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Peconic, New York
Peconic-ny-map.gif
Peconic, New York is located in New York
Peconic, New York
Peconic, New York
Location in New York
Country United States
State New York
County Suffolk
Town Southold
Area
 • Total 4.56 sq mi (11.80 km2)
 • Land 3.33 sq mi (8.62 km2)
 • Water 1.23 sq mi (3.18 km2)
Elevation
30 ft (9 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 692
 • Density 207.87/sq mi (80.27/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
11958
Area code(s) 631
FIPS code 36-56968
GNIS feature ID 0960091

Peconic is a small community in New York. It is known as a census-designated place (CDP). This means it's an area that the government counts for population, but it's not an official town or city. Peconic is also a hamlet, which is a small village. It is part of the Town of Southold in Suffolk County. In 2020, about 692 people lived there.

History

Peconic gets its name from Peconic Bay. The bay's name comes from a word used by Native American people. This word meant "nut trees." The area was first called "Hermitage." Later, the name "Peconic" was chosen.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Peconic was home to the Peconic School. This was a special place for artists to live and work. Famous painters like Benjamin Rutherfurd Fitz, Edward August Bell, Henry Prellwitz, and Edith Mitchill Prellwitz were part of this art community.

A very famous scientist, Albert Einstein, was in Peconic in 1939. While he was there, he signed an important letter. This letter, called the Einstein–Szilárd letter, was sent to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It helped start the research that led to the atomic bomb.

There was also a special mill in Peconic called Goldsmith's Inlet. It was a tidal mill, which means it used the ocean's tides to work. In 1870, a windmill was added to help it grind things.

Geography

Peconic is located in Suffolk County, New York. It covers a total area of about 4.56 square miles (11.8 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 3.33 square miles (8.62 square kilometers). The rest is water, which is about 1.23 square miles (3.18 square kilometers).

People of Peconic

Historical population
Census Pop.
2020 692
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2000, there were 1,081 people living in Peconic. These people lived in 426 homes. About 310 of these were families. The population density was about 223.8 people for every square mile.

Most people in Peconic were White (94.45%). A small number were African American (0.93%) or Asian (1.11%). Some people were from other backgrounds (2.41%) or a mix of two or more (1.11%). About 3.61% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

Many homes (27.7%) had children under 18 living there. Most homes (62.7%) were married couples. About 22.1% of homes had people living alone. About 10.8% of homes had someone 65 years or older living by themselves. The average home had 2.54 people.

The people in Peconic were of different ages. About 22.9% were under 18 years old. About 17.4% were 65 years or older. The average age was 44 years old.

Schools in Peconic

Students in Peconic attend schools in two different districts:

  • Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District (for a small part of western Peconic)
  • Southold Union Free School District (for the eastern part of Peconic)

Famous People from Peconic

  • The painter Benjamin Rutherford Fitz grew up in Peconic. He passed away there in 1891.
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