In central Nassau, the market is "very good, but last year was phenomenal," said Evelyn Atanas, owner of Atanas Realty in Williston Park.

Mrs. McCarthy ousted the Republican incumbent, Daniel Frisa, in central Nassau's normally Republican Fourth District.

Alone in central Nassau, the village retained a sense of orderly development, true to its rigorously planned roots.

"I think it's great," said Viki De Jong, chairwoman of the Citizens Committee for Civic Action, a group in central Nassau.

It was in Williston Park in central Nassau in a well-kept middle-class neighborhood near the downtown area, where homes average in the low-$400,000's.

Several luxury hotels line the shore, only 5 minutes by car from central Nassau.

The seat being vacated is in the First District, covering parts of Roosevelt, Uniondale and Hempstead in central Nassau.

Most of the minority homeowners live in southern and central Nassau, in small houses on modest lots.

Crime is also down in the police sector that includes the Roosevelt Field and Source malls in central Nassau.

He explained: "For example, someone who wants to live in central Nassau might want Albertson.