Hempstead (town), New York
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| Town of Hempstead, New York | |
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  Town of Hempstead, New York
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Nassau |
| Government | |
| - Type | civil township |
| - Supervisor | Kate Murray |
| Area | |
| - Total | 191.3 sq mi (495.5 km²) |
| - Land | 120.0 sq mi (310.7 km²) |
| - Water | 71.4 sq mi (184.8 km²) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 755,924 |
| - Density | 6,301.3/sq mi (2,433.0/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | |
| Area code(s) | 516 |
| FIPS code | |
| GNIS feature ID | |
The Town of Hempstead is one of the three towns (otherwise known as civil townships) in Nassau County, New York, United States. There are twenty-two incorporated villages completely or partially in the town. Hempstead is the most populous town in the state and the nation with a population of 755,924 at the 2000 Census (estimated to be 763,822 in 2006). It is comparable in population to San Francisco or Jacksonville. It is significantly larger and more populous than Boston, Baltimore, or Seattle. It occupies the southwest part of the county. If it were a city, it would be the 14th most populous city in the nation, just above San Francisco, California. In terms, of land area, it would rank number 67th among US cities.
There is also a village named Hempstead within the town.
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[edit] History
The town was first settled around 1644 following the establishment of a treaty between English colonists, John Carman and Robert Fordham, and the Indians in 1643. Although the settlers were from the English colony of Connecticut, a patent was issued by New Amsterdam after the settlers had purchased land from the local natives. The town may have been named for either Hemel Hempstead in the United Kingdom or the Dutch city of Heemstede. It is completely unrelated with Hampstead, a suburb in the London Borough of Camden. Some other suggestions regarding the origins of the name include one referencing a law during colonial times, requiring all farmers in the town to alternate one year, growing their cash crop, and the other year, growing hemp to replenish the soil. This method of soil regeneration was known as cover cropping.
During the American Revolution the Loyalists in the south and the American sympathizers in the north caused a split in 1784 into "North Hempstead" and "South Hempstead."
[edit] Government
The Town is headed by the Supervisor, currently Kate Murray (R-Levittown). The responsibilities of the office include presiding over meetings of the Town Council and directing the legislative and administrative function of that body. The position also entails creating and implementing the town's budget. Murray is the first woman elected to this office. One famous former supervisor was Republican Alfonse D'Amato, who later served New York in the United States Senate from 1981-1999
The Town Council comprises six voting members, elected from a councilmatic district. Their primary function is to adopt the annual budget, adopting and amending the town code and the building zone ordinances, adopting all traffic regulations, and hearing applications for changes of zone and special exceptions to zoning codes.
As of the 2005 local elections, the council members are:
- Dorothy L. Goosby (D)
- Edward A. Ambrosino (R)
- James Darcy (R)
- Anthony J. Santino (R)
- Angie M. Cullin (R)
- Gary Hudes (R)
Other elected officials in the town include the clerk and the receiver of taxes. The clerk is responsible for issuing birth, marriage, and death certificates and is considered the town's record keeper. The clerk is currently Mark A. Bonilla of Seaford. The Receiver of Taxes is Donald X. Clavin, Jr. of Garden City.
[edit] House Representatives
Hempstead is part of New York's 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts. District 3, represented by Peter T. King (R-Seaford), is the southern and eastern portions of the town, while District 4, represented by Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), is the northern and western portions of the town.
[edit] State Senators and Assemblymen
Hempstead is in parts of New York's 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Senatorial Districts. They are currently represented by Kemp Hannon (R), Craig Johnson (D), Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R), and Dean Skelos (R), respectively.
Hempstead has 8 assembly districts either within or in part of the town. They are Districts 12, 14-15, and 17-21. The assembly members are Joseph S. Saladino (R), Bob Barra (R), Robert Walker (R), Thomas McKevitt (R), Earlene Hooper (D), David G. McDonough (R), Harvey D. Weisenberg (D), and Thomas Alfano (R), respectively.
[edit] County Legislators
Hempstead has 12 county legislative districts either within or in part of the town. They are districts 1-8, 13-15, and 19. The legislators who represent those districts are:
1. Kevan Abrahams
2. Roger Corbin
3. John Ciotti
4. Denise Ford
5. Joseph Scannell
6. Francis X. Becker, Jr.
7. Jeffrey Toback
8. Vincent Muscarella
13. Norma L. Gonsalves
14. David Mejias
15. Dennis Dunne, Sr.
19. David Denenberg
[edit] Politics
Though the town government is still controlled by the Republicans (and has been for almost the entire history of that party), town voters in recent years leaned Democratic in elections on the state and federal level. In the last three presidential elections, the Democrat has won decisively in Hempstead (Bill Clinton received 56% in 1996, Al Gore received 58% in 2000 and John Kerry got 53% in 2004). Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer won Hempstead by a large margin in 2004, Democratic County Executive Thomas Suozzi won here in 2001 and 2005, and most of the town is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Democrat Carolyn McCarthy, who has consistently won over 60% of the vote in the last few election cycles.
[edit] Employment
According to a Newsday survey, the Town of Hempstead is Long Island's 47th largest single employer with a total of 1,974 employees.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 495.5 km² (191.3 mi²). 310.7 km² (120.0 mi²) of it is land and 184.8 km² (71.4 mi²) of it (37.30%) is water.
The west town line is the border of Queens County, New York, in New York City. Its northern border is along the main line of the Long Island Rail Road and along Old Country Road in Garden City heading east towards the Wantagh Parkway. Its eastern border runs parallel (and several hundred feet west of) Route 107. To the south is the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Atlantic Beach, Lido, Pt. Lookout, and Jones Beach. The town is located on Long Island.
The Town of Hempstead contains 21 villages and 35 hamlets:
Villages:
- Atlantic Beach
- Bellerose
- Cedarhurst
- East Rockaway
- Floral Park (part; with North Hempstead)
- Freeport
- Garden City
- Hempstead (village)
- Hewlett Bay Park
- Hewlett Harbor
- Hewlett Neck
- Island Park
- Lawrence
- Lynbrook
- Malverne
- New Hyde Park (part; with North Hempstead)
- Rockville Centre
- South Floral Park
- Stewart Manor
- Valley Stream
- Woodsburgh
Hamlets:
- Baldwin
- Baldwin Harbor
- Barnum Island
- Bay Park
- Bellerose Terrace
- Bellmore
- Bethpage[1] (part; with Town of Oyster Bay)
- East Atlantic Beach
- East Garden City
- East Meadow
- Elmont
- Franklin Square
- Garden City South
- Harbor Isle
- Hewlett
- Inwood
- Lakeview
- Levittown
- Lido Beach
- Malverne Park Oaks
- Merrick
- North Bellmore
- North Merrick
- North Valley Stream
- Oceanside
- Point Lookout
- Roosevelt
- Salisbury (South Westbury)
- Seaford
- South Hempstead
- South Valley Stream
- Uniondale
- Wantagh
- West Hempstead
- Woodmere
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 755,924 people, 246,828 households, and 193,513 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,433.0/km² (6,301.3/mi²). There were 252,286 housing units at an average density of 812.0/km² (2,103.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.65% White, 14.78% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 3.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.50% from other races, and 2.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.46% of the population.
There were 246,828 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.41.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% 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 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.
According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $81,455, and the median income for a family was $93,319.[1] Males had a median income of $50,818 versus $36,334 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,153. About 4.0% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] State Parks
[edit] Notable residents
- Kalomoira, popular Greek singer who grew up in West Hempstead.
- Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and recepiant of Nobel Prize for literature.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Town of Hempstead Map. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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