East Rockaway

Following the Mill River as it travels inland, East Rockaway is a thriving village that offers residents access to local restaurants, summer entertainment and proximity to Long Beach and Atlantic Beach, which are 5 miles and 8 miles away respectively. Commuters find that Manhattan isn’t far away, either, as the train goes from Centre Avenue Station to Pennsylvania Station in about 45 minutes. “It’s a great neighborhood,” says Ronnie Gerber, a licensed real estate salesperson at Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

East Rockaway’s pretty streets, edged with sidewalks and dotted with trees, are lined with a wide variety of homes. According to Gerber, a small bungalow in the village starts at around $300,000, while larger homes can reach over $1 million. This variety makes the village great for both first-time homebuyers and established homeowners looking to buy a bigger property. Like other areas in Long Island, the market in East Rockaway is currently incredibly competitive. “There’s very little inventory,” Gerber says. “So when a house comes up, everybody is running for it.” As a result, prospective homebuyers should be aware of this competition and be ready to jump on the opportunity when they find a home they love.

Children in East Rockaway attend one of two school districts. The majority of the village falls into the East Rockaway Union Free School District, which has a B rating on Niche. These children begin their education at Centre Avenue or Rhame Avenue Elementary School. When they reach seventh grade, students move to East Rockaway High School, where students have the opportunity to receive qualifications like the New York State Seal of Biliteracy and Seal of Civic Readiness. Children in a small northern portion of East Rockaway are instead served by the Lynbrook Union Free School District, which has an A-plus on Niche and serves as a big draw to the village. These children start off at a school like Marion Street Elementary School before moving on to Lynbrook South Middle School and Lynbrook High School. The high school has an A-plus on Niche and provides students with extracurricular activities like a student diversity council as well as robotics and American Sign Language clubs. Potential homebuyers who prefer one school district over the other will need to pay attention to which district the homes they’re looking at fall into.

When they want to spend time outdoors, residents often walk along Memorial Park’s shaded paths or bring their children to play on the park’s playground. The park is also home to the historical Grist Mill, which is a restored 325-year-old mill with a second life as a museum that’s open to the public on the weekends. Every year, the Grist Mill Committee hosts the Huckleberry Frolic, which is one of the village’s biggest community events, in Memorial Park. Residents flock to the festival to enjoy a parade, carnival games and rides, crafts, food, live music and more.

On the way home from work, residents can stop by Lidl for groceries or eat dinner at one of the village’s many restaurants. When the weather’s nice, meet friends at Lazy Lobster to sit on the patio and enjoy live music while you fill up on the best lobster rolls around. Or if you want to kick back and relax at home, pick up pizza at Villa Maria. East Rockaway proves that you can live in the quiet suburbs without giving up the conveniences of great dining close to home or proximity to popular destinations like the beach, providing entertainment when you want it while ensuring you always have a peaceful home to return to every night.

Written By

Tina Davis

Photography Contributed By

Jeff Siegel

Video By

Stewart Taveras