Melville is a sprawling hamlet offering a diverse mixture of corporate offices, professional firms, retail stores and residential neighborhoods - even a few remaining farms.

Much of the area's commercial activity takes place on or near the bustling Route 110 corridor, where corporations such as Henry Schein, Arrow Electronics, Fala Direct Marketing and Newsday are headquartered. An abundance of stores, service businesses and eateries also line the north-south corridor, which leads to the Long Island Expressway and the Northern and Southern state parkways.

White Post Farms, which has been in business for more than 40 years, sells flowers, produce and other products. White Post houses an animal petting farm and hosts children's parties, as well as an annual fall festival.

Buyers can choose from an array of housing, including single- family homes, condominiums and senior citizen housing. Homeowner associations, where residents own their land but pay a fee for common areas, also are available. Neighborhoods, often buffered from the whoosh of daily commerce and traffic, are lush with vegetation and offer ranches, split-ranches, expanded ranches, split-levels, capes, Colonials, contemporaries and post-modern homes.

"Melville is on the verge of very interesting market forces," said Robert K. Roth, broker- owner of Hough & Guidice Realty Melville Homes. "People who bought their house in the 1950s and '60s are moving to retirement areas." Melville has been attracting young families - many from Queens, he said.

- Lisa Doll Bruno (8/6/2004)