Plainview is a hamlet—a community within a town that is not incorporated as a village—located near the north shore of Long Island in the Town of Oyster Bay. Plainview and its neighboring hamlet, Old Bethpage, share a school system, library, fire department, and water district. Plainview is on the Nassau County side of the border with Suffolk County. The Nassau side of Plainview borders the hamlets of Hicksville, Syosset, and Woodbury, and the Suffolk side borders Melville. Plainview’s origins date to 1648, when Robert Williams, a settler from Whales, purchased the land. In 1695, Thomas Powell purchased the land from local Indian tribes as part of the Bethpage Purchase. Settlers named it Manetto Hill, derived from Manitou the Native American word for God or spirit. In 1885, residents wanted a local post office, but they were turned down by the United States Postal Service because an upstate town had a similar name. The people then renamed the town Plainview because of the "plain view" of Hempstead Plains that was visible from the top of Manetto Hill.
Here’s everything you need to know if you're considering moving your family to Plainview.
Schools in Plainview
Public Schools Serving Plainview
Children who live in Plainview will attend one of seven public schools with in the ethnically diverse Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District, which has nearly 5,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grades:
- Howard B. Mattlin Middle School, Plainview: fifth through eighth grades
- Old Bethpage Elementary School, Old Bethpage: kindergarten through fourth grades
- Parkway Elementary School, Plainview: kindergarten through fourth grades
- Pasadena Elementary School, Plainview: kindergarten through fourth grades
- Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, Plainview: ninth through 12th grades
- Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School, Plainview: fifth through eighth grades
- Stratford Road Elementary School, Plainview: kindergarten through fourth grades
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Private Schools Serving Plainview
There are more than 20 private schools in the Plainview area, including preschools, mixed-age schools, religious schools, and schools for those with special needs.
Private preschools serving Plainview include:
- Debbie’s Creative Childcare Center, Plainview
- Good Shepherd Lutheran School, Plainview
- Hickory Hill, Plainview
- Mid-Island Y JCC Early Childhood Center, Plainview
- Miss Sue’s Nursery School & Kindergarten, Plainview
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Private mixed-age schools serving Plainview include:
- Fusion Academy in nearby Woodbury: sixth through 12th grades
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Private religious schools serving Plainview include:
- Hebrew Academy of Nassau County, Plainview: kindergarten through sixth grades
- Our Lady of Mercy School in nearby Hicksville: nursery through eighth grades
- Trinity Lutheran School in nearby Hicksville: nursery through eighth grades
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Private schools for those with special needs serving Plainview include:
- The Center for Developmental Disabilities in nearby Woodbury
- Variety Child Learning Center in nearby Syosset
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Public Transportation: Long Island Rail Road Stops in Plainview
For those parents who work in New York City and will have to commute on a daily basis, or for the family that wants to take in the sights of the city for the day during the summer or on a weekend, the LIRR stops at the three stations near Plainview (Note: All trip time durations are approximate.):
- Bethpage, Stewart and Jackson avenues: 50 minutes
- Hicksville, Newbridge Road and West Barclay Street: 50 minutes
- Syosset, Oyster Bay Road and Underhill Boulevard: 50 minutes
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Houses of Worship in Plainview
There are a handful of churches and synagogues at which families can practice their faith in Plainview, including:
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Episcopal Church of St. Margaret
- Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
- Manetto Hill Jewish Center
- Plainview Jewish Center
- Plainview Reformed Church
- Plainview Synagogue
- Plainview United Methodist Church
- St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church
- Temple Chaverim
- Young Israel of Plainview
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Things to Do with Kids in Plainview
Annual Events in Plainview
The Plainview community hosts a variety of annual events and festivals, including:
- Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Fall Harvest Festival: This October event typically includes a children’s costume parade, bake sale, pumpkin painting, scarecrow making, raffles, food, music, and face painting.
- Plainview-Old Bethpage Craft & Gift Fair: Typically held in early October and located in the public library’s parking lot, this fair features live music, food, kiddie inflatables, and a variety of craft and gift vendors.
- Plainview-Old Bethpage Memorial Day Parade: The nearly 2-mile parade route starts near Pasadena Elementary School and ends at Plainview-Old Bethpage Park
- St. Margaret’s Fall Fair: This annual fair, typically held in mid-September, features food, raffles, auctions, crafts, and new and vintage merchandise.
- St. Piux X Parish Annual Feast: Typically held in late summer, this festival features amusement rides, entertainment, games, food and drinks, and more.
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Attractions near Plainview
While nestled in the middle of the Town of Oyster Bay, Plainview and it’s surrounding areas offer families a handful of notable attractions
Adventureland
Located on the outskirts of Plainview in Farmingdale, Long Island’s amusement park since 1962 features more than 25 rides, outdoor games, an arcade, face painting, and more. The park also hosts birthday parties and events, such as Technology Day, Fire Safety Day, and Pumpkin Park, Long Island’s largest free, safe trick-or-treating event.
Dirtyburger
Have a hankering for a really good burger? Look no further than Plainview’s Dirtyburger, which was crowned by Long Island Pulse as the best burger on Long Island in the magazine’s 2016 Great Burger Battle. The restaurant is owned by Chef Ian Russo, who crafted the DIRTY Cooking® style on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in his former restaurant IAN.
Museum of American Armor
Located at Old Bethpage Village Restoration, this museum displays military machinery and vehicles used in World War II, replicating the sights and sounds of American forces.
Old Bethpage Village Restoration
Just on the outskirts of Plainview in Old Bethpage is this living history museum that provides visitors the chance to step back in time and experience life on Long Island in the 19th century. The village consists of 36 houses, barns, and buildings dating from 1765-1865. Plus, it hosts events such as old time baseball games, Civil War encampments, and a mounted cowboy shooting show.
Beaches Serving Plainview
The town of Oyster Bay, in which Plainview hamlet is located, has eight beaches, three of which are for residents only (noted with asterisks):
- Beekman Beach, Oyster Bay
- Centre Island Beaches, Bayville
- Charles E. Ransom Beach, Bayville
- Harry Tappen Beach, Glenwood Landing
- Philip B. Healey Beach at Florence Avenue, Massapequa*
- Stehli Beach, Bayville/Lattingtown*
- Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park and Beach, Oyster Bay*
- Tobay Beach, Massapequa
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Community Centers in Plainview
For families that are looking for a little extra community closeness, the Plainview area offers a country club and a Jewish Community Center.
Crest Hollow Country Club in nearby Woodbury
Located fewer than 5 miles from the heart of Plainview, this is the only club on the East Coast that offers three different racquet sports on one property (tennis on Har-Tru courts, platform, and beach tennis). Crest Hollow also offers a beach arena for volleyball and an Olympic-size pool.
Mid-Island Y JCC
In addition to its Early Childhood Center, the Mid-Island Y JCC offers a Youth & Teen Center with after-school programs, a teen lounge, leadership programs, and more; the Adler Center for Special Needs; a summer camp; fitness and aquatics programs; community programs, and more.
Indoor Activities in Plainview
Plainview is home to a handful of facilities that get kids moving and burning energy, including:
- AMF Plainview Lanes: Offers 40 bowling lanes, an arcade, and billiards and pool
- Basketball Academy of Long Island: Offers clinics for all levels, travel teams, and private instruction
- Island Fencing Academy: Offers classes, camps, and birthday parties
- Island Rock Climbing: Offers climbing clubs, teams, and camps, as well as parties, group events, and open climb
- Pump It Up: An indoor inflatable playground that offers open play times, birthday parties, camps, and special events
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Kids’ Sports Leagues Serving Plainview
While many kids in elementary school want to start playing a sport, their schools don’t have sports teams. Don’t despair: There are a few kids’ sports leagues serving the Plainview community, including:
- Plainview Little League: Offers teams for boys and girls in pre-K through seventh grades, as well as travel teams, summer camp, and a summer tournament
- Plainview-Old Bethpage Soccer Club: Offers teams for ages 2½-8, a travel team, and a program for children with special needs
- Plainview Basketball Club: Offers clinics, games, and travel teams for kindergarten through 12th grades
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Parks and Playgrounds in Plainview
The Plainview community is home to a few parks in which families can spend a relaxing afternoon playing and picnicking.
- Bethpage State Park: Though primarily located in Old Bethpage, an extension of the state park runs through Plainview, and is home to parts of the Bethpage Bikeway and Nassau-Suffolk Trail LIGTC. Other offerings in Bethpage State Park are five 18-hold golf courses (including the Black Course, which was the site of the United States Open in 2002 and 2009), bridle path and nature trails, picnicking, playgrounds and playing fields, tennis, hiking and bike trails, and sledding and cross-country skiing in the winter.
- Borella Field: This area features two Little League diamonds, a regulation diamond, and a soccer field.
- Manetto Hills Park: Formerly the Shattuck Estate, Nassau County purchased this 138-acre parcel of land in 1972 with talks of turning it into a golf course or selling it for housing development. Carl Ross, Plainview native and founder of Save America’s Forest, had another idea: turn it into a nature preserve. The park is home to a Long Island Greenbelt Conference hiking trail.
- Plainview Community Playground: This small park offers a play area and swings for kids, as well as a basketball court.
- Plainview-Old Bethpage Park: This 19-acre green space offers children’s play areas, a picnic area with hibachis, four handball courts, a basketball court, a swimming pool with diving area, a kiddie wading pool, a Little League field, four lighted tennis courts, and a softball field.
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Shopping in Plainview
The community of Plainview offers the Plainview and Manetto Hills shopping centers with a variety of stores, restaurants, and services, the Broadway Mall in nearby Hicksville (approximately a 10-minute drive from the heart of Plainview) is the shopping destination of the area with stores such as:
- American Eagle Outfitters
- The Children’s Place
- Famous Footwear
- Forever 21
- H&M
- Macy’s
- Old Navy
- Target
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Restaurants in Plainview
Plainview offers a variety of family-friendly eateries, including:
- DirtyBurger: home of Long Island’s best burger of 2016
- The Main Event: kid-friendly sports bar
- LaPiazza: brick-oven pizza
- Plainview Diner: American and Greek classics
- Morrison’s: American comfort food
- Mama Lino’s Pizzeria
- La Bottega: informal Italian
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Main image: This checkerboard horse welcomes all who come to Plainview.
Courtesy Joseph and Catherine Zago Realty Connect USA
