Bethpage, New York Central Park | |
---|---|
![]() A welcome sign for the hamlet. | |
![]() Location of Bethpage in Nassau County (right) and New York state (left) | |
Coordinates: 40°44′48″N73°29′4″W / 40.74667°N 73.48444°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
County | ![]() |
Town | Oyster Bay |
Area | |
• Total | 3.58 sq mi (9.26 km2) |
• Land | 3.58 sq mi (9.26 km2) |
• Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
Elevation | 105 ft (32 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 16,658 |
• Density | 4,658.28/sq mi (1,798.67/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
ZIP Code | 11714 |
Area code | 516 |
FIPS code | 36-06387 |
GNIS feature ID | 0943803 |
Bethpage (formerly known as Central Park) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 16,658 at the 2020 United States Census. [2]
The name Bethpage comes from the Quaker Thomas Powell, who named the area after the Biblical town Bethphage, which was between Jericho and Jerusalem in the Holy Land. Present-day Bethpage was part of the 1695 Bethpage Purchase. An early name for the northern section of present-day Bethpage was Bedelltown, [3] [4] a name that appeared on maps at least as late as 1906. [5]
On maps just before the arrival of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the name Bethpage appears for a community now included in both the post office district and school district of the adjacent community of Farmingdale. [6] In 1841, [7] train service began to Farmingdale station, near a new settlement less than a mile eastward from what had previously appeared on maps as Bethpage. Schedules at that time do not mention Bethpage as a stop, but have a notation "late Bethpage". [8] On an 1855 map, [9] the location identified as Bethpage has shifted slightly westward to include a nearby area now called Plainedge.
Between 1851 [10] and 1854, [11] the LIRR initiated a stop within present-day Bethpage at a station then called Jerusalem Station, and on January 29, 1857, a local post office opened, also named Jerusalem Station. [12] [13] LIRR schedules listed the station also as simply Jerusalem. [14] [15] Residents succeeded in changing the name of the post office to Central Park, effective March 1, 1867 (respelled as Centralpark from 1895 to 1899). [12] [16] The Central Park Fire Company was organized in April 1910, and incorporated in May 1911. In May 1923 the Central Park Water District was created.
Following the 1932 opening of nearby Bethpage State Park, the name of the local post office was changed to Bethpage on October 1, 1936. The LIRR station was also renamed Bethpage station. The name Bethpage was, however, already in use by an adjacent community, [3] which resisted suggestions of a merger and instead renamed itself Old Bethpage. The change from Central Park to Bethpage was one of the last complete name changes of Nassau County's post offices. [12]
From 1936 until 1994, Bethpage was home to the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, which made, among other things, the F-14 Tomcat, the Navy version of the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark and the Apollo Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) for Moon landings, and for this reason Bethpage is mentioned in the 1995 film Apollo 13 . Grumman was made famous by the performance of its F4F Wildcat fighter aircraft and its successor the F6F Hellcat, which shot down 5,223 enemy aircraft, more than any other naval aircraft. In 1994, Grumman was purchased by Northrop and formed Northrop Grumman. Although no longer headquartered in Bethpage, the company still retains operations there. [17]
The Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Bethpage (NWIRP) started operations in 1942, west of the Grumman site. [18]
Altice USA (f/k/a Cablevision) is headquartered in Grumman's former main office.
In August 2015, a small airplane with engine trouble failed to reach Farmingdale airport, and was redirected to "Bethpage Airport" by the air traffic controller. However, the pilot could not find that airport because it was closed and had buildings on it, and the plane crashed on LIRR tracks. [19] [20]
Bethpage's history as a space and aviation center has left heavy metals, toxic waste, and radioactive [21] byproducts dumped into the surrounding ground and leeching into the water. Bethpage as of 2012 has been declared a class 2 Superfund site. [22] The rate of cancers and birth defects in Bethpage is statistically well above the national average, which many attribute to the polluted soil and ground water. [23] [24] Bethpage residents have taken action by filing a $500 million lawsuit against Grumman. [25]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP, or Census Designated Place, has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2), all land. For the 2000 Census, the boundaries of the CDP were adjusted compared to those of the 1990 census, with some territory gained and some lost. [26]
The area is served by the Bethpage Post Office, ZIP code 11714, whose boundaries are slightly different from that of the CDP. The area is also served by Bethpage Union Free School District, Island Trees Union Free School District, Plainedge Union Free School District, and Hicksville Union Free School District, the boundaries of which include parts of some surrounding hamlets, including parts of Old Bethpage, Plainview, and Plainedge. The Town of Hempstead, on its website, includes a small part of Bethpage hamlet that is in the Levittown census-designated place. [27]
The grocery chain King Kullen is based in Bethpage. USPS also has a sorting facility in the town that serves the New York region. Bethpage is also home to the North America Headquarters of technology company LogiTag and Altice, formerly known as Cablevision.
Bethpage is home to two movie studios. [28] Gold Coast Studios has filmed major motion pictures in Bethpage including The Amazing Spider-Man 2 [29] and Sisters , [30] as well as the television series Pan Am [31] and Kevin Can Wait . [32] Grumman Studios also worked on The Amazing Spider-Man 2, [29] and has filmed Avengers , [33] Salt [34] and broadcast The Sound of Music Live! [35]
Goya Foods has its Long Island division in Bethpage. [36]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | 16,543 | — | |
2010 | 16,429 | −0.7% | |
2020 | 16,658 | 1.4% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [37] |
Year | Population |
---|---|
1903 | 306 |
1909 | 530 |
1930 | 1,888 |
1940 | 2,590 |
1960 | 15,840 |
1970 | 18,550 |
1980 | 16,846 |
1990 | 15,761 |
2000 | 16,543 |
2010 | 16,429 |
2020 | 16,658 |
As of the census of 2010, [39] there were 16,429 people, 5,710 households, and 4,516 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,564.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,762.4/km2). There were 5,788 housing units at an average density of 1,597.0 per square mile (616.6/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.8% White 85.8% Non-Hispanic White, 0.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 5.5% Asian, 1.5% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7% of the population. [2]
There were 5,710 households, out of which 32% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% were non-families. Of all households 17.9% were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.27. [2]
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. [2]
The median income for a household in the CDP was $70,173, and the median income for a family was $78,573. Males had a median income of $53,404 versus $36,708 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,850. About 2.1% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. [2]
Bethpage was the home of the Grumman plant that produced the Apollo Lunar Modules, or LEMs.
Bethpage State Park offers five golf courses to choose from. One of them, the Black Course, was the site of the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009. Tiger Woods won the event in 2002 and Lucas Glover in 2009. While the park and its five golf courses are located almost entirely within Old Bethpage and its offices are located within the neighboring Farmingdale postal district, it is easily accessed from Bethpage.
Bethpage Water District was announced as the best tasting drinking water in New York State at the New York State Fair in Syracuse in 2006. [40] In 2010 chlorine was added to the drinking water following new Nassau County Board of Health regulations, leading many residents to complain that the taste of the water had declined. [41]
Medal of Honor recipient Stephen Edward Karopczyc lived in Bethpage, [42] and the former Karopczyc School in Bethpage (part of the Island Trees Union Free School District) was renamed for him. The school now houses the Island Trees Public Library.
The Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center in Bethpage has an NHL-size rink for skating, and is home to the Long Island Blues special hockey team, who practice and play home games at the rink. [43] [44]
Bethpage residents can be zoned for the Bethpage Union Free School District, the Plainedge Union Free School District, the Island Trees Union Free School District, or the Hicksville Union Free School District. [45]
Additionally, Briarcliffe College used to have a campus in Bethpage. [46]
Nassau County is a suburban county located immediately to the east of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, Nassau County's population was 1,395,774, making it the sixth-most populous county in the State of New York, and reflecting an increase of 56,242 (+4.2%) from the 1,339,532 residents enumerated at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Mineola, while the county's largest town is Hempstead. The county is part of the Long Island region of the state, lying in its southeastern portion along with the remainder of the island.
Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 8,466 at the time of the 2020 Census.
Hicksville is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York. The population of the CDP was 43,869 at the 2020 census.
Old Bethpage is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located on Long Island in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 5,283 at the 2020 United States Census. It is served by the Old Bethpage Post Office, ZIP code 11804.
Plainedge is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 8,817 at the 2010 census.
Plainview is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located near the North Shore of Long Island in the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP as of 2020 was 27,100. The Plainview post office has the ZIP code 11803.
South Farmingdale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Farmingdale area, which is anchored by Farmingdale. The population of the CDP was 14,345 at the 2020 census.
Wyandanch is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 12,990 at the 2020 census.
New York State Route 24 (NY 24) is a 30.84-mile-long (49.63 km) east–west state highway on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. The highway is split into two segments, with the longer and westernmost of the two extending 18.68 miles (30.06 km) from an interchange with Interstate 295 and NY 25 in the Queens Village section of the New York City borough of Queens to an intersection with NY 110 in East Farmingdale in the Suffolk County town of Babylon. The shorter eastern section, located in eastern Suffolk County, extends 12.16 miles (19.57 km) from an interchange with I-495 in Calverton to an intersection with County Route 80 (CR 80) in Hampton Bays.
Hicksville is a station on the Main Line and Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road located in Hicksville, New York. It is the busiest station east of Jamaica and Penn Station by combined weekday/weekend ridership.
The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, the "Ronkonkoma Branch" includes trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicksville to Ronkonkoma, and between Ronkonkoma and the Main Line's eastern terminus at Greenport. The section of the Main Line east of Ronkonkoma is not electrified and is referred to as the Greenport Branch.
The Central Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the U.S. state of New York, extending from 40.734°N 73.470°W just east of Bethpage station to 40.696°N 73.341°W just west of Babylon station. It was built in 1873 as part of the Babylon Extension of the Central Railroad of Long Island (CRRLI), which was owned by Alexander Turney Stewart. The branch was mostly unused following the 1876 merger of the CRRLI and the LIRR, but in 1925 it was rebuilt and reconfigured to connect Bethpage and Babylon stations.
The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins as a two-track line at Long Island City station in Long Island City, Queens, and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles (153 km) to Greenport station in Greenport, Suffolk County. At Harold Interlocking approximately one mile east of Long Island City, the tracks from the East River Tunnels and 63rd Street Tunnel into Manhattan intersect with the Main Line, which most trains use rather than using the Long Island City station.
Bethpage is a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located at Stewart Avenue and Jackson Avenue, in Bethpage, New York, and serves Ronkonkoma Branch trains. Trains that travel along the Central Branch also use these tracks, but do not stop here.
Farmingdale is a historic railroad station in Farmingdale, New York, along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located just east of Secatogue Avenue, on South Front Street and Atlantic Avenue. The station has two platforms, with an underground pedestrian walkway connecting them. The station house is on the south platform. Parking is available on both sides of the tracks.
The Bethpage Purchase was a 1687 land transaction in which Thomas Powell, Sr, bought more than 15 square miles in central Long Island, New York, for £140 from local Indian tribes, including the Marsapeque, Matinecoc, and Sacatogue. This land, which includes present day Bethpage, East Farmingdale, Farmingdale, Old Bethpage, Plainedge, Plainview, South Farmingdale, and part of Melville, is approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east to west and 5 mi (8.0 km) north to south, covering land on both sides of the present-day border between Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The Garden City–Mitchell Field Secondary is a lightly used freight branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is a spur off the Hempstead Branch.
Central Railroad of Long Island was built on Long Island, New York, by Alexander Turney Stewart, who was also the founder of Garden City. The railroad was established in 1871, then merged with the Flushing and North Side Railroad in 1874 to form the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad. It was finally acquired by the Long Island Rail Road in 1876 and divided into separate branches. Despite its short existence, the CRRLI had a major impact on railroading and development on Long Island.
Republic was a station stop along the Ronkonkoma Branch which served employees of the Fairchild Engine & Airplane Manufacturing Company and the nearby Republic Airport from 1940 to the late 1980s. As part of a double-tracking project on the line, the station may be reopened.
Grumman was a station along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) at South Oyster Bay Road that served employees of Grumman Engineering Aircraft Corporation, at the Grumman Bethpage Airport.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)