Port Washington: Waterfront, Gatsby lore, festivals draw buyers
North Hempstead Beach Park overlooks Hempstead Bay, one of two peaceful bodies of water that surround Port Washington. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
THE SCOOP At the terminus of the Long Island Rail Road line that bears its name, Port Washington is a maritime hamlet between two bays. And while there are yacht clubs in this once old-money area, there is also a public town dock where dinghies and dinner boats, tour boats and a water taxi ply the waters and their trades.
"I grew up here," said Mariann Dalimonte, the Town of North Hempstead council member whose District 6 includes the hamlet of Port Washington, part of the Port Washington Peninsula. As a child she would go to Manhasset Bay, one of a border pair with Hempstead Bay to the east, "and touch the bay bottom with my feet and go clamming. My friend's father had lobster traps," she recalled. "He would bring them back and we would help him put the rubber bands on their claws."
Shellfishing is no longer legal in either bay due to pollution, but Port Washington remains a place with "a lot of amenities on the water," said Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, proprietor of The Great Gatsby Boat Tour that casts off from Inspiration Wharf.
"They do concerts on the water on the weekends" at the John Philip Sousa Memorial Bandshell in the bayside Sunset Park, he said. "And the street festivals, like HarborFest, are great," as are annual festivals celebrating Italian heritage and, from Sept. 25-28, Greek. "But really, for me, it's the people. As an Upper West Sider who reverse-commutes, I've found the people very welcoming to me as an outsider coming in to do business."
Main Street in Port Washington is the heart of the hamlet, with shops, eateries and an LIRR station. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
The 4.2-square-mile hamlet is home to green spaces galore. North Hempstead Beach Park has boat ramps, bathhouses, sports facilities, a playground and the public 18-hole Harbor Links Golf Course. The Blumenfeld Family Park, Alvan O. Petrus Park and residents-only Merriman Park have playgrounds. Stannards Brook County Park — dilapidated in the 2000s and reopened in 2012 after a million-dollar restoration — has tranquil nature trails and benches.
But if any park represents the heart of the hamlet, it's Sunset Park, along the curve of walkable Main Street. Aside from its bandshell and boats, the Port Washington Soccer Club field, the 100% organic farmers market on Saturdays from June to October or nearby restaurants like the 120-year-old, newly renovated landmark Louie's, Sunset Park is known for living up to its name.
"It has the most beautiful sunsets," Dalimonte said. "They're just incredible." Fitzpatrick agrees. "That's why we do a sunset cruise. When you're out on Manhasset Bay, it's just stunning."
The Port Washington Union Free School District has five elementary schools, a middle school and Paul D. Schreiber High School. The hamlet has no big-box stores, but groceries can be found at an Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace and a North Shore Farms, plus a Stop & Shop in the separate village of Port Washington North.
Homes along Reid Avenue, top, and Lowell Road in Port Washington. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
SALE PRICES Between Sept. 5, 2024, and Sept. 4, 2025, there were 243 home sales with a median sale price of $1.2 million, according to OneKey MLS. During that period a year earlier, there were 210 home sales with a median sale price of $1.01 million.
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are seven condos, priced between $668,000 and $1.3 million, and two co-ops, priced at $1.6 million and $2.5 million, on the market.
OTHER STATS
Population 17,613
Median age 42.3
Median home value $1.25 million
Monthly LIRR ticket from Port Washington $253
School district, graduation rate Port Washington (99%)
Library Port Washington
Transit Nassau County Transit Port Washington Shuttle
Sources: 2023 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS via InfoSparks by ShowingTime; LIRR; data.nysed.gov; Nassau Inter-County Express
ON THE MARKET
$2.1 million
This nearly $2.1 million Port Washington home is a new construction. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
An open-concept Colonial built this year, this home boasts a 21½-by-40½-foot living room in addition to a formal dining room. The four-bedroom, 3½-bathroom home has a kitchen with quartz countertops and Thermador appliances. There is a fireplace, a detached one-car garage and an approximately 1,400-square-foot basement. Taxes on the 4,400-square-foot home are $17,340. Francesca Morrocu Blass, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, 516-883-2900.
$929,000
This $929,000 Port Washington home is nearly 1,700 square feet. Credit: Homemedia/Steve Bababekov
A 1930 piece of history, this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home has both a family room and a living room in addition to a formal dining room. The updated kitchen features stainless steel appliances and an exposed brick column. Outside the 1,668-square-foot house, a backyard patio steps up to an English-style landscaped garden. Taxes are $13,282. Gabrielle Roth-Zofchak, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 516-642-1320.
$695,000
This $695,000 Port Washington home has two bedrooms. Credit: Laffey Real Estate/Andriana Collazos
This Gatsby-era Colonial, maintained by the original family of owners, has two beds, one bath and modern appliances. There is an eat-in kitchen, full basement, backyard deck and detached single-car garage. Taxes are $12,533. Mary Chan, Laffey Real Estate, 516-984-0705.
RECENTLY SOLD
$790,000
Fairview Avenue
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 1½
Built 1928
Lot size 0.12 acre
Taxes $11,786
+/- List price -$89,000
Days on market 28
$1.07 million
Shadyside Avenue
Style Cape Cod
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 2
Built 1950
Lot size 0.14 acre
Taxes $15,401
+/- List price +$2,000
Days on market 25
$1.5 million
Summit Road
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 3
Built 1933
Lot size 0.26 acre
Taxes $15,775
+/- List price +$126,000
Days on market 9
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 46
Price range $668,000 to $4.5 million
Tax range $10,032 to $57,407
