Great Neck, New York
Encyclopedia
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore
of Long Island
, which includes the village of Great Neck
, the village of Great Neck Estates
, the village of Great Neck Plaza
, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success
and the border of Queens
. The incorporated village of Great Neck had a population of 9,989 at the 2010 census, while the larger Great Neck area comprises a residential community of some 40,000 people in nine villages and hamlets in the town of North Hempstead, of which Great Neck is the northwestern quadrant. Larger Great Neck has five postal zones (11020–11024) and one school district.
The hamlets are census-designated place
s that consolidate various unincorporated areas. They are statistical entities and are not recognized locally. However, there are locally recognized Harbor Hills, Saddle Rock Estates, University Gardens, and Manhasset neighborhoods within the hamlet areas. The Manhasset
neighborhood (in zip code 11030) is not considered part of Great Neck. The part of the Hamlet of Manhasset that is considered part of Great Neck includes the Great Neck Manor neighborhood. Great Neck Gardens
is featured on many maps as a name of one such hamlet, even as the name is used rarely if ever by local residents.
Larger Great Neck is a 25-minute commute from Manhattan
's Penn Station
on the Port Washington Branch
of the Long Island Rail Road
via the Great Neck
station, which is one of the most frequently served in the entire system. Long Island Bus connects the villages to the train station and offers service to several destinations in Nassau and Queens from the station, while the southern part of the Great Neck area can also directly access the Q46 New York City Bus on Union Turnpike
at the border with Glen Oaks
and the Q12 bus on Northern Boulevard
at the border with Little Neck
.
, the village has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), of which 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²), or 1.46%, is water.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 9,538 people, 3,346 households, and 2,552 families residing in the village. The population density
was 7,062.3 people per square mile (2,727.9/km2). There were 3,441 housing units at an average density of 2,547.9 per square mile (984.1/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 85.33% White, 2.82% African American, 0.10% Native American, 4.94% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.28% from other races
, and 3.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.17% of the population.
As of 2000 Great Neck was the second most ethnic Iranian populated place in the United States with 21.1% of its population reporting Iranian ancestry.
There were 3,346 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples
living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $76,645, and the median income for a family was $89,733. Males had a median income of $52,445 versus $37,476 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $38,790. About 5.5% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
Great Neck has been reported as one of the most affluent towns in the state of New York.
Westernmost portion of the Hamlet of Manhasset, that lies between the villages of Thomaston and Lake Success and has Great Neck postal codes (1102x).
. The area had previously been inhabited by the Mattinecock Native Americans.
During the late 19th century Great Neck was the rail head of the New York and Flushing Railroad, and began the process of converting from a farm village into a commuter town
.
In more recent days, Great Neck—in particular the Village of Kings Point—provided a backdrop to F. Scott Fitzgerald
's book The Great Gatsby
. It was thinly disguised as "West Egg," in counterpoint to Manor Haven/Sands Point
, which was the inspiration for the more posh "East Egg" (the next peninsula over on Long Island Sound
), Great Neck symbolized the decadence of the Roaring Twenties
as it extended out from New York City into the then-remote suburbs. The Great Gatsby's themes and characters reflected the real-world transformation that Great Neck was experiencing at the time, as show-business personalities like Sid Caesar
and the Marx Brothers
bought homes in the hamlet and eventually established it as a haven for Jews, formerly of Brooklyn
and the Bronx
.
In 1943, the United States Merchant Marine Academy
was founded at the former location of Walter P. Chrysler's
palatial estate in Kings Point. It is the only Academy or College in Great Neck.
The end of World War II
saw a tremendous migration of Ashkenazi Jews
from the cramped quarters to the burgeoning suburb. They founded many synagogues and community groups and pushed for stringent educational policies in the town's public schools. Jay Cantor's 2003 novel, Great Neck, portrays the eponymous town of this era, with recently installed residents of all stripes trying to secure the brightest futures for their children.
During the 1960s, many residents frequented the local pool and ice-skating complex, Parkwood, which was extensively renovated in 2007 and 2008, after which its patronage dramatically increased following years of decline as homeowners built their own in-ground pools. (After the events of September 11, 2001
, the ice-skating rink was renamed in honor of Andrew Stergiopoulos, a local resident who was killed in the attack).
Things have changed in Great Neck since the Baby Boomer
era. In the 1980s, an influx of affluent Iranian Jews
who left their country following the 1979 Islamic Revolution
settled in Great Neck. Though the majority of their children attended Great Neck schools, they did not integrate into the existing Ashkenazi synagogues, instead starting their own Iranian synagogues, where they could follow Mizrahi
traditions. The Persian community also established its own grocery shops.
From the late 1990s, the Great Neck peninsula has been home to another Jewish shift. During this time, more observant, Orthodox Jews have moved to the area. This is a similar trend to what has happened in the Five Towns
area on the South Shore
of Long Island, although Reform
and Conservative
Jews appear to remain predominant in Great Neck.
On one road, Old Mill Road, there are three synagogues representing the three main branches of American Judaism: Temple Beth-El (Reform), Great Neck Synagogue (Orthodox), and Temple Israel of Great Neck (Conservative). Old Mill Road also has an honorific extra naming, "Waxman Way," in memory of Temple Israel's renowned rabbi, Mordechai Waxman, who led the congregation for 50 years.
Also beginning in the late 1990s and continuing till present day, a number of East Asia
ns, predominantly Chinese
and Korean, have been moving into the area. Many of these families move to Great Neck for a better environment for their children as well as the well-known public school education. Great Neck's proximity to ethnic enclaves such as Flushing
and Bayside
make it ideal for East Asians.
The general trend is that the northern part of Great Neck (north of the LIRR tracks) has a greater number of Iran
ian families, while the southern part (south of the LIRR tracks) has a larger East Asians population. The African-American
population is low in all of Great Neck.
Besides the synagogues, Great Neck also includes St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, All Saints Episcopal Church, St. Paul Episcopal Church, Korean United Methodist Church, Peace Presbyterian Church, First Baptist Church, St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church and Community Church of Great Neck, as well as the non-denominational chapel at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. A LDS Church is located just over the border in Little Neck
, near two additional synagogues.
The Parkwood pool and skating rink complex, the Village Green and sections of Kings Point Park are managed by the Great Neck Park District. The park district serves all of Great Neck except the villages of Saddle Rock, Great Neck Estates, and Lake Success, and the neighborhoods (not hamlets) of Harbor Hills and University Gardens. The areas not served by the Great Neck Park District each have their own facilities for their residents, run by the villages or civic associations.
Parkwood can also provide tennis lessons and skating lessons. During the summer it is a part of the Great Neck day camp program, where young campers use the swimming pool facilities.
Complex from 1947 through 1952, the United Nations was temporarily headquartered at the Sperry Corporation
facility in the Great Neck community of Lake Success
due to its proximity to Manhattan
. Eleanor Roosevelt
headed the UN Commission on Human Rights at this location.
's Sixth Precinct, as is the rest of Great Neck except for the villages of Great Neck Estates, Kings Point, Kensington and Lake Success. Those villages have their own police departments, which are reinforced by the NCPD during any criminal activity, event, or other incident that falls outside the realm of "routine."
Great Neck is served by three all-volunteer fire departments. The Great Neck Alert Fire Company was founded in 1901. The Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company was founded in 1904. Company 3 of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department was founded in 1912, and Company 4 of the M-LFD was founded in 1926. Alert covers the northern part of the peninsula, including the Village of Great Neck, providing fire and heavy rescue response. Vigilant serves the middle portion of Great Neck with fire and heavy rescue response. The Vigilant Fire Company also provides emergency ambulance services to both its own territory and Alert's, due to the fact that Alert does not operate an ambulance. M-LFD Co. 3 and 4 serve the southern part of Great Neck, including the villages of Thomaston and Lake Success. These two companies offer fire and rescue services. The M-LFD Ambulance Unit operates two ambulances out of Co. 3's firehouse. In addition, the Nassau County Police Emergency Ambulance Bureau also provides EMS service to the Manhasset-Lakeville fire district.
, serves primarily as a "bedroom" community for New York City. As such, it contains few "touristy" attractions. Notable exceptions include:
lived in Great Neck in the 1920s, at six Gateway Drive in Great Neck Estates. He lived here in a modest house not dissimilar to that of Nick, the protagonist of his novel, The Great Gatsby
. It is said that Fitzgerald modeled West Egg—the fictional town in which Nick lives—after his own Great Neck (specifically Kings Point
) and the atmosphere and lifestyle there; and he modeled East Egg after Great Neck's eastern neighbor, Port Washington
, or, more specifically, Sands Point.
system serving the community of Great Neck. There are four branches, located throughout the Great Neck peninsula: Main, Station, Parkville, and Lakeville.
of most of larger Great Neck. It also includes parts of unincorporated New Hyde Park
and Manhasset Hills
. A small part of eastern Great Neck around Northern Boulevard is part of the Manhasset Union Free School District, whose students attend Manhasset High School.
About 6,200 students, grades K-12, attend the Great Neck Public Schools. There are three high schools: North, South, and Village (a small alternative high school). There is a districtwide, alternative high school program, SEAL Academy (Supportive Environment for All Learners). There are also two middle schools and four elementary schools. Students have diverse backgrounds; they come from more than 40 countries and represent a broad socioeconomic range.
Great Neck's two major high schools are rated among the top in the country. Its students have been frequent finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search
, and Great Neck has produced several Intel STS winners since 1999. In addition, the district has produced several high school winners of the international First Step to the Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded in Poland. In the 2008 Newsweek
magazine's annual list of the top 1,300 American high school
s, Great Neck South is ranked 49th, and Great Neck North is ranked 68th.
North Shore (Long Island)
The North Shore of Long Island is the area along Long Island's northern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. The region has long been the most affluent on Long Island, as well as the most affluent in the New York metropolitan area, which has earned it the nickname "the Gold Coast." Though some...
of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, which includes the village of Great Neck
Great Neck (village), New York
Great Neck is a village in the town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, in the U.S., on the North Shore of Long Island. It sits on the New York City / Nassau County border...
, the village of Great Neck Estates
Great Neck Estates, New York
Great Neck Estates is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 2,761 at the 2010 census.The Village of Great Neck Estates is in the Town of North Hempstead...
, the village of Great Neck Plaza
Great Neck Plaza, New York
Great Neck Plaza is a village in the town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 6,707 at the 2010 census....
, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success
Lake Success, New York
Lake Success is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 2,934 at the 2010 census.Lake Success is in the Town of North Hempstead on northwest Long Island. Lake Success was the temporary home of the United Nations from 1946 to 1951, occupying the headquarters of...
and the border of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. The incorporated village of Great Neck had a population of 9,989 at the 2010 census, while the larger Great Neck area comprises a residential community of some 40,000 people in nine villages and hamlets in the town of North Hempstead, of which Great Neck is the northwestern quadrant. Larger Great Neck has five postal zones (11020–11024) and one school district.
The hamlets are census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
s that consolidate various unincorporated areas. They are statistical entities and are not recognized locally. However, there are locally recognized Harbor Hills, Saddle Rock Estates, University Gardens, and Manhasset neighborhoods within the hamlet areas. The Manhasset
Manhasset, New York
Manhasset is a hamlet and neighborhood in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 8,080....
neighborhood (in zip code 11030) is not considered part of Great Neck. The part of the Hamlet of Manhasset that is considered part of Great Neck includes the Great Neck Manor neighborhood. Great Neck Gardens
Great Neck Gardens, New York
Great Neck Gardens is an unincorporated area of the Town of North Hempstead, New York located on the Great Neck peninsula of Nassau County, New York. The population was 1,186 at the 2010 census...
is featured on many maps as a name of one such hamlet, even as the name is used rarely if ever by local residents.
Larger Great Neck is a 25-minute commute from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
on the Port Washington Branch
Port Washington Branch
The Port Washington Branch is an electrified two-track rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York...
of the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
via the Great Neck
Great Neck (LIRR station)
Great Neck is a station in the village of Great Neck Plaza, on the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is the first station on the branch in Nassau County. The station is at Middle Neck Road and Station Plaza at Great Neck Road, 1/4 mile north of Northern Boulevard, and is ...
station, which is one of the most frequently served in the entire system. Long Island Bus connects the villages to the train station and offers service to several destinations in Nassau and Queens from the station, while the southern part of the Great Neck area can also directly access the Q46 New York City Bus on Union Turnpike
Union Turnpike (New York)
Union Turnpike is a thoroughfare stretching across central and eastern Queens in New York City. It runs from Myrtle Avenue in Glendale to Marcus Avenue in North New Hyde Park, about a mile into Nassau County, New York. Initially designed as a toll road, it takes a straight-arrow path from Kew...
at the border with Glen Oaks
Glen Oaks, Queens
Glen Oaks is a neighborhood in the easternmost portion of the New York City Borough of Queens. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.-Location:...
and the Q12 bus on Northern Boulevard
New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25A is a state highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore of Long Island, running from the Queens Midtown Tunnel in the New York City borough of Queens at its western terminus to...
at the border with Little Neck
Little Neck, Queens
Little Neck is a community in the northeast corner of Queens County, bordered on the north by Little Neck Bay and on the east by Great Neck in Nassau County. Due to this proximity to Nassau, Little Neck remains one of the most suburban-looking areas in New York City. The southern border is the...
.
Demographics
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), of which 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²), or 1.46%, is water.
As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 9,538 people, 3,346 households, and 2,552 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 7,062.3 people per square mile (2,727.9/km2). There were 3,441 housing units at an average density of 2,547.9 per square mile (984.1/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 85.33% White, 2.82% African American, 0.10% Native American, 4.94% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.28% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.17% of the population.
As of 2000 Great Neck was the second most ethnic Iranian populated place in the United States with 21.1% of its population reporting Iranian ancestry.
There were 3,346 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $76,645, and the median income for a family was $89,733. Males had a median income of $52,445 versus $37,476 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $38,790. About 5.5% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
Great Neck has been reported as one of the most affluent towns in the state of New York.
Communities comprising larger Great Neck
- Village of Great NeckGreat Neck (village), New YorkGreat Neck is a village in the town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, in the U.S., on the North Shore of Long Island. It sits on the New York City / Nassau County border...
- Great Neck EstatesGreat Neck Estates, New YorkGreat Neck Estates is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 2,761 at the 2010 census.The Village of Great Neck Estates is in the Town of North Hempstead...
- Great Neck PlazaGreat Neck Plaza, New YorkGreat Neck Plaza is a village in the town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 6,707 at the 2010 census....
- KensingtonKensington, New YorkKensington is a village and a part of Great Neck in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 1,161 at the 2010 census.The Village of Kensington is in the Town of North Hempstead...
- Kings PointKings Point, New YorkKings Point is a village and a part of Great Neck in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 5,005.The Village of Kings Point is in the Town of North Hempstead...
- Lake SuccessLake Success, New YorkLake Success is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 2,934 at the 2010 census.Lake Success is in the Town of North Hempstead on northwest Long Island. Lake Success was the temporary home of the United Nations from 1946 to 1951, occupying the headquarters of...
- Russell GardensRussell Gardens, New YorkRussell Gardens is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 945 at the 2010 census.The Village of Russell Gardens is in the Town of North Hempstead...
- Saddle RockSaddle Rock, New YorkSaddle Rock is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 830 at the 2010 census.The Village of Saddle Rock is in the Town of North Hempstead...
- ThomastonThomaston, New YorkThomaston is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 2,617 at the 2010 census.The Village of Thomaston is in the Town of North Hempstead...
- Great Neck GardensGreat Neck Gardens, New YorkGreat Neck Gardens is an unincorporated area of the Town of North Hempstead, New York located on the Great Neck peninsula of Nassau County, New York. The population was 1,186 at the 2010 census...
- Harbor HillsHarbor Hills, New YorkHarbor Hills is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 575 at the 2010 census.Harbor Hills is a community in the Town of North Hempstead.-Geography:...
- Saddle Rock EstatesSaddle Rock Estates, New YorkSaddle Rock Estates is a census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 466 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Saddle Rock Estates is located at ....
- University GardensUniversity Gardens, New YorkUniversity Gardens is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 4,226 at the 2010 census.University Gardens is a community in the western part of the Town of North Hempstead.-Geography:...
- Little NeckLittle Neck, QueensLittle Neck is a community in the northeast corner of Queens County, bordered on the north by Little Neck Bay and on the east by Great Neck in Nassau County. Due to this proximity to Nassau, Little Neck remains one of the most suburban-looking areas in New York City. The southern border is the...
Westernmost portion of the Hamlet of Manhasset, that lies between the villages of Thomaston and Lake Success and has Great Neck postal codes (1102x).
History
Great Neck, originally called "Madnan's Neck", was settled by whites in the late 17th century, not long after settlers landed on Plymouth RockPlymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock is the traditional site of disembarkation of William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. It is an important symbol in American history...
. The area had previously been inhabited by the Mattinecock Native Americans.
During the late 19th century Great Neck was the rail head of the New York and Flushing Railroad, and began the process of converting from a farm village into a commuter town
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
.
In more recent days, Great Neck—in particular the Village of Kings Point—provided a backdrop to F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
's book The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
. It was thinly disguised as "West Egg," in counterpoint to Manor Haven/Sands Point
Sands Point, New York
Sands Point is a village located at the northernmost tip of the Cow Neck Peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County, New York. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,675. The Incorporated Village of Sands Point is in the Town of North...
, which was the inspiration for the more posh "East Egg" (the next peninsula over on Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
), Great Neck symbolized the decadence of the Roaring Twenties
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism...
as it extended out from New York City into the then-remote suburbs. The Great Gatsby's themes and characters reflected the real-world transformation that Great Neck was experiencing at the time, as show-business personalities like Sid Caesar
Sid Caesar
Isaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
and the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
bought homes in the hamlet and eventually established it as a haven for Jews, formerly of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
.
In 1943, the United States Merchant Marine Academy
United States Merchant Marine Academy
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States Service academies...
was founded at the former location of Walter P. Chrysler's
Walter Chrysler
Walter Percy Chrysler was an American machinist, railroad mechanic and manager, automotive industry executive, Freemason, and founder of the Chrysler Corporation.- Railroad career :...
palatial estate in Kings Point. It is the only Academy or College in Great Neck.
The end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
saw a tremendous migration of Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
from the cramped quarters to the burgeoning suburb. They founded many synagogues and community groups and pushed for stringent educational policies in the town's public schools. Jay Cantor's 2003 novel, Great Neck, portrays the eponymous town of this era, with recently installed residents of all stripes trying to secure the brightest futures for their children.
During the 1960s, many residents frequented the local pool and ice-skating complex, Parkwood, which was extensively renovated in 2007 and 2008, after which its patronage dramatically increased following years of decline as homeowners built their own in-ground pools. (After the events of September 11, 2001
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, the ice-skating rink was renamed in honor of Andrew Stergiopoulos, a local resident who was killed in the attack).
Things have changed in Great Neck since the Baby Boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
era. In the 1980s, an influx of affluent Iranian Jews
Persian Jews
Persian Jews , are Jews historically associated with Iran, traditionally known as Persia in Western sources.Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran. The Book of Esther contains some references to the experiences of Jews in Persia...
who left their country following the 1979 Islamic Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
settled in Great Neck. Though the majority of their children attended Great Neck schools, they did not integrate into the existing Ashkenazi synagogues, instead starting their own Iranian synagogues, where they could follow Mizrahi
Mizrahi Jews
Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahiyim, , also referred to as Adot HaMizrach are Jews descended from the Jewish communities of the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus...
traditions. The Persian community also established its own grocery shops.
From the late 1990s, the Great Neck peninsula has been home to another Jewish shift. During this time, more observant, Orthodox Jews have moved to the area. This is a similar trend to what has happened in the Five Towns
Five Towns
The Five Towns is an informal grouping of villages and hamlets in Nassau County, New York, United States on the South Shore of western Long Island adjoining the border with Queens County in New York City. Despite the name, none of the communities is a town...
area on the South Shore
South Shore (Long Island)
The South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York, is the area along Long Island's Atlantic Ocean shoreline. Though some consider the South Shore to include parts of Queens, particularly the beach communities in the Rockaways such as Belle Harbor, the term is generally used to refer to...
of Long Island, although Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
and Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
Jews appear to remain predominant in Great Neck.
On one road, Old Mill Road, there are three synagogues representing the three main branches of American Judaism: Temple Beth-El (Reform), Great Neck Synagogue (Orthodox), and Temple Israel of Great Neck (Conservative). Old Mill Road also has an honorific extra naming, "Waxman Way," in memory of Temple Israel's renowned rabbi, Mordechai Waxman, who led the congregation for 50 years.
Also beginning in the late 1990s and continuing till present day, a number of East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
ns, predominantly Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
and Korean, have been moving into the area. Many of these families move to Great Neck for a better environment for their children as well as the well-known public school education. Great Neck's proximity to ethnic enclaves such as Flushing
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
and Bayside
Bayside, Queens
Bayside is a suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York, New York in the United States. Bayside is known as one of the most expensive areas to live in Queens, with well kept homes and landscaping...
make it ideal for East Asians.
The general trend is that the northern part of Great Neck (north of the LIRR tracks) has a greater number of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian families, while the southern part (south of the LIRR tracks) has a larger East Asians population. The African-American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
population is low in all of Great Neck.
Besides the synagogues, Great Neck also includes St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, All Saints Episcopal Church, St. Paul Episcopal Church, Korean United Methodist Church, Peace Presbyterian Church, First Baptist Church, St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church and Community Church of Great Neck, as well as the non-denominational chapel at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. A LDS Church is located just over the border in Little Neck
Little Neck, Queens
Little Neck is a community in the northeast corner of Queens County, bordered on the north by Little Neck Bay and on the east by Great Neck in Nassau County. Due to this proximity to Nassau, Little Neck remains one of the most suburban-looking areas in New York City. The southern border is the...
, near two additional synagogues.
The Parkwood pool and skating rink complex, the Village Green and sections of Kings Point Park are managed by the Great Neck Park District. The park district serves all of Great Neck except the villages of Saddle Rock, Great Neck Estates, and Lake Success, and the neighborhoods (not hamlets) of Harbor Hills and University Gardens. The areas not served by the Great Neck Park District each have their own facilities for their residents, run by the villages or civic associations.
Parkwood can also provide tennis lessons and skating lessons. During the summer it is a part of the Great Neck day camp program, where young campers use the swimming pool facilities.
Home of the United Nations (1947–1952)
During the construction of the current complex United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Complex from 1947 through 1952, the United Nations was temporarily headquartered at the Sperry Corporation
Sperry Corporation
Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the twentieth century...
facility in the Great Neck community of Lake Success
Lake Success, New York
Lake Success is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 2,934 at the 2010 census.Lake Success is in the Town of North Hempstead on northwest Long Island. Lake Success was the temporary home of the United Nations from 1946 to 1951, occupying the headquarters of...
due to its proximity to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
headed the UN Commission on Human Rights at this location.
Emergency services
The Village of Great Neck is protected by the Nassau County Police DepartmentNassau County Police Department
The Nassau County Police Department is the law enforcement agency of Nassau County, New York.-History:In 1925, concerned about rising crime rates, the County Board of Supervisors voted to create the Nassau County Police Department, replacing a scattered system of constables and town and village...
's Sixth Precinct, as is the rest of Great Neck except for the villages of Great Neck Estates, Kings Point, Kensington and Lake Success. Those villages have their own police departments, which are reinforced by the NCPD during any criminal activity, event, or other incident that falls outside the realm of "routine."
Great Neck is served by three all-volunteer fire departments. The Great Neck Alert Fire Company was founded in 1901. The Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company was founded in 1904. Company 3 of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department was founded in 1912, and Company 4 of the M-LFD was founded in 1926. Alert covers the northern part of the peninsula, including the Village of Great Neck, providing fire and heavy rescue response. Vigilant serves the middle portion of Great Neck with fire and heavy rescue response. The Vigilant Fire Company also provides emergency ambulance services to both its own territory and Alert's, due to the fact that Alert does not operate an ambulance. M-LFD Co. 3 and 4 serve the southern part of Great Neck, including the villages of Thomaston and Lake Success. These two companies offer fire and rescue services. The M-LFD Ambulance Unit operates two ambulances out of Co. 3's firehouse. In addition, the Nassau County Police Emergency Ambulance Bureau also provides EMS service to the Manhasset-Lakeville fire district.
Culture and tourism
Currently, Great Neck, connected to New York City by the Long Island Rail RoadLong Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
, serves primarily as a "bedroom" community for New York City. As such, it contains few "touristy" attractions. Notable exceptions include:
- Saddle Rock Grist Mill, a historical grain-mill powered by tides; known to have been in operation as early as the 18th century.
- United States Merchant Marine AcademyUnited States Merchant Marine AcademyThe United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States Service academies...
in Kings Point - Steppingstone Park, formerly part of the Walter P. ChryslerWalter ChryslerWalter Percy Chrysler was an American machinist, railroad mechanic and manager, automotive industry executive, Freemason, and founder of the Chrysler Corporation.- Railroad career :...
estate in Kings Point. Offers summer concerts every Saturday night. - Kings Point Park
- Great Neck Arts Center
- Great Neck Plaza Shopping District
- Handful of Keys, a trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) mural painted by Willian Cochran located in Great Neck Plaza
- Great Neck Promenade Nights- Several summer nights in Great Neck's thriving Downtown area, the streets are closed off and local restaurants bring all of their seating outdoors for a festival evening of dining, live music, and entertainment.
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
lived in Great Neck in the 1920s, at six Gateway Drive in Great Neck Estates. He lived here in a modest house not dissimilar to that of Nick, the protagonist of his novel, The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
. It is said that Fitzgerald modeled West Egg—the fictional town in which Nick lives—after his own Great Neck (specifically Kings Point
Kings Point, New York
Kings Point is a village and a part of Great Neck in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 5,005.The Village of Kings Point is in the Town of North Hempstead...
) and the atmosphere and lifestyle there; and he modeled East Egg after Great Neck's eastern neighbor, Port Washington
Port Washington, New York
Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the community population was 15,846....
, or, more specifically, Sands Point.
Libraries
Great Neck Library is the public libraryPublic library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
system serving the community of Great Neck. There are four branches, located throughout the Great Neck peninsula: Main, Station, Parkville, and Lakeville.
Great Neck School District
The Great Neck Union Free School District is the school districtSchool district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
of most of larger Great Neck. It also includes parts of unincorporated New Hyde Park
New Hyde Park, New York
New Hyde Park is a village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island.The population of the Village of New Hyde Park was 9,712 at the 2010 census...
and Manhasset Hills
Manhasset Hills, New York
Manhasset Hills is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 3,592 at the 2010 census. Manhasset Hills is an unincorporated area of the Town of North Hempstead...
. A small part of eastern Great Neck around Northern Boulevard is part of the Manhasset Union Free School District, whose students attend Manhasset High School.
About 6,200 students, grades K-12, attend the Great Neck Public Schools. There are three high schools: North, South, and Village (a small alternative high school). There is a districtwide, alternative high school program, SEAL Academy (Supportive Environment for All Learners). There are also two middle schools and four elementary schools. Students have diverse backgrounds; they come from more than 40 countries and represent a broad socioeconomic range.
- High Schools:
- Great Neck North High SchoolGreat Neck North High SchoolJohn L. Miller Great Neck North High School or simply "North High," or "North," is a public high school, including grades 9 through 12, in the village of Great Neck, New York, operated by the Great Neck School District...
- Great Neck South High School
- Village School (Alternative high school)
- Middle Schools:
- Great Neck North Middle SchoolGreat Neck North Middle SchoolRichard S. Sherman Great Neck North Middle School or simply "North Middle" is a junior high school, comprising grades 6 through 8. It is located on 77 Polo Road in Great Neck as part of the Great Neck School District...
- Great Neck South Middle School
- Elementary Schools:
- E. M. Baker Elementary School
- John F. Kennedy Elementary School
- Lakeville Elementary SchoolLakeville Elementary SchoolLakeville Elementary School is an American elementary school that was named a 2009 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, the US Department of Education's highest award. It is located in Lake Success, serving students in grades 1 through 5 as well as kindergarten. Kindergarten classes are held at the...
- Saddle Rock Elementary SchoolSaddle Rock Elementary SchoolSaddle Rock Elementary School or simply "Saddle Rock" is an elementary school, comprising grades Kindergarten through 5. It is a public school located in Great Neck, New York, USA as part of the Great Neck School District...
- Nursery School:
- Parkville School
- Adult Centers:
- Cumberland
- Clover Drive
Great Neck's two major high schools are rated among the top in the country. Its students have been frequent finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search
Intel Science Talent Search
The Intel Science Talent Search , known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search is a research-based science competition in the United States for high school seniors. It has been referred to as "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" science competition. In his speech...
, and Great Neck has produced several Intel STS winners since 1999. In addition, the district has produced several high school winners of the international First Step to the Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded in Poland. In the 2008 Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine's annual list of the top 1,300 American high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s, Great Neck South is ranked 49th, and Great Neck North is ranked 68th.
Notable people
- Dan AhdootDan AhdootDan Ahdoot is a stand-up comedian who primarily performs in New York City. He is well-known for being a contestant in NBC's reality TV show Last Comic Standing and for performing on Comedy Central's Premium Blend.-Early life:...
, comedian. - David BaltimoreDavid BaltimoreDavid Baltimore is an American biologist, university administrator, and Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine. He served as president of the California Institute of Technology from 1997 to 2006, and is currently the Robert A. Millikan Professor of Biology at Caltech...
(born 1938), Nobel prize winning biologist and former president of Caltech (former resident and high school graduate). - Nikki Blonsky (born 1988), actress who starred as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 version of HairsprayHairspray (2007 film)Hairspray is a 2007 musical film produced by Kolaja Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John...
and in HaroldHarold (film)Harold is a 2008 American comedy film, co-written by Greg Fields and T. Sean Shannon, starring Spencer Breslin, Cuba Gooding Jr., Nikki Blonsky, Ally Sheedy and Stella Maeve. The film is T. Sean Shannon's first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, which itself...
, filmed in Great Neck North High School and Middle School. - Malé B. AlexanderMalé B. AlexanderMalé B. Alexander "Male B. Alexander" was born in Long Island New York. He is an actor, film/music producer, writer, and professional athlete in Lacrosse. He is the founder of Malé Baby Productions. He is also the founder of K.O.O.L Malé B. Alexander "Male B. Alexander" (June 22, 1974) was born in...
, Actor played Junior Pierce as a lead for 4 seasons on the T.V. hit series HBO OZ, Producer and Writer - Enea BossiEnea Bossi, Sr.Enea Bossi, Sr. was an Italian-American aerospace engineer and aviation pioneer. He is best-known for designing the Budd BB-1 Pioneer, the first stainless steel aircraft; and also the Pedaliante airplane, disputably credited with the first fully human-powered flight.-Personal life:Enea Bossi was...
(1888–1963), Italian-AmericanItalian AmericanAn Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
engineer and aviation pioneer - Oscar BrandOscar BrandOscar Brand is a folk singer, songwriter, and author. In his career, spanning over 60 years, he has composed at least 300 songs and released nearly 100 albums, among them Canadian and American patriotic songs...
(born 1920), folk singer and songwriter (resident) - Donald BrianDonald BrianDonald Brian was an actor, dancer and singer born St. John's, Newfoundland , at the age of eighteen was crowned "King of Broadway" by the New York Times in 1907. Brian is noted for helping President Theodore Roosevelt act more relaxed in public and teaching Frank Sinatra to dance and entertain U.S...
(1877–1948), Broadway actor, singer and dancer - Fanny BriceFanny BriceFanny Brice was a popular and influential American illustrated song "model," comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances and is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show...
, American illustrated song "model," comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress - Algis BudrysAlgis BudrysAlgis Budrys was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names "Frank Mason", "Alger Rome", "John A. Sentry", "William Scarff", and "Paul Janvier."-Biography:...
(1931–2008), science-fiction author and editor (former resident) - Sid CaesarSid CaesarIsaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
(born 1922), television pioneer known for Your Show of ShowsYour Show of ShowsYour Show of Shows is a live 90-minute variety show that appeared weekly in the United States on NBC , from February 25, 1950, until June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca....
(former resident) - Maurice ChevalierMaurice ChevalierMaurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
(1888–1972), actor and entertainer - Walter ChryslerWalter ChryslerWalter Percy Chrysler was an American machinist, railroad mechanic and manager, automotive industry executive, Freemason, and founder of the Chrysler Corporation.- Railroad career :...
(1875–1940), automobile pioneer, founder of the Chrysler Corporation - Mary L. CleaveMary L. CleaveMary Louise Cleave is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut. She also served from 2004 to 2007 as NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate.-Personal :...
(born 1947), space shuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
astronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
. - George M. CohanGeorge M. CohanGeorge Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
, entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, director, and producer (former resident) - Steven A. CohenSteven A. CohenSteven "Steve" A. Cohen is an American hedge fund manager. He is the founder of SAC Capital Advisors, a Stamford, Connecticut-based hedge fund focusing primarily on equity market strategies....
, hedge fund manager (SAC Capital), billionaire (former resident) - Kenneth ColeKenneth Cole (designer)Kenneth Cole is an American clothing designer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, his father, Charles Cole, owned the El Greco shoe manufacturing company. Before learning the family business and starting his own company in 1982, Cole studied law at Emory University.- Birth of a shoe company :Kenneth Cole...
, designer (attended school in Great Neck) - Francis Ford CoppolaFrancis Ford CoppolaFrancis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
, film director (graduated from Great Neck High School [North]) - Andrew W. CordierAndrew W. CordierAndrew Wellington Cordier was a United Nations official and President of Columbia University.-Early life:Cordier was born on a farm near Canton, Ohio and attended high school in Hartville, Ohio where he became quarterback of the football team and valedictorian of his graduating class...
, Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
president (former resident) - Anthony Cumia, latter half of Opie and AnthonyOpie and AnthonyOpie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
(resident) - Thomas DiNapoliThomas DiNapoliThomas P. DiNapoli is the 54th Comptroller of the state of New York. He is a former state assemblyman in New York, who was appointed as New York State Comptroller on February 7, 2007. He was formerly the Chairman of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. DiNapoli is a Democrat from...
, New York State Comptroller (resident) - Shay DoronShay DoronShay Doron is an Israeli professional basketball player in the Israeli league. She plays for Elitzur Ramla.-Biography:Doron was born in Ramat Hasharon, Israel, to Yehuda and Tamari Doron...
, first Israeli to play in the Women's National Basketball AssociationWomen's National Basketball AssociationThe Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
(New York LibertyNew York LibertyThe New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
) - Quinn EarlyQuinn EarlyQuinn Remar Early is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 1988 NFL Draft. A 6'0", . wide receiver from the University of Iowa, Early played in 12 NFL seasons from 1988 to 1999...
, former National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player who was selected by the San Diego ChargersSan Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 3rd round of the 1988 NFL Draft1988 NFL DraftThe 1988 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
. (Graduated from Great Neck South High School) - Percy FaithPercy FaithPercy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
, orchestra conductor (former resident) - W. C. FieldsW. C. FieldsWilliam Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
, comedian and actor (former resident) - F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott FitzgeraldFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
, novelist and author of The Great GatsbyThe Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
(former resident) - Whitey FordWhitey FordEdward Charles "Whitey" Ford is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who spent his entire 18-year career with the New York Yankees. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.-Early life and career:...
, New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
pitcher (resident) - Matt FoxThe Fox ExperienceMatt Fox is a songwriter and music producer from Long Island, New York. He is best known as the writer and producer of the New York Jets Anthem, "Rex's Gang Green"...
, songwriter/producer of New York Jets Anthem "Rex's Gang Green" - Harry D. Gideonse (1901-1985), economist, president of Brooklyn College (resident)
- Arnold and Jesse Friedman, subject of the award-winning 2003 documentary Capturing the FriedmansCapturing the FriedmansCapturing the Friedmans is a documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. It focuses on the 1980s investigation of Arnold and Jesse Friedman for child molestation...
(former residents) - Julius GenachowskiJulius GenachowskiJulius Genachowski is an American lawyer and businessman. He became Federal Communications Commission Chairman on June 29, 2009.-Education:Genachowski grew up in Great Neck, New York. He attended yeshiva and studied in Israel...
FCC chairman under Obama administration - Steven GoldmanSteven GoldmanSteven Goldman is a sports writer on baseball and a commentator on the New York Yankees and at times on the New York Mets. Goldman writes "The Pinstriped Bible" and "The Pinstriped Blog" for the Yankees' YES Network website...
, activist, BU star, bus exec (former resident) - Matthew Goodman, author, "The Sun and the Moon" and "Jewish Food: The World at Table"
- Jamie GorelickJamie GorelickJamie S. Gorelick is an American attorney, presently representing BP. She was Deputy Attorney General of the United States during the Clinton administration...
, Clinton Administration official (former resident) - Morton GouldMorton GouldMorton Gould was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist.Born in Richmond Hill, New York, Gould was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities in improvisation and composition. His first composition was published at age six...
, concert pianist (former resident) - Joseph Peter Grace, Sr.Joseph Peter Grace, Sr.Joseph Peter Grace, Sr. was an American businessman, polo player, and owner of Thoroughbred horses in the sport of steeplechase racing....
, businessman (former resident) - Mark J. GreenMark J. GreenMark J. Green is an author, public interest lawyer and a Democratic politician who lives in New York City. He worked with Ralph Nader from 1970-1980, eventually as director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch, and is also the former president of Air America Radio .He was New York City Consumer...
, former New York City Public Advocate and mayoral candidate (former resident and high school graduate) - Ilan HallIlan HallIlan D. Hall is an American chef, best known as the winner of the second season of the Bravo television network's reality series Top Chef.Hall is a native of Great Neck, New York...
, chef and winner of reality television show Top ChefTop ChefTop Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
(former resident) - Oscar Hammerstein IIOscar Hammerstein IIOscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
, writer, producer and director of musicals (former resident) - Peter Hemming, Photojournalist (former resident)
- Christopher HowesChristopher HowesSir Christopher Kingston Howes KCVO, CB, FRICS, FRIBA, DLitt, MPhil, BSc is a leading figure in the world of land and buildings with a career in the public, private and academic sectors.-Early life:...
, Yale Medical Professor in Cardiology and Head of Greenwhich Hospital Cardiology (Grew Up in Great Neck) - Emily HughesEmily HughesEmily Anne Hughes is an American figure skater. She is the 2007 U.S. National silver medalist and was a member of the 2006 Olympic team. She is a younger sister of Sarah Hughes, the 2002 Olympic champion.-Personal life:...
, member of the U.S. Figure SkatingFigure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
Team at the 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
- Sarah HughesSarah HughesSarah Elizabeth Hughes is an American figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic gold medalist and 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies singles.-Personal life:...
, Gold medalGold medalA gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
ist in Figure Skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics2002 Winter OlympicsThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout... - Eric IsaacsEric IsaacsEric Isaacs is an American physicist. He is the current director of the United States Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, since May 2009. He previously worked at Bell Labs and at the Center for Nanoscale Materials...
(born 1957) accomplished physicist who is the director of Argonne National LaboratoryArgonne National LaboratoryArgonne National Laboratory is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest... - David Kahn, US historian, journalist, and writer on subjects of cryptography and military intelligence
- Michael KarlanMichael KarlanMichael Karlan is a party planner and founder and president of Professionals in the City. Professionals in the City is a social and networking group with more than 200,000 members and that hosts more than 1,000 events a year....
, founder of the nation's largest networking and socializing group, Professionals in the CityProfessionals in the CityProfessionals in the City is the United States' largest socializing and networking organization. It offers professionals in major cities an opportunity to unwind and meet other professionals who share their interests outside of the workplace. PNC is based in Washington, DC, with branches in New...
(former resident) - Andy KaufmanAndy KaufmanAndrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one...
, comedian and actor (former resident) - Evan WecksellEvan WecksellEvan Wecksell is a touring guitar-playing comedian who primarily performs in Los Angeles and at colleges across the country.He is well-known for being a personality on VH1's "I Love the 80s 3D," "I Love the 70s II" and "I Love Toys" as well as E!'s "Forbes Celebrity 100: Who Made Bank" and "30 Most...
, comedian/singer/songwriter (graduated from Great Neck South High School and former resident) - Josh KopelmanJosh KopelmanJoshua Kopelman is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and philanthropist.Kopelman is best known as the founder of Half.com, a fixed price marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of used books, movies and music products. In 2000, Kopelman sold Half.com to EBay for US $350...
, American entrepreneur (former resident) - Alan KingAlan King (comedian)Alan King was an American actor and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. He was also a serious actor who appeared in a number of movies and television shows. King wrote several books, produced films, and...
, comedian and actor (former resident) - Christopher LambertChristopher LambertChristophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert is an American-born French actor who has appeared in French, European and American productions. He is best known for his role as Connor MacLeod, or simply "The Highlander", from the movie and subsequent movie franchise series of the same name...
, actor (born in Great Neck) - Ring LardnerRing LardnerRinggold Wilmer Lardner was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre.-Personal life:...
, sports columnist and short story writer (former resident) - The Marx BrothersMarx BrothersThe Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
, stars of vaudeville and movies (former residents) - Mimi MichaelsMimi Michaels- Early life :Michaels was born in Great Neck, Nassau County, New York. She left to attend the famed LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in New York City, which she calls "The best decision of my life!" After graduating, on the high school dean's advice, rather than accepting a place at the...
(1983), actress - Minae MizumuraMinae Mizumurais a critically acclaimed novelist currently writing in the Japanese language. Educated in the US, she wrote her first published work in the English language, a scholarly essay on the literary criticism of Paul de Man. She is often portrayed as a Japanese novelist who questions the conventional...
, novelist, essayist, critic, based in Tokyo, Japan. Author of A Real Novel. (former resident) - Bobby MullerBobby MullerRobert O. "Bobby" Muller is an American peace advocate.He was born on Long Island, and grew up in Great Neck, New York and attended Hofstra University. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967, during the Vietnam War...
, Vietnam War veteran and anti-war activist (grew up in Great Neck) - Louise Nevelson, abstract sculptor (former resident)
- Paul NewmanPaul NewmanPaul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
, actor (former resident) - Ted NierenbergTed NierenbergTheodore David "Ted" Nierenberg was an American business executive and entrepreneur who created Dansk International Designs, a company that sells Scandinavian Design-style cooking and serving utensils and other home furnishings, established after discovering the simple but elegant design style on...
(1923–2009), founder of Dansk International DesignsDansk International DesignsDansk Designs was an American distributor and retailer of cookware, tableware, and other home accessories based in Mount Kisco, New York...
, created in the garage of his Great Neck home. - Eugene O'NeillEugene O'NeillEugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
, playwright (former resident) - Larry PoonsLarry PoonsLawrence Poons , better known as Larry Poons, is an abstract painter who was born in Tokyo, Japan. He studied from 1955 to 1957 at the New England Conservatory of Music, with the intent of becoming a professional musician...
, abstract painter (graduated from Great Neck High School [North]) - Neil PortnowNeil PortnowNeil R. Portnow is the current president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences . Portnow was formerly the vice-president of the West Coast division of Jive Records.-Early career:...
, President of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (former resident) - Dan RavivDan RavivDan Raviv is an American journalist. He is a national correspondent for CBS News, heard regularly on the CBS Radio Network. He has also done TV reports from Washington, D.C...
, author and CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
TV and radio correspondent who hosts the CBS News Weekend RoundupCBS News Weekend RoundupThe CBS News Weekend Roundup is a weekly news show that airs on the CBS Radio Network, designed for a one-hour time slot, though it has an actual length without commercials of about forty minutes...
(former resident) - Daniella RabbaniDaniella RabbaniDaniella Zeva Rabbani is an Israeli-American actress, singer and voiceover artist. She has worked extensively with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, starring in the Theatre's 2008 production of Gimpel Tam and 2010 production of Hershele Ostropolyer. She has also performed with the Vermont...
, Yiddish theatre actress - Jordan RudessJordan RudessJordan Rudess is an American keyboardist best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the progressive rock supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment.-Biography:...
, Keyboard Player for the band Dream TheaterDream TheaterDream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
(grew up in Great Neck) - Tamir SapirTamir SapirTamir Sapir ; *1948/49, Tbilisi) is an American immigrant from the former Soviet republic of Georgia who made millions bartering fertilizer and oil with the Soviets in the 1980s; he took most of his money and put it into New York real-estate. Tamir is in The 400 Richest Americans list of September...
, Georgian-born billionaire. 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) Estate on Pond Road. - George SegalGeorge SegalGeorge Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
, actor (resident) - David SeidlerDavid SeidlerDavid Seidler is a British-American playwright and film and television writer. He was most successful for writing the play and the screenplay for the film The King's Speech, for which he won the Academy Award and a BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay.-Early life and family:Seidler was born in...
, screenwriter of "The King's Speech," 2011 Oscar winner; former resident, Great Neck H.S. graduate, 1955 - Talia ShireTalia ShireTalia Shire is an American actress most known for her roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather films and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series.-Personal life:...
, actress (former resident) - Jared Siegel (Jared EvanJared EvanJared Evan, is an American musician, singer/songwriter, producer, rapper. He was born on September 21, 1989 in Nassau County, New York. He is currently signed to Zone 4 under Interscope Records. The song "Frozen" which Jared wrote and produced, appeared on the Lebron James documentary soundtrack ...
), singer, songwriter, and producer - Elie SiegmeisterElie SiegmeisterElie Siegmeister was an American composer, educator and author.His varied musical output showed his concern with the development of an authentic American musical vocabulary...
, composer (resident) - Harry F. SinclairHarry F. SinclairHarry Ford Sinclair was an American oil industrialist.-Early life:Harry Sinclair was born in Benwood, West Virginia, now a suburb of the city of Wheeling. Sinclair grew up in Independence, Kansas. The son of a pharmacist, after finishing high school, he entered the pharmacy department of the...
, oil industrialist (former resident) - Helen SlaterHelen SlaterHelen Rachel Slater is an American actress and singer-songwriter.She appeared in the title role in the 1984 film Supergirl. In the following years she starred in several very successful comedy-drama films such as Ruthless People, The Secret of My Success, and City Slickers...
(born 1963), actress - Alfred P. SloanAlfred P. SloanAlfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman, and CEO of General Motors Corporation...
, president of General Motors (former resident) - Tim SommerTim SommerTimothy Andrew Sommer is an American musician, record producer, former Atlantic Records A&R Representative, WNYU DJ, Trouser Press journalist, MTV News correspondent, and VH1 VJ. Tim is perhaps best known as a bass player in the slo-core, dreampop bellwether Hugo Largo and the creator and host of...
, musician in Hugo LargoHugo LargoHugo Largo was an American musical group known for their unique line-up: two bass guitars, a violin and singer/performance artist Mimi Goese.The band formed in 1984, initially featuring Tim Sommer and Goese. Later they were joined by Hahn Rowe and Adam Peacock, releasing their Michael Stipe...
and record executive and producer - Seth SwirskySeth SwirskySeth Swirsky is an American pop music songwriter , author, recording artist, filmmaker, political writer and baseball memorabilia collector -- a self-described "Manic Expressive."- Songwriter :In 1980, at the age of 20, Seth Swirsky wrote the national jingle for Thomas' English...
, songwriter and author - Norma TalmadgeNorma TalmadgeNorma Talmadge was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most popular idols of the American screen.Her most famous film was Smilin’ Through , but she also...
, actress (former resident) - Richard TuckerRichard TuckerRichard Tucker was an American operatic tenor.-Early life:Tucker was born Rivn Ticker in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of Romanian immigrants from Bessarabia. His father, Shmul Ticker, and mother Fanya-Tsipa Ticker had already adopted the surname "Tucker" by the time their son entered first...
, operatic tenor (former resident) - William Kissam Vanderbilt IIWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt IIWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt II was a motor racing enthusiast and yachtsman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.-Biography:...
, railroad executive and yachtsman (former resident) - Robert VarkonyiRobert VarkonyiRobert Varkonyi is an American poker player, best known for winning the main event of the 2002 World Series of Poker.-Early years:Varkonyi was born in and raised in New York...
, World Series of PokerWorld Series of PokerThe World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
champion (resident) - Sam WarnerSam WarnerSamuel Louis "Sam" Warner was an American film producer who was the co-founder and chief executive officer of Warner Bros. Studios. He established the studio along with his brothers Harry, Albert, and Jack Warner. Sam Warner is credited with procuring the technology that enabled Warner Bros...
(1887–1927), one of the four brothers who were co-founders of Warner Bros.Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,... - Mordecai WaxmanMordecai WaxmanMordecai Waxman, KCSG , was a prominent rabbi in the Conservative Jewish movement for nearly 60 years. He served as rabbi of Temple Israel in Great Neck, New York for 55 years from 1947 through his death in 2002...
(1917–2002), prominent rabbi in the Conservative movementConservative JudaismConservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
and of Temple Israel of Great Neck. - Mort WeisingerMort WeisingerMortimer Weisinger was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' Superman during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books...
, editor (BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, SupermanSuperman (comic book)Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
, Thrilling Wonder StoriesWonder StoriesWonder Stories was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, when his media company Experimenter Publishing went...
) - Charlie Williams, traded by the New York Mets along with cash for Willie MaysWillie MaysWillie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
. Mr. Williams did not make the Great Neck South Senior baseball team as a senior. - P. G. WodehouseP. G. WodehouseSir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
(1881–1975), English comic writer (former resident). - Herman WoukHerman WoukHerman Wouk is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author of novels including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.-Biography:...
(born 1915), author (former resident) - Harris WulfsonHarris WulfsonHarris Wulfson was a Jewish composer, instrumentalist and software engineer living in Brooklyn, New York. His work employs algorithmic processes and gestural controllers to explore the boundary where humans encounter their machines....
(1974–2008), composer, instrumentalist and software engineer (graduated from Great Neck South High School) - Chic YoungChic YoungMurat Bernard Young , better known as Chic Young, was an American cartoonist who created the popular, long-running comic strip Blondie. His 1919 William McKinley High School Yearbook cites his nickname as Chicken, source of his familiar pen name and signature...
(1901-1973) created BlondieBlondie (comic strip)Blondie is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930...
in his Great Neck studio in the summer of 1930.
External links
- Great Neck Village website
- Great Neck Public Schools
- Great Neck Park District
- Great Neck unofficial website
- Great Neck Chamber of Commerce
- Some Famous Great Neckers
- Some Historic Sites in Great Neck
- Great Neck Alert Fire Company
- Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company
- Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department
- Great Neck Library whose circulation policy is to grant cards to residents of the school district.