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Flower Hill, New York

Flower Hill is a village in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The eastern half is considered part of the Greater Roslyn area, which is anchored by the Incorporated Village of Roslyn. Western and northern parts are more closely associated with Manhasset and Port Washington. The population was 4,794 at the time of the 2020 census.

The Incorporated Village of Flower Hill is located entirely within the Town of North Hempstead, and has been recognized as a Tree City USA since 2013.

Before the village (pre-colonization – 1930)
The area where Flower Hill is located was originally inhabited by the Matinecock Native Americans. In the 17th century, European colonists started to settle in the area, specifically settlers of Dutch and English heritage.

This era saw members of prominent colonial families settled in the area, including members of the Hewlett family (the same family after whom Hewlett, New York is named, as well as Hewlett Lane in Flower Hill). Members of the family settled in the area during this time, and constructed the former Hewlett Homestead circa 1713.

During this time, the area consisted of many farms, and was in an ideal location for them, as the goods produced in the area would be brought down to either Manhasset Bay in Manhasset or Port Washington, or to Hempstead Harbor in Roslyn for shipment to destinations in New York City and beyond.

At this time, the heart of Flower Hill was located where modern-day Port Washington Boulevard, Bonnie Heights Road, and Country Club Drive intersect. This area included a blacksmith, general store, tavern, a village well, and a cemetery, in addition to a small number of homes.

Circa 1900, Carlos Munson – the heir to the Munson Steamship Company – and his wife, Mabel, settled in Flower Hill. Carlos and Mabel Munson were unhappy to be living near so many intoxicated locals found in this area, which prompted Mabel asking Carlos to do something to get rid of them. Carlos responded by purchasing the land, despite having no need for it. To further eliminate this issue, the Munsons gave some of this land to the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.

In the early decades of the 20th century, the New York & North Shore Traction Company operated a trolley line connecting Mineola, Roslyn, and Port Washington – as well as one connecting Flushing and Roslyn – through the village, utilizing Northern Boulevard, Middle Neck Road, and Port Washington Boulevard.

The two lines intersected at a junction located at the intersection of Middle Neck Road and Northern Boulevard. This was also the site of the company's former Roslyn trolley yard and a substation; it was located at the northwestern corner of the intersection.

Additionally, a trolley siding existed in Flower Hill on the east side of Port Washington Boulevard, near its intersection with modern-day Farmview Road.

Push for incorporation (1930 – 1931)
The push for Flower Hill's incorporation first started in 1930, when word was spread that Port Washington was planning to incorporate itself as a city. Upon hearing these rumors, residents of Flower Hill feared that the Flower Hill area would be placed within the boundaries of the proposed City of Greater Port Washington if those plans were ultimately to be approved. As a result, the residents of Flower Hill saw a need to incorporate the locality as a village, in order to prevent the area from becoming part of the rumored city.

After two unsuccessful attempts to hold a hearing on Flower Hill's incorporation as a village, residents tried for a third time in April 1931, and were successful. With the approval of the application for a hearing, a vote to decide whether or not Flower Hill should incorporate itself was set for April 27 of that year; the vote would be held in Carlos Munson's real estate office.

During the vote on April 27, the residents of Flower Hill voted unanimously in favor of incorporating Flower Hill as a village, and the Incorporated Village of Flower Hill was ultimately born.

Village of Flower Hill (1931 – present)
In May 1931, a few weeks after the birth of the village, its certificate of incorporation was signed. Carlos Munson was originally selected to serve as its first Mayor but turned down the position, which was subsequently given to Arthur G. Elvin. When founded, the population of Flower Hill was 288. The first village meeting took place in Carlos Munson's real estate office; Village Hall now occupies this parcel of land.

In the mid-1930s, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary would establish St. Francis Hospital as a cardiac sanatorium for children, on the land given to them by Carlos Munson. The first children arrived at this facility on February 8, 1937.

Flower Hill started to see new housing developments be built in the coming years. One of the notable developments built during this time is a large part of the Flower Hill Estates subdivision, which was built by Walter Uhl. Uhl began to build many of these first homes in the vicinity of Country Club Drive, located in the Port Washington section of the village, and adjacent to the North Hempstead Country Club. Uhl built many of these homes in the colonial style, to ensure that they would fit in with existing buildings and surroundings. Some of these homes were also built with reused wood from barns in their ceilings. During the subdivision's construction process in 1939, an old Spanish "piece-of-eight" was unearthed by a construction worker. The coin, dating back to 1793, was presented by Uhl to the Port Washington Library.

In the years and decades following the Second World War, Flower Hill continued to be suburbanized, and many new developments were built as a result. Many of these new developments were built over former estates (such as the Chanticlare at Flower Hill subdivision, which was built over the former estate of Jesse Ricks), farms (such as the Hewlett Farm subdivision, which was built over portions of the former Hewlett Homestead), and even former sand mines (such as certain parts of the Wildwood at Flower Hill development, built on land once owned by the Colonial Sand & Stone Company). A notable housing development built during this time is Flower Hill Country Estates, which was developed by Country Estates, Incorporated. The firm also built the Country Estates subdivision of nearby East Hills around the same time, over Clarence Mackay's former estate.

In 1946, Marjorie Church Logan (wife of William John Logan) was murdered in her home on Bonnie Heights Road – and her daughter, Marjory Jeanne, was shot and raped. The suspect, Ward Beecher Caraway, was a butler and chauffeur at another estate in Flower Hill, and was ultimately sentenced to death for the crimes.

In 1948, Flower Hill Village Hall was constructed. It was designed by Roslyn-based architect Henry W. Johanson, and is located where Carlos Munson's real estate office had previously stood; it opened in 1949.

The construction of so many new subdivisions and homes in the village and the subsequent influx of children prompted the Roslyn Union Free School District to construct the Roslyn–Flower Hill Elementary School (as well as several other new schools) to better serve the needs of the section of area of Flower Hill zoned for Roslyn's schools, as well as to resolve overcrowding at the district's other schools. Built and opened in the early 1950s and sandwiched between the Wildwood and Broadridge developments, the Roslyn–Flower Hill Elementary School served the community until September 1980, when it was closed due to the declining enrollment numbers following the baby-boom era. The former school's property was later subdivided to become the Mashady Estates subdivision in the 1980s, and now consists of multiple single-family homes; it was developed by the N & H Development Corporation. Between 2012 and 2016, Elaine Phillips served as the mayor of Flower Hill. She served in this capacity until being elected to the New York State Senate in November 2016. The Phillips Administration oversaw the rehabilitation and modernization of the village-owned Flower Hill Park, which included the installation of a state-of-the-art playground for children.

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy made landfall, and caused widespread damage throughout the New York metropolitan area. The entirety of the Village of Flower Hill lost power as a result of this storm. Due to communication errors from the Long Island Power Authority, some residents were without power for two unusually cold weeks. Village officials kept Village Hall open despite the fact that telephone lines and the heating system were initially down. Village officials also as regularly reached out to LIPA and local residents, and assisted in removing downed trees. Some officials even checked in on every senior living alone in the village, also offering them free transportation to and from shelters and ensuring that they were stocked with food. When the generators for Village Hall started to run, village officials started offering residents with heat, power, and even coffee at the building. There were no storm-related fatalities in Flower Hill, and only one home was lost within the village, when its generator caught fire.

In response to all of the trees lost in Flower Hill due to Hurricane Sandy, the village created a tree planting program, through which residents can receive a free tree for their property, given that the tree is planted in the village's right-of-way. This program helped the village become recognized as a Tree City USA.

Robert McNamara became Mayor in 2016, succeeding Senator Phillips. A notable accomplishment of the McNamara Administration was the initiation of the process of village's takeover of Middle Neck Road (former CR D55) – which connects Northern and Port Washington Boulevards – from Nassau County, which had been a goal of the village's for several years, given the poor upkeep from the Nassau County Department of Public Works. In the deal, the Nassau County would repair the road and repave the road, and would then sell it to the Village of Flower Hill for $1. In the past, the Village of Flower Hill also purchased the Flower Hill Park and the Flower Hill section of Stonytown Road from Nassau County.

McNamara's administration also implemented a construction impact fee for large construction projects.

Mayor McNamara, who long-suffered from health complications, died on April 15, 2020. Deputy Mayor Brian Herrington assumed the duties of Mayor, in light of McNamara's passing.

On August 4, 2020, Hurricane Isaias struck the New York metropolitan area as a strong tropical storm, causing widespread power outages and damage across the region. Many trees in Flower Hill were uprooted, and much of the village lost power. Due to communication errors from PSEG Long Island, many delays took place in restoring power to the entirety of the village, resulting in some residents being without power for more than a week. Village officials designated Village Hall as a cooling center and phone charging center for residents that were without power, following COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. The 2020 mayoral election was supposed to take place on March 18, 2020 – but was postponed first until April 28 and then again until September, due to an order signed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo as a result of COVID-19. The election ultimately took place on Tuesday, September 15, 2020. The election, which was highly contested, saw then-Trustee Kate Hirsch challenging incumbent Mayor Brian Herrington. Herrington was ultimately re-elected by Flower Hill voters to serve a full term, defeating Hirsch; Herrington received 596 votes, and Hirsch received 233.

On February 23, 2021, the Arbor Day Foundation designated Flower Hill as a Tree City USA for the seventh consecutive year.

In early 2022, ownership of Middle Neck Road was officially transferred to the Village from Nassau County.

In 2023, the Village of Flower Hill created a gallery at Village Hall, known as the Flower Hill Village Historical Gallery. The gallery covers the history of Flower Hill and the surrounding areas.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.6 sqmi, all land.

Additionally, Flower Hill is located on the southern portion of the Cow Neck Peninsula.

At 40º48' N, Flower Hill is located at roughly the same latitude as Canton, Ohio, Lincoln, Nebraska, Madrid, Spain, Aomori, Japan, Goshogawara, Japan, and Naples, Italy.

Topography
Like the rest of Long Island's North Shore, Flower Hill is situated on a terminal moraine, which is named the Harbor Hill Moraine. This moraine was formed by glaciers during the Wisconsin Glacial Episode, and is named for Harbor Hill in Roslyn; Harbor Hill is the highest geographic point in Nassau County.

Some of the hills in Flower Hill reach elevations high enough that on a clear day, the skyline of New York City can easily be seen from the ground – most notably in the Manhasset portion of the village.

The highest point in Flower Hill is on Ridge Drive East, at 219 ft. The lowest point is Hempstead Harbor, which is at sea level. Both the highest and lowest points in Flower Hill are within the portion of the village served by the Roslyn Post Office.

Geology
Flower Hill is the namesake of the Flower Hill sand – a geologic unit of the Manhasset Formation.

Drainage
Flower Hill is split among three minor drainage areas: Inner Hempstead Harbor (part of the Hempstead Harbor Watershed), Leeds Pond, and Whitney Pond (both of which are part of the Manhasset Bay Watershed).

Furthermore, the village, as a whole, is located within the larger Long Island Sound/Atlantic Ocean Watershed.

Climate
The Village of Flower Hill features a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen climate classification and is located near the transitional zone between humid subtropical and humid continental (Dfa) climates. As such, the village experiences hot, humid summers and cold winters, and experiences precipitation throughout the entirety of the year.

Plant zone
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Flower Hill is located in the transition zone between hardiness zones 7a and 7b.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 4,794 people and 1,515 households in Flower Hill. The racial makeup of the village was 72.86% White (71.40% non-Hispanic), 0.71% African American, 0.20% Native American, 18.86% Asian, 2.00% from other races, and 5.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.84% of the population.

The age distribution was 5.1% under the age of 5, 29.5% under the age of 18, 70.5% over the age of 18, and 15.4% 65 or older. The median age was 43.3 years.

The median household income was $234,702. About 3.1% of the population was below the poverty line, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.

Additionally, 4.2% of Flower Hill residents were veterans of the armed forces.

2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 4,665 people, 1,444 households, and 1,322 families in Flower Hill, and there were 1,597 housing units. The racial makeup of the village was 80.8% White, 5.1% African American, 0.0% Native American, 13.7% Asian, 0.0% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population.

Of the 1,444 households, 52.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.4% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 0.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 8.4% were non-families. 7.5% of households were one person, and 3.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.19 and the average family size was 3.35.

The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.2 males.

The median household income was $195,833 and the median family income was $202,895. Males had a median income of $160,242 versus $67,188 for females. About 1.7% of families were below the poverty line.

Census 2000
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 4,508 people, 1,477 households, and 1,271 families in Flower Hill. The population density was 2,790.2 PD/sqmi. There were 1,514 housing units at an average density of 937.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 85.65% White, 1.04% African American, 0.02% Native American, 10.31% Asian, 0.98% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.02% of the population.

Of the 1,477 households, 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.1% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.9% were non-families. 11.8% of households were one person, and 6.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.29.

The age distribution was 26.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median household income was $121,999 and the median family income was $133,075. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $49,688 for females. The per capita income for the village was $64,997. About 2.0% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, Flower Hill had the 8th largest Iranian population in the United States – behind Great Neck Plaza, New York and ahead of Roslyn, New York – with 7.5% of Flower Hill's population reporting Iranian Jewish ancestry.

Village government
As of May 2023, the mayor of Flower Hill is Randall Rosenbaum, the deputy mayor is Frank Genese, and the village trustees are Mary Jo Collins, Claire Dorfman, Max Frankel, Frank Genese, Gary Lewandowski, and Arthur Smith. All elected officials on the Board of Trustees serve 2-year terms and are unpaid.

The following is a list of Flower Hill's mayors, from 1931 to present:

Town representation
Flower Hill is located entirely within the Town of North Hempstead's 6th council district, which as of March 2024 is represented on the North Hempstead Town Council by Mariann Dalimonte (D–Port Washington).

County representation
Flower Hill is located entirely within the Nassau County Legislature's 11th Legislative district, which as of March 2024 is represented by Delia DiRiggi-Whitton (D–Glen Cove).

New York State Senate
Flower Hill is located entirely within New York's 7th State Senate district, which as of March 2024 is represented by Jack M. Martins (R–Old Westbury).

New York State Assembly
Flower Hill is located within New York's 16th State Assembly district, which as of March 2024 is represented by Gina L. Sillitti (D–Manorhaven).

United States Congress
Flower Hill is located entirely within New York's 3rd Congressional district, which as of March 2024 is represented in the United States Congress by Thomas R. Suozzi (D–Glen Cove).

United States Senate
As with the rest of New York, Flower Hill is represented in the United States Senate by Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D) and Charles E. Schumer (D).

Politics
Flower Hill contains four election districts which are located wholly within the village. All of these districts are located within New York's 16th State Assembly district (AD 16): Additionally, the North Hempstead Country Club and one residence are located within AD16 – ED055. This district is shared between parts of unincorporated Port Washington and this part of Flower Hill, and like the other four election districts in Flower Hill, it is also located within New York's 16th State Assembly district.
 * AD 16 – ED 059
 * AD 16 – ED 060
 * AD 16 – ED 061
 * AD 16 – ED 062

In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Flower Hill's voters voted for Hillary Clinton (D).

Parks and recreation
Flower Hill also features and maintains several smaller park strips throughout the village, in addition to a network of walking tours pertaining to the history of the village.
 * Flower Hill Village Park – A village-owned park, featuring with walking trails, a stage, a sports wall, and a playground, among other amenities.  [[File:Flower Hill Village Park Entrance, Flower Hill, Long Island, New York September 6, 2021.jpg|thumb|An entrance to the Flower Hill Village Park on September 6, 2021.]]
 * North Hempstead Country Club – A private country club, located in the Port Washington section of the village.
 * Elderfields Preserve – A historic farm, museum, and nature preserve located in the Manhasset section of the village; it is owned by Nassau County.

Park district
The portion of Flower Hill zoned for the Manhasset Union Free School District is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Manhasset Park District. This special district owns and operates numerous parks and parking facilities throughout the Greater Manhasset area.

Public school districts
The Incorporated Village of Flower Hill is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Manhasset Union Free School District, the Port Washington Union Free School District, and the Roslyn Union Free School District. As such, children who reside within Flower Hill attend public school go to school in one of these three districts, depending on where they reside within the village.

Additionally, the Roslyn Union Free School District's former Roslyn–Flower Hill Elementary School was located within the section of the village zoned for Roslyn's schools.

Private education
The Village of Flower Hill is also home to the Vincent Smith School. This private school is located off Port Washington Boulevard and serves students in grades one through twelve.

Library districts
Flower Hill is served by three library districts, which correspond with the school district boundaries:

 * The Bryant Library (Roslyn) – Serves the section of the village zoned for the Roslyn UFSD, through the Bryant Library.
 * The Manhasset Library District – Serves the section of the village zoned for the Manhasset UFSD, through the Manhasset Public Library.
 * The Port Washington Library District – Serves the section of the village zoned for the Port Washington UFSD, through the Port Washington Public Library.

All three libraries are members of the Nassau Library System.

Newspapers
The Incorporated Village of Flower Hill has three newspapers of record: The Manhasset Press, The Port Washington News, and The Roslyn News. All three of these papers are owned by Anton Media Group.

Other major newspapers serving Flower Hill include Newsday, New York Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Television
Flower Hill is one of North Shore TV's fourteen member villages. North Shore TV provides Flower Hill and the other member villages with public-access television programming, through Altice USA and Verizon Fios – the main cable television providers in the area.

Road
Two state-owned roads pass through and serve the village:

Other major roads which are located within (or pass through) the Village of Flower Hill include Bridge Road, Manhasset Woods Road, Middle Neck Road, Mineola Avenue (CR E64), Old Northern Boulevard (CR D71), Stonytown Road, and West Shore Road (CR 15).
 * NY-25A.svg Northern Boulevard (NY 25A) – Forms portions of Flower Hill's southern border, with Roslyn and Roslyn Estates.
 * NY-101.svg Port Washington Boulevard (NY 101) – Forms a portion of the Flower Hill – Munsey Park border, in addition to forming a portion of the Flower Hill – Port Washington border.

Additionally, the western end of the William Cullen Bryant Viaduct, which carries NY 25A over Hempstead Harbor and the Village of Roslyn, is located in Flower Hill.

Rail
While there are no Long Island Rail Road stations located within the village limits, the Port Washington Branch does form portions of the Manhasset-Flower Hill and Plandome Manor-Flower Hill borders.

The nearest stations to the village are Manhasset, Plandome, and Port Washington on the Port Washington Branch, as well as the Roslyn station on the Oyster Bay Branch.

Bus
Flower Hill is served by the n20H, n20X, n21, and n23 bus routes – all of which are operated by Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE). These four bus routes travel through the area via Northern Boulevard and Old Northern Boulevard, along the southern border of Flower Hill. The n23 also travels along Port Washington Boulevard, through the heart of the village. Additionally, NICE's Port Washington Shuttle (connecting the downtown areas of Port Washington and Roslyn, as well as the Port Washington LIRR station) traverses West Shore Road on the southeastern edge of Flower Hill between the two communities – though it makes no stops within village limits.

Historic trolley line
Between the 1900s and the 1920s, the Port Washington Line of the New York and North Shore Traction Company, ran between Mineola and Port Washington, via. Roslyn. This trolley line crossed through the village, utilizing Northern Boulevard, Middle Neck Road, and Port Washington Boulevard.

Additionally, the North Shore Line of the New York and North Shore Traction Company trolley line ran from Flushing to Roslyn, and connected with the Port Washington Line at the intersection of Middle Neck Road and Northern Boulevard.

Furthermore, a New York and North Shore Traction Company trolley yard, known as the Roslyn Trolley Yard, existed at the northwestern corner of Northern Boulevard and Middle Neck Road, with one of the system's electrical substations being located adjacent to it.

Natural gas
National Grid provides natural gas to homes and businesses that are hooked up to natural gas lines in the Village of Flower Hill.

Power
PSEG Long Island provides power to all homes and businesses within the Village of Flower Hill.

Sewage
Most places in Flower Hill are not connected to a sanitary sewer system – although there were failed plans in the 1970s to create a sewer district for much of northwestern Nassau County, which would have included Flower Hill in the second phase of the $122 million (1972 USD) project. As such, the majority of homes and businesses in Flower Hill rely on cesspools and septic systems.

However, some portions of Flower Hill are connected to the sanitary sewers operated by the Port Washington Water Pollution Control District.

Trash collection
Trash collection services in Flower Hill are provided by Dejana Industries, under contract with the Village of Flower Hill.

Water
The Village of Flower Hill is served by three water districts, which roughly correspond with the school district boundaries:

 * The Manhasset–Lakeville Water District – Serves the section of Flower Hill zoned for the Manhasset UFSD.
 * The Port Washington Water District – Serves the section of Flower Hill zoned for the Port Washington UFSD.
 * The Roslyn Water District – Serves the section of Flower Hill zoned for the Roslyn UFSD.

Healthcare
Flower Hill is home to St. Francis Hospital, located on Port Washington Boulevard, at its intersection with Middle Neck Road. St. Francis Hospital is regarded as one of the top heart care centers in the United States and is the only specialty designated cardiac center located within the State of New York. It is operated by Catholic Health Services of Long Island.

Additionally, a GoHealth urgent care center is located in the Roslyn section of the village, on Northern Boulevard (NY 25A). This walk-in clinic is operated by Northwell Health.

Fire
The Village of Flower Hill is served by three fire districts:

 * The Manhasset–Lakeville Fire District – Serves the Manhasset section of Flower Hill.
 * The Port Washington Fire District – Serves the Port Washington section of Flower Hill.
 * The Roslyn Fire District – Serves the Roslyn section of Flower Hill.

Police
The Village of Flower Hill is served by the Nassau County Police Department's 6th Precinct, with RMPs 607, 610, and 619 assigned as the patrol cars for the village.

Landmarks

 * The Flower Hill Cemetery – A historic cemetery located in the village; designated a Village of Flower Hill Historic Landmark in 2023. It is also known as the "Burtis Cemetery" and the "Old Cemetery at Flower Hill".
 * The George Washington Denton House – Located on West Shore Road, this property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
 * The Sands Barn – An old barn, dating back to the 17th century; it is operated by the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society and located at their museum in the village. It was designated as a Village of Flower Hill Historic Landmark on April 3, 2023.
 * The Sands-Willets Homestead – One of the original farm houses to still be standing within Flower Hill. This building is now home to the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society, and is designated as a Village of Flower Hill Historic Landmark, a New York State Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 * The Hewlett-Munson-Williams House – Another original, surviving farm house located within the village.  This home is now part of Nassau County's 4-acre (1.6 ha) Elderfields Preserve, and is home to the Art Guild.

Notable people

 * Vincent R. Balletta, Jr. – Former Republican New York State Assemblyman; lived on Country Club Drive.
 * Mimi Benzell – Actress and singer for Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera. Benzell lived at 45 Cardinal Road, and was married to Walter Gould, the brother of American composer Morton Gould.
 * Nathalie Brown – First murder victim of serial killer Ricardo Caputo; murdered at her parents' home in the village on July 31, 1971, at age 19.
 * Emil V. Cianciulli – Businessman, lawyer, Korean War veteran, and the former chairman of the Hofstra University Board of Trustees; lived on Oaktree Lane.
 * Perry Como – Singer. Como moved to Flower Hill in 1946.
 * Carson Daly – NBC television and radio personality, as well as a talk show host; lives on Elderfields Road.
 * Connie Desmond – Sports broadcaster and singer.
 * Edwin Díaz – MLB baseball player for the New York Mets; lives on Farmview Road.
 * Daniel Dorff – Classical composer and musician; grew up on Crabtree Lane.
 * Manoug Exerjian – Architect; Exerjian was born in the Ottoman Empire and immigrated to the United States in 1923. He designed North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and lived at 18 Bonnie Heights Road.
 * Mike Francesca – Sports radio host; lives on Elderfields Road.
 * Frank Genese – Architect and Village Trustee; has served as Deputy Mayor since 2023.
 * Edmond Guggenheim – Businessman and philanthropist; member of the Guggenheim family.
 * John Gurney – Bass-baritone singer for the Metropolitan Opera.
 * Horace Hagedorn – Businessman; lived at 54 Farmview Road.
 * John Randolph Hearst – Business executive and the son of William Randolph Hearst.
 * Benjamin Heller – Lawyer known for participating in the creation of the New York City Code of Ethics. Served as the Mayor of Flower Hill between 1963 and 1970. He lived at 166 Hemlock Road.
 * Milton Hopkins – Biology professor and author. Hopkins was the husband of Elizabeth Hewlett Hopkins, of the Hewlett family; they resided in the Hewlett Homestead.
 * Victor W. Kliesrath – Former vice president of the Bendix Corporation; co-inventor of the Bragg-Kliesrath Brake.
 * Kenneth G. Langone – Founder, The Home Depot. Formerly lived on Elderfields Road.
 * William John Logan – Banker, college football player, and the widower of Marjorie Church Logan. Served as the Mayor of Flower Hill between 1931 and 1937; lived on Bonnie Heights Road.
 * Liebert Lombardo – Musician; Guy Lombardo's younger brother.
 * Robert Manning – Journalist.
 * James F. McCann – Businessman; founder of 1-800 Flowers.
 * Christopher Mullin – Former NBA basketball player.
 * Patrice Munsel – American opera singer; Munsel was the youngest singer to ever star at the Metropolitan Opera, at the age of 17.
 * Carlos W. Munson – President of the Munson Steamship Company; resided at Elderfields. Munson was the founding father of Flower Hill.
 * Nelson Olmsted – Actor; Olmsted once lived at 243 Mason Drive.
 * Norman F. Penny – Banker, insurance broker, and politician who had served in the New York State Assembly from 1938 to 1942; major Republican figure in Nassau County. Lived at 6 Knolls Lane.
 * Elaine Phillips – Served as Mayor of Flower Hill from 2012 until 2016, when she was elected to the New York State Senate on November 8, 2016.
 * Ralph Pulitzer, Jr. – Son of publisher Ralph Pulitzer; lived at 191 Elderfields Road in the Manhasset section of Flower Hill.
 * Günter Reimann – Economist and writer from Germany; vocal critic of Adolf Hitler, fascism, and the Nazis.
 * Jesse J. Ricks – Former board chairman of Union Carbide; his estate, Chanticlare, was subdivided in the 1960s and became the Chanticlare at Flower Hill subdivision.
 * Robert C. Schuler – Advertising and public relations executive; Patrice Munsel's husband.
 * Ben Selvin – Musician, band leader, and Guinness World Record-holding record producer known as "The Dean of Recorded Music"; lived at 112 Reni Road.
 * Walter Slezak – Austrian actor; lived in Flower Hill until his death.
 * Thomas J. Stevenson, Sr. – Shipping executive who founded the T. J. Stevenson & Company; lived at 240 Elderfields Road.
 * Michael J. Tully, Jr. – Former lawyer and politician; Tully served as the Town of North Hempstead Supervisor and as a New York State Senator. He died of a heart attack in his home on Elderfields Road in 1997.
 * Charles F. Vachris – Civil engineer and founder of Vachris Engineering; lived on Ridge Drive West and Dogwood Lane. Vachris served in various roles in Flower Hill's government, such as Village Trustee and Village Engineer.
 * Elizabeth Trump Walter – The sister of Fred Trump, the mother of John Walter, and President Donald J. Trump's aunt. She resided at 511 Manhasset Woods Road.
 * John W. Walter – Mayor of Flower Hill between 1988 and 1996, and following that, the Village Historian until his death in 2018. Walter was the first cousin of President Donald J. Trump.
 * Burl S. Watson – President and CEO of Cities Service Company.
 * Bagley Wright – Real estate developer and philanthropist, notable for being a developer of the Space Needle in Seattle. Wright and his family moved to an Aspinwall & Simpson-designed home on Elderfields Road around 1940.

In popular culture
Over the years, scenes for several movies and television shows have been filmed in the Village of Flower Hill – including scenes for A Stranger Is Watching, Boardwalk Empire, Too Big to Fail, The Outcasts, and Billions. Additionally, scenes for a David Chase movie were filmed in a home on Bonnie Heights Road, and TruTV shot a show on tag sales in Flower Hill.

title: Flower Hill, New York


text:
Franklin Square, New York

Franklin Square 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 30,903 at the time of the 2020 census.

The area was originally known as Trimming Square and then as Washington Square.

History
What is now Franklin Square was near the center of the Hempstead Plains, and used as grazing land, and later farmland, by the first white settlers. The southern portion included oak and dogwood forests.

In late 1643, Robert Fordham and John Carman made a treaty with members of the Massapequak, Mericoke, Matinecock and Rockaway tribes to buy roughly 100 square miles upon which they intended to start a new settlement. They purchased this tract, including much of what are now the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead.

In 1790, George Washington passed through the town while touring Long Island. He wrote in his diary that the area was "entirely treeless except for a few scraggly fruit trees." Walt Whitman spent three months in the spring of 1840 as the schoolmaster of the Trimming Square school district, in the area where Franklin Square, Garden City South and West Hempstead intersect.

In 1852, one Louis Schroeher built a hotel near a tollgate (by what is now Arden Boulevard) of the Hempstead-Jamaica Turnpike (toll road). The hotel attracted an increasing number of visitors and immigrants (the latter often German) from New York City to the formerly rural hamlet.

Population grew steadily until the sudden intensified surge of suburbanization into post-World War II Long Island reached the community. By 1952, the farms were all gone, replaced by newly-built houses full of emigrants from nearby New York City.

Etymology
It is rumored that the original name for the area, Trimming Square, reflected the fact that farms once dominated the area's landscape (as was common for areas all across the Hempstead Plains), and because many sheep were brought to the area by local farmers for separation during the latter parts of the 18th Century. The Trimming Square name was used between the early 19th Century and 1851, when the name was changed to Washington Square after George Washington.

The name of the community was again changed in the 1870s when locals made strides to establish a local U.S. post office. The United States Postal Service would not use the name Washington Square, as they felt that there were too many other places within New York which had Washington in their names. This led to locals again changing the name, and they ultimately chose the name Franklin Square. It is rumored that the name is in honor of Benjamin Franklin.

Failed incorporation attempt
In February 1929, locals tried incorporating their community as the Incorporated Village of Franklin Square. However, the plans were scrapped that April when the Town of Hempstead denied the petition, due to the fact that too few residents were in favor of incorporation.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.9 sqmi, all land.

Franklin Square is bordered on the north by Stewart Manor, northeast by Garden City and Garden City South, southwest by North Valley Stream, east by West Hempstead, and west by Elmont.

2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census the population was 29,320. The makeup of the population was 75.1% Non-Hispanic White, 3.2% African American, 0.11% Native American, 7.2% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.75% from other races, and 2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.3% of the population.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 29,342 people, 10,187 households and 7,833 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 10,169.2 PD/sqmi. There were 10,364 housing units at an average density of 3,591.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.97% White, 0.99% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.79% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.75% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.89% of the population.

There were 10,187 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. Of all households 19.9% 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 2.87 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $80,164, and the median income for a family was $87,485 as of a 2007. Males had a median income of $50,805 versus $35,207 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,149. About 3.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Franklin Square has large Italian-American (40%), Irish-American (16%) and German-American (11%) populations. The growing Jewish population is served by one Conservative and seven Orthodox synagogues. An eruv surrounds most of Franklin Square and adjoining West Hempstead.

Landmarks
Franklin Square was the home of the Franklin National Bank, once the nation's 20th largest bank. Under the leadership of Arthur T. Roth, the Franklin National Bank introduced many banking innovations, such as the bank credit card, the drive up teller window (1950), junior savings accounts (1947), and a no-smoking policy on banking floors (1958). Today, the building is a Chase bank.

On October 8, 1974, the Franklin National Bank was declared insolvent due to mismanagement and fraud, involving losses in foreign currency speculation and poor loan policies. This caused massive losses for its stockholders, resulted in jail and disgrace for its management; Italian financier and CEO Michele Sindona was poisoned in his cell in 1986, while serving a life-sentence for his part in this affair. It was at the time the largest bank failure in the history of the country, and forced US banking policymakers to reexamine and reassess regulation of international banking.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Community organizations
There is an active Chamber of Commerce and a historical society. The Community League of Garden City South, Inc. Established in 1929 is the oldest acting Civic Association that serves the entire Franklin Square School District #17. The Community League of Garden City South, Inc. Is a direct liaison between the residents/merchants and the State and Local Government as well as other Organizations. It is their honor to act on behalf of the people to maintain and preserve the quality of life within the district. Franklin Square Civic Association, established in 2016 by a group of residents within the community, serves to maintain and improve the quality of life within the community. The organization sponsors several events to bring the community together. Franklin Square has the Franklin Square Warriors youth football program, Franklin Square Raiders youth soccer program, the Franklin Square Little League, and Franklin Square Seminoles II baseball and softball club.

Government
As part of the Town of Hempstead, Franklin Square is located within the town's 3rd council district, through which it is represented on the Hempstead Town Council by Melissa Miller. Furthermore, as part of New York's 4th congressional district, the hamlet is represented by Anthony D'Esposito.

Parks and recreation
The Town of Hempstead Department of Parks and Recreation operates and maintains two parks in Franklin Square: Averill Boulevard Park and Rath Park.

The Averill Boulevard Park features a playground, a swimming pool, walking paths & nature trails, and sports facilities.

Rath Park includes a swimming pool, a playground, football & baseball fields, and basketball, handball, & tennis courts. Furthermore, there is a snack commissary and recreational equipment rental facility that operate during the summer, while the pool is operational.

Public schools
Franklin Square is served by the following:
 * Three elementary school districts (Franklin Square Union Free School District, Valley Stream 13 Union Free School District, and Elmont Union Free School District)
 * Two central high school districts (Sewanhaka Central High School District for the Franklin Square SD and Elmont UFSD parts, and the Valley Stream Central High School District for the Valley Stream 13 part).

The Valley Stream Union Free School District 13 covers the four public elementary schools in Franklin Square (Willow Road School is located in Franklin Square under Valley Stream District) and two public high schools (North Valley Stream H.S. is located in Franklin Square under Valley Stream District). The Franklin Square Union Free District 17 covers Washington Street School, John Street Elementary School, H. Frank Carey High School, and Polk Street School. District 16 (Elmont School district), covers the western part, with most students attending Covert Ave School and Sewanhaka High School.

Below are the schools in Franklin Square, and their respective grade levels and districts.

Private schools
The private St. Catherine of Sienna Elementary School was once located within the hamlet. It closed in June 2012.

Library districts
Franklin Square residents are served by two public libraries: the Elmont Library District (served by the Elmont Public Library) and the Franklin Square Library District (served by the Franklin Square Public Library).

Media
Franklin Square had a print weekly newspaper, the Franklin Square Bulletin, and is covered by another local print and online newspaper, the Three Village Times.

Infrastructure
Franklin Square has a volunteer fire department and is served by the Nassau County Police Department's Fifth Precinct.

Sanitation and recycling services are provided by Town of Hempstead District 6.

Notable people

 * Bruce Arena, United States men's national soccer team coach.
 * Nikki Blonsky, an American actress, singer, and dancer, best known for her role as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 film Hairspray and as Maggie Baker in the 2008 film Queen Sized.
 * Joseph Duszak (born July 22, 1997), American professional ice hockey player
 * Jenni "JWoww" Farley (born Feb. 27, 1986), actress, producer, writer, MTV's Jersey Shore cast member.
 * Randy Gordon (March 11, 1949 in Brooklyn,N.Y), New York State Boxing Commissioner, ESPN Boxing Commentator, New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee, Sirius XM radio Host.
 * Sean Hannity, an American radio and television host, author and political commentator.
 * Ray Heatherton (of The Merry Mailman television show) and daughter Joey Heatherton lived on James Street.
 * Alice Hoffman (born March 16, 1952), novelist and young-adult and children's writer, best known for her 1996 novel Practical Magic, which was adapted for a 1998 film of the same name.
 * Mike Massimino, NASA Astronaut, a graduate of H. Frank Carey Junior-Senior High School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
 * Lisa Matassa, country singer.
 * Shane Pinto, NHL player for the Ottawa Senators
 * Barbara Rosenthal, the New York avant-garde artist who wrote a weekly column ("A Crack in the Sidewalk") for The Franklin Square Bulletin in 1959–1961, when she was only eleven.
 * Jeff Tamarkin, a music journalist and award-winning author of the Jefferson Airplane biography Got a Revolution.
 * Michael Tucci (born April 15, 1946), an American film, TV and stage actor, played Sonny in the 1978 version of "Grease" with John Travolta.
 * Al Weis, former Major League Baseball player with the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Franklin Square, New York


text:
Freeport, New York

Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York state, United States. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest village in New York by population.

A settlement since the 1640s, it was once an oystering community and later a resort popular with the New York City theater community. It is now primarily a bedroom suburb but retains a modest commercial waterfront and some light industry.

Pre-colonial settlement
Before people of European ancestry came to the area, the land was part of the territory of the Meroke Indians. Written records of the community go back to the 1640s. The village now known as Freeport was part of an area called "the Great South Woods" during colonial times. In the mid-17th century, the area was renamed Raynor South, and ultimately Raynortown, after a herdsman named Edward Raynor, who had moved to the area from Hempstead in 1659, cleared land, and built a cabin.

19th century: development
In 1853, residents voted to rename the village Freeport, adopting a variant of a nickname used by ship captains during colonial times because they were not charged customs duties to land their cargo.

After the Civil War, Freeport became a center for commercial oystering. This trade began to decline as early as the beginning of the 20th century because of changing salinity and increased pollution in Great South Bay. Nonetheless, even as of the early 21st century Freeport and nearby Point Lookout have the largest concentration of commercial fishing activity anywhere near New York City.

From 1868, Freeport was served by the Southside Railroad, which was a major boon to development. The most prominent figure in this boom was developer John J. Randall; among his other contributions to the shape of Freeport today were several canals, including the Woodcleft Canal, one side of which is now the site of the "Nautical Mile". Randall, who opposed all of Freeport's being laid out in a grid, put up a Victorian house virtually overnight on a triangular plot at the corner of Lena Avenue and Wilson Place to spite the grid designers. The Freeport Spite House still is standing and occupied.

In January 1873, before Nassau County had split off from Queens, the Queens County treasurer set up an office at Freeport. The village residents voted to incorporate the village on October 18, 1892. At that time, it had a population of 1,821. In 1898, Freeport established a municipal electric utility, which still operates today, giving the village lower electricity rates than those in surrounding communities. It is one of two municipally owned electric systems in Nassau County; the other is in Rockville Centre. Public street lighting was begun in 1907, and a public fire alarm system was adopted in 1910.

1900–1939: expansion
In the years after incorporation, Freeport was a tourist and sportsman's destination for its boating and fishing.

From 1902 into the late 1920s, the New York and Long Island Traction Corporation ran trolleys through Freeport to Jamaica, Hempstead, and Brooklyn. These trolleys went down Main Street in Freeport, connecting to a ferry at Scott's Hotel near Ray Street. In later years these ferries departed from Ellison's dock on Little Swift Creek, served by separate trolleys operated by the Great South Bay Ferry Company. The ferries took people to Point Lookout, about three miles (5 km) south of Freeport, where there is an ocean beach. For a few years after 1913, the short-lived Freeport Railroad Company ran a trolley nicknamed "the Fishermen's Delight" along Grove Street (now Guy Lombardo Avenue) from Sunrise Highway to the waterfront. Also in this era, in 1910 Arthur and Albert Heinrich flew the first American-made, American-powered monoplane, built in their Merrick Road airplane factory (see also Heinrich Pursuit). WGBB, founded in 1924, became Long Island's first 24-hour radio station.

In the late 19th century, Freeport was the summer resort of wealthy politicians, publishers, and so forth. At the time, travel from Freeport to New York City required a journey of several hours on a coal-powered train, or an even more arduous automobile trip on the single-lane Merrick Road.

According to Elinor Smith, the arrival of Diamond Jim Brady and Lillian Russell around the start of the 20th century marked the beginning of what by 1914 would become an unofficial theatrical artists' colony, especially of vaudeville performers. Freeport's population was largest in the summer season, during which most of the theaters of the time were closed and performers left for cooler climes. Some had year-round family homes in Freeport. Leo Carrillo and Victor Moore were early arrivals, later joined by Fannie Brice, Trixie Friganza, Sophie Tucker, Harry Ruby, Fred Stone, Helen Broderick, Moran and Mack, Will Rogers, Bert Kalmar, Richard Whiting, Harry von Tilzer, Rae Samuels, Belle Baker, Grace Hayes, Pat Rooney, Duffy and Sweeney, the Four Mortons, McKay and Ardine, and Eva Tanguay. Buster Keaton, W. C. Fields, and many other theatrical performers who did not own homes there were also frequent visitors.

Several of Freeport's actors gathered together as the Long Island Good Hearted Thespian Society (LIGHTS), with a clubhouse facing onto Great South Bay. LIGHTS presented summer shows in Freeport from the mid-1910s to the mid-1920s. LIGHTS also sponsored a summertime "Christmas Parade", featuring clowns, acrobats, and once even some borrowed elephants. It was held at this unlikely time of year because the theater people were all working during the real Christmas season. A Coney Island–style amusement park called Playland Park thrived from the early 1920s until the early 1930s but was destroyed by a fire on June 28, 1931.

With the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan on Long Island in the 1920s many villages in Nassau and Suffolk counties were the focal point of Klan activity. According to a story in Newsday detailing the history of Long Island,"often, respected clergymen and public officials openly supported the Klan and attended its rallies. On Sept. 20, 1924, for instance, the Klan drew 30,000 spectators to a parade through Freeport – with the village police chief, John M. Hartman, leading a procession of 2,000 robed men.... the founding of one of Long Island's first klaverns, in Freeport, was memorialized on Sept. 8, 1922, in the Daily Review, which carried a banner headline about the meeting at Mechanics Hall on Railroad Avenue. About 150 new members were greeted by seven robed Klansmen."

1940–present: recent history

By 1937, Freeport's population exceeded 20,000, and it was the largest village in Nassau County. After World War II the village became a bedroom community for New York City. The separation between the two eras was marked by a fire that destroyed the Shorecrest Hotel (originally the Crystal Lake Hotel) on January 14, 1958. During the 1950s local merchants resisted building any shopping malls in the village and subsequently suffered a great loss of business when large malls were built in communities in the central part of Long Island.

The landscape of Freeport underwent further change with a significant increase in apartment building construction. When such buildings went up in just two years in the early 1960s, the Village passed a moratorium on multi-unit residential construction.

While never a major boatbuilding center, Freeport can boast some notable figures in that field. Fred and Mirto Scopinich operated their boatyard in Freeport from just after World War I until they moved it to East Quogue in the late 1960s. Their Freeport Point Shipyard built boats for the United States Coast Guard, but also for Prohibition-era rumrunners. From 1937 to 1945 the shipyard built small boats for the United States Navy and British Royal Navy. The marina and dealership operated by Al Grover in 1950 remains in Freeport and in his family. Grover's company built fishing skiffs from the 1970s until about 1990. One of these, a 26-footer, carried Grover and his sons from Nova Scotia to Portugal in 1985, the first-ever crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a boat powered by an outboard motor. Columbian Bronze operated in Freeport from its 1901 founding until it closed shop in 1988. Among this company's achievements was the propeller for the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), an operational nuclear-powered submarine and the first vessel to complete a submerged transit across the North Pole.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.6 mi2.

The village is bisected by east–west New York State Route 27 (Sunrise Highway). The Meadowbrook State Parkway defines its eastern boundary.

The south part of the village is penetrated by several canals that allow access to the Atlantic Ocean by means of passage through salt marshes. The oldest canal is the late 19th-century Woodcleft Canal. Freeport has extensive small-boat facilities and a resident fishing fleet, as well as charter and open water fishing boats.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 43,783 people, 13,504 households, and 9,911 families residing in the village. The population density was 9,531.3 PD/sqmi. There were 13,819 housing units at an average density of 3,008.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 42.9% White, 32.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 17.2% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.5% of the population.

There were 13,504 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.20 and the average family size was 3.65.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village in 1999 was $55,948, and the median income for a family was $61,673. Males had a median income of $37,465 versus $31,869 for females. The per capita income for the village was $21,288. About 8.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2010, the population was 42,860. The demographics were as follows: At the 2020 American Community Survey, the Latino population was 16.2% Dominican, 9% Salvadoran, 4.2% Puerto Rican, 3% Guatemalan, 2.2% Colombian, 1.7% Ecuadorian.
 * Hispanic – 17,858 (42.5%)
 * Black alone – 13,226 (30.9%)
 * White alone – 10,113 (23.6%)
 * Asian alone – 669 (1.6%)
 * Two or more races – 174 (0.4%)
 * Other race alone – 292 (0.7%)
 * American Indian alone – 94 (0.2%)

Government

Freeport's government is made up of four trustees and a mayor, who are elected to four-year terms; one trustee also serves in the capacity of deputy mayor. Freeport's first African American mayor, Andrew Hardwick, was elected in 2009; he was succeeded on March 20, 2013, by Robert T. Kennedy The current Deputy Mayor is (Trustee) Ronald Ellerbe. The other current Trustees are, Jorge Martinez, Christopher Squeri, and Evette Sanchez. Freeport's current government is a coalition of Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

Road
Merrick Road and Sunrise Highway both run roughly east-west through the village. Additionally, the Meadowbrook State Parkway forms much of Freeport's eastern border with Merrick. The Southern State Parkway runs east-west about a mile north of Freeport's northern border with Roosevelt.

Additionally, Freeport would have been the southern terminus of the never-built Freeport–Roslyn Expressway. This short-lived proposal in the early 1950s was killed largely by community opposition.

Rail
Freeport is served by the Freeport station on the Long Island Rail Road's Babylon Branch.

Bus
Freeport serves as a hub for several Nassau Inter-County Express bus routes:
 * n4/n4x: Freeport – Jamaica
 * n19: Freeport – Sunrise Mall
 * n40/41: Freeport – Mineola
 * n43: Freeport – Roosevelt Field Mall
 * n88: Freeport – Jones Beach (Summer Service Only)

Sewage
Freeport is connected to sanitary sewers. The village maintains a sanitary sewer system which flows into Nassau County's system, which treats the sewage from the village's system through the Nassau County-owned sewage treatment plants.

Water
The Village of Freeport owns and maintains its own water system. Freeport's water system serves the entire village with water.

Arts and culture
Freeport is a Long Island hot spot during the summer season in New York. A popular festival occurs on Freeport's Nautical Mile (the west side of Woodcleft Canal) the first weekend in June each year, which attracts many people from across Long Island and New York City. The Nautical Mile is a strip along the water that features well-known seafood restaurants, crab shacks, bars, eclectic little boutiques, fresh fish markets, as well as party cruise ships and casino boats that float atop the canals. People line up for the boat rides and eat at restaurants that feature seating on the water's edge and servings of mussels, oysters, crabs, and steamed clams ("steamers") accompanied by pitchers of beer. An 18-hole miniature golf course is popular among families. The Sea Breeze waterfront park—which includes a transient marina, boardwalk, rest rooms and benches—opened in 2009 at the foot of the Nautical Mile. It has proven to be a very popular spot to sit and watch the marine traffic and natural scenery. This is in addition to an existing scenic pier.

Freeport has an ethnically and racially diverse population. There is one housing project, named after Nassau County's first black judge, Moxie Rigby. Freeport's Hispanic community is made up of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Colombians and other Latin American countries. Among the many Latin-American-themed businesses are several grocery stores or "bodegas" and restaurants along Merrick Road and Main Street that serve Caribbean, Central American, Dominican, and South American cuisines.

Freeport, along with neighboring Merrick, is also the gateway to Jones Beach, one of the largest state beaches in New York. One famous area is the Town of Hempstead Marina, where people from all over Long Island dock their boats. Freeport is a 45-minute ride by the Long Island Rail Road to Manhattan, making the trip an easy commute to New York City.

From 1974 to 1986, Freeport was one of the few Long Island towns to hold a sizeable open-air market area, known as the Freeport Mall. The heart of the Main Street business area was closed to vehicular traffic and reconfigured for pedestrians only. The experiment was not a success. The W. T. Grant store that was supposed to anchor the mall closed, along with the rest of that chain, shortly after the mall opened. The mall area became shabby and disused, and many businesses failed. The mall was dismantled and returned to through traffic with regular parking on each side of the street.

Architecture
Just north of the high school and the railroad tracks is the ruin of the former Brooklyn Waterworks, described by Christopher Gray of the New York Times as looking like an "ancient, war-damaged abbey." Designed by architect Frank Freeman and opened in 1891 to serve the City of Brooklyn (later made a borough of New York City), it was fully active until 1929 with a capacity of 54 million gallons a day, and remained in standby for emergency use until 1977, when the pumps and other machinery were removed. See Ridgewood Reservoir. An unsuccessful 1989 plan would have turned the building into condos. Currently, the parcel is the subject of litigation and ongoing investigations by various agencies. Long Island Traditions also describes the sites of notable architecture in Freeport's history, such as bay men's homes and commercial fishing establishments, some of which are still existing, as well as the still-existing Fiore's Fish Market and Two Cousins, which are located in historic waterfront buildings, built by the owners, so they could negotiate directly with the baymen as they pulled into dock.

Long Island Traditions also describes and provides a photograph of the no-longer existing Woodcleft Hotel and important boatyards, about which the site writes:

"'In Freeport the Maresca boatyard stands on the site of what is now the Long Island Marine Education Center owned by the Village of Freeport. Founded in the 1920s by Phillip Maresca, they built both recreational and commercial boats. Their customers included Guy Lombardo and party boat captains. The business was taken over by Everett Maresca, who died in 1995. The original building remains relatively intact, consisting of a large concrete block structure. Further down on Woodcleft Canal stands the former Scopinich Boatyard, now part of Shelter Point Marine services. The structure is obscured by corrugated metal siding but elements of its original frame structure remain. The yard was founded by Fred Scopinich, a Greek immigrant in the early 1900s. His grandson Fred moved the yard to East Quogue. The Freeport yard specialized in building commercial fishing boats including trawlers, government boats for the Coast Guard, rum running boats, as well as sailboats and garveys for local baymen. Finally the original Grover boatyard, founded by Al Grover, stands on Woodcleft Avenue a short distance from the Maresca yard. A modest frame building, approximately 20 people worked there. Today the yard is located north of the Nautical Mile on South Main street, run by Grover's sons. Their yard consists of modern corrugated structures used primarily for maintenance and storage.'"

Libraries
The Freeport Memorial Library, which is the library serving the Freeport Library District, is the main library in Freeport. The Baldwin and Roosevelt Library Districts serve some of the northernmost portions of the village.

Schools

Freeport Public Schools (FPS) operates the community's public schools.

For the 2009–10 school year, there were 6,257 students enrolled in Freeport's public schools. The children of Freeport, in grades 1–4, attend four magnet elementary schools, each with a different specialty: Archer Street (Microsociety and Multimedia), Leo F. Giblyn (School of International Cultures), Bayview Avenue (School of Arts and Sciences), and New Visions (School of Exploration & Discovery). In grades 5 and 6, all public school children attend Caroline G. Atkinson School on the north side of the town. Seventh and 8th graders attend John W. Dodd Middle School. The Middle School is built on the property that housed the older Freeport High School, but not on exactly the same site. The old high school served for some years as the junior high; then the new junior high was built on what was previously parking lot and playground, and the old building was torn down. In 2017, The school remodeled, with an added track and field. A Catholic school, the De La Salle School, is run by the Christian Brothers and accepts boys from grades 5–8.

Children in grades 9–12 attend Freeport High School, which borders the town of Baldwin and sits beside the Milburn duck pond, which is fed by a creek, several hundred yards of which was diverted underground when the high school was built. Freeport High School's mascot is the Red Devil, and its colors are red and white. The school has track-and-field facilities. One unique feature of the school's curriculum is a science research program run in cooperation with Stony Brook University. The school offers numerous advanced placement courses and was a pioneer in distance learning at the high school level. Roughly 87 percent of the high school's graduates go on to some form of higher education. A community night school for teenagers had 236 students as of 1999.

As early as 1886, Freeport's schools began the then-unusual policy of providing their students with free textbooks. In 1893, the newly incorporated village constructed a ten-room brick schoolhouse. Also in the late 19th century, the community was among the first Long Island communities to establish an "academic department", offering classes beyond the elementary school level. Freeport saw its share of the social, political, and racial turbulence of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The 1969–70 school year saw three high school principals in the village's only high school, succeeded in August 1970 by William McElroy, formerly the junior high school principal, who came to the position "in the midst of racial tension and a constantly-polarizing student body"; McElroy backed such initiatives as a student advisory committee to the Board of Education and, in his own words, "made [him]self available to any civic-minded group" that wished to discuss with him the situation in the school. By May 1972, he could claim success, of a sort. "Formerly, a fight between a black and a white student would automatically become racial; now a fight is just a fight—between two students." The Freeport High School newspaper, Flashings, founded 1920, is believed to be the oldest high school paper on Long Island. It has won numerous awards over several decades. From 1969 until 1999, it operated under "free press" guidelines unusual for a high school newspaper, with an active role for the students in picking their own faculty adviser and with ultimate editorial control firmly in the hands of students. Throughout that time, Ira Schildkraut functioned as faculty adviser. In 1999, the school administration removed Schildkraut from that role and attempted to establish themselves as censors. That last decision was turned back by the school board after it drew attention from, among others, The New York Times and the Student Press Law Center. However, the dispute's resolution did reduce the student journalists' role in selecting their own faculty adviser and increased the faculty adviser's editorial authority relative to the student journalists'.

From about 1970 to 1973, the town and Freeport High School achieved recognition because of the performance of its math team ("The Mathletes") in regional inter-school math competitions and performance on advanced mathematics tests, including the International Mathematical Olympiad and those from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

In addition, in about 1970, Freeport High School became one of the few schools in the country then to have a general purpose computer on the premises dedicated to student use and teaching programming, an IBM 1620 donated by IBM. The 1620 was later replaced by remote access to a DEC System 10 then, later, an on-site PDP-11/40 running the RSTS/E time sharing system, also dedicated to the students. Much credit for the team and computers goes to FHS math teachers and to the Freeport School District's head of Mathematics, Joseph Holbrook.

In June 2008, 16 people were arrested after violence erupted in the high school.

In a 2010 Newsday story regarding Long Island eighth-grader scores on Regents Exams, which have traditionally been given to students in ninth grade and up, Freeport was ranked in the highest tier.

Sports and recreation

In the early 1930s, Freeport was the playing field for the Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York, a semi-pro baseball team which took their name from the caps worn by Pullman porters. For a few years after that, the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers football team, which, like their baseball namesakes, played at Ebbets Field, using the stadium as a midweek training site. The site is now a Warehouse BJ's Wholesale Club.

From 1931 until the early 1980s, Freeport was home to Freeport Speedway, originally Freeport Municipal Stadium. Seating about 10,000, the stadium originally hosted "midget" auto races; after World War II it switched to stock car racing and eventually demolition derbies.

Freeport is home to the Freeport Recreation Center, which features an enclosed, year-round ice skating rink; an indoor pool; an outdoor Olympic-size pool; an outdoor diving tank; an outdoor children's pool; handball courts; sauna; steam room; fully equipped workout gyms; basketball courts; and snack bars serving hot and cold foods. The "Rec Center" also offers evening adult classes and hosts a pre-school program, camp programs, and a senior center.

Notable people

 * Cindy Adams, gossip columnist.
 * Desi Barmore (born 1960), American-Israeli basketball player
 * Medea Benjamin (born Susan Benjamin), political activist, co-founder of Code Pink
 * Leo Carrillo, actor (Pancho in the Cisco Kid series) built a home on Randalls Channel at the corner of Roosevelt and South Long Beach Avenues.
 * Broderick Crawford, actor
 * Patrick Day, former professional boxer
 * Justin Dunn, baseball pitcher drafted in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft
 * Chris Edmonds, 1985 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Champion
 * D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Pro Bowl offensive tackle for the New York Jets
 * Flavor Flav (William Jonathan Drayton, Jr.), rapper and reality TV star; grew up in Freeport and neighboring Roosevelt
 * Kay Gardner, musician, composer, author, and musical producer who lived in Freeport
 * George Gollin, an elementary particle physicist and physics professor
 * Eddie Gordon, professional mixed martial arts fighter and UFC's TUF winner
 * Morlon Greenwood, football player
 * Havoc, of hip-hop group Mobb Deep, lives in Freeport
 * Gabriel Heatter, radio personality
 * Jay Hieron, retired professional mixed martial arts fighter and IFL welterweight champion
 * Mitch Kapor, founder of Lotus Development Corporation and the designer of Lotus 1-2-3
 * Joe Kelly, comic book writer and founder of Man of Action Studios which created Ben 10 and Big Hero 6.
 * Erik Larson, author of books such as Isaac's Storm and The Devil in the White City, attended Freeport High School
 * Peter Lerangis, author of children's and young-adult fiction; valedictorian of the FHS Class of 1973
 * Steve Lieberman, punk rock bassist, flautist, singer signed to JDub Records known as The Gangsta Rabbi; served as Freeport Village Comptroller (1998-2014)
 * Guy Lombardo, musician and big bandleader, lived in Freeport during the latter portion of his life; his former residence on South Grove Street (now Guy Lombardo Avenue) included a boathouse where he kept his powerful speed boats, which he raced on the ocean
 * Jerry Mackey, former American football linebacker signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * Charles Manning, international fashion model
 * Donnie McClurkin, Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, and founder and pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport
 * Eddie Murphy, attended junior high school at John W. Dodd Middle School
 * Billy Murray (singer), Vaudeville-era singer
 * Wade Nichols (born Dennis Posa), pornographic actor, cast member in The Edge of Night, and a singer
 * Shelly Peiken, songwriter who is best known for co-writing the US #1 hits "What A Girl Wants" and "Come On over Baby" by Christina Aguilera.
 * Prodigy, of hip-hop group Mobb Deep, lived in Freeport
 * Emanuel Pupulidy (1918—1996), a race car driver
 * Lou Reed, singer-songwriter and founding member of The Velvet Underground
 * Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers
 * Dick Schaap, sportswriter, broadcaster, and author
 * Samantha Sepulveda, a Long Island police officer who gained fame when the New York Post reported that she is also an Internet glamour model
 * Clifton Smith, former American football linebacker who played college football at Syracuse University
 * Elinor Smith, 1920s aviator
 * Hale Smith, 20th-century composer
 * Dee Snider (born 1955), Twisted Sister singer, songwriter, radio personality, and actor
 * Susan Sullivan, actress
 * Brandon Tartikoff, television executive who grew up in Freeport
 * Noel Thompson, National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee
 * Harold E. Varmus, the 1989 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
 * Jean R. Yawkey, wife of Boston Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey and owner of the team from his death in 1976 until her own in 1992; grew up in Freeport.
 * Michael Zielenziger, journalist and author

In popular culture

 * History Alive, season 1, episode 56: "Rumrunners, Moonshiners and Bootleggers" (1995) describes boat making operations and illicit business ventures in Freeport.
 * The Sopranos, season 5, episode 8: "Marco Polo" (April 25, 2004) reveals that the crew of Lupertazzi crime family member Jerry Basile operates in Freeport.

title: Freeport, New York


text:
Garden City Park, New York

Garden City Park is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island. It's a suburb of New York City, located approximately 20 mi from Midtown Manhattan. The population was 7,806 at the 2010 census.

History
From about 1787 until about 1874, the area was known as Clowesville, which was then the County Seat of Queens County, and contained the county courthouse and jail.

The community's name was eventually changed to Garden City Park due to its proximity to the then-new development of Garden City.

On December 7, 1993, six people were killed and nineteen were injured in a mass shooting at the Merillion Avenue stop.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.0 sqmi, all land.

Garden City Park is bordered by Hillside Avenue to the north, Herricks Road to the east, and Denton Avenue to the west. The southern border is the boundary of the Town of North Hempstead with the Town of Hempstead, roughly coinciding with Atlantic Avenue and the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The local LIRR stop is Merillon Avenue.

Some local and town maps reflect that Garden City Park spills over north into Herricks. Mail delivery is provided by the New Hyde Park Post Office utilizing the 11040 Zip Code.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 7,806 people, 2,508 households, and 1,993 families living in the CDP. The population density was 7,759.3 PD/sqmi. There were 2,548 housing units at an average density of 2,617.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 48.6% Non-Hispanic White, 3.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 33.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.8% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.1% of the population.

There were 2,508 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $74,746, and the median income for a family was $81,580. Males had a median income of $47,234 versus $38,580 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $29,250. About 0.4% of families and 1.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.3% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,554 people, 2,508 households, and 1,993 families living in the CDP. The population density was 7,759.3 PD/sqmi. There were 2,548 housing units at an average density of 2,617.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 70.20% White, 4.21% African American, 0.28% Native American, 20.49% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.13% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.09% of the population.

There were 2,508 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $74,746, and the median income for a family was $81,580. Males had a median income of $47,234 versus $38,580 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $29,250. About 0.4% of families and 1.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.3% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The CDP is divided among these school districts:
 * New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Union Free School District and Sewanhaka Central High School District
 * Herricks Union Free School District
 * Mineola Union Free School District

title: Garden City Park, New York


text:
Bernal sphere

A Bernal sphere is a type of space settlement intended as a long-term home for permanent residents, first proposed in 1929 by John Desmond Bernal.

Bernal's original proposal described a hollow non-rotating spherical shell 10 mi in diameter, with a target population of 20,000 to 30,000 people. The Bernal sphere would be filled with air.

Island One
In a series of studies held at Stanford University in 1975 and 1976 with the purpose of speculating on designs for future space colonies, Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill proposed Island One, a modified Bernal sphere with a diameter of only 500 m rotating at 1.9 RPM to produce a full Earth artificial gravity at the sphere's equator. The result would be an interior landscape that would resemble a large valley running all the way around the equator of the sphere. Island One would be capable of providing living and recreation space for a population of approximately 10,000 people, with a "Crystal Palace" habitat used for agriculture. Sunlight was to be provided to the interior of the sphere using external mirrors to direct it in through large windows near the poles. The form of a sphere was chosen for its optimum ability to contain air pressure and its optimum mass-efficiency at providing radiation shielding.

Island Two
O'Neill envisioned the next generation of space habitat as a larger version of Island One. Island Two would be approximately 1800 meters in diameter, yielding an equatorial circumference of nearly six and a half kilometers (four miles). The size was driven by economics; the habitat was to be small enough to allow for efficient transportation within the habitat and large enough to support an efficient industrial base.

title: Bernal sphere