Freeport, NY Real Estate — Homes For Sale in Freeport, NY

Historical Context Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York on the South Shore of Long Island. A settlement since the 1640s, it was once an oystering community and later a resort popular with the New York City theater community. In the late 19th century, Freeport was the summer resort of wealthy politicians, publishers, and so forth. At the time, travel from Freeport to New York City required a journey of several hours on a coal-powered train, or an even more arduous automobile trip on the single-lane Merrick Road. Currently: Freeport lies on the South Shore of Long Island, in the southwestern part of Nassau County, within the town of Hempstead. Freeport has its own municipal electric utility, and police, fire, and water departments. Freeport is New York State's second-biggest village and has a station on the Long Island Rail Road. The south part of the village is penetrated by several canals that allow access to the Atlantic Ocean by means of passage through salt marshes. The oldest canal is the late 19th-century Woodcleft Canal. Freeport has extensive small-boat facilities and a resident fishing fleet, as well as charter and open water fishing boats. Freeport is a Long Island hot spot during the summer season in New York. A popular festival occurs on Freeport's Nautical Mile (the west side of Woodcleft Canal) the first weekend in June each year, which attracts many people from across Long Island and New York City. The Nautical Mile is a strip along the water that features well-known seafood restaurants, crab shacks, bars, eclectic little boutiques, fresh fish markets, as well as party cruise ships and casino boats that float atop the canals. People line up for the boat rides and eat at restaurants that feature seating on the water's edge and servings of mussels, oysters, crabs, and steamed clams ("steamers") accompanied by pitchers of beer. An 18-hole miniature golf course is popular among families. The Sea Breeze waterfront park-which includes a transient marina, boardwalk, rest rooms and benches-opened in 2009 at the foot of the Nautical Mile. It has proven to be a very popular spot to sit and watch the marine traffic and natural scenery. This is in addition to an existing scenic pier. Freeport Memorial Library[edit] Freeport Memorial Library The Freeport Memorial Library is one of Nassau County's largest public libraries. The library was founded in 1884 as part of the school system, granted a provisional charter by the state Board of Regents in 1895, and a permanent charter on December 21, 1899. less