Old Bethpage, New York facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Old Bethpage, New York
Hamlet and census-designated place

Location in Nassau County and the state of New York.
Old Bethpage, New York Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Nassau County, New York
Area
• Total	4.17 sq mi (10.80 km²)
• Land	4.17 sq mi (10.79 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km²)
Elevation	174 ft (53 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	6,403
• Density	1,537.33/sq mi (593.62/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	11804
Area code(s)	516
FIPS code	36-54551
GNIS feature ID	0959252

Old Bethpage is a small community called a hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) on Long Island, in New York. It's part of the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County. In 2020, about 6,403 people lived here.

Old Bethpage shares many services with its nearby community, Plainview. They have the same school system, library, fire department, and water supply. The Nassau County Police Department helps keep the community safe.

History of Old Bethpage

The Bethpage Land Purchase

In 1695, a man named Thomas Powell bought a huge piece of land. He paid 140 English pounds for about 10,000 acres (40 square kilometers) from local Native American tribes. These tribes included the Marsapeque, Matinecoc, and Sacatogue.

This large area is known as the Bethpage Purchase. It includes many places you might know today, like Bethpage, Old Bethpage, and Plainview. The land was about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wide and 5 miles (8 km) long.

Naming the Area

Thomas Powell named his new land Bethphage. He chose this name because it was located between two other places on Long Island, Jericho and Jerusalem. This was similar to how the biblical town of Bethphage (meaning "house of figs") was between Jericho and Jerusalem.

Over time, the spelling changed to Bethpage, without the second "H". Powell's 14 children divided his land. This led to several farming communities, and the central part kept the name "Bethpage".

Railroads and Brickworks

In 1873, a special railroad track was built. It was called the Bethpage Branch of the Central Railroad of Long Island. This track went to a brick-making factory that had opened in Old Bethpage in the 1860s. The railway helped transport bricks for building Garden City.

For a few years, passenger trains also stopped at a station called Bethpage. However, the train line was closed in 1942. You can still find parts of an old locomotive turntable in Bethpage State Park. The brickyard kept working until 1981 under different names.

The Long Island Motor Parkway

In 1908, William Kissam Vanderbilt II started building the Long Island Motor Parkway. This was one of the first highways in the country. It eventually stretched 45 miles (72 km) from Queens to Lake Ronkonkoma.

A part of this parkway went through Old Bethpage. Today, street names like "Vanderbilt Lane" and "Motor Parkway" remind us of it. You can still see parts of the old road and some bridges in places like Battle Row Campground and the Old Bethpage Village Restoration.

Bethpage State Park and Name Change

Entry sign into Old Bethpage

In 1932, Robert Moses helped open Bethpage State Park. This large park, covering 1,400 acres (5.7 square kilometers), is almost entirely within Old Bethpage. In 1936, a nearby community called Central Park changed its name to Bethpage.

After this, the original Bethpage community (which is now Old Bethpage) wanted to keep its own identity. They got approval to change their name to Old Bethpage. They didn't get their own post office until 1965. Bethpage State Park kept its name, which sometimes makes people think it's mostly in the town of Bethpage.

Grand Estates and County Facilities

Old Bethpage was once home to two large estates: the Benjamin Franklin Yoakum Estate and the Taliaferro Estate.

The Benjamin F. Yoakum Estate belonged to a railroad leader. This land was later turned into Bethpage State Park.
The Taliaferro Estate is now where the Nassau County Office Complex is located. It used to be the Nassau County Sanitarium, a hospital for people with tuberculosis. This hospital closed in the 1960s. Later, parts of it were used for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and a branch of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

In 1999, Charles Wang, who founded Computer Associates, bought the 144-acre (0.58 square kilometer) property. Today, it houses offices for the New York Islanders and New York Dragons sports teams, which Wang owned. It also has the Plainview Chinese Cultural Center.

In 1960, the Nassau County Fire Service Academy was built in Old Bethpage. This academy trains firefighters from all over Nassau County.

Geography of Old Bethpage

U.S. Census Map

Old Bethpage covers about 4.1 square miles (10.8 square kilometers). Even though Plainview is larger, Old Bethpage has fewer people. This is because a lot of Old Bethpage is made up of parks and undeveloped land. These areas include Bethpage State Park, the Old Bethpage Village Restoration, and Battle Row Campground.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
2020	6,403	—
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2010, there were 5,523 people living in Old Bethpage. Most residents (about 94.57%) were White. There were also people of African American, Native American, and Asian backgrounds. About 1.93% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Many households (75.6%) were married couples living together. About 38.3% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.88 people. The median age in Old Bethpage was 41 years old.

The median income for a household in Old Bethpage was $89,771. For families, it was $100,325. A small number of families (2.4%) and people (4.3%) lived below the poverty line.

Arts and Culture

Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Old Bethpage is home to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration. This special place opened in 1963 on an old farm. It's like stepping back in time to a mid-19th century Long Island village.

The restoration has old farmhouses, a blacksmith shop, a general store, a cobbler, a schoolhouse, and churches. All these buildings were moved from other places on Long Island and carefully restored. In 2009, there were plans to close the museum due to money problems. However, many people spoke up, and it stayed open!

Local Entertainment

Old Bethpage used to have a movie theater in the Tru-Value Shopping Center. It showed popular movies. Later, it became a live theater called the Plaza Playhouse. The Playhouse moved in 2010, and the space is now empty.

Sports and Recreation

Youth Sports Leagues

Kids in Old Bethpage have many sports options!

For baseball, they can join the Plainview Little League.
For basketball, there's the Plainview Police Activity League (PAL).
The Plainview-Old Bethpage Soccer Club helps kids play soccer.
Hawks Youth Lacrosse is for boys and girls who want to play lacrosse.

Indoor Sports Facilities

Old Bethpage also has "Skate Safe of America." This facility offers places for roller hockey and other indoor sports.

Community Parks

Old Bethpage has several parks for its residents.

Haypath Road Park is a main park with tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, a basketball court, and playgrounds. It also has a community center.
Battle Row Campground is for visitors. It offers spots for trailers and tent camping on its 44 acres (18 hectares).

Bethpage State Park

Old Bethpage contains Bethpage State Park. This park is famous for its five golf courses. The most well-known is the Black Course. This course has hosted major golf tournaments like the US Open in 2002 and 2009. It also hosted the PGA Championship in 2019.

Education

The Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District serves children from Kindergarten through Grade 12. This school district includes one high school, two middle schools, and four elementary schools.

The only school located directly in Old Bethpage is Old Bethpage Elementary School. All the other schools are in Plainview. There are also private schools nearby in Plainview. Farmingdale State College is a college located in nearby Farmingdale.

In the past, Old Bethpage had two other school buildings. One was built in 1825. The other was a two-room schoolhouse called the Little Red Schoolhouse. This building stood until the 1970s and was located on Schoolhouse Road.

Images for kids

Entry sign into Old Bethpage