Farmingdale Voted Best Downtown On Long Island In 2024: Bethpage Best

FARMINGDALE, NY — Farmingdale Village was voted Best Downtown on Long Island in the 2024 Bethpage Best of LI Awards.

Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said Farmingdale winning feels "phenomenal."

"It shows off the hard work our team does in making Farmingdale a destination place," Ekstrand told Patch.

It marks Farmingdale's ninth win in 10 years. Huntington won in 2019, as well as 2010 through 2014. No other downtown has won a Bethpage Best of Long Island award.

Ekstrand said he does not get tired of winning, noting that Long Island is home to several nice downtowns.

"It seems the people who vote keep voting Farmingdale. We like to think we’re on the right path," he said.

Ekstrand attributes Farmingdale's continued success to the village's elected officials, chamber of commerce and business improvement district.

"These three entities work together to make Farmingdale a better place and attract people to the area and make it appealing to the area," Ekstrand said. "A perfect example of this is the chamber of commerce got a $10K grant for lighting on Main Street, and so did the business improvement district. It’s a total of $20K. We got new lighting on Main Street for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and St. Patty’s Day."

Farmingdale decorated with lit up snowflakes for the holidays, hearts for Valentine's Day, and will display shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day. The Farmingdale Village St. Patrick's Day Parade is scheduled for 2 p.m. March 10.

Parking meters came to Farmingdale in September, costing non-village residents 50 cents an hour to park in municipal lots on certain days and times.

Ekstrand said he was a bit worried that the parking meters could factor against the village in the Bethpage Best of Long Island voting.

"Fortunately, most people understand they can go out for four hours, have fun in Farmingdale, and the four hours is only going to cost them $2," he said. "If they use the [PayByPhone] app, it’s painless. You don’t even see the $2."

There are alternative parking spots that do not cost anything, as well. The village has an agreement with the Farmingdale School District for approximately 150 spaces near the Howitt Middle School's Farmingdale Aquatic Center. The LIRR lot offers free parking from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.

Ekstrand thanked Farmingdale residents for re-electing village officials "to help make Farmingdale number one downtown village for nine out the last 10 years."

"It’s been great," Ekstrand said.

He is up for re-election on March 19.

Ekstrand said his goal for 2024 is to get grant money to bury the poles on the north side of Conklin Street, where the village is currently about $800K short. Ekstrand said he got grant money to cover all but $93K for the project on the south side of Conklin Street.

"Getting grant money is a hard thing to do," he said. "...I was very lucky to get money from [State Sen.] Kevin Thomas."

The village in 2019 was officially dubbed the "Culinary Quarter" in fall 2019. Main Street is home to a vibrant array of restaurants and bars, a diner, shops, a speakeasy and more. The village offers many ethnic cuisines, as well.

Two chefs who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America ply their trade in Farmingdale: reigning two-time Long Island chef of the year Eric LeVine of 317 Main Street, Vico, and The Nutty Irishman; and Kristina Grimes of The Nutty Irishman Recovery Room.