Buying in Jericho: High-ranking schools, central location draw homebuyers

Perennially high on U.S. News & World Report's list of the top 1,000 high schools in the nation, Jericho High School placed 109th in the magazine's 2022 ranking.

"Its proximity to the city and easy travel from the train are also very popular with people," said Messina. The hamlet boasts excellent shopping and is close to the bucolic incorporated villages of Old Westbury, Muttontown and Brookville, which are also draws for homebuyers, he said.

A 113,800-square-foot, 280-room hotel and conference center, part of Hilton's Curio Collection, is planned for Jericho Plaza by real estate developer Paul Amoruso.

Buyers today will find a range of home styles in neighborhoods and high-end developments, with predominantly split-levels, Colonials and ranches.

One of the oldest main roads on Long Island, Jericho Turnpike became a main thoroughfare for farmers traveling from Jamaica and was named for the hamlet, where it once ended, in the early 19th century.

Situated farther from the water than most of their homeland, Native Americans lived and farmed the Jericho area, which was situated farther from the water than most of their homeland. They called the area "Lusum," which possibly meant "The Farms."

Desirable for its freshwater spring pond, the hamlet was part of a larger land parcel that Welsh settler Robert Williams bought in 1648 from the Matinecock tribe. Williams moved to Lusum in the 1670s, which by 1692 had become a thriving center for Quakers, who renamed it Jericho.

The Quakers of Jericho and Westbury were among the first New Yorkers to free the people they enslaved, in the 1770s. A popular preacher around the nascent United States, Quaker Elias Hicks was also known for his prominent son-in-law Valentine Hicks, the second president of the Long Island Rail Road and founder of neighboring Hicksville.

As late as 1940, the hamlet had fewer than 600 residents. That all changed 12 years later when Phoebe Underhill Seaman, a great-great-granddaughter of Elias Hicks, subdivided her sprawling property. Soon, farmland gave way to a bustling suburb with office parks near the Long Island Expressway.

Built on 2.09 acres in 2018, this approximately 7,600-square-foot European-style manor home features six bedrooms, seven full and three half-baths, coffered ceilings, a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace in the great room, kitchen with professional grade appliances and wine refrigeration. The finished basement includes an open-concept theater, wine cellar and wet bar. Located in the Meadowbrook Golf Club, the property has an attached three-car garage and backyard loggia with bluestone patio, fireplace and built-in barbecue. Taxes are approximately $119,000. John Messina, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, 631-692-6770.

Located in the Hamlet Estates development, this 4,951-square-foot Colonial features five bedrooms, 5½ baths, double-height foyer, hardwood floors, kitchen with custom cabinets, granite counters and stainless steel appliances, a finished custom basement with hardwood paneling and elevator to all floors. The 0.24-acre fenced-in property has an attached three-car garage, brick patio and access to community pool, tennis and more. This house has a pending offer. Taxes are $46,913. David Ilkay, Berkshire Hathaway, 718-650-5233.

This 2,342-square-foot split/Colonial home features four bedrooms, 3½ baths, hardwood floors, open kitchen/den area, carpeted bedrooms and a full finished basement with sauna. The fenced-in 0.16-acre property has an attached two-car garage, circular brick patio and a whole-house generator. Taxes are $32,086. Linda Freedman and Deby Cohen, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 516-921-2262.

$1.98 million

Kettlepond Rd.

Deer Ln.

20th St.