Massapequa Park, New York
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| Massapequa Park, New York | |
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  Massapequa Park, New York
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Nassau |
| Area | |
| - Total | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km²) |
| - Land | 2.2 sq mi (5.6 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 17,499 |
| - Density | 8,104.4/sq mi (3,129.1/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 11762 |
| Area code(s) | 516 |
| FIPS code | 36-45997 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0956655 |
Massapequa Park is a village in Nassau County, New York, USA. The population was 17,499 at the 2000 census.
The Village of Massapequa Park is in the south part of the Town of Oyster Bay.
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[edit] History
Beginnings: The incorporated village shares the early Indian history of Massapequa. Then, in the 19th Century, families of German descent relocated from Brooklyn to what is now Massapequa Park, and the resulting community was known as Wurtenberg or Stadtwurtemburg. The main attraction and center of activity was the Woodcastle Hotel, a rooming house built in 1868 on Front Street next to the fire department as a summer resort. It was destroyed by fire in 1952 and replaced by houses.
Turning Point: In 1928 readers of The New York Times saw ads for Massapequa Park, a development built by a real estate firm owned by Michael J. Brady, Frank Cryan and Peter Colleran. The three Irish-Americans described their project as having a bit of Old Erin and the area still has its mostly Irish street names. In 1931, Massapequa Park was incorporated as a village to ensure control of land use and other issues.
Claims to Fame: The village once had its own airport, the Fitzmaurice Flying Field, named in 1929 for James Fitzmaurice, the first man to fly a plane from Europe to the United States. It is said that more than 100,000 people came to the dedication of the field on Roosevelt Avenue. The field was used by private planes. The field was eventually closed and became the home for the athletic fields of the 4M Club, a popular youth athletic program founded by Larry Neuse, and supported by a wide range of local residents. Today there are two schools on the site, Hawthorne and McKenna.
[edit] Geography
The village is in the south part of Long Island.
Massapequa Park is located at (40.684512, -73.449493).[1]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (2.27%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 17,499 people, 5,762 households, and 4,932 families residing in the village. The population density was 8,104.4 people per square mile (3,128.0/km²). There were 5,809 housing units at an average density of 2,690.4/sq mi (1,038.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.37% White, 0.22% African American, 0.02% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.00% of the population.
There were 5,762 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.1% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.4% were non-families. 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the village the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $79,403, and the median income for a family was $86,177. Males had a median income of $60,083 versus $36,982 for females. The per capita income for the village was $29,781. About 1.0% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.
The Massapequas, (Massapequa Park, Massapequa, East Massapequa and North Massapequa) are noted for having the highest population and percentage of Italians on Long Island. Massapequa Park is, as the rest of the Massapequas (with the exception of East Massapequa) predominantly Italian American, with near 50% of its citizens claiming Italian ancestry.
The area grew in 1973 when the Sunrise Mall(now Westfield Sunrise) was built off Carmans Road and became a hangout for many Massapequa baby boomers. During the 1960s and the 1970s, Massapequa School District had seven elementary schools (Carmans Road, East Lake, Birch Lane, Fairfield, Unqua, Hawthorne, Lockhart), two junior high schools (McKenna and Ames) and two high schools, Massapequa and Alfred G. Berner. Berner is located five minutes away from the infamous "Amityville Horror" house. In the 1990s the Massapequa school district restructured the district by leasing Carmans Road elementary to Nassau BOCES and Hawthorne Elementary to the Nassau County Police Academy. John P. Mckenna Jr. High school was converted to an elementary school, while Alfred G. Berner became the new middle school. J. Lewis Ames Jr. High School is also no longer a middle school, but now the "Ames Campus" of Massapequa High School, which is where the 9th grade currently attends.
The area is also well known, and has been for years, for its soccer teams.
[edit] Famous residents
- Neil Duffy- Norfolk Academy physics teacher
- Candy Darling- Warhol superstar
- Stanley Newman- U.S. puzzle creator, editor, and publisher
- Phil Baroni- Martial arts fighter
- Chris Baumler- Award winning martial arts fighter/teacher, professional stunt double, and adjunct professor at SUNY Stony Brook
- Infamous residents include Carlo Gambino and Roy Demeo who both lived on Whitewood Drive and both were involved with the Gambino Crime Family. Carlo Gambino died at his house on Whitewood drive on October 15, 1976. Roy Demeo also died when he lived in Massapequa Park. They both lived houses away from each other and both had waterfront estates in the Bar Harbor section of Massapequa Park/Massapequa.
- John A. Gotti (Junior Gotti) had a residence in Massapequa before moving away.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Massapequa Park, New York is at coordinates Coordinates:
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