East Williston

“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives,” Abraham Lincoln once said. This phrase sits proudly on a sign outside East Williston’s village hall, and it couldn’t be more accurate for the little village. Members of the community love East Williston so much that they take an active role in improving it and making it the best it can be for everyone. “It’s a small community with a lot of community involvement,” says Christine Lavelle, a licensed real estate salesperson at Howard Hanna-Coach Realtors who has lived in East Williston for 40 years. “We have little committees, like a recreation committee, with all sorts of events for children and adults. We have a lot of volunteers that step up to the plate. We have our own Little League and our own tennis courts. We have residents that actually do some of the gardening. We have two open pieces of land, like the village green, and we have volunteers that maintain that, which is lovely. They volunteer their time to plant flowers and bushes, they go there and weed. It’s a nice little community.”

Many of East Williston’s tidy streets are lined with trees, including a smattering of cherry trees that bloom beautifully in spring, and its homes were often built in the early to mid-1900s, with some dating back as far as the late 1800s. New builds, on the other hand, are rare in the village. “It’s an old town with charming homes,” Lavelle says. “It’s just a very pretty neighborhood as well.” The variety of home styles found in East Williston adds to the village’s charm and unique appearance, though colonial and cottage styles are particularly common. Home prices in East Williston are just as variable as the styles and ages of homes, starting at around $850,000 and climbing to about $2.5 million. “For a community of 850 homes, that’s a big range, but anyone can find a house suitable for them here,” Lavelle says. Because the community is so small and desirable, however, the housing market is very competitive. “The inventory is very low,” Lavelle says. “Once a house comes on the market, it’s gone in a week. I think right now we only have five houses for sale. The last one I just sold, I had it on the market one day, and I had an open house with a line down the block. I had multiple offers, and it just went to contract.”

The village is served by the East Williston Union Free School District. It’s a small district that consists of just three schools, and Niche lists it as the 10th best district in New York as well as one of the best districts to teach in the state. Children in eighth through 12th grade attend The Wheatley School, whose 50-acre campus serves about 700 students and contains modern science and computer labs, a television production studio and more. Residents often go to Devlin Field to play baseball or tennis and can join the Wheatley Hills Golf Club, but in many ways, it’s East Williston Public Library that is the focal point of this community. This is once again due to the dedicated community that calls East Williston home, organizing events and learning opportunities for residents of all ages to enrich their lives and help them feel engaged with the community. “The library is fantastic,” Lavelle says. “They have programs for kids and adults. The kids benefit with story hours and they have guest readers come in, there’s all sorts of entertainment for the kids. And there’s a lot of entertainment for the senior citizens.”

East Williston is purely residential, so there isn’t much in the way of shopping or restaurants within the village. This keeps it quiet and peaceful, but residents still don’t have to go far when they want entertainment. A wide selection of restaurants and shopping are available less than a mile away in Williston Park, and East Williston Station sits right on the border between the two communities, all within walking distance for most residents. “It’s a small community and it’s very close to shopping,” Lavelle says. “You can walk to almost anywhere. I can walk to the train and get to Manhattan in 30 minutes.”

People love East Williston so much that those who grew up in the village often come back when it’s time to settle down and buy a house. “It’s so nice,” Lavelle says. “I’m selling houses to my children’s friends, it’s so funny. I look at them and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I haven’t seen you since grammar school.’ And they have families.” Other residents, like Lavelle herself, love living in the village so much that they make a point to stay, moving houses within the community as their needs change. “I’m in my third house in East Williston. That’s how much I like it here.” In this community, it’s not just your house that’s your home—it's East Williston itself.

Written By

Christina Norwood

Photography Contributed By

Perez Folds

Video By

Syd Silberman