Locust Valley, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Locust Valley is a hamlet (and a census-designated place) in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 3,521.
Locust Valley is in the Town of Oyster Bay.
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[edit] Fame
The people of Locust Valley are said to possess a Locust Valley LockJaw which is a pattern of speech signified by little jaw movement. Locust Valley Lockjaw.
[edit] History
As published in the Long Island Newsday, October 22, 2000
It's a peaceful setting of elegant homes, rolling hills, two-lane roads and woods filled with the trees that give Locust Valley - right in the heart of Long Island's Gold Coast - its distinctive name.
Strictly speaking, "Locust Valley" on the map is a quaint unincorporated hamlet of Oyster Bay Town, just one square mile in size with shops and boutiques, a library, fire house and Long Island Rail Road Station. But the hamlet was once part of a much larger region in what is now northern Nassau County, settled by farmers around 1667 and dubbed Matinecock after the Indian tribe.
Today, when most residents talk of the "Locust Valley" area, they include, at least, the surrounding incorporated villages of Lattingtown, Matinecock and Mill Neck - a location encompassing two exclusive private golf clubs, the Creek (founded in Lattingtown in 1923 by J. Pierpont Morgan Jr.) and the Piping Rock in Matinecock, historic landmarks and celebrity homes.
Most of the early settlers like Captain John Underhill were English. By 1730, they had rechristened their new home Buckram - possibly after a Norfolk, England town called Buckenham where many originated. More than a century later, in 1856, nature lovers counting the locust trees punctuating the landscape, renamed it Locust Valley.
In 1870, the first railroad train reached Locust Valley, a catalyst for change. By the early 20th century, the area was dotted with beautiful estates; and later horse farms, polo fields and private clubs. Publishing tycoon Frank Doubleday, credited with founding the current Locust Valley Library in 1909, with his wife Neltje, built a lavish home in Mill Neck and was actively involved in community life. Industrialist Myron Taylor, president of U.S. Steel, whom FDR made this country's first Ambassador to the Vatican, created a mansion on site of his mother's old home. Later in the century, it was at a nephews' home in Locust Valley that Madame Chain Kai-shek spent the last years of her life.
Landmarks of the past include two privately owned homes dating from about 1698 - the Joseph Weeks Jr. and William Hawxhurst houses on Oyster Bay Road. The Matinecock Friends Meeting House at Piping Rock Road and Duck Pond Roads - now in Glen Cove, but historically part of Locust Valley - was built by Quakers in 1725, but destroyed by fire in 1985. Rebuilt the next year, it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
There are two nationally known private schools in Locust Valley - Friends Academy, situated on 65 acres across from the Quaker meeting house, and the Portledge School on 62 acres of what was the former Coffin family estate.
[edit] Geography
Locust Valley is located at (40.877127, -73.594782)GR1 on the North Shore of Long Island. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²). 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (2.13%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 3,521 people, 1,279 households, and 915 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,477.7/km² (3,832.0/mi²). There were 1,324 housing units at an average density of 555.7/km² (1,441.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.51% White, 3.89% African American, 0.03% Native American, 1.99% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.68% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.54% of the population.
There were 1,279 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $57,418, and the median income for a family was $70,592. Males had a median income of $51,115 versus $37,868 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $40,141. About 3.0% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Many will find that the local school district includes an impressive array of facilities. The district is claimed to be one of the best in the nation. The school is also a new addition to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, a rigorous program of internationally standardized courses taught in schools around the world. Some colleges accept IB credit, provided that students achieve a score of 4 out of 7 on IB external assessments.
The high school is also noted for its exceptional newspaper, The Spectrum, one of the best student newspapers in the country. It is a consistent winner of both the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's and the Empire State Scholastic Press Association's Gold Award for excellence in student journalism.
[edit] Cemetery
Locust Valley Cemetery is a private, non-denominational memorial that began with a unique plan over 100 years ago. Rather than the usual rows of marble and granite, the Cemetery's 19th century founders conceived of a sanctuary more like a woodland garden. To realize that vision, they commissioned the Olmsted family, renowned architects of Central Park, to design its grounds.
In 1917, Locust Valley Cemetery was incorporated, and a perpetual care fund was established to preserve its natural beauty. Today, that fund is still supported by proceeds from every sale, assuring that this woodland haven will always receive the care and attention it has in the past.
[edit] Points of interest
- John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden
- Planting Fields Arboretum, a 400-acre arboretum and botanical garden near Locust Valley.
- Friends Academy
- Portledge School
[edit] External links
- Locust Valley
- 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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