The North Shore hamlet of Greenlawn, with its quiet neighborhoods and highly regarded school district, attracts families who stay for generations, local real estate experts say.

"People don't leave," said Kathleen Casillo, a resident and associate broker at Coldwell Banker in Huntington.

Casillo said she moved to Greenlawn 19 years ago to be in the Harborfields school district. Several of her friends, she said, have children who are taught by some of the same teachers they had at Harborfields.

Greenlawn's attractive downtown district on Broadway includes the local post office, library and various shops and services. Antique lights and flower baskets line Broadway.

The hamlet's first commercial building, a general store built in the 1860s, remains today as Greenlawn Hardware.

Capes, ranches, split-levels and Colonials are the norm in Greenlawn's heavily treed neighborhoods. A few new post-moderns have sprouted as well.

Greenlawn also offers federally subsidized rental developments - Paumanack III and IV - for people 62 and older. There are restrictions and a waiting list. The community celebrates its heritage each October with a pickle festival sponsored by the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association. Another popular event is the Firemen's Fair held annually on Labor Day weekend.

Area parks include Greenlawn Park on Pulaski Road, and town beaches are nearby.

The Harborfields Public Library offers numerous community programs.

-Lisa Doll Bruno (11/12/2004)