Nassau County hamlet that's a 'community for all people'
Among Nassau County hamlets, New Cassel is one with a notably storied and enduring history of diversity. Formerly enslaved farmers tended to an agricultural landscape alongside Hessian settlers whose homeland gave the hamlet its name in the years following the American Revolution. Surrounded by communities that enacted race-restrictive covenants during the mid-20th-century suburbanization boom, it became an accessible place for Black and Latino Long Islanders to achieve suburban homeownership. Long decades of economic downturn and neglect brought a period of physical blight to the hamlet through the latter half of the century, but the 2000s saw the start of the New Cassel Community Visioning project, laying out the ways the Town of North Hempstead and New Cassel community leaders would work to revitalize the community. “New Cassel has more of a downtown area on Post Avenue – it's up-and-coming, they’ve been doing a wonderful job redeveloping,” says Thomas Nails, a Realtor at Coldwell Banker with 22 years of experience specializing in central Nassau County. Through the focused kinds of grassroots organizing that changes streetscapes and street names, the New Cassel of today continues to grow the diversity of business, entertainment and housing opportunities that combine to fulfill the promise enshrined on its welcome sign: Welcome to the Hamlet of New Cassel, A Community for All People.
New Cassel has a wide mixture of modern homes in the area.
New Cassel residents catch the train at the Westbury train station.
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Midcentury single-family homes on suburban streets from $500,000
Despite containing a lot of comparable midcentury homes, the average price of a house in New Cassel is more than $100,000 less than the average in neighboring Hicksville, with an even larger gap found across Old Country Road in Salisbury. “It’s a different price point – a good entry-level spot,” Nails notes. One trend that helps explain the price difference is a significantly smaller number of New Traditional homes being built by investors within New Cassel; there are far fewer active construction sites on streets dominated by Cape Cod and ranch-style homes in this hamlet than in its neighbors. Instead, residential blocks in New Cassel retain plenty of classic split-levels, raised ranches and larger Colonial Revival homes. Depending on renovation levels and square footage, homes sell for $500,000 to $1 million but can go for less if they need serious work. Homes of different sizes and styles are connected by narrow sidewalks, shaded by the occasional mature tree.
Multi-family townhouses are also an option for home buyers looking in New Cassel.
A row of colonial revival homes with well manicured lawns is found in New Cassel.
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K-12 and adult learning at Westbury Union Free public schools
Kids attend prekindergarten and kindergarten at Dryden Street School which earns a B-minus from Niche. Students will then move on to one of three Westbury Union Free School District elementary schools, though most New Cassel kids will attend Park Avenue School, which earns a C-plus. Westbury Middle School earns a C-plus, and Westbury High School earns a B. Outside of supporting young scholars working for their diplomas, the Westbury Union Free School District also runs programs for adults wanting experience in everything from new language to fitness classes through the Adult Continuing Education and Adult Learning Center programs out of local schools and the “Yes We Can” Community Center.
The courses at Dryden Street School encourage critical thinking and creativity in New Cassel.
Park Avenue School in New Cassel serves students in grades 1 - 5.
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Driving on the Wantagh State Parkway and following LIRR tracks to the Westbury station
Commuters drive up the Wantagh State toward the Northern State Parkway on the way to the Long Island Expressway, starting a roughly 30-mile drive to Manhattan. Long Island Rail Road trains pass through the hamlet, but do not stop; New Cassel does not have its own station. MTA users will need to head to the stations in neighboring Westbury or Hicksville for a roughly 40-minute ride into Penn Station. Nassau Inter-County Express buses stop along Prospect Avenue between Hicksville and Jamaica. For medical care beyond what’s available at Harmony Healthcare – Westbury, Nassau University Medical Center is a few miles from home. John F. Kennedy International Airport is about 22 miles away.
Shopping and dining on Prospect Avenue and Old Country Road
Prospect Avenue used to be a four-lane road, signaling to passers-through to keep on moving, and to New Cassel residents that their community was not an easily traversable shopping district. A new street sign stands between the now two-lane road and the First Baptist Cathedral of Westbury, ceremonially renamed Bishop Lionel Harvey Way after the community leader who has long rallied for community upgrades including the addition of bike lanes and traffic-controlling medians to Prospect Avenue. Along this reimagined commercial strip, mixed-use buildings house first-floor tenants like the Ideal Food Basket of Westbury supermarket, the local pharmacy and small specialty businesses. Fast-casual restaurants supply menus spanning seafood boils, Haitian staples and Latin American comfort foods. Old Country Road makes up the hamlet’s southern border, where shoppers can stop at Hicksville Stop & Shop or head to the sprawling Roosevelt Field shopping mall a few miles in the opposite direction.
Tesoro is an inviting, down-home trattoria serving up traditional Italian cuisine in New Cassel.
Fine Fare Market is another option for food shopping in New Cassel.
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Pollinator gardens, basketball courts and the Long Island Nets at Martin “Bunky” Reid Park
The centralized collection of sports courts, shady walking paths and grassy fields at Martin “Bunky” Reid Park have been a part of New Cassel across decades, but new playground equipment and pollinator gardens installed in the past several years have brought a new buzz to the longtime community forum – and not just from the bees. The Town of North Hempstead swimming pool is open to residents through the summer months. Bunky Reid is also the name of the local All-Stars youth athletic league, and age group-spanning basketball practices, games and tournaments take over park’s courts and those at the nearby “Yes We Can” Community Center throughout the year. Visitors making use of Yes We Can’s fitness center or community rooms might run into members of the Long Island Nets, a D-League Brooklyn Nets affiliate that practices in New Cassel. Eisenhower Park, one of the most popular in Nassau County, sprawls plenty of other recreation facilities across an acreage that dwarfs New York’s Central Park just a couple miles south of New Cassel.
Decorative and colorful art can be found throughout the Martin Bunky Reid Park near New Cassel.
New Cassel locals enjoy countless amenities throughout 930 acres of open space at East Meadow's Eisenhower Park.
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Events at Martin “Bunky” Reid Park and the First Baptist Cathedral
Martin “Bunky” Reid Park often hosts community events, from the end-of-summer National Night Out to the occasional free movie night thrown by the town of North Hempstead’s recreation department. The Community Connections Farmers’ Market brings a bounty of fresh produce to the First Baptist Cathedral of Westbury’s parking lot on Saturday afternoons from July through October. Patrons might recognize the young faces manning the stands; Westbury high schoolers love building their resumes and gaining community service experience by taking charge of the youth-run market.
Many soccer fields are available for practice at Cantiague Park and other parks near New Cassel.
Farmers Markets are common around the New Cassel area.
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Written By
Hannah Rainey
Photography Contributed By
J. Michael DeMeo
Video By
Luke Basinger
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Yadlynd Cherubin,
an experienced agent in this area.
GreatSchools:
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On average, homes in New Cassel, NY sell after 47 days on the market compared to the national average of 50 days. The median sale price for homes in New Cassel, NY over the last 12 months is $655,000, up 35% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
Huge mother/daughter home. Comes with a huge extension at the rear. The property is being sold AS-IS. Extension not filed for on blueprint.***ALL CASH OR 203K LOAN WITH A MINIMUM OF 3.5% DOWN ARE ACCEPTED***
This spacious 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home offers modern updates throughout. Enjoy two renovated bathrooms and a stylish kitchen, perfect for everyday living. The gleaming hardwood floors add warmth and charm to the bright, open layout. Located on a quiet dead-end street, you'll have peace and privacy while being close to everything you need. A wonderful place to call home!
Huge mother/daughter home. Comes with a huge extension at the rear. The property is being sold AS-IS. Extension not filed for on blueprint.***ALL CASH OR 203K LOAN WITH A MINIMUM OF 3.5% DOWN ARE ACCEPTED***
South-West Facing Beautiful Salisbury Estates Split with East Meadow Schools!This beautiful home features a Living room, formal dining room with sliding doors to the backyard and a large eat-in kitchen with a skylight and plenty of cabinets.The upper bedroom area has three bedrooms, with a large primary and an en-suite bathroom, a second bedroom and a smaller third bedroom. The second full
on 3rd whole floor 12,000 Sqft. for Rent $23,000 included tax per month. Beautifully equipped the all kinds of office equipment like Desks,chairs,Cabinets and so on. private elevator for 3rd floor only. and lots of parking spaces. It is possible to purchase the Building by options around $6,500,000
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
