Rockville Centre

Rockville Centre is a lively, full-service village where many residents feel a strong sense of community.

There is a roster of annual events ranging from holiday festivities to the annual 10-kilometer race and street fair, as well as programs for all age groups. There are several parks, recreation centers and varied houses of worship. "People can be as active as they want," said resident Silvia Rowney, an agent at Roxbury Realty.

"There are a lot of centralized places where people can get to know each other," said Anne Hampel, a broker at Harms Real Estate. Hampel, who moved to the village 21 years ago because she liked the look of the place, said she "lucked out" to land in such an environment.

The thriving business district includes movie theaters and scores of restaurants. Downtown areas, including Front Street, have been beautified with brick walks and lighting. A vintage-style clock was installed in a pedestrian plaza near the train station.

According to the village's Web site, there are 6,000 single-family homes and 3,200 multi-unit dwellings in the village, including condos, co-ops and apartments, some with subsidized rents.

In well-settled neighborhoods there are homes of various sizes and architectural styles. Many were built between the turn of the 20th century and the 1950s. Colonials, Tudors and Victorians dominate.

"We are seeing a lot more houses come on the market for more than $1 million," said Liz Wallace, owner and broker at Century 21 Sherlock Homes, noting that the trend started about two years ago.

Construction projects include several four-bedroom Tudors on Woods Avenue (on the site of a razed restaurant) priced at about $1 million and two-bedroom town houses on Lenox Road, priced around $800,000, Wallace says.

Many buyers, including singles and young families, are attracted by the school district and/or the swift commute to Manhattan. The village has its own police and fire departments, the Phillips House museum and Rockville Links, a private golf course. Mercy Medical Center and Molloy College are in the village as well.

-Lisa Doll Bruno (2/10/2006)