Williston Park is an incorporated village in the town of North Hempstead in Nassau County. At the 2000 census the population was 7,261. It was founded in 1926 when 195 acres were purchased by William Chatlos, a New York City developer. Chatlos wanted to create an affordable, planned community for New York City residents wishing to move to the suburbs. Later that year, residents of the village voted to break with the residents of East Williston and formally incorporate the village. Williston Park is named for Samuel Willis, a settler who came to the area in the late 17th century. Many of Chatlos’ first model homes, known as Happiness Homes, remain today as updated and expanded residences. The community provides a long established village atmosphere that is steeped in tradition and enriched with the involvement of their residents in social and civic organizations.