New York Real Estate & Relocation Guide

Roslyn, New York

Population: 2,570

Located in Nassau County

Roslyn, which got its name in 1844 reportedly because it reminded some of the Roslin Castle area in Scotland, became a colony of artists and writers, attracted by the scenic harbor and William Cullen Bryant, a leading poet and publisher who settled there in 1843. Bryant donated a library-meeting house to the people of Roslyn for their ``intellectual and social improvement,' in time for the nation's 1876 centennial. The Bryant Library moved to the Roslyn War Memorial building on Paper Mill Road in 1952.

Roslyn acquired its Clock Tower in 1895, a gift from the children of philanthropist Ellen Ward. The tower serves as a gateway to the old Roslyn valley -- the 18th and 19th Century houses and businesses along Main Street and East Broadway.

Earlier, Roslyn residents sought to control their own zoning destiny by incorporating as villages. Roslyn Harbor and Roslyn Estates incorporated in 1931; Roslyn followed in 1932. Roslyn Heights, East Hills, and Flower Hill complete the Greater Roslyn area.