| Town of Brookhaven, New York | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Location of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Suffolk |
| Settled | 1655 |
| Incorporated | 1686 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Civil Township |
| • Supervisor | Mark Lesko |
| Area | |
| • Total | 531.5 sq mi (1,376.6 km2) |
| • Land | 259.3 sq mi (671.6 km2) |
| • Water | 272.2 sq mi (705.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 79 ft (24 m) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 490,416 |
| • Density | 1,822/sq mi (703.5/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 11719 |
| Area code(s) | 631 |
| FIPS code | 36-10000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0978758 |
| Website | www.brookhaven.org |
The Town of Brookhaven is one of the ten towns into which Suffolk County, New York, United States, has been divided. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located in central Suffolk County and is the only town in the county that stretches from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long Island. The population of the town was 486,040 at the 2010 census. It is the largest town (by area, if including water area) in the state of New York, and the second most populous, exceeded only by the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County.[1]
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 531.5 square miles (1,376.6 km²), of which 259.3 square miles (671.6 km²) is land and 272.2 square miles (705.1 km² or 51.22%) is water. It is the largest town in New York in terms of total area. Excluding water, however, there are four towns in the state with more land area: Webb in Herkimer County, Long Lake in Hamilton County, Arietta in Hamilton County, and Ohio in Herkimer County.
It has coastline on both the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound. Riverhead and Southampton lie to the east, and Smithtown and Islip lie to the west.
A large part of Fire Island and the Great South Bay are in the town.
It has a large hill, known as "Bald Hill", in the hamlet of Farmingville, which marks where the glacier which formed Long Island stopped. At the top of Bald Hill is a Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Telescope Hill, to the west of Bald Hill, is slightly taller and the highest point in the Town.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is located within the town.
The first known inhabitants were Algonquian-speaking Native Americans, of the Setauket and Unkechaug tribes. The first English settlers arrived in 1655 and purchased land from the inhabitants. Early English settlers farmed, fished, and hunted whales.
The first English settlement was named Setauket after the native American tribe. In 1666, Governor Richard Nicolls granted a Patent for the town which confirmed title to the lands purchased, and permitted additional purchases. Governor Thomas Dongan issued a Patent in 1686 which granted powers to the town and established a representative form of government.[2]
The letter "D" on the official seal, associated with the original Dongan patent officially establishing Brookhaven, is a cattle branding letter assigned to Brookhaven in the mid-17th century, along with whaling harpoons.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 8,595 |
|
|
| 1860 | 9,923 | 15.5% | |
| 1870 | 10,159 | 2.4% | |
| 1880 | 11,544 | 13.6% | |
| 1890 | 12,772 | 10.6% | |
| 1900 | 14,892 | 16.6% | |
| 1910 | 16,737 | 12.4% | |
| 1920 | 21,847 | 30.5% | |
| 1930 | 28,291 | 29.5% | |
| 1940 | 32,118 | 13.5% | |
| 1950 | 44,522 | 38.6% | |
| 1960 | 109,900 | 146.8% | |
| 1970 | 245,260 | 123.2% | |
| 1980 | 364,812 | 48.7% | |
| 1990 | 407,779 | 11.8% | |
| 2000 | 448,248 | 9.9% | |
| 2010 | 486,040 | 8.4% | |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 448,248 people, 146,828 households, and 112,910 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,728.8 people per square mile (667.5/km²). There were 155,406 housing units at an average density of 599.4 per square mile (231.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.43% White, 4.33% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.90% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.21% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.04% of the population.
There were 146,828 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.37.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $73,566, and the median income for a family was $84,705.[1] Males had a median income of $48,601 versus $32,157 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,191. About 3.9% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Historical Population
(see also sidebox for U.S. census data)
1865 10,159[4]
1845 7,461[5]
1825 5,393[6]
According to Brookhaven's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[7] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stony Brook University | 13,623 | Stony Brook |
| 2 | Internal Revenue Service | 3,332 | Holtsville |
| 3 | Sachem School District | 3,100 | Holbrook |
| 4 | Brookhaven National Laboratory | 2,500 | Upton |
| 5 | John T. Mather Memorial Hospital | 2,047 | Port Jefferson |
| 6 | Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center | 2,030 | East Patchogue |
| 7 | St. Charles Hospital | 1,520 | Port Jefferson |
| 8 | Three Village Central School District | 1,454 | East Setauket |
| 9 | Verizon | 1,440 | Patchogue |
| 10 | William Floyd School District | 1,300 | Mastic Beach |
Brookhaven government is led by a town Supervisor and a six-member Town Council, which are all two-year term elected positions. Council members are elected by district.[8]
Prior to 2002, the Brookhaven Town Republican Party controlled the majority of the town board for several decades, except for a two year period in the mid-1970s when Democrats held a majority under Supervisor John Randolph.[9] This one-party domination, and a series of scandals, led to a tarnished reputation of local politics accorded the nickname "Crookhaven".[10][11]
In 2002, a voter proposition was passed to create council districts, replacing the prior system of electing the six town council members at-large.[1] Steve Fiore-Rosenfield became the first Democrat to be elected since the 1970s in 2003.[12] In 2005, Brian X. Foley, a Democratic county legislator won the Town Supervisor race against Republican Councilman Edward Hennessy.[13] In addition to Brian Foley, Constance Kepert and Carol Bissonette were also elected to the town board. As a result, the Democrats gained control of the Brookhaven town board.[14]
Following the election of 2007, the Republican Party regained a majority on the Brookhaven Town Board, and elected Councilman Tim Mazzei as majority leader.[15]
In 2008, Brian Foley was elected to the State Senate; he was replaced as Supervisor by Mark Lesko, a Democrat, in a special election in early 2009.[16] However, the Republicans retained their majority on the Town Council.
On November 14, 2009, Town Councilman Keith Romaine, son of Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine, died. A special election was held March 9, 2010 to fill the vacant seat, with Daniel Panico being the victor.
Current Town Board as of March 9, 2010[17]
Supervisor Mark Lesko (D)
Town Clerk Patricia Eddington (former Assemblywoman)Non-Voting Member (D)
1st Council District Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfield (D)
2nd Council District Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C)
3rd Council District Councilwoman Kathleen Walsh (R)
4th Council District Councilwoman Constance Kepert (D)
5th Council District Councilman Timothy Mazzei (R)
6th Council District Councilman Daniel Panico (R)
Tax Receiver LOUIS J. MARCOCCIA (R) [17]
Brookhaven has 9 villages:
Brookhaven includes all or part of 50 hamlets. One of those hamlets is also named Brookhaven.
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