Living in Massapequa

Home prices generally range from $320,000 to $1.5 million, although some properties can go higher. "The market is crazy," Astrof says. "I never even slowed down during the holidays." A house priced right can sell within 30 days, she notes.

Massapequa first was occupied by the Massapequan Indians, who called it "Great Water Land." They lived peacefully until attacked in 1653 by troops led by John Underhill, an Englishman working for the Dutch. The attack killed 120 Indians.

Soon after, the Townsends, a Quaker family from Connecticut bought land from the Massapequan sachem, Tackapousha. John Townsend gave the land to his daughter, Freelove, and her husband, Thomas Jones, who werethe area's first white settlers, in 1696. They owned 6,000 acres, including the sandbar that bares their name -- Jones Beach.

As a resort area, Massapequa attracted many notables over the years, including President Chester A. Arthur and Civil War Gen. Joseph Hooker, who stayed at the Vanderwater Hotel, which stood on the corner of Hicksville and Merrick roads. In the 1920s, Will Rogers and Annie Oakley rented houses in Massapequa, around the time developers began to transform the area into a suburban community.

Massapequa also has produced its share of homegrown celebrities including comedian Jerry Seinfeld; actors Alec, Stephen, Daniel and William Baldwin; and Ron Kovic, a Vietnam War veteran and peace activist who wrote "Born on the Fourth of July."

Massapequa, about 35 miles from midtown Manhattan, has several major thoroughfares including Sunrise Highway, home of Sunrise Mall; Merrick Road; Hicksville Road and Broadway.

Students attend the Massapequa school district. Those living in North Massapequa attend either Massapequa, Plainedge or Farmingdale school districts. East Massapequa students attend Amityville schools.