Until 1866, the community was known as "Cedar Swamp", and later known as "Bull's Head", until some point in the early 20th century; it has also been known historically as "North Roslyn".[5][6][7]
While many residential areas in the hamlet were developed prior to the Second World War, the 1940s and 1950s saw the development of the area adjacent to the Roslyn Cemetery and the Long Island Rail Road tracks (including Park Avenue and Wellington Road).[8][9][10][11]
A major shopping center, Wheatley Plaza, opened in Greenvale in 1980, on the former site of Wheatley Gardens – a nursery.[6][12][13][14] Developed by Castagna Realty – the owners of the Americana Manhasset – and first proposed in 1977, the center's construction required a change in land use from residential to business & parking.[15]
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,231 people, 362 households, and 254 families residing in the CDP.[2] The population density was 8,674.4 inhabitants per square mile (3,349.2/km2). There were 372 housing units at an average density of 1,446.4 per square mile (558.5/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 66.11% White, 12.73% African American, 0.36% Native American, 10.49% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 7.08% from other races, and 3.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.09% of the population.[2]
There were 362 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.22.[2]
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 10.0% under the age of 18, 55.4% from 18 to 24, 16.8% from 25 to 44, 11.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.[2]
The median income for a household in the CDP was $59,500, and the median income for a family was $80,292. Males had a median income of $52,639 versus $30,000 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,009. About 4.3% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen or sixty-five or over.[2]
Government
Town representation
As Greenvale is an unincorporated area within the towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, it is directly governed by the two towns; the parts of the hamlet within the Town of North Hempstead are governed directly by the Town of North Hempstead's government in Manhasset, while the parts of the hamlet in the Town of Oyster Bay are governed directly by the Town of Oyster Bay's government in Oyster Bay.[24][25]
Most of the hamlet is within the Roslyn School District; the school district boundary between the Roslyn UFSD and the North Shore CSD within Greenvale corresponds with the North Hempstead–Oyster Bay town line.[24]
Greenvale is served by Roslyn's library district and by the Gold Coast Library District.[24] The boundaries of the library districts correspond with the school district boundaries; Roslyn's library district (served by the Bryant Library in Roslyn) serves the parts of Greenvale in the Roslyn Union Free School District and the Gold Coast Library District (served by the Gold Coast Public Library in Glen Head) serves the parts of Greenvale in the North Shore Central School District.[24]
Greenvale is served by the n20H and n27 bus routes, which are operated by Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE).[40] The n20H travels west-east along Northern Boulevard, while the n27 travels north-south along Glen Cove Road.[40]
Utility services
Natural gas
National Grid provides natural gas to all homes and businesses that are hooked up to natural gas lines in Greenvale.[41]
Power
PSEG Long Island provides power to all homes and businesses within Greenvale.[41]
Trash collection services in Greenvale are provided by Meadow Carting, under contract to the Roslyn Garbage District.[24][42] The hamlet, in its entirety, is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Roslyn Garbage District.[24][42]
Water
Greenvale is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Jericho Water District and the Roslyn Water District.[24][43] The Jericho Water District serves the portions of the hamlet in the Town of Oyster Bay, while the Roslyn Water District serves the portions of the hamlet in the Town of North Hempstead.[24][43]
As aforementioned, the historic Roslyn Cemetery is also located within the hamlet, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well.[47]