In the year 1640, 14 years after the arrival of Dutch colonists in Manhattan (New Amsterdam), the area that is now Valley Stream was purchased by the Dutch West India Company from Rockaway Native Americans (they were a Lenape, or Delaware, band, known by the place where they lived).
With populations concentrated to the west, this woodland area was not developed for the next two centuries. The census of 1840 lists approximately 20 families, most of whom owned large farms. At that time, the northwest section was called "Fosters Meadow". What is now the business section on Rockaway Avenue was called "Rum Junction", because of its taverns. The racy northern section was known as "Cookie Hill", and the section of the northeast that housed the local fertilizer plant was called "Skunks Misery". Hungry Harbor, a section that has retained its name, was home to a squatters' community.[5]
George Bradford Brainerd (American, 1845–1887). Gate House, Valley Stream, Long Island, ca. 1872–1887. Collodion silver glass wet plate negative, Brooklyn Museum.
Robert Pagan was born in Scotland on December 3, 1796. In or about the late 1830s, Robert, his wife Ellen, and their children emigrated from Scotland. On the journey to the United States, one of their children died and was buried at sea. The 1840 U.S. Census for Queens County lists Pagan's occupation as a farmer. Two children were born to Robert and Ellen Pagan after they settled in the Town of Hempstead.
At this time, the community did not have a post office, so residents had to pick up their mail in the village of Hempstead. After Pagan petitioned authorities for a post office, he was appointed postmaster and it was based in his farmhouse, now known as the Pagan-Fletcher House.[6] He was advised that the community needed a name. Pagan chose "Valley Stream" based on the topographical appearance of the area. In 1843, the U.S. Post Office formally accepted the name of Valley Stream. As a consequence, Pagan is credited with naming the community. Pagan died on March 25, 1870.
His wife, Ellen, also played a significant role in early village history. Tired of traveling to Lynbrook for religious services, she began holding services in her home. A Methodist minister was hired for periodic stops at the Pagan home, and the first congregation in Valley Stream was founded.
In 1853, Hempstead Turnpike was the only road that connected Valley Stream to Jamaica and New York City. The main streets in Valley Stream that connected the small village to the turnpike were Mill Road (which is Corona Avenue today) in the west, Sand Street (Central Avenue) in the south, and Dutch Broadway in the north. That year Merrick Road, a planked, one-lane road, was constructed through Valley Stream, connecting the village to Merrick in the east and Jamaica to the west. With the new thoroughfare in the area, Valley Stream residents and industry began to move southward.
In 1869, the South Side Railroad began stopping in Valley Stream and a branch of the railroad was constructed to connect the main line with the Rockaways. The new branch is now called the Far Rockaway Branch of the Long Island Railroad.
The new railroad, combined with the emergence of Merrick Road as a major artery, stimulated growth in Valley Stream, and it became a substantial community. Around the start of the 20th century, Hendrickson Park was a prime vacationing destination for people from Brooklyn and Queens. The Valley Stream Hotel opened at the beginning of the 20th century, overlooking the golf course. Many tourists who came to visit wound up moving to Valley Stream. The Village of Valley Stream was incorporated on February 14, 1925 as a result of its growth.[5]
In 1922, developer William R. Gibson came to Valley Stream after building more than 2,500 houses in Queens. He bought 500 acres (2.0km2) of land on Roosevelt Avenue and built homes on Avondale, Berkeley, Cambridge, Derby, and Elmwood streets. Many descendants of immigrants moved into the area. Five years later, he expanded his development to Cochran Place and Dartmouth Street. Realizing that his development was perfectly designed for white-collar commuters, he petitioned the Long Island Railroad for a stop. The LIRR agreed to stop in the area if Gibson built the station himself. On May 29, 1929, the Gibson station was opened. Gibson station, as it became known, retains the name of its founder.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan addressed Temple Hillel in Valley Stream at the invitation of Rabbi Morris Friedman, father of Ambassador David Friedman, which was the first time since President George Washington a sitting American President addressed a Jewish congregation at their house of worship.
Geography
U.S. Census map of Valley Stream.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1km2), of which 3.4 square miles (8.8km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10km2), or 0.86%, is water.[7]
As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 37,511 people, 12,484 households, and 9,600 families residing in the village. The population density was 10,569.5 inhabitants per square mile (4,080.9/km2). There were 12,688 housing units at an average density of 3,687.5 per square mile (1,423.8/km2). The racial make up of the village was 57.25% White, 18.57% African American, 0.3% Native American, 11.38% Asian, 8.97% from other races and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 22.24% of the population. The median household income was $62,243 and the family income was $72,585. Median household income for the village was $77,905, and the median income for a family was $84,273.[10]
Males had a median income of $80,094 versus $56,260 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $66,334. About 1.0% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 0.4% of those age 65 or over.
There were 12,484 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 20.2% of all households 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 2.91 and the average family size was 3.37.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The village is home to significant Italian American, Irish American and German American populations, with 31.8% of the population identifying themselves as being of Italian ancestry in the 2000 Census.
Valley Stream has many separate elementary school districts (the Valley Stream 13, 24, and 30 Union Free School Districts) which share the same central high school district: the Valley Stream CHSD.[11]
Nassau County is a suburban county located on Long Island, 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. Along with the remainder of Long Island, Nassau County lies in the southeastern portion of New York State.
Cedarhurst is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 6,592 at the 2010 census.
East Rockaway is a village in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 9,818 at the 2010 census.
Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2020 census.
Hewlett Harbor is a village in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 1,263 as of the 2010 census.
Lawrence is a village in Nassau County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 6,483.
Lynbrook is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 19,427 at the 2010 census.
South Valley Stream is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 6,386 as of the 2020 census.
Wantagh is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 18,613 at the time of the 2020 census.
North Woodmere is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Hempstead, New York, located in far western Nassau County on the South Shore of Long Island in the Town of Hempstead.
The Town of Hempstead is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County on Long Island, in New York, United States. The town's combined population was 793,409 at the 2020 census, which is the majority of Nassau County's population and makes it, by far, the largest population of any town in the United States.
The Five Towns is an informal grouping of villages and hamlets in Nassau County, United States on the South Shore of western Long Island adjoining the border with Queens County in New York City. Although there is no official Five Towns designation, "the basic five are Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett and Inwood." Each of these "towns" has a consecutive stop on the Far Rockaway Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. All five communities are part of the Town of Hempstead. Woodmere is the largest and most populous community in the Five Towns, while Inwood is the second largest community in the Five Towns.
The Atlantic Branch is an electrified rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It is the only LIRR line with revenue passenger service in the borough of Brooklyn.
The Far Rockaway Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at Valley Interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station. From Valley Stream, the line heads south and southwest through southwestern Nassau County, ending at Far Rockaway in Queens, thus reentering New York City. LIRR maps and schedules indicate that the Far Rockaway Branch service continues west along the Atlantic Branch to Jamaica. This two-track branch provides all day service in both directions to Grand Central Madison and Penn Station, both in Midtown Manhattan.
Woodmere is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Far Rockaway Branch in Woodmere, in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States. The station is located at Woodmere Boulevard and Cedar Lane, between Central Avenue and West Broadway.
Valley Stream is a train station located in Valley Stream, New York. It is on the Atlantic Branch of the Long Island Rail Road.
The Hewlett-Woodmere Public School District, Union Free School District 14, is located in the southwest section of Nassau County, New York and borders the New York City borough of Queens. Communities in the district include, in full or in part, Hewlett, Woodmere, Woodsburgh, North Woodmere an unincorporated area of Valley Stream, the Gibson section of Valley Stream, Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck, and Hewlett Bay Park, as well as parts of Lynbrook, all comprise the geographical boundaries for the school district. There are approximately 4,400 students enrolled in pre-K through 12th grade. The district is operated under the supervision of a seven-member Board of Education.
The South Side Railroad of Long Island was a railroad company in the U.S. state of New York. Chartered in 1860 and first opened in 1867 as a competitor to the Long Island Rail Road, it was reorganized in 1874 as the Southern Railroad of Long Island and leased in 1876 to the LIRR. After a reorganization as the Brooklyn and Montauk Railroad in 1879 it was merged in 1889.
The Southern Hempstead Branch was a branch of the Long Island Rail Road from Valley Stream to Hempstead. It was established in 1870 and abandoned in May 1879, and is not the same route as the current West Hempstead Branch.
Peninsula Boulevard is a major, 9.1-mile-long (14.6 km) arterial road through southwestern Nassau County, on Long Island, New York. It runs southwest-to-northeast between Cedarhurst connecting the Five Towns area to the Village of Hempstead – in addition to indirectly serving The Rockaways in Queens.
↑ Itzkoff, Dave. " Eccentric on 'S.N.L.' Is 'Jus' Keeeeding!'", The New York Times, September 30, 2005. Accessed October 2, 2007. "'When I was growing up, records meant everything to me,' said Mr. Armisen, who was born in Manhattan and spent part of his childhood in Rio de Janeiro before his family settled in Valley Stream, N.Y."
↑ Keller, Joel. "IN PERSON; Mr. Breuer's Neighborhood", The New York Times, October 16, 2005. Accessed October 28, 2007. "Mr. Breuer's stand-up comedy often revolves around stories about his childhood in Valley Stream, N.Y., on Long Island, his marriage and his neighbors."
↑ Delatiner, Barbara. "Cinema Arts Film Festival Stresses the Independents", The New York Times, June 1, 1997. Accessed November 1, 2007. "Mr. Buscemi, who was born in Valley Stream, will screen Trees Lounge, about an unemployed mechanic, the first film that he has written, directed and starred in."
↑ Klein, Alvin. "Comedian's Forte: Scenes, Not Jokes", The New York Times, January 5, 1989. Accessed October 21, 2007. "All three still live in the house in Valley Stream (Norman Rockwell Estates, as the comedian puts it), where they moved when he was 3?"
↑ Biography, YeoDoug.com. Accessed March 28, 2023. "Bass Trombonist Douglas Yeo was born in Monterey, California and grew up in Queens and Valley Stream, New York (where he began playing the trombone at the age of nine in the Hewlett-Woodmere school system), and Oak Ridge, New Jersey (where he graduated from Jefferson Township High School in 1973)."
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