Actually, none of them are towns. They are all part of the Town of Hempstead ( the oldest town in the U.S
, founded in 1644 ). Two are villages ( Lawrence and Inwood ) two ( Woodmere and Cedarhurst ) are hamlets the fifth, Hewlett, is a combination of villages and hamlets. The difference comes down between incorporated with its own elected officials ( villages ) or being unincorporated areas ( hamlets ) governed directly by the Town of Hempstead. Historically, Inwood never had much of a Jewish population, but it has picked up in recent years because of it’s ( relatively speaking ) lower price of houses