Ronkonkoma, New York facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ronkonkoma, New York
Raconkumake
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The former Petit Trianon on the southwest shore of Lake Ronkonkoma
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| Nickname(s):
Ronkompton
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U.S. Census map
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 Ronkonkoma, New York
Location in Long Island
Ronkonkoma, New York
Location in New York
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| County | Suffolk |
| Town | Islip |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.44 sq mi (21.86 km2) |
| • Land | 8.11 sq mi (21.00 km2) |
| • Water | 0.33 sq mi (0.86 km2) |
| Elevation | 112 ft (34 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 18,955 |
| • Density | 2,337.81/sq mi (902.63/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code |
11779
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| Area code(s) | 631, 934 |
| FIPS code | 36-63473 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0962854 |
Ronkonkoma is a community located mostly in the Town of Islip on Long Island, New York. A small part of it is also in the Town of Brookhaven. It is in Suffolk County. In 2020, about 18,955 people lived there. The Ronkonkoma post office covers this area and some nearby places.
Ronkonkoma is also home to Long Island MacArthur Airport. This airport is owned and run by the Town of Islip. The main air traffic control center for New York is also located here.
Contents
History of Ronkonkoma
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The name "Ronkonkoma" comes from the nearby Lake Ronkonkoma. This name comes from an old Algonquian word. It means "boundary fishing-lake." It was also written as "Raconkumake" or "Raconkamuck" long ago.
Since 1988, Ronkonkoma has been the end of the electric train line. This is for the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line. The train tracks from Hicksville to Ronkonkoma are called the Ronkonkoma Branch. In 2017, a new project was started. It aims to build a "Ronkonkoma Hub" near the train station. This hub will be a central area for businesses and homes.
Ronkonkoma was also the end point of the first road in the United States. This road was made only for cars. It was called the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway. A group of investors, led by William Kissam Vanderbilt II, built it.
Geography of Ronkonkoma
Ronkonkoma covers about 21.1 square kilometers (8.1 square miles). A small part of this area, about 0.9 square kilometers (0.3 square miles), is water. The community is right next to Lake Ronkonkoma.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 18,955 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2020, there were 18,955 people living in Ronkonkoma. There were also 6,150 households. About 20.1% of the people were under 18 years old. Around 6.1% were under five years old. About 13.6% of the people were 65 years or older.
The average income for a household in Ronkonkoma was about $114,216. The average income per person was about $41,792. Only about 3.5% of the population lived below the poverty line.
Neighborhoods in Ronkonkoma
Ronkonkoma has a few distinct areas:
- Lake Hills is located north of the Long Island Expressway. It is south of the Long Island Motor Parkway. Its borders are roughly Rosevale Avenue and Ocean Avenue to the east. Terry Road is its western border.
- Lakeland is south of the Long Island Expressway. It is north of Veterans Memorial Highway. Lakeland County Park and Connetquot River State Park are to its west. Ronkonkoma Avenue and Lakeland Avenue are to its east.
Economy and Businesses
Several important companies are based in Ronkonkoma.
- The company that makes vitamins, The Bountiful Company, has its main office here.
- Northrop Grumman has a special facility in Ronkonkoma. This facility is next to the Long Island MacArthur Airport. They use it for testing and making very fast (hypersonic) aircraft parts.
Education in Ronkonkoma
Before 1960, Ronkonkoma had its own school district. Later, this district joined with the Oakdale-Bohemia School District. This merger created the Connetquot School District.
Today, Ronkonkoma has three public elementary schools. There is also one middle school. Students in high school attend Connetquot High School in Bohemia, a nearby community.
Famous People from Ronkonkoma
Many interesting people have come from Ronkonkoma, including:
- Stefanie DeLeo (born 1982), an author and writer for plays.
- Keith Detelj (born 1985), a soccer player.
- Joe Grimaldi (born 1986), an ice hockey player.
- Steve Hass (born 1975), a musician and music producer.
- Joe Jones (born 1965), a basketball coach.
- Moira Kelly (born 1968), an actress.
- Lennon Murphy (born 1982), a singer and songwriter.
- Joseph Raffaele, a religious leader.
- Scott Rudolph, an entrepreneur.
- Thorgy Thor (born 1984 as Shane Galligan), a drag queen and violinist.
- Alexis Weik, a New York state senator.
Ronkonkoma in Books and Shows
Ronkonkoma has been mentioned in many popular culture works:
- In The Oh, Hello Show, a character wrote a book called Next Stop Ronkonkoma. It was about 100 people on a train.
- Ronkonkoma was mentioned in an episode of Law and Order Special Victims Unit. A character said she lived there.
- Singer-songwriter Mike Doughty mentions Ronkonkoma in two of his songs. These are "Busting Up a Starbucks" and "Like a Luminous Girl."
- Artie Lange talked about Ronkonkoma on the Late Show with David Letterman. He joked about a fan cheering for a baseball player.
- Two characters in the movie 200 Cigarettes were visiting New York City from Ronkonkoma.
- George Burns mentioned Ronkonkoma on his show, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. He had performed there early in his career.
- Edith Bunker mentioned Ronkonkoma in an episode of All in the Family.
- Paul Buchman mentions Ronkonkoma in an episode of Mad About You.
- The New York Islanders hockey team made a video for their 2024-25 schedule. It featured a man named "Ronald Konkoma."
See also
In Spanish: Ronkonkoma para niños
