North Hempstead, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids North Hempstead, New York
Town
Town of North Hempstead
North Hempstead Town Hall, located in Manhasset, the town seat.
Official seal of North Hempstead
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York.
North Hempstead, New York Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Nassau County, New York
Named for	Its location north of Hempstead
Town Seat	Manhasset
Government
• Type	Town Council
Area
• Total	69.16 sq mi (179.14 km2)
• Land	53.51 sq mi (138.60 km2)
• Water	15.65 sq mi (40.54 km2)
Elevation	102 ft (31 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	237,639
• Estimate  (2016)	231,114
• Density	4,441.02/sq mi (1,714.57/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	11001-11599
Area code(s)	516
FIPS code	36-059-53000

North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the 2020 census.

The Town of North Hempstead is located in the northwestern part of Nassau County.

History

The area was first settled by Europeans around 1643 and became part of the town of Hempstead. During the American Revolution the southern part of Hempstead was primarily Tory, while the northern part, having been settled by Yankees, supported the revolution. Following the war, the Town of North Hempstead was split off in 1784.

According to the "Our History" series in the Long Island-based newspaper, Newsday,

In September, 1775, almost a year before the future nation declared its independence from George III, the people of Great Neck, Cow Neck and other areas north of Old Country Road signed their own Declaration of Independence.

The signers, passionate Patriots, declared their independence from the Town of Hempstead, which, in their opinion, had the bad habit of pledging allegiance to the king. Therefore, the northern necks declared themselves 'an entire separate and independent beat or district.' The 'beat' would officially become the Town of North Hempstead in 1784.

During the Revolution, the northern Patriots had their own militia headed by Capt. John Sands of Cow Neck (now Port Washington), which invaded South Hempstead in search of arms. The rift caused a north-south animosity that would take years to heal.

The first North Hempstead Town Board, headed by Patriot Adrian Onderdonk, had to cope with an impoverished area, devastated by an avenging British occupation. The councilmen met in Roslyn taverns and didn't get a permanent home until 1907, when the present town hall opened in Manhasset.

North Hempstead became more affluent with the opening of the Long Island Rail Road through to Great Neck, and the inauguration of steamboat service from Manhattan in 1836.

The town of North Hempstead is made up of 30 incorporated villages that had the right to set zoning restrictions to protect their rights and resources. No new villages have been created since 1936, when a revised county charter denied zoning power to future villages. There are also some unincorporated areas in the town of North Hempstead that are not part of villages.

North Hempstead is the only town on Long Island that does not have a corresponding hamlet or village in its borders with the same name; Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County and the towns of Huntington, Babylon, Islip, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, Shelter Island and East Hampton in Suffolk County all have smaller subdivisions with the same name.

Geography

The west town line is the border of Queens County, New York, part of New York City. The north town line, delineated by Long Island Sound, is the border of Bronx County and Westchester County. The town of Oyster Bay is the eastern neighbor.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 69.1 square miles (179 km²), of which 53.6 square miles (139 km²) is land and 15.5 square miles (40 km²), or 22.47%, is water.

Between the 1990 census and the 2000 census, North Hempstead lost some population growth to Queens.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 222,611 people, 76,820 households, and 58,460 families residing in the town. The population density was 4,154.9 people per square mile (1,604.2/km²). There were 78,927 housing units at an average density of 1,473.1 per square mile (568.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 78.98% White, 6.40% African American, 0.14% Native American, 9.11% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.90% from other races, and 2.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.83% of the population.

There were 76,820 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $96,517, and the median income for a family was $115,697.[1] Males had a median income of $60,094 versus $41,331 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,621. About 3.1% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Between the 1990 census and the 2000 census, North Hempstead lost some population growth to Queens.

Communities in North Hempstead

Villages (incorporated)

Hamlets (unincorporated)

In addition, there is a small area immediately west of Great Neck Gardens that is not part of any incorporated village or census-designated place.

Other locations

• Great Neck—A peninsula into the Long Island Sound.
• Hempstead Harbor—A bay of the Long Island Sound.
• Lake Success—A lake near the west town line.
• Little Neck Bay—A bay of the Long Island Sound
• Manhasset Bay—A bay of the Long Island Sound
• Manhasset Neck or Cow Neck—A peninsula into the Long Island Sound.
• United States Merchant Marine Academy

Transportation

Rail service

The Manhasset LIRR station.

The Long Island Rail Road's Oyster Bay Branch serves the town's vicinity from Mineola to Greenvale. The Main Line runs through the southern parts of the town from with stations at Merillon Avenue in Garden City Park through Westbury. The Port Washington Branch runs along the northern part of the town and uses stations from Great Neck across the Manhasset Viaduct into Port Washington.

Bus service

The Town of North Hempstead is served primarily by Nassau Inter-County Express bus routes, though at least two MTA Bus Routes enter Nassau County from Queens.

Major roads

• Interstate 495 is the Long Island Expressway, and the sole interstate highway in the Town of North Hempstead, with interchanges from Exit 33 in Lake Success to Exits 39 in Old Westbury.
• Northern State Parkway is a suburban continuation of the Grand Central Parkway that has interchanges from Exit 25 in Lake Success to Exit 34 in Westbury. The route runs along the south side of the Long Island Expressway. As a parkway, no trucks are allowed.
• Meadowbrook State Parkway runs south to north and only exists within the town between Old Country Road (Exits M1) and Northern State Parkway.
• Wantagh State Parkway only exists within the town between Old Country Rd (Exit W2) and Northern State Parkway.
• New York State Route 25A is the northernmost west-east route in the town, and is a suffixed route of NY 25.
  

  The William Cullen Bryant Viaduct (formerly named the Roslyn Viaduct) carries New York State Route 25A over Hempstead Harbor in Roslyn.
• New York State Route 25B is another west-east suffixed route of NY 25 that runs from the Bellerose section of Queens into NY 25 in Westbury.
• New York State Route 25
• New York State Route 101 is a south-north state route that runs from Flower Hill, through downtown Port Washington, and eventually into Sands Point.
• Beacon Hill Road
• Glen Cove Road
• Herricks Road
• Old Country Road
• Shelter Rock Road
• West Shore Road

Airports

• Sands Point Seaplane Base

Economy

• Northwell Health, the largest employer on Long Island, is based in Great Neck.
• The Americana Manhasset (and the "Miracle Mile", as a whole) - one of Long island's most famous shopping malls and areas - is located on Northern Boulevard (NY-25A) in Manhasset.
  

  Stores at the Americana Manhasset.
• The North American headquarters of Sabena were located in a 36,000 square feet (3,300 m²) office building in Manhasset in North Hempstead. In April 2002 Knightsbridge Properties Corp. bought the building for $4.9 million. Due to the bankruptcies of Sabena and Swissair, the real estate deal took over a year to finish. During that month, the building was 30% occupied. Sabena was scheduled to move out of the building on May 10, 2002. The buyer planned to spend an additional $2 million to convert the building into a multi-tenant, Class A office and medical facility. At one time, Servisair's Americas offices were in Great Neck.
• Sumitomo Corporation operates its Lake Success Shared Services Center in an area in the town of North Hempstead, south of Lake Success.
• Systemax, Pall, Publishers Clearing House and NPD Group are based in Port Washington.

Top employers

St. Francis Hospital, located in Flower Hill, was the third largest employer in North Hempstead in 2011.

According to North Hempstead's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the town are:

Images for kids

• 

  U.S. Census map of North Hempstead (highlighted in yellow).

See also

In Spanish: North Hempstead (Nueva York) para niños