Massapequa Park, New York

History

The village located on the South Shore of Long Island shares the early Native American history of Massapequa. Then in the 19th century, families of German descent relocated from Brooklyn to what is now Massapequa Park, and the community which was formed was known as Wurtenberg or Stadtwurtemburg. The main attraction and center of activity was the Woodcastle Hotel, a rooming house built in 1868 on Front Street next to the fire department as a summer resort. It was destroyed by fire in 1952 and replaced by houses.

In 1928, The New York Times ran ads for Massapequa Park, a development built by a real estate firm owned by Michael J. Brady, Frank Cryan, and Peter Colleran. The three Irish-Americans described their project as having a bit of Old Erin; the area between Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road still has mostly Irish street names.

In 1931, Massapequa Park was incorporated as a village to ensure control of land use and other issues. Several dozen kit houses from Sears Roebuck were built in two different areas of the village. These include some of the largest model kit houses offered by Sears.

The village once had its own airport, the Fitzmaurice Flying Field, named in 1929 for James Fitzmaurice, one of a crew of three to be the first to fly a plane from east to west across the Atlantic (Baldonnel, Ireland to Greenly Island in Labrador, Canada). An estimated 100,000 people came to the dedication of the field on Spruce Street. The field was used by private planes.

The field was eventually closed and became the home for the athletic fields of the 4M Club, a popular youth athletic program founded by Larry Neusse, and supported by a wide range of local residents. Today the site is home to McKenna Elementary School (which used to be a junior high school) and the Nassau County Police Academy (which used to be Hawthorn Elementary School).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.6 sqmi, all land, of which 2.19 sqmi is land and 0.06 sqmi is water.

Massapequa Park is bordered by Massapequa to the west, East Massapequa to the east, North Massapequa to the northwest, and South Farmingdale to the north. To its south, the village is bordered by South Oyster Bay–a large bay separating Long Island from Jones Beach Island.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 17,008 people, 5,731 households, and 4,736 families residing in the village. There were 5,844 housing units at an average density of 2,656.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 96.9% White, 0.3% African American, 0.04% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.

There were 5,731 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.7% were headed by married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.4% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The three main ethnic backgrounds are Italian (45%), Irish (28%), and German (18%), comprising over three-fourths of the village's population. The rest of the population is of English, Russian, Polish, Swedish, Scottish, Greek, French, Dutch, and other background.

The median income in the village for 2010 was $98,725 and the median income for a family was $110,417. The per capita income for the village was $38,226. About 1.0% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Due to the sizable Jewish and Italian populations long associated with the area, the village is frequently referred to as "Matzo-Pizza Park."

Government

As of July 2023, the Mayor of Massapequa Park is Daniel Pearl, and the Village Trustees are Dana M. Durso, Tina Schiaffino, Todd A. Svec, and Christine M. Wiss.

The Mayor and members of the Board of Trustees are each elected to two-year terms, and the village elections are held in March.

Parks and recreation

The Village of Massapequa Park owns and operates three parks main: Brady Park, Colleran Park, and Mansfield Park. It also owns and maintains several memorials and associated parks which are located throughout the village.

Education

The village is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Massapequa Union Free School District.

During the 1960s, 1970s and much of the 1980s the Massapequa School District had seven elementary schools (Carman Road, East Lake, Birch Lane, Fairfield, Unqua, Hawthorn, Lockhart), two junior high schools (McKenna and Ames) and two high schools (Massapequa and Alfred G. Berner).

In 1987, the Massapequa school district restructured the district by leasing Carmans Road elementary to Nassau BOCES and Hawthorne Elementary to the Nassau County Police Academy. John P. McKenna Jr. High School was converted to an elementary school, while Alfred G. Berner became the new junior high, later becoming a middle school. J. Lewis Ames Jr. High School is no longer a middle school, but a "9th Grade Center"– the Ames Campus of Massapequa High School. The northern section of the village and hamlet are served by the Farmingdale School District.

Transportation

The Long Island Rail Road's Massapequa Park station on the Babylon Branch is located in the village.

Major roads within the village include Merrick Road (CR 27) and Sunrise Highway (NY 27). Furthermore, the Village of Massapequa Park owns roughly 30 mi of roads, which are maintained by the Village of Massapequa Park Department of Public Works.

Notable people

• Phil Baroni, mixed martial arts fighter
• Matt Bennett, actor known for Victorious
• Candy Darling, Warhol superstar
• Roy DeMeo, mafioso in the Gambino crime family
• Michael Durso, member of the New York State Assembly
• Carlo Gambino, late don of the Gambino crime family
• Rex Heuermann, architect charged in the Gilgo Beach Serial Killings.
• Anthony Ingrassia, American playwright, producer, and director
• Ron Kovic, author of Born on the Fourth of July, graduated Massapequa High School in 1964
• Stanley Newman, puzzle creator, editor, and publisher
• Sean Tyas, trance DJ

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. Winsche, Richard. (1999). "The History of Nassau County Community Place-Names". Empire State Books.
3. "About Us {{!}} Village of Massapequa Park".
4. (October 12, 2015). "Sears Houses of Massapequa Park, New York".
5. "Massapequa – The City of Homes". Massapequa Chamber of Commerce.
6. (June 21, 1953). "Fitzmaurice Field Bowing to School; 'Cow Pasture' Airport Closed to Permit Expansion of Education in Nassau". The New York Times.
7. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
9. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Massapequa Park village, New York". [[United States Census Bureau]].
10. (August 10, 1980). "Massapequa's Brash Young Star: Can't Stop The Kid From 'Matzo-Pizza' Steve Guttenberg, not yet 22, has charmed and conned his way to stardom". [[Newsday]].
11. "Government {{!}} Village of Massapequa Park".
12. "Parks & Recreation {{!}} Village of Massapequa Park".
13. "Memorials {{!}} Village of Massapequa Park".
14. "Long Island Index: Interactive Map".
15. "MTA LIRR - Massapequa Park".
16. "Public Works {{!}} Village of Massapequa Park".
17. (July 14, 2023). "Gilgo Beach murders: Architect charged in Long Island serial killer case". BBC News.