Floral Park, New York

Floral Park, New York
—  Village  —

Flag
Motto: "A Great Place to Live"
U.S. Census Map
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates:
Country United States
State New York
County Nassau
County Nassau County
Founded 1800s
Incorporation 1908
Government
 • Type Strong Mayor-Council
 • Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy(C)
Area
 • Total 1.4 sq mi (3.5 km2)
 • Land 1.4 sq mi (3.5 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation[1] 92 ft (28 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 15,863
 • Density 11,635.9/sq mi (4,499.9/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 11001-11003
Area code(s) 516
FIPS code 36-26264
GNIS feature ID 0950296
Website http://www.fpvillage.org

Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863.[2] The village is at the western border of Nassau County, and is located in both the Town of Hempstead and the Town of North Hempstead. The neighborhood of Floral Park, Queens, is adjacent to the village.

Contents

History

The area that is now Floral Park once marked the western edge of the great Hempstead Plains, and by some reports was initially known as Plainfield. Farms and tiny villages dominated the area through the 1870s when the development of the Long Island Rail Road and Jericho Turnpike cut through the area. Hinsdale had more than two dozen flower farms after the Civil War.[3] The present-day village of Floral Park was once called East Hinsdale.[4]

In 1874 John Lewis Childs arrived in the area to work for C.L. Allen as a seed seller. After building his own seed and bulb business[5] and starting America's first seed catalog business, Childs bought a great deal of land in the area. To promote his own business and the local horticultural industry, Childs named the local streets after flowers and renamed the area Floral Park. The expansion of the Floral Park Post Office and nearby village businesses are attributed solely to the success of Childs' business.[6] When the local Post Office took the name Floral Park, the Long Island Rail Road followed suit by changing the name of the East Hinsdale station to Floral Park in 1888. Formerly part of Queens, Floral Park became part of the new county of Nassau in 1899, and it was incorporated as a village in 1908. Childs served as its first president starting that year.[7]

In 1903 the village boasted more than 200 acres (0.81 km2) of Childs' flower beds. The massive volume of his mail order business grew the local post office to such an extent that it drew comparisons with the post offices of Chicago, Baltimore, and Boston.[8]

Geography

The western village boundary is the border of New York City. Floral Park is located at .[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 15,967 people, 5,770 households, and 4,258 families residing in the village. The population density was 11,635.9 people per square mile (4,499.9/km2). There were 5,892 housing units at an average density of 4,293.8 per square mile (1,660.5/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 93.56% White, 0.46% African American, 0.06% Native American, 3.88% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.38% of the population.

There were 5,770 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the village the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $113,719, and the median income for a family was $137,243. Males had a median income of $56,527 versus $38,592 for females. The per capita income for the village was $51,183. None of families or the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

The average and median sales price of a home in the village in 2011 was $468,738 and $460,000, respectively.[11]

Education

Two high schools are located in Floral Park: Floral Park Memorial High School and Sewanhaka High School, both of which are part of the Sewanhaka Central High School District (which also includes schools in nearby New Hyde Park, H. Frank Carey and Elmont.)[12] There are three elementary schools in Floral Park. Two of them, John Lewis Childs School and Floral Park-Bellerose School, are part of the Floral Park-Bellerose School District (the latter school also serves the neighboring village of Bellerose and Bellerose Terrace.) [2] Our Lady of Victory Elementary School is operated by the Roman Catholic Our Lady of Victory parish.

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ "USGS detail on Floral Park". http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:2075062. Retrieved 2007-09-29. 
  2. ^ [1], "The History of Floral Park". Retrieved 12/22/08.
  3. ^ "Floral Park: Planting seeds for its growth", Newsday. Retrieved 12/30/07.
  4. ^ Weidman, B.S. (1981) Nassau County, Long Island, in Early Photographs, 1869-1940. Courier Dover Publications. p 49.
  5. ^ A Picture of the John Lewis Childs Seed Company. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  6. ^ Ross, P. (1903) History of Long Island: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. p 247.
  7. ^ The history of Floral Park, Village of Floral Park. Accessed September 15, 2007.
  8. ^ Ross, P. (1903) History of Long Island: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. p 248.
  9. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  10. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  11. ^ "Floral Park Real Estate", Market Report Retrieved 12/28/11.
  12. ^ http://www.sewanhaka.k12.ny.us/services.htm

External links