Baldwin, Nassau County, New York

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Baldwin is also a Town in Chemung County, New York.
U.S. Census map
U.S. Census map

Baldwin is a hamlet (and a census-designated place) located in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York. The population was 23,455 at the 2000 census. In 2007 CNN/Money Magazine ranked Baldwin as the 25th best place to live in the United States.[1]

Baldwin is also a station on the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road.

Contents

[edit] History

Original inhabitants of the area between Parsonage Creek near Oceanside and Milburn Creek near Freeport were native americans known as Merokes or Merrick, an Algonquin tribe indigenous to most of the South Shore of Long Island, who lived in two villages along Milburn Creek. In 1643-1644 it became known as Hick's Neck after two of Hempstead's early settlers, John Spragg from England and John Hicks from Flushing, who extended Hempstead village south to the salt meadows. The grist mill built by John Pine in 1686 on Milburn Creek attracted more settlers who engaged in fishing, farming, marshing, raising longwood and sheep. Between the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, growing Hick's Neck came to be called the village of Milburn. The first churches were built in 1810 and 1872 and the first school in 1833.[1][2] Baldwin was founded in 1855 (as Baldwinsville village) and named in honor of Thomas Baldwin (1795-1872), a 6th generation member of the Baldwin family of Hempstead and the leading merchant of Milburn at the time. Mr. Baldwin owned a hotel and general store called T. Baldwin and Son. In 1867 the South Side Rail Road began operating with a station in Baldwinsville. In 1871 the name of the village was changed to Baldwins so as not to confuse it with the Baldwinsville in upstate New York, and, by 1900's, to Baldwin. During the early 1900's, people were moving into "Beautiful Baldwin", as it was named by Charles Luerssen, a village realtor, for the village's fine boating, bathing and fishing facilities. By 1939, ten years after the opening of Sunrise Highway, Baldwin became the largest unincorporated village in New York State, the title lost to Levittown by 1960.[3]

[edit] Demographics

There were 1200 people in the community of Baldwin (which included Baldwin Harbor) in 1882, 1,500 in 1890, 5,000 in 1920, 12,000 in 1930, 15,000 in 1940, 31,630 in 1980[4][5] As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 23,455 people, 7,868 households, and 6,081 families residing in the village. The population density was 7,954.4 per square mile (3,069.8/km²). There were 7,999 housing units at an average density of 2,712.8/sq mi (1,046.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 71.8% White, 17.9% African American, 0.1% Native American, .6% Asian, .3% Pacific Islander, 4.60% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were approximately 8% of the population.

There were 7,868 households out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.40.

In the community the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the community was $71,456, and the median income for a family was $78,400. Males had a median income of $51,069 versus $40,496 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $28,114. About 3.3% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] School System

Baldwin, together with Baldwin Harbor, has its own school district, officially named the Baldwin Union Free School District (formerly Union Free School District No. 10, Town of Hempstead). The boundaries of the Baldwin School District are not identical with those of Baldwin itself, also containing a significant portion of Freeport, up to Knollwood Road in Rockville Centre and a few blocks from other neighboring villages.

The Baldwin Public Schools consist of nine schools with a total enrollment of 5,441 students in the 2005-2006 school year. Baldwin Union Free School District There is one high school, Baldwin Senior High School, and one middle school, Baldwin Middle School. There are seven elementary schools spaced throughout the town: Brookside, Lenox, Meadow, Milburn, Plaza, Shubert, and Steele. (Three former elementary schools were closed in 1980: Prospect was torn down, along with the former Baldwin Junior High School and former Baldwin Senior High School which were combined in one building many years ago, in the 1980's to make way for a housing complex; Coolidge School on Grand Avenue has been converted to condominiums; and Harbor School on Hastings Street is now the school district office building).

The high school is located near the north end of town, and the middle school near the south end. Buses are run to both of these schools. Most students are able to walk to their elementary schools. The elementary schools contain grades K-5. The middle school contains grades 6-8, but the sixth graders spend most of their time in a separate wing except for music, gym, lunch, arts, computers, technology, and language. The high school contains grades 9-12.

The District is governed by a five-member elected board of education. As of 2007, Dr. Thomas Caramore is serving as Superintendent of Schools.

Baldwin also has one Catholic school, St. Christopher's, established in 1925. The school serves children from kindergarten to eighth grade. Although originally staffed by nuns, most of the school's faculty consists of lay people.

[edit] Notables who have lived in and/or hailed from Baldwin, N.Y.

[edit] Congressional Medal of Honor

Baldwin is the hometown of two soldiers who were awarded the CMOH posthumously.

First Lieutenant Bernard J. Ray deliberately gave his life to spare his men of Company F, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division on November 17, 1944 in the Hurtgen Forest.

Specialist Fifth Class John J. Kedenberg (BHS '64) was serving with a long range reconnaissance team of South Vietnamese irregular troops while a member of the U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). When his group came under attack and was encircled by a battalion-size North Vietnamese Army force, Sp5c Kedenberg conducted a rear-guard action which allowed his group to break out of their encirclement and move to a landing zone. While in the landing zone, Sp5c Kedenberg directed the defense of the L-Z and ultimately gave up the last chance of evacuation to one of his Vietnamese comrades.

[edit] Grumman

Baldwin was also the initial home of the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Baldwin History at Baldwin Public Library
  2. ^ Hick's Neck: The Story of Baldwin at Baldwin Fire Department
  3. ^ Baldwin Chamber of Commerce: History and Mission Statement
  4. ^ HICK'S NECK The Story of Baldwin INTO THE 1800's, part II
  5. ^ HICK'S NECK The Story of Baldwin 1900 TO THE PRESENT
  6. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

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Town of Hempstead, New York
County Hempstead Town Hall on Front Street in Hempstead Village
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