Glen Head: Small town, Norman Rockwell vibes draw homebuyers (2024)

THE SCOOP With only 1.6 square miles of mostly single-family homes and one big country club, what Glen Head lacks in retail it makes up for with a bucolic charm that melts even die-hard New Yorkers' hearts.

"My wife dragged me here kicking and screaming," joked Brooklyn born-and-bred Terrence Kenniff, now head of the Gold Coast Business Association. A Glen Head resident for several years, he owns CoCo Confections and Coffee in next door Sea Cliff. Now, he said, "You couldn't pay me to leave and go back to New York City."

He and his wife chose Glen Head for its proximity to Brookville's LIU Post, where she attended graduate school. At first, he was frustrated by the small-town feel.

"When it snows, they don't plow here as fast as they do in the city," he said.

Glen Head: Small town, Norman Rockwellvibes draw homebuyers (1)

But then he saw howGlen Head School, where his son began third grade, had class sizes less than half that of the boy's Brooklyn school — and even though his son had been in a gifted-and-talented program, his new elementary's regular classes seemed more advanced, to the parents' delight. The incoming principal this fall is veteran educator and 2019 "Survivor" winner Tommy Sheehan.

"It's slower paced, but not to a point where you feel like you need a rocking chair," Kenniff said lightheartedly,comparing it toa "Norman Rockwell painting."

Glen Head also is home to North Shore Middle School, North Shore High School and the private Everbrook Academy, offering daycare, preschool, pre-K and afterschool programs for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years.

There is no central business district, but there are restaurants, greenhouse nurseries and other small businesses. The Gold Coast Public Library near the Long Island Rail Road station is getting a new building, set to open next year near Francis M. Gaynor Park, which has baseball and soccer fields and a playground.

While served by the Nassau County Police Department, Glen Head has its own firehouse. The volunteer Glenwood Fire Company Station 2 is an extension of the company in nearby Glenwood Landing.

Taking up a fair amount of the hamlet is the Glen Head Country Club, boasting an 18-hole golf course plus other amenities including tennis and pickleball courts, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a ballroom that seats 300.

House prices span a wide range, from about $869,000 to nearly $5 million.

Glen Head: Small town, Norman Rockwellvibes draw homebuyers (2)

CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are two co-ops, priced at $918,000 and $1.2 million, on the market.

SALE PRICES Between May 29, 2023, and May 28, 2024, there were 59 home sales with a median sale price of $890,000, according to OneKey MLS. During that period a year earlier, there were 78 home sales with a median sale price of $944,250.

OTHER STATS

Population 4,801

Median age 46

Median home value $895,000

Monthly LIRR ticket from Glen Head $287

School district, graduation rate North Shore (99.5%)

Library Gold Coast

Transit NICE Bus Route 27

Sources: 2022 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS via InfoSparks by ShowingTime; LIRR, data.nysed.gov

ON THE MARKET

$4.9 million

Glen Head: Small town, Norman Rockwellvibes draw homebuyers (3)

Set on 2 acres of manicured grounds, this 1989 Colonial opens onto a two-floor portico. Befitting its eight bedrooms and 7½bathrooms, it offers a formal dining room that can seat more than 20 guests. A finished basem*nt contains a home theater, dance floor, bar, pool table and playroom. The luxury estate has yearly taxes of $52,112.

$1.3 million

Glen Head: Small town, Norman Rockwellvibes draw homebuyers (4)

Built at the end of a cul-de-sac in 1954, this four-bed, 3½-bath home measures 2,400 square feet. The gourmet kitchen has radiant heated floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a wrap-around counter. In addition to a formal living room there is a sitting room, dining room, finished basem*nt and one-car garage. A second kitchen sits outside beside a heated inground pool. Annual taxes are $17,137. Nicholas Conti, Laffey Real Estate, 718-314-8577.

$869,000

Glen Head: Small town, Norman Rockwellvibes draw homebuyers (5)

With 1½baths — including a Jacuzzi — this 1,438-square-foot home on 0.14 acres has an eat-in kitchen, formal dining room and detached two-car garage with a mechanics pit. Built in 1924, the house has $13,850 in annual taxes. John A. Langone,Daniel Gale Sothebys International Reality, 516-901-9116.

RECENTLY SOLD

$1.5 million

High Farms Road

Style Colonial