Living in Franklin Square

Look what’s Happening

September

Christina Daly/Herald Daisy Troop 2064 helped beautify the neighborhood on Sept. 29, 2021, by planting mums around the Best Market shopping center.

AprIL

Courtesy Franklin Square Historical Society The Franklin Square Historical Society joined with local elected officials and the Franklin Square Civic Association on April 14.

mAy

Courtesy Town of Hempstead The Franklin Square Senior Center grilled up some delicious food during Town of Hempstead’s Senior Program BBQ Kickoff on May 6.

Courtesy Dawn Freifeld Mary Kate Tischler and her daughter, Ruby, visited Dawn and Alana Freifeld’s Sharing Table on Cathedral Avenue in November 2020.

LIVING IN Franklin Square

What is now Franklin Square was originally used as grazing land and farmland by settlers near the center of the Hempstead Plains.

By the 1950s, homes started to encroach on farmland. Franklin Square was a major beneficiary of the migration of people from New York City.

The Franklin Square Union Free School District is consists of the Polk Street, John Street and Washington Street elementary schools. The nearby Willow Road Elementary School is in Valley Stream District 13. The high schools in the area are Valley Stream North and H. Frank Carey.

Franklin Square has a volunteer fire department and is served by the Nassau County Police Department’s 5th Precinct. Its most notable park is Rath Park, which includes a pool, basketball, handball, tennis, football and baseball fields and a playground.

Local organizations include the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce, currently led by President Lisa DelliPizzi; a historical society; youth football and soccer programs; and Franklin Square Little League. One of Franklin Square’s oldest and most notable restaurants is Plattdeutsche, which hosts many community events.

Franklin Square has about 29,320 residents living in about 9,600 housing units, according to the 2010 census.

Notable natives of Franklin Square include the artist and author Barbara Rosenthal, who wrote for the Franklin Square Bulletin in 1959 at age 11; novelist Alice Hoffman; radio personality Rich Davis; country singer Lisa Matassa; “Jersey Shore” reality television show star Jenni “JWoww” Farley; music journalist and award-winning author Jeff Tamarkin; radio and television host Sean Hannity; NASA astronaut Michael Massimino; and Major League Baseball player Al Weis.