Kings Park, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kings Park is a census-designated place (CDP) and hamlet located in the Town of Smithtown, Suffolk County, New York. The population was 16,146 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
Kings Park is located at (40.888497, -73.242582)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 16.3 km² (6.3 mi²). 15.3 km² (5.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (6.21%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 16,146 people, 5,480 households, and 4,197 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,058.4/km² (2,740.4/mi²). There were 5,574 housing units at an average density of 365.4/km² (946.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.45% White, 0.84% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.89% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.33% of the population.
There were 5,480 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $69,819, and the median income for a family was $80,952. Males had a median income of $53,125 versus $36,008 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,906. About 2.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Kings Park Psychatric Center
The Kings Park Psychatric Center was built by Kings County (before becoming part of New York City) in 1885 after Dr. Oliver Dewing's successful campaign to develop a hospital for the mentally ill on an 870-acre plot of land. The hospital was originally called Kings County Farm, a care center for the poor and mentally ill operated by Brooklyn officials. Kings County Farm is the origin of the name Kings Park.
In 1954 the Center's patient population peaked at 9,303. The Center was a key source of employment for the area during this time period, and was perhaps the most important factor in the hamlet's development.
As patient totals declined, so did employment at the center. The decrease in state employment caused a demographics shift, as an increasing percentage of the population became employed in the city.
In 1996, the KPPC property closed. The remaining patients were transferred to Pilgrim Psychiatric Center. The State of New York has abandoned a deal to sell the property to Cherokee Northeast/Arker Companies for remediation and future redevelopment. The plans have been opposed vehemently by many townspeople, most notably the Kings Park Coalition Against High Density Housing, and has become an important political issue in many local political campaigns.
[edit] Claims to fame
Kings Park is the hometown of Houston Astros catcher/second baseman/outfielder Craig Biggio. Biggio has been named one of the 5 greatest second basemen of all time by renowned baseball statistician Bill James. He is also the modern-era record-holder for HBPs (Hit By Pitch) with 273, and the only player in history to be named an All-Star at both the catcher and second baseman positions.
Kings Park is also the hometown of John Petrucci, John Myung, and Kevin Moore, founding members of influential progressive metal band Dream Theater.
It is also the hometown of child actress Courtney Chase, who played Kennedy in the popular TV show Blossom in the early 90's.
[edit] Other landmarks
Sunken Meadow State Park borders the Long Island Sound and is accessible by the Sunken Meadow State Parkway. It is a part of the New York State Parks system. In addition to the water, the park boasts 6 miles of public trails and 27 holes of golf. The park's facilities make it ideally suited for many activities, among them various distance running competitions. The infamous "Cardiac Hill" is well known by local runners.
The Nissequogue River, 6 miles in length, empties into the Long Island Sound and is readily accessible for all manner of water activities. The scenic river snakes through the recently christened Nissequogue River State Park.
[edit] External links
- Kings Park Chamber of Commerce
- Kings Park Central School District
- Newday Community Profile - Kings Park
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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