"Dix Hills is a little oasis off the Long Island Expressway and Northern State Parkway," said Alicia Ramaizel, associate broker of Prudential Douglas Elliman's Dix Hills-Huntington office.

The House Beautiful Dix Hills Civic Association Inc., a homeowners' advocacy group, has played a role in preserving community ambiance by getting involved in zoning issues, including changes to the former Long Island Developmental Center in Melville. "The state wanted industry there and our goal was to keep it residential," said former president Sheila Saks. The site now houses the Greens, a 55 and older community.

Dix Hills, in the Town of Huntington, includes houses of worship, a town park, two nine-hole public golf courses, a library, an assisted living facility and the private Five Towns College. The college's Dix Hills Performing Arts Center, on North Service Road, holds concerts and shows.

The Dix Hills Park, a town facility on Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, offers an outdoor pool, enclosed ice rink and a golf course.

As the area lacks a downtown, people tend to congregate through schools and civic groups, said resident Cheryl Grossman, associate broker at Re/Max in Huntington.

Food stores, retailers, services and restaurants are nearby along Jericho Turnpike.

Neighborhoods - some with names and some gated - feature mostly Colonials, but also ranches, capes, contemporaries and newer post-modern homes that usually sit on spacious manicured properties. The area, which started being developed in the 1960s, is one-acre zoned, although smaller parcels exist.

House prices range from $400,000 to $2 million, although some can go higher, Ramaizel said. A proposed development, Tuscany Estates, that would include about 30 lots and a recreation area on the former Hollow Hills Country Club on Ryder Avenue, is pending approval.

-Lisa Doll Bruno (2/27/2006)