Gatsby-esque mansions, country clubs and equestrian pursuits in the shadow of the Empire State Building? This is the atmosphere in Old Westbury, New York, a village of just over 5,000 people on Long Island’s North Shore roughly 25 miles east of Midtown Manhattan. It’s part of the Gold Coast, an approximately 30 mile North Shore stretch where, from the 1890s into the early 20th Century, wealthy families built lavish manors, even on 100 acres or more. Here, they enjoyed lifestyle pursuits—polo playing, gardening, entertaining. Today, most of Old Westbury’s historic estates have been subdivided, but the lure of greener grass remains. “Old Westbury has always been a popular place to live, but with young people wanting to leave the city for more of a country club setting, we are seeing renewed interest,” says Lois Kirschenbaum, a Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty associate real-estate broker.

Old Westbury by the numbers

Key metrics show how the village’s market has changed over time, according to Realtor.com. (News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, also operates Realtor.com.)

The Gold Coast’s top 5 priciest ZIP codes

How Old Westbury compares to neighboring communities as ranked by ZIP code median listing price, according to July 2024 data from Realtor.com.

Who is buying

Millennials are a big segment. Typical buyers include financiers, entrepreneurs, sports and media personalities, doctors and healthcare administrators and educators at local higher-education institutions.

What they’re buying

Central hall Colonials are especially popular. Ranches and homes with a primary bedroom on the main floor are increasingly of interest. Houses are frequently set back off the road, which some residents say makes community-building difficult.

$28 Million

The current priciest listing in Old Westbury has seven bedrooms,
13 bathrooms and 25,000 square feet on a 7 acre lot.

Streets buyers covet

The most exclusive and new community within Old Westbury is Spring Hill, a 160-acre gated community with 22 lots ranging from 4.61 acres to 10.35 acres. The custom estates are designed and built by Kean Development. The area was previously an estate owned by the prominent Phipps family, whose patriarch was a business partner in the Carnegie Steel Company.

What about home insurance?

Since houses in Old Westbury are not right on the Long Island Sound or Atlantic Ocean, homeowners don’t have to be as concerned about how close the house is to the water, says Janet Ruiz, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute, a national trade group based in New York. But because Old Westbury does have older homes, she recommends that buyers pay attention to making sure the house’s systems—electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning—are updated. Additionally, she says, “If the house is a second home, it’s helpful to let home insurance companies know what you have in place: What type of security do you have? Do you have sensors, like for water if a pipe bursts?” She says a home insurance company may give discounts for features like those, but more importantly, it’s better for the homeowner. “These types of houses usually have valuable art and furniture, and beautiful floors,” she says.

Advice for the buyer

“Limited inventory is pushing people to make decisions quickly,” Kirschenbaum says. “If you’re a buyer being shown a home you could afford, my advice is you can’t say, ‘I’ll wait for another house.’ Another house might not come along.”

On the market

Completed in 1935, the facade of this Georgian-style manor features red-brick created in 18th-century Colonial Williamsburg kilns. The property has a swimming pool, two pagoda-style cabanas, a tennis court, rhododendron gardens, a Japanese garden, greenhouses, potting shed, paddocks, a chauffeur’s garage and cottages. There is also an elevator and a four-bay garage. Agent: Lois Kirschenbaum, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty.

This contemporary house with stone and cedar detailing was built in 1974 but updated in 2010. It has three separate wings. The primary wing, the public wing and the housekeeping wing. There is an all-glass atrium, a two-story library with a marble fireplace, and a three-bedroom cottage. The house also has museum-quality lighting for showcasing art. The landscaped grounds have a pool. Agent: Sandy Binder, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty.