Sands Point is a village located at the tip of the Cow Neck Peninsula within the Town of North Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Port Washington area, which is anchored by Port Washington. The population was 2,712 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

What is now the Village of Sands Point was originally inhabited by the Matinecock Native Americans. In 1644, the area was settled by European colonists – namely, Dutchmen and Englishmen, after they purchased the territory comprising Cow Neck and its vicinity from the Matinecocks. A number of these early settlers belonged to prominent, early Long Island families – including members of the Sands, Mott, and Cornwell families, among others.

The Village of Sands Point – much like the eponymous cape at the tip of the village – is named for the Sands family.

In 1917, Daniel Guggenheim bought his Hempstead House, formerly Castle Gould. His son Harry Guggenheim, founder of Newsday, later erected his estate "Falaise" nearby in 1923.

In 1918, lawyer George E. Reynolds opened the short-lived Harbor Hill Country Club, which was then purchased in 1921 by businessman and politician Julius Fleischmann, who opened a polo field on the property. In 1927, the Sands Point Club opened on the property; the Sands Point Club operated until 1938, when financial difficulties forced it to close. This annexation was approved unanimously by the Town of North Hempstead that May. On August 29, 1955 – a few days prior to the decision to deny the appeal, village trustee William I. Stoddard proposed acquiring portions of Harriman's Sands Point property for the purposes of erecting a village hall and municipal park thereupon.

In 1957, Sands Point Village Hall opened. Designed by Port Washington-based architect Henry T. Aspinwall, this municipal building on Tibbits Lane would be erected at a cost of $60,000 (1957 USD) and allow the village government to have its own, purpose-built facility, after roughly 20 years of sharing the same space as the Sands Point Water Department, in one of that department's pump houses. The new village hall – which had been designed to consolidate the village's government and its various departments under one roof – would also include dedicated space for the new, relocated offices of the Sands Point Police Department, which at the time had been operating out of a leased farmhouse on Lighthouse Road. The opening ceremony was attended by Sands Point resident and then-New York Governor W. Averill Harriman. The school, built on a parcel of land donated to the school district by the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, was designed by Eggers & Higgins and opened in September 1962.

The Sands Family Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The village designated the Sands Point Light a local landmark that same year. A fourth, smaller cape – Prospect Point – is also located within the village. This moraine was formed by glaciers during the Wisconsin Glacial Episode, and is named for Harbor Hill in Roslyn; Harbor Hill is the highest geographic point in Nassau County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, 2,675 people, 872 households, and 762 families were residing in the village. The population density was 636.9 people/sq mi (243.2/km<sup>2</sup>). The 934 housing units had an average density of 222.4/sq mi (84.9/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the village was 88.6% White, 0.8% African American, 8.2% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.7% of the population. Males had a median income of $158,500 versus $44,943 for females. The per capita income for the village was $112,716. None of the families and 0.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none under age 18 or 65 or over.

Sands Point is residential in character, and there are no areas zoned for business, commercial, or industrial uses anywhere within the village.

Parks and recreation

thumb|The Village Club of Sands Point in 2024

The Sands Point Golf Club and the Village Club of Sands Point are both located in Sands Point. The Village Club – which was formerly the IBM Country Club – was purchased in 1994 by the village.

Sands Point operates a municipal nature preserve, which opened in 1958.

As of May 2026, the mayor of Sands Point is Peter A. Forman.

Representation in higher government

In the Town of North Hempstead's 6th council district, as of May 2026, Sands Poing is represented on the North Hempstead Town Council by Mariann Dalimonte (D–Port Washington).

In Nassau County's 11th Legislative district, as of May 2026, Sands Point is represented in the Nassau County Legislature by Delia DiRiggi-Whitton (D–Glen Cove).

In the New York State Assembly's 16th State Assembly district, as of May 2026, Sands Point is represented by Daniel J. Norber (R–Great Neck).

In the New York State Senate's 7th State Senate district, as of May 2026, Sands Point is represented by Jack M. Martins (R–Old Westbury).

In New York's 3rd congressional district, as of May 2026, Sands Point is represented by Thomas R. Suozzi (D–Glen Cove).

Sands Point is represented in the United States Senate by Charles E. Schumer (D) and Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D).

Politics

In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Sands Point voters voted for Kamala D. Harris (D).

Education

thumb|Guggenheim Elementary School in 2022

Public education is administered by the Port Washington Union Free School District.

The Port Washington UFSD's Guggenheim Elementary School is located within the village.

Utilities

  • Natural gas within Sands Point is provided by National Grid USA.
  • Electricity within Sands Point is provided by PSEG Long Island, on behalf of the Long Island Power Authority.
  • Sewage treatment within Sands Point is dependant on cesspools and septic systems.
  • Water within the village is supplied by the Sands Point Water Department.

Emergency services

thumb|Sands Point Police Department patrol car at Village Hall

Sands Point is served by the Port Washington Fire District.

Law enforcement is provided by the Sands Point Police Department.

Landmarks

thumb|The Hempstead House in 2020

Designated landmarks within Sands Point include Falaise, the Hempstead House, the John Philip Sousa House National Historic Landmark, the Sands Family Cemetery, and the Sands Point Light.

Notable people

  • Marv Albert (born 1941), sportscaster.
  • Alva Belmont (1853–1933), socialite and suffragette.
  • Carlos Beltrán (born 1977), professional baseball player.
  • Len Berman (born 1947), television sportscaster and morning radio host.
  • John Cassavetes (1929–1989), actor and film director; graduated from Port Washington High School in 1947.
  • Stanley Chais (1926–2010), investment advisor in the Madoff investment scandal.
  • Perry Como (1912–2001), singer.
  • Howard Gould (1871–1959), financier.
  • Harry Guggenheim (1890–1971), aviator, newspaper publisher, and racehorse owner/breeder.
  • W. Averell Harriman (1891–1986), Governor of New York.
  • Pamela Harriman (1920–1997), socialite and W. Averell Harriman's third wife.
  • John La Gatta (1894–1977), illustrator.
  • Edgar F. Luckenbach (1868–1943), shipping magnate.
  • Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942), publisher.
  • Charles Cary Rumsey (1879–1922), sculptor, husband of Mary Harriman Rumsey.
  • James R. Shepley (1917–1988), reporter and publishing executive.
  • Felix Sater (born 1966), real-estate developer and career criminal.
  • John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), composer most famous for his marches; his Sands Point residence is a National Historic Landmark.
  • William Tavoulareas (1919–1996), president of the Mobil Oil Company.
  • Don Vultaggio (born 1951/1952), founder of the Arizona Beverage Company.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925), Sands Point (Port Washington/Manhasset/Cow Neck) was referred to as "East Egg". The home may have served as one of the many inspirations, as Fitzgerald did likely visit it during his time living in Great Neck (1922–24), but not as a guest of Swope's. Fitzgerald left Great Neck for Paris in 1924, prior to Swope's purchase of that mansion. The likely story with regard to Swope is that Fitzgerald and his good friend Ring Lardner would observe many parties held at the home Swope was residing in during the time Fitzgerald was actually living in the area. This Swope residence was adjacent to Lardner's home on Shore Road in Great Neck, and is no longer extant, though Lardner's mansion is still standing.

See also

  • List of municipalities in New York
  • Kings Point, New York – The inspiration for "West Egg" – across the water from "East Egg" (Sands Point) in The Great Gatsby.

References

  • Official website