Great Neck Gardens was ranked as the 10th-best place to live in America by Niche on Monday, headlining the six North Shore areas to crack the list’s top 100.
The hamlet of Great Neck Gardens ranked as the best place to live in New York, followed by Great Neck Plaza and Herricks in the second and third spots, respectively. Great Neck Plaza was ranked as the 13th-best place to live in America and Herricks was ranked as the 22nd-best.
Village of Great Neck Mayor Ted Rosen lauded the village’s quality of life and said the recognition is indicative of the suburban lifestyle and diversity the entire peninsula possesses.
“There are an awful lot of places to live in this country and to be #13 on this list is unbelievable,” Rosen told Blank Slate Media. “We are appreciative for the ranking that, really, the whole Great Neck community can share in. Our village is a great place to live and people want to live here.”
The Village of Kensington was ranked No. 5 in New York and No. 27 in America, Lake Success was No. 6 in the state and No. 55 in the country and East Williston was No. 10 in New York and No. 82 in the nation, according to the list.
Kensington Mayor Susan Lopatkin echoed Rosen’s sentiments and touted Great Neck’s school system, parks, commute, access to medical care and other amenities her village residents have right outside their door.
“If I wasn’t already living here I certainly would want to— Kensington is a small, safe, fairly autonomous neighborhood with its own police, public works, community pool and beautiful homes – all within 1/2 mile of the LIRR station,” Lopatkin told Blank Slate Media. “I am very proud to call this village my home and it’s been my privilege to be its mayor for the last 15 years.”
Factors taken into account when creating the rankings included quality of local schools, safety, affordability, higher education rate, cost of living grade, crime and safety grade, housing grade, family amenities, percentage of households with children, weather and air quality, walkability, and percentage of households with children, among other categories, according to Niche.
Kensington was ranked as the best place in New York to raise a family, with Lake Success coming in at No. 3, Great Neck Gardens at No. 4, East Hills at No. 6, Herricks at No. 7, Searingtown at No. 10, Great Neck Plaza at No. 11, Roslyn Heights at No. 12, East Williston at No. 13 and Manhasset at No. 15.
On the “Best Places to Raise a Family in New York,” North Shore areas comprise nearly a third of the entries, with 32 areas represented. Factors considered for the rankings included cost of living grade, higher education rates, housing, quality of local schools, diversity, crime and safety, jobs, nightlife, walkability, outdoor activities, weather and short commutes, among others, according to Niche.
The Great Neck School District was ranked as Niche’s top school district throughout New York for the second consecutive year in 2022, with four others in Nassau County among the top 10.
The other local districts ranked highly by Niche included No. 4 Rosly), No. 7 Herricks, No. 9 Manhasset and No. 10 East Williston. Nationally, Great Neck was ranked as the third-best school district in the country, Roslyn was ranked as No. 6, Herricks came in at No. 20, Manhasset was ranked as No. 35 and East Williston was ranked as No. 37.
