Living in Mill Neck on the Gold Coast
A man and his best friend walk along Cleft Road in Mill Neck, a picturesque street flanked by Beaver Lake on both sides. (Aug. 23, 2013) Credit: Danielle Finkelstein
THE SCOOP Some of Long Island's last remaining Gold Coast estates can be found in the Village of Mill Neck, says Christy Porter, associate broker with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty. "It's an old estate area with wonderful waterfront properties," Porter adds.
Bounded by Beaver Lake, Mill Neck Bay and Oyster Bay Harbor, Mill Neck is a residential village where minimum lot sizes range from 8,000 square feet to 5 acres.
Protected nature preserves and walking trails lend bucolic ambience. The Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf also makes its home here. "It's a beautiful village . . . and very private," says Michael Gorwits of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
"It's nice living in a small community," says Mona O'Rourke, an associate broker at Piping Rock Associates, who has resided in the village for more than five decades.
Years ago, O'Rourke and her husband purchased 33.1 acres, built what is now Calf Farm Road and subdivided the land. "I named it Calf Farm because it really was a calf farm," she says, noting many of the 5-acre parcels here are horse properties lined by white fences.
Perhaps the most exclusive area is along upper and lower Horseshoe Road, where older estates are occupied by established families, agents say.
The area known as Mill Neck Estates, off West Shore Road, is a small waterfront community where properties are about a half-acre. Prices here start in the $600,000 range, Porter says.
Right now, homes priced $2 million and less are moving quickly, Porter says.
SALES PRICE From June 1, 2012, to July 31, 2013, there were five sales with a median price of $2.5 million, according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island data. The low price was $800,000 and the high was $10 million. From June 1, 2011, to July 31, 2012, there were three sales. The median price was $3.175 million, with a low of $500,000 and a high of $10 million.
ATTRACTIONS Mill Neck Family of Organizations' annual fall harvest festival, held Columbus Day weekend, draws big crowds; John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden on Dogwood Lane.
MILL NECK STATS
Town: Oyster Bay
Area: 2.6 square miles
ZIP code: 11765
Population: 800
Median age: 52.3
Median household income: $155,250
Median home value: $2,500,000*
LIRR time to NYC: From Locust Valley 66 minutes to 73 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $276
School district: Locust Valley; Oyster Bay-East Norwich
SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR; Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty; Laffey Fine Homes
*Based on three sales in the past 12 months, according to MLSLI
