Hillcrest is a hamlet incorporated in 1893 and census-designated place, in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States.

It is located north of Spring Valley, east of Viola, south of New Square and New Hempstead, and west of New City.

[2] It is a bedroom suburb of New York City, as many residents commute to employment in Manhattan (and, to a lesser extent, northern New Jersey) by bus (Red and Tan Lines), train (Metro-North Railroad) or automobile.

Along with many other communities in the lower Hudson Valley, Hillcrest became a destination for White Flight from New York City in the 1950s through 1970s.

Craig H. Long, the Town of Ramapo historian, said that many secular Jews were part of the first wave of settlers into Hillcrest after the opening of the Tappan Zee.

Chen reported that many real estate agents and residents said that no one factor caused or contributed to the ethnic change.

[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), all land.

This population density is reflected in the Town of Ramapo's land use plan, which designates most of Hillcrest as medium-high density residential (3 to 10 dwelling units per acre), with a very small portion, located at the intersection of New York Route 45 and Eckerson Road (County Route 74), designated as neighborhood businesses.