Uniondale is a thriving, ethnically diverse community, which the Islanders hockey team and many professional firms call home.

The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Hempstead Turnpike, where the Islanders play home games, hosts concerts, trade shows and other events.

Reckson Plaza, formerly EAB Plaza, with twin office buildings totaling 1.1 million square feet of space, is on Glenn Curtiss Boulevard. The property has an ice skating rink in the winter and is the site of an annual Christmas tree festival.

Shops, services and restaurants are dotted along Uniondale and Jerusalem avenues and Front Street. C-Town, the community's first brand-name supermarket, recently arrived, said Anibal Inoa, a resident and broker at Open Gates Realty.

Uniondale Public Library was recently doubled in size to 31,000 square feet.

Established neighborhoods feature mostly capes, although ranches, high-ranches and Colonials can be found. About two dozen high-ranches priced as high as $500,000 have been built in the past three years, Inoa said.

Uniondale attracts first-time home buyers. Nicole Burke, an agent at Genesis Realty Network Inc., purchased her first home here four years ago. Reasonable prices and taxes may have lured her, but she also loves the area. "It's close to everything [the Meadowbrook Parkway is easily accessible], and the people are great," she said.

Federally subsidized rental complexes for those 62 and older include Park Gardens with 120 units and Meadowbrook Gardens with 80 units. Residents in unincorporated areas in the Town of Hempstead have first priority. There is a waiting list; for more information, call the Housing Authority at 516-485-9666.

The A. Holly Patterson Extended Care facility is a nursing center for geriatric patients.

Uniondale, which has a few parks, is close to Eisenhower Park, a 930-acre county park, and Jones Beach. Other nearby attractions include the Cradle of Aviation and the Long Island Children's Museum. Hofstra University, a private institution, is on the Uniondale border, and Nassau Community College is close by.

-Lisa Doll Bruno (3/10/2006)