Living in Mill Neck, NY: Estates, Schools, Taxes and Rail History

Mill Neck changed from a farming settlement into the site of estates owned by some of New York’s most prominent families. Its village hall occupies a former LIRR station house. It sits among the North Shore towns, near Locust Valley.

Who lives in Mill Neck: income, housing and home values

Mill Neck had 1,054 residents at the 2020 census. The Census Bureau’s ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates put the population at 1,136. Median household income is $196,359, with a margin of error of $30,216, and median family income is $218,409, with a margin of error of $62,338.

The median value of an owner-occupied home is $1,368,800, with a margin of error of $345,926. Of 413 occupied homes, 353 are owner-occupied and 60 are rented. The median home was built in 1959. The median gross rent estimate is $3,501, the survey’s top reported value for rent, so it gives no exact figure.

Older figures give a long view: in the 2000 census the median household income was $125,477 and per capita income was $77,899.

Gold Coast estates and village geography

Many Gold Coast-era estates were built in Mill Neck. The industrial revolution was largely responsible for Mill Neck’s shift from farming settlement to the location of estates owned by prominent New York families. Many of the summer homes built by industry figures of the Gilded Era are still standing. Before that, farms here were owned by Dutch and English families who bought the land from the Matinecock. The village incorporated in 1925.

Mill Neck has a total area of 2.9 square miles, of which 0.3 square miles is water. The highest point in the village is Mill Hill.

School districts: Locust Valley and Oyster Bay-East Norwich

The Mill Neck school population is split between the Locust Valley Central School District and the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District. Public school students attend one of the two depending on where in the village they live.

The library follows the same split. Mill Neck is divided between the Locust Valley Library District and the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Library District. The North Shore school districts guide compares both districts with their neighbors, and the NYSED profile for Locust Valley CSD is the primary data.

Property taxes in Mill Neck

The Town of Oyster Bay Receiver of Taxes bills property taxes on more than 100,000 parcels and collects for the State, County, Town, special districts and school districts.

The Town allows a 40-day penalty-free period after each due date, then charges 1% per month retroactive to the original due date. Grievances go to the Nassau County Assessment Review Commission. The 2026 window closed March 31, 2026, after the County extended it. The Town’s page gives the usual grievance period as January 2 to March 1. The next opportunity to file follows the County’s next tentative assessment roll. Register for STAR school tax relief as soon as the home becomes your primary residence. Basic STAR is based on the first $30,000 of a home’s full value, with a $250,000 income limit for the exemption. Enhanced STAR for owners 65 and older has a $110,750 income limit for 2026-2027. For county-wide mechanics, see Nassau County property taxes.

The closed Mill Neck station and the Oyster Bay Branch

Mill Neck Village Hall is in the former station house of the Mill Neck LIRR station. The station, on the Oyster Bay Branch, closed in 1998 due to low ridership.

The Oyster Bay Branch itself opened in segments between 1865 and 1889. West of Mineola most branch trains originate or terminate at Jamaica, with some rush-hour trips ending at Penn Station. A temporary alternate plan for the branch ran weekdays from September 2 to November 9, 2025; that schedule is past and is not the current timetable. Use the TrainTime app for current schedules. Details are in the LIRR Oyster Bay Branch guide.

Marsh restoration on Mill Neck Creek

The Village of Mill Neck began a Phragmites management program in 2011 to eradicate Phragmites australis from a 1.5-acre stand along the shoreline of Mill Neck Creek. Repeated cutting from 2012 to 2015 reduced the size and density of the stand. Herbicides were added in 2016. Data collected in 2018 shows significant native plant recruitment and an overall reduction of Phragmites, which made up less than 10% of overall coverage. It also managed a 4.4-acre property on the northern side of the DeGraff Causeway and Cleft Road, which separates Beaver Lake (North Shore Wildlife Sanctuary) from Mill Neck Creek.

Village government

As of August 2021, the mayor of Mill Neck was Peter Quick and the deputy mayor was John K. Colgate, Jr.. Village Hall also houses the village’s branch of the United States Post Office. The address is 32 Frost Mill Road, with posted hours of Monday to Friday, 9:30 to 12:30. The Mill Neck Village Justice Court sits at the same address. Police headquarters is the Brookville Police Department at 195 Brookville Road. Fire departments listed for the village are Bayville, Locust Valley and Oyster Bay.