Hempstead

Village in Nassau County, New York State, situated on Long Island, 35 km/22 mi east of Manhattan; population (1990) 49,500. Primarily residential, it is also the terminus of many bus lines and a retail centre, although its importance as a shopping district has declined as malls have sprung up in other areas of Long Island.

Hempstead was founded in 1643 by settlers from Connecticut seeking religious freedom; it was part of Queens County until 1899, when Nassau County was formed. It is the site of Hofstra University. Hempstead is also the name of the wider conurbation (population 725,600) that includes Hempstead village, Rockville Centre, Freeport, Levittown, and numerous other New York suburbs, extending from the Queens County line (to the west) to Oyster Bay town, almost at the Suffolk County line (to the east).