North Woodmere, New York

North Woodmere, New York, is a residential community in the southwestern portion of the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County. Located near the border between Nassau County and Queens, North Woodmere combines a suburban residential setting with convenient access to the communities of Woodmere, Valley Stream, Hewlett, and the broader Five Towns area.

The community is best known for its quiet residential streets, waterfront surroundings, and North Woodmere Park, a large Nassau County recreational facility offering golf, swimming, athletic fields, courts, playgrounds, fishing access, and other amenities. Although North Woodmere shares its name with neighboring Woodmere, the two communities are geographically separated by Motts Creek and have distinct neighborhood identities.

Where Is North Woodmere?

North Woodmere is located on the South Shore of Long Island in far western Nassau County. The community lies north of Woodmere, west of Hewlett, south of Valley Stream, and immediately east of the Queens border. Its location places residents close to both suburban Nassau County and the eastern neighborhoods of New York City.

Motts Creek runs between North Woodmere and Woodmere, creating a natural geographic division between the two communities. Branch Boulevard provides one of the principal road connections across the creek and continues south toward Woodmere and Cedarhurst. Hungry Harbor Road serves as a major east-west route through North Woodmere, while local roads connect the neighborhood with Valley Stream, Hewlett, and nearby portions of Queens.

Relationship to Woodmere and the Five Towns

Despite its name, North Woodmere is not simply the northern section of Woodmere. The communities are separated by Motts Creek and developed with their own residential patterns, road systems, and neighborhood identities. North Woodmere is closely connected socially and commercially with the surrounding Five Towns region, but it is generally considered adjacent to, rather than one of the five traditional communities that gave the area its name.

The traditional Five Towns commonly refers to Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, and Inwood. North Woodmere residents nevertheless benefit from close access to the area’s shopping districts, schools, houses of worship, restaurants, professional services, and transportation connections.

Residential Character

North Woodmere is primarily a suburban residential neighborhood characterized by detached single-family homes, landscaped properties, cul-de-sacs, and relatively quiet local streets. Much of the community was developed during the postwar expansion of suburban Long Island, when former open land and waterfront property were transformed into planned residential neighborhoods.

The area’s location near creeks, marshes, and tidal waterways gives portions of North Woodmere a coastal atmosphere despite its proximity to densely developed parts of Nassau County and Queens. Some residential streets are located near the water, while others surround North Woodmere Park or connect with the commercial corridors of Valley Stream, Woodmere, and the Five Towns.

North Woodmere Park

North Woodmere Park is the community’s most prominent public recreational destination. The approximately 150-acre Nassau County park has served southwestern Nassau County since the 1960s and contains facilities for sports, swimming, golf, family recreation, and waterfront activities.

The park includes a nine-hole executive golf course and driving range, tennis courts, handball and paddleball courts, basketball courts, baseball and softball fields, football and soccer fields, playground areas, a swimming complex, and space for community activities. Its waterfront also provides opportunities for fishing and crabbing, connecting the park with the broader tradition of fishing on Long Island.

North Woodmere Park is located near the intersection of Branch Boulevard and Hungry Harbor Road. Access, operating hours, seasonal facilities, admission requirements, and permit rules may vary, so visitors should confirm current information with Nassau County before planning a trip.

Roads and Transportation

North Woodmere does not have its own Long Island Rail Road station, but several nearby stations provide access to the regional rail network. The Woodmere station serves the Far Rockaway Branch south of Motts Creek, while Valley Stream offers additional connections farther north. Nearby stations in Hewlett, Cedarhurst, and Lawrence also serve surrounding communities.

Hungry Harbor Road and Branch Boulevard are among the principal routes through the neighborhood. Drivers can reach Peninsula Boulevard, Sunrise Highway, Rockaway Turnpike, the Belt Parkway, and other major roads serving western Long Island and New York City. The community is also within convenient driving distance of John F. Kennedy International Airport, located across the county line in Queens.

Schools and Community Services

Public school assignments in North Woodmere depend on the location of a particular property and the boundaries of the school districts serving southwestern Nassau County. Because school district lines do not always follow community names, families should verify assignments directly with the appropriate district before relying on a North Woodmere or Valley Stream mailing address. Additional background is available in our guide to Long Island school districts.

Police, fire protection, sanitation, recreation, and other local services may be provided by Nassau County, the Town of Hempstead, special districts, and local volunteer organizations. This overlapping structure is common throughout unincorporated communities on Long Island, where postal addresses, school districts, fire districts, and municipal boundaries do not always correspond with one another.

Postal Address and Community Identity

North Woodmere generally uses ZIP Code 11581, which is associated with Valley Stream for postal purposes. As a result, some homes and businesses identified locally as being in North Woodmere may use Valley Stream in their mailing addresses. This does not change the community’s commonly recognized identity or its location within the Town of Hempstead and Nassau County.

Because North Woodmere is not separately defined in the same way as an incorporated village or a distinct Census-designated place, population and demographic figures published for broader postal or census areas may include neighboring communities. Statistics for ZIP Code 11581, Valley Stream, South Valley Stream, or nearby census tracts should therefore not automatically be treated as figures for North Woodmere alone.

Nearby Communities and Destinations

North Woodmere’s western Nassau County location provides easy access to a number of nearby communities. Woodmere and Cedarhurst lie to the south, while Hewlett is located to the east. Valley Stream and Lynbrook provide additional shopping, dining, parks, transportation, and community services to the north and northeast.

Residents are also within driving distance of the Atlantic shoreline, western South Shore communities, and Queens destinations such as Rockaway Beach. The neighborhood’s proximity to Queens, major highways, rail stations, and John F. Kennedy International Airport makes it well positioned within the larger New York metropolitan area.

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North Woodmere, South Valley Stream

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North Woodmere at a Glance

Key Facts & Details	Information
Community	North Woodmere, New York
Location	Southwestern Nassau County on the South Shore of Long Island
Municipality	Town of Hempstead
Nearby Communities	Woodmere, Valley Stream, Hewlett, and Cedarhurst
Postal ZIP Code	11581, generally associated with Valley Stream for mailing purposes
Major Park	North Woodmere Park
Major Roads	Hungry Harbor Road and Branch Boulevard
Nearby Rail Service	Long Island Rail Road stations in Woodmere, Valley Stream, Hewlett, Cedarhurst, and Lawrence
Nearby Airport	John F. Kennedy International Airport
Regional Setting	Western Long Island near the Nassau County–Queens border

North Woodmere offers a quiet residential setting close to the waterways, parks, transportation routes, and commercial districts of southwestern Nassau County. Its position between Valley Stream, Woodmere, the Five Towns, and Queens gives the community a distinctive identity within western Long Island, while North Woodmere Park remains an important recreational resource for residents throughout the surrounding area.