| Village of East Rockaway, New York | |||
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| — Village — | |||
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| ]U.S. Census Map] | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | New York | ||
| County | Nassau | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Francis T. Lenahan Jr. | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1.0 sq mi (2.7 km2) | ||
| • Land | 1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 9,818 | ||
| • Density | 9,418/sq mi (3,636.3/km2) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC−5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) | ||
| ZIP code | 11518 | ||
| Area code(s) | 516 | ||
| FIPS code | 36-22876 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0949233 | ||
| Website | The Incorporated Village of East Rockaway | ||
East Rockaway is a village in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. The population was 9,818 at the 2010 census.[1]
The Incorporated Village of East Rockaway is in the town Hempstead, adjacent to Lynbrook, Hewlett and Oceanside. The primary ethnicities are mainly Italian and Irish. The Waverly Park neighborhood, near the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Center [1] and along the border with Hewlett, has a sizable Jewish community.
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Originally named Near Rockaway, the village began as a shipping and trading center for the south shore of Long Island. The village's location was desirable for ships because of its deep channels inland. Eventually a grist mill was built on the Mill River by Joseph Haviland through a land grant in 1688. The Haviland-Davison Grist Mill, located in Memorial Park, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[2] Later an oven was purchased to make bread for the surrounding population. The village prospered in shipping and milling over the years, even after several sales of the land.[3]
The village's name was changed in 1869 to East Rockaway. The village was incorporated in 1900, and Floyd Johnson was president. At the time of incorporation the town had a population of 969.[4] Back in the 1960s a student from East Rockaway High School, named Donald Scaglione, attempted to steal the school's bell from the bell tower. Unknowingly the bell weighed too much to carry, even for Don, who was one of the football team's star offensive linemen. The bell was dropped. The Scaglione family was responsible for fixing the bell. The bell tower remains empty as of October 18, 2009.
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 10,414 people, 3,926 households, and 2,787 families residing in the village. The population density was 10,187.6 people per square mile (3,942.0/km²). There were 4,003 housing units at an average density of 3,916.0 per square mile (1,515.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.64% White, 0.61% African American, 0.03% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.79% of the population.
There were 3,926 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $59,911, and the median income for a family was $78,363. Males had a median income of $50,365 versus $36,387 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,601. About 2.4% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or older.
Currently there are two elementary schools serving grades K-6 in the East Rockaway school district, and one Junior/Senior high school educating grades 7-12. Each grade of the high school consists of roughly 100 students.[6] Located in East Rockaway is also St. Raymonds Catholic school consisting of pre-k through 8th grade.
East Rockaway High School fields competitive teams in football, cross country, volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball, and track. Along with these teams East Rockaway also combines with schools in the Malverne school district to form teams. These include soccer, lacrosse and tennis. School musicals and the inter-class competition known as Rock Rivalry are widely popular throughout the community. The western portion of East Rockaway is part of school district 20, the Lynbrook school district. Its Waverly Park Elementary School, which feeds into Lynbrook South Middle School, is located in East Rockaway.[7] In the early 1990s, Lynbrook Schools rejected the East Rockaway School District's proposal to send its middle- and high school students to Lynbrook and pay their tuition. The residents of the school district also fought the re-unification of the Lynbrook and East Rockaway districts as mothballing the Junior/Senior High School building complex offered no serious cost reduction to the community. The school district is the smallest in Nassau County and has sought merger opportunities.[8]
The village is protected by the 4th Precinct of the Nassau County Police Department. Fire and ambulance services are provided by the all volunteer East Rockaway Fire Department.