation during the 19th century fundamentally changed Hewlett and the surrounding Five Towns. Improved connections to Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan encouraged the subdivision of farmland into residential properties and helped establish the area as a desirable suburban community.

Hewlett House and Colonial Heritage

One of Hewlett’s most historically significant landmarks is Hewlett House, also known as the Hewlett Homestead, located at 86 East Rockaway Road. The building dates to approximately 1740 and was constructed by descendants of George Hewlett, one of the family’s earliest representatives on Long Island.

The house is particularly important because it preserves architectural features associated with Dutch colonial building traditions. According to the Town of Hempstead’s historic landmark information, it is among a small number of surviving early Dutch-style houses on Long Island.

The structure remains on its original site, providing a direct physical connection to the agricultural landscape that existed before Hewlett developed into a suburban community. It was documented through the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936 and has been recognized for its historical and architectural significance.

In 1974, Ceresies Hewlett bequeathed the homestead to the Hewlett-Woodmere School District. The district subsequently sold the property to Nassau County during the late 1990s, and the building underwent restoration. It later became associated with One in Nine, a nonprofit organization providing breast cancer awareness and support services.

Hewlett House is an important historic landmark rather than a conventional walk-in museum. Visitors interested in the property should verify current access arrangements before making plans. Its survival provides an unusually direct connection between the modern Five Towns and the colonial settlement of southwestern Nassau County.

From Farmland to a Railroad Suburb

Hewlett’s transformation accelerated after railroad service reached the area in 1869. The South Side Railroad of Long Island established connections between the communities along the southern portion of the island and the expanding transportation network serving New York City.

The railroad made it practical for families to establish permanent homes outside the city while maintaining access to employment and commercial centers farther west. Developers promoted residential properties, roads were improved and agricultural land gradually gave way to suburban neighborhoods.

Hewlett and neighboring Woodmere developed especially close connections. Historical descriptions from the early 20th century noted that their commercial establishments formed a nearly continuous corridor along Broadway, which remains an important local road today.

The expansion of residential development continued through the early and middle decades of the 20th century. Like many communities in Nassau County, Hewlett experienced additional growth as improved roads, automobiles and postwar suburbanization increased demand for housing.

Today, the community retains a mixture of older houses, established residential streets and commercial properties reflecting these different periods of development. Its railroad station and Broadway business district remain reminders of the transportation and commercial patterns that helped shape the modern Five Towns.

Hewlett and the Five Towns

Hewlett is one of the five communities traditionally identified with the Five Towns, together with Woodmere, Cedarhurst, Lawrence and Inwood. The name became established as residents and community organizations increasingly identified with the shared geography and institutions of southwestern Nassau County.

The Five Towns designation is a regional name rather than a formal municipality. The communities include a mixture of incorporated villages and unincorporated hamlets, each with different governmental arrangements. Cedarhurst and Lawrence have their own village governments, while Hewlett, Woodmere and Inwood remain unincorporated portions of the Town of Hempstead.

The name Hewlett is also used more broadly to describe several neighboring incorporated villages, including Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck and Hewlett Bay Park. Together with the hamlet of Hewlett, these communities are sometimes referred to collectively as the Hewletts.

This distinction is important because the incorporated villages are separate municipalities with their own boundaries, zoning regulations and local governments. Although they share historical and geographic connections with Hewlett, they should not be confused with the Hewlett census-designated place.

The Hewletts: Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck and Hewlett Bay Park

The communities surrounding Hewlett include several smaller incorporated villages with distinctive residential settings. Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck and Hewlett Bay Park developed partly from the subdivision of former agricultural estates and larger properties during the early 20th century.

Hewlett Harbor was incorporated in 1925. Its history is associated with attorney Joseph Auerbach, who acquired substantial property in the area in 1914 and established a summer residence. Auerbach also developed the Seawane Club, which remains an important local recreational institution. Portions of the surrounding land were later subdivided for residential development.

Hewlett Neck, incorporated in 1927, is another predominantly residential village associated with the former Hewlett family landholdings. Its location near the South Shore waterways gives it a different physical setting from the more commercially developed Broadway corridor.

Hewlett Bay Park was incorporated in 1928 and is a small residential village with its own municipal government. Like Hewlett Harbor and Hewlett Neck, it is part of the broader Five Towns region but remains administratively separate from the hamlet of Hewlett.

These communities help explain why references to Hewlett sometimes describe a much larger geographic area than the census-designated hamlet itself. The broader Hewlett area includes a range of residential settings, from compact suburban streets to larger properties near tidal waterways and former estate lands.

Broadway Shopping and Local Businesses

Broadway is Hewlett’s principal commercial corridor, extending through the community and connecting it with neighboring Woodmere. The roadway is lined with restaurants, neighborhood retailers, professional offices, banks and other businesses serving residents of the surrounding Five Towns.

Unlike the larger Central Avenue shopping district in Cedarhurst, Hewlett’s commercial activity is distributed along a longer suburban roadway. The result is a mixture of small shopping areas, individual storefronts and service-oriented businesses rather than a single compact downtown.

Local dining options reflect the community’s diversity and include casual restaurants, bakeries, kosher establishments and other neighborhood food businesses. Residents also have convenient access to the more extensive shopping and dining districts of Cedarhurst, Lawrence and nearby Lynbrook.

Broadway’s continuing importance reflects the historical relationship between Hewlett and Woodmere, where commercial activity developed alongside residential growth and improved transportation connections.

Grant Park and Outdoor Recreation

One of Hewlett’s principal recreational attractions is Grant Park, a 35-acre Nassau County park located at 1625 Broadway, with its entrance on Sheridan Avenue. The park has been part of the Nassau County park system since 1955 and provides an extensive collection of recreational facilities for residents and visitors.

Grant Park includes basketball courts, tennis courts, handball and paddleball courts, and athletic fields accommodating baseball, softball and other organized sports. Walking and jogging paths provide opportunities for exercise, while workout stations offer additional outdoor fitness activities.

The park is also particularly well suited to families with children. Its playground includes separate areas designed for different age groups, and a seasonal spray pool provides an opportunity for outdoor water play during the warmer months.

Additional facilities include picnic areas, barbecue equipment and a small lake. The lake supports recreational fishing, and a paved pathway around the water provides a setting for walking and jogging. During sufficiently cold winters, ice skating may be permitted when conditions allow and the county has officially opened the area for that activity.

Some park facilities require permits, reservations or applicable fees, particularly organized athletic activities and reserved picnic areas. Visitors can review current information through Nassau County’s official Grant Park page.

Grant Park is especially significant because it provides substantial public recreational space within a relatively densely developed portion of Nassau County. Its athletic facilities, lake and family-oriented amenities make it one of the most important outdoor destinations in the immediate Hewlett area.

Hewlett-Woodmere Schools and Education

Education has played an important role in Hewlett’s development for more than a century. The Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School District, officially Union Free School District No. 14, was established by the New York State Legislature in 1898.

The district serves Hewlett, much of Woodmere and portions of several neighboring communities, including areas associated with Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck and Hewlett Bay Park, Lynbrook and Valley Stream.

Public education in the area predates the modern district. Historical accounts describe a one-room schoolhouse in Hewlett, and the community’s first high school opened in 1894. The creation of the unified district several years later reflected the growing population and demand for organized public education.

Today, the district operates five schools, including Franklin Early Childhood Center, Hewlett Elementary School, Ogden Elementary School, Woodmere Middle School and George W. Hewlett High School. Several of these facilities are located within Hewlett itself, including the high school on Everit Avenue and the middle school on Peninsula Boulevard.

Private and religious schools also serve families throughout the Five Towns. Because school district boundaries do not always correspond with postal addresses or hamlet boundaries, prospective residents should verify the public school district associated with any particular property.

Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library

The Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library is another important community institution, serving residents within the Hewlett-Woodmere School District. In addition to traditional library collections, it provides educational programs, cultural events, research resources and services for residents of different ages.

The library has a distinctive role within the Nassau Library System as a Music and Art co-central library, maintaining specialized resources and collections that serve a wider audience beyond its immediate community.

Its programs and collections contribute to the cultural and educational life of Hewlett and surrounding neighborhoods. The library also maintains digital historical newspaper archives that provide valuable resources for researching the history of the Five Towns and other Long Island communities.

Information about library services, programming and collections is available through the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library’s official website.

Transportation and the Hewlett Railroad Station

Hewlett is served by the Hewlett station on the Far Rockaway Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. Located near Broadway and Franklin Avenue, the station provides an important transportation connection for residents commuting toward western Nassau County, Queens and New York City.

Rail passengers can travel toward Jamaica Station, where connections are available to other Long Island Rail Road branches and destinations including Manhattan and Brooklyn. Direct service and transfer requirements vary according to the schedule.

The railroad’s historical importance extends beyond commuting. Its arrival during the 19th century encouraged residential development and helped transform Hewlett from an agricultural settlement into an established suburban community.

For motorists, Broadway, Peninsula Boulevard and nearby Sunrise Highway provide connections to surrounding South Shore communities and the larger regional highway network. Nassau Inter-County Express bus service also provides transportation options in the area.

John F. Kennedy International Airport is located northwest of Hewlett in Queens, making the community relatively convenient for regional air travel. Actual driving times vary considerably with traffic conditions.

Nearby Communities, Beaches and Waterfront Areas

Hewlett’s location provides access to several of southwestern Nassau County’s best-known communities. Neighboring Woodmere shares important residential, commercial and educational connections with Hewlett, while Cedarhurst and Lawrence offer additional shopping, dining and community institutions.

To the north and east, Lynbrook, East Rockaway and Valley Stream provide further recreational, commercial and transportation opportunities.

Although Hewlett itself is not an oceanfront destination, the Atlantic beaches of Long Beach and Atlantic Beach are accessible by car. These nearby barrier-island communities provide opportunities for swimming, walking, beach recreation and seasonal waterfront activities.

The waterways of the South Shore also influence the surrounding geography. The nearby incorporated villages of Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck and Hewlett Bay Park contain residential areas associated with tidal creeks, bays and coastal wetlands, while the broader region connects with the waterways of southwestern Nassau County.

Residents seeking additional outdoor recreation can explore nearby county parks and coastal destinations throughout the South Shore, although public access and parking regulations vary among municipalities and facilities.

Community Character and Visiting Hewlett

Hewlett is best understood as an established residential community rather than a conventional tourist destination. Its appeal comes from its neighborhoods, historical landmarks, local businesses, educational institutions and convenient location within the Five Towns.

Visitors interested in local history may find Hewlett House particularly noteworthy, while Grant Park provides one of the area’s most accessible public recreational destinations. Broadway offers dining and neighborhood shopping, and the nearby commercial districts of Cedarhurst and Lawrence provide additional options.

The community is also well positioned for visitors exploring the surrounding Five Towns, nearby South Shore villages and the beaches farther south. Its proximity to the Long Island Rail Road and major local roadways makes it convenient for both residents and travelers moving through southwestern Nassau County.

Because Hewlett is an unincorporated hamlet, visitors should distinguish its boundaries from those of neighboring incorporated villages. This is especially relevant when researching local government services, schools, property information and access to municipal facilities.

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Hewlett, New York

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Key Facts and Details

Community	Hewlett
Community Type	Unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place
Town	Town of Hempstead
County	Nassau County
Region	Five Towns, southwestern Long Island
ZIP Code	11557
2020 Census Population	7,262
2010 Census Population	6,819
Land Area	Approximately 0.88 square miles
2020 Population Density	Approximately 8,243 residents per square mile
Named For	The Hewlett family, early landowners and settlers in the region
Historical Development	Colonial agricultural settlement followed by 19th- and 20th-century suburban growth
Railroad Development	Rail service reached the area in 1869
Historic Landmark	Hewlett House, also known as the Hewlett Homestead
Hewlett House Address	86 East Rockaway Road, Hewlett, NY 11557
Hewlett House Construction	Approximately 1740
Hewlett House Architecture	Historic Dutch colonial-influenced residential architecture
Principal Public Park	Grant Park, a Nassau County recreational facility
Grant Park Address	1625 Broadway, entrance on Sheridan Avenue
Grant Park Size	Approximately 35 acres
Grant Park Facilities	Basketball, tennis, handball, baseball, softball, walking paths, playground, seasonal spray pool, fishing lake and picnic areas
Primary Commercial Corridor	Broadway and West Broadway
Public School District	Primarily Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School District No. 14; some addresses may be assigned to other districts
School District Established	1898
Public High School	George W. Hewlett High School, 60 Everit Avenue
Public Library	Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library
Rail Transportation	Hewlett station on the Long Island Rail Road Far Rockaway Branch
Major Roads	Broadway, Peninsula Boulevard and nearby Sunrise Highway
Bus Transportation	Nassau Inter-County Express service in the surrounding area
Nearby Incorporated Villages	Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck and Hewlett Bay Park
Nearby Five Towns Communities	Woodmere, Cedarhurst, Lawrence and Inwood
Other Nearby Communities	Lynbrook, East Rockaway and Valley Stream
Nearby Beaches	Long Beach and Atlantic Beach
Nearby Airport	John F. Kennedy International Airport
Community Character	Established residential neighborhoods, historic landmarks, schools, local businesses and regional transportation connections
Municipal Government	Town of Hempstead

Hewlett represents an important part of the history and development of southwestern Nassau County, combining colonial-era heritage with the established residential character of Long Island’s South Shore. Its connection to the Hewlett family, the surviving Hewlett House, the arrival of the railroad and the growth of the Hewlett-Woodmere School District all help explain how the community evolved from agricultural land into a well-connected suburb. Today, Grant Park, Broadway businesses, educational institutions and the nearby incorporated villages collectively known as the Hewletts contribute to the area’s distinctive identity. Together with neighboring Woodmere, Cedarhurst, Lawrence and Inwood, Hewlett remains an integral part of the historic Five Towns region and the broader residential, cultural and transportation landscape of Long Island.