Manhasset is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 8,080.Manhasset is a Native American term that translates to "the island neighborhood". In 2005, a Wall Street Journal article ranked Manhasset as the best town for raising a family in the New York metropolitan area.As with other unincorporated communities in New York, its local affairs are administered by the town in which it is located, the Town of North Hempstead, New York.The Manhasset area, settled by 1680, grew quickly after it began being served by the Long Island Rail Road in 1898. The LIRR provides direct and convenient access to New York City via the Manhasset and Plandome stations.