Glen Cove, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Glen Cove, New York
City
City of Glen Cove
View of Long Island Sound to the north from Welwyn Preserve in Glen Cove
Seal
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Nassau
Incorporated	1918; 107 years ago (1918)
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
Area
• Total	19.24 sq mi (49.84 km2)
• Land	6.66 sq mi (17.24 km2)
• Water	12.59 sq mi (32.60 km2)
Elevation	23 ft (7 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	28,365
• Density	4,260.29/sq mi (1,644.93/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	11542, 11545, 11560
Area codes	516, 363
FIPS code	36-29113
GNIS feature ID	0977339

Glen Cove is a city in Nassau County, located on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. In 2020, about 28,365 people lived there.

Glen Cove is one of only two cities in Nassau County; the other is Long Beach. The rest of the areas are called "towns."

Years ago, Glen Cove was known as part of the "Gold Coast" of Long Island. This is because many rich business people built huge country homes along the waterfront. Famous families like the Morgans and Pratts had estates here.

Over time, Glen Cove became a busy place for making things, farming, and shopping. Many immigrants from Europe, especially Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe, came to work and live here. More recently, people from Central and South America, and parts of Asia have also moved to Glen Cove.

History of Glen Cove

Early Days and Name Change

Long, long ago, for thousands of years, Native American tribes lived in the area where Glen Cove is now. When Europeans arrived, the Lenape (also called Delaware) tribe lived on western Long Island. By the 1600s, the local group was known as the Matinecock.

In 1668, a man named Joseph Carpenter bought about 2,000 acres of land from the Matinecock people. He and four friends from Oyster Bay started a settlement called 'Musketa Cove Plantation'. 'Musketa' meant "place of rushes" in the Lenape language.

In the 1830s, steamboats started traveling between New York City and Musketa Cove. But people thought 'Musketa' sounded like 'mosquito'. So, in 1834, the residents officially changed the name to Glen Cove.

Growth in the 1800s

Glen Cove grew when the Duryea Corn Starch factory opened, bringing jobs to the area. By 1850, it became a popular summer spot for people from New York City.

The Long Island Rail Road arrived in 1867, making it even easier to travel to and from New York City. This helped the town grow, as more people decided to live there all year round.

Wealthy families, like Charles Pratt and J.P. Morgan, loved the beautiful views of Long Island Sound. They built huge private homes along the North Shore. This area became known as the "Gold Coast" in the 1920s. Part of J.P. Morgan's land was given to the city and is now Morgan Park and Beach.

Becoming a City in the 1900s

On January 1, 1918, Glen Cove became its own independent city. Before this, it was part of the Town of Oyster Bay. People in Glen Cove wanted their tax money to be used for their own city's needs, like police and roads, which they felt were not good enough. It was special because Glen Cove became a city without ever being a smaller "village" first.

Many of the large mansions built by wealthy families were later used for other purposes. For example, The Manor, which was John Teele Pratt's estate, is now the Glen Cove Mansion Hotel and Conference Center.

The Braes, another large estate, was bought by the Webb Institute in 1945. It became a special college for naval architecture and engineering.

Killenworth, George DuPont Pratt's estate, was bought by the Soviet Union in 1951. They used it for their United Nations (UN) staff. In 1960, Nikita Khrushchev (from the Soviet Union) and Fidel Castro (from Cuba) both stayed at Killenworth when they visited New York for UN meetings.

After World War II, Glen Cove's population grew quickly. New homes were built on old farms. Many new residents were the children or grandchildren of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, moving from places like Queens or Brooklyn.

Since the late 1900s, many new immigrants have come from Latin America and parts of East and South Asia. There is even a Sikh temple (gurdwara) in Glen Cove for the Indian community.

Geography

Glen Cove covers about 19.2 square miles (49.8 square kilometers). A large part of this area, about 12.6 square miles (32.6 square kilometers), is water.

The city is located on the North Shore of Long Island, right next to the Long Island Sound. The hills along the shore were formed by glaciers from the last ice age.

Glen Cove is surrounded on three sides by the Town of Oyster Bay. On the fourth side is the Long Island Sound.

Climate

Glen Cove has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot summers. The average temperature in January is about 32.7 °F (0.4 °C), and in July, it's about 75.5 °F (24.2 °C).

Greater Glen Cove Area

The greater Glen Cove area includes the city itself and several nearby villages and hamlets:

• Glen Cove
• Glen Head
• Glenwood Landing
• Sea Cliff
• Locust Valley
• Old Brookville
• Matinecock
• Lattingtown
• Greenvale

Population and People

In 2010, Glen Cove had a population of 26,964 people. By 2020, this number had grown to 28,365.

The people living in Glen Cove come from many different backgrounds. In 2019, about 54.7% of the population was white (not Hispanic). About 8.4% were Black or African American, and 5.3% were Asian. A large part of the population, about 25.8%, identified as Hispanic or Latin American.

Economy and Jobs

Many different businesses have been in Glen Cove over the years. Acclaim Entertainment, a video game company, used to have its main office here.

Other companies made various products:

• Li Tungsten made tungsten powder.
• Columbia Ribbon and Carbon Manufacturing Company made printing inks and carbon paper.
• Powers Chemco (later Konica Minolta) made photographic equipment.
• Pall Corporation made filtration products.
• Photocircuits Corporation made circuit boards.
• Slater Electric made electrical wiring devices.

Culture and Fun

The Welwyn mansion at the Welwyn Preserve.

• The Morgan Park Music Festival offers free concerts on Sunday evenings in July and August at Morgan Park.
• Glen Cove is home to the American Stamp Dealers Association.
• Welwyn Preserve is a large, wooded area open to the public. It has nature trails, ponds, and a coastal salt marsh. Many birds and small animals live there. It is also the location of the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center, which has exhibits and educational programs.

Sister City

Glen Cove has a sister city: Sturno, Italy. Many immigrants from Sturno came to Glen Cove in the 20th century.

Education

Public Schools

The Glen Cove City School District's Landing School in 2021

The public schools in Glen Cove are part of the Glen Cove City School District.

• Younger students (grades K-2) go to Eugene J. Gribbin or Katherine A. Deasy Elementary schools.
• Older elementary students (grades 3-5) attend Landing or Margaret A. Connolly schools.
• All students then go to Robert M. Finley Middle School for grades 6-8.
• Finally, students attend Glen Cove High School for grades 9-12.

Private Schools

Friends Academy in 2022.

There are also private schools in Glen Cove:

• Friends Academy (pre-K – 12) is a Quaker-founded private school.
• Webb Institute of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering is a four-year college.

Transportation

Getting around Glen Cove and to other places is easy with these services:

Train Service

The Glen Street LIRR station in 2010.

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has three stations in Glen Cove on its Oyster Bay Branch: Sea Cliff, Glen Street, and Glen Cove.

Bus Service

The Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) offers local bus routes within Glen Cove and to nearby towns like Great Neck and Hempstead. There's also an express bus service, North Fork Express, for commuters traveling to Manhattan during weekdays.

Proposed Ferry Service

The city has plans to start a ferry service that would go directly to Midtown Manhattan. This service has been delayed, but the city hopes to start it when more people need ferry transportation.

Landmarks

The Old Glen Cove Post Office was listed on the NRHP in 2010.

Several buildings in Glen Cove are important landmarks:

• The United States Post Office in Glen Cove was built in 1932 during the Great Depression.
• The Justice Court Building used to be the city court and police headquarters. It has been restored and is now the North Shore Historical Museum.
• The Old Glen Cove Post Office on Glen Street is now an architect's office.

Notable People

Many well-known people have connections to Glen Cove:

• Laurie Bird – film actress
• Leslie Buck – businessman, designer of the Anthora coffee cup
• Roy Campanella – baseball player with the Brooklyn Dodgers
• Daniel Daly – United States Marine, double medal of honor recipient
• Howard Davis Jr. – boxer
• Dave Dictor – founding member, vocalist of MDC (Millions of Dead Cops)
• Ashanti Douglas – singer and actress
• John Edward – psychic medium
• Whitey Ford – Yankees baseball player
• Mike Grella – professional soccer player for the Coloumbus Crew SC
• Priscilla Johnson McMillan - journalist and writer
• Carl Karilivacz – NFL player
• Robert F. Kennedy – United States Attorney general, Senator, and presidential candidate
• Nick Markakis – baseball player
• Brian Myers – professional wrestler
• Samuel Pierce - attorney and politician
• Thomas Pynchon – novelist
• Christine C. Quinn – former member of the New York City Council and former Speaker of the NYC Council
• Chuck Schuldiner – founding member, guitarist, and vocalist of the death metal band Death
• Susan Sensemann – artist
• Tom Suozzi – former Nassau County Executive and U.S. Congressman
• MaliVai Washington – tennis player
• Stan Wattles – racing driver

See also

In Spanish: Glen Cove para niños