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Coordinates: 40°44′N 73°35′W / 40.73°N 73.59°W / 40.73; -73.59
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The [[United Nations Security Council]] was temporarily located in Nassau County from 1946 to 1951. Council meetings were held at the [[Sperry Corporation|Sperry]] Gyroscope headquarters in the village of [[Lake Success, New York|Lake Success]] near the border with Queens County. It was here on [[June 27]], [[1950]] that the Security Council voted to back U.S. President [[Harry S Truman]] and send a coalition of forces to the [[Korean Peninsula]], leading to the [[Korean War]].
The [[United Nations Security Council]] was temporarily located in Nassau County from 1946 to 1951. Council meetings were held at the [[Sperry Corporation|Sperry]] Gyroscope headquarters in the village of [[Lake Success, New York|Lake Success]] near the border with Queens County. It was here on [[June 27]], [[1950]] that the Security Council voted to back U.S. President [[Harry S Truman]] and send a coalition of forces to the [[Korean Peninsula]], leading to the [[Korean War]].


During the latter part of the 20th Century, Nassau County saw an influx of migrants from the five boroughs of New York City, especially Brooklyn and Queens, who left their urban dwellings for a more suburban setting. This led to a massive boom in population in the county, especially on the south shore. In 1947, [[William Levitt]] built his first [[planned community]] in Nassau County, in the Island Trees section (later renamed [[Levittown, New York|Levittown]]). (This should not be confused with the county's first planned community, in general, which is [[Garden City, New York|Garden City]]). In later decades, communities such as [[Wantagh, New York|Wantagh]], [[East Meadow, New York|East Meadow]], [[Massapequa, New York|Massapequa]], [[Massapequa Park, New York|Massapequa Park]], and [[Franklin Square, New York|Franklin Square]] began to grow.
During the latter part of the 20th Century, Nassau County saw an influx of migrants from the five boroughs of New York City, especially Brooklyn and Queens, who left their urban dwellings for a more suburban setting. This led to a massive boom in population in the county, especially on the south shore. In 1947, [[William Levitt]] built his first [[planned community]] in Nassau County, in the Island Trees section (later renamed [[Levittown, New York|Levittown]]). (This should not be confused with the county's first planned community, in general, which is [[Garden City, New York|Garden City]]). In later decades, communities such as [[Wantagh, New York|Wantagh]], [[East Meadow, New York|East Meadow]], [[Massapequa, New York|Massapequa]], [[Massapequa Park, New York|Massapequa Park]], and [[Franklin Square, New York|Franklin Square]] began to grow. Formerly a village for the Reckouackie Indians, in the late 17th century included what today is Rockville Centre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockville_Centre,_New_York.[[User:Raina noor|raina_noor]] ([[User talk:Raina noor|talk]]) 17:40, 28 August 2008 (UTC)raina_noor[[User:Raina noor|raina_noor]] ([[User talk:Raina noor|talk]]) 17:40, 28 August 2008 (UTC)


In 1994, Federal Judge Arthur Spatt declared the Nassau County Board of Supervisors unconstitutional and directed that a 19-member legislature be formed.<ref>McQuiston, John T. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406E4D7153AF93AA35755C0A962958260 "Judge Says He Will Create a Nassau Legislature on His Own if Supervisors Fail to Act"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[June 9]], [[1994]]. Accessed [[December 11]], [[2007]].</ref> Elections were held and Republicans won 13 seats and elected [[Bruce Blakeman]] as its first Presiding Officer (Speaker).<ref>McQuiston, John T. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B03EEDF1239F930A35752C0A960958260 "Amid Pomp, Nassau County Inaugurates Its Legislature"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[January 13]], [[1996]].</ref>
In 1994, Federal Judge Arthur Spatt declared the Nassau County Board of Supervisors unconstitutional and directed that a 19-member legislature be formed.<ref>McQuiston, John T. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406E4D7153AF93AA35755C0A962958260 "Judge Says He Will Create a Nassau Legislature on His Own if Supervisors Fail to Act"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[June 9]], [[1994]]. Accessed [[December 11]], [[2007]].</ref> Elections were held and Republicans won 13 seats and elected [[Bruce Blakeman]] as its first Presiding Officer (Speaker).<ref>McQuiston, John T. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B03EEDF1239F930A35752C0A960958260 "Amid Pomp, Nassau County Inaugurates Its Legislature"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[January 13]], [[1996]].</ref>

Revision as of 17:42, 28 August 2008

There is also a Town of Nassau in Rensselaer County.
Nassau County
County
Official seal of Nassau County
Seal
Map of New York highlighting Nassau County
Location within the U.S. state of New York
Map of the United States highlighting New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°44′50″N 73°38′17″W / 40.7472°N 73.6381°W / 40.7472; -73.6381
Country United States
State New York
Founded1899
SeatMineola
Area
 • Total453 sq mi (1,170 km2)
 • Land287 sq mi (740 km2)
 • Water166 sq mi (430 km2)  36.72%
Population
 (2000)
 • Total1,334,544
 • Density4,650/sq mi (1,796/km2)
Websitewww.nassaucountyny.gov
Theodore Roosevelt home at Sagamore Hill
The elegant, ivy-framed arched windows of the Belmont Park grandstand in this 1999 photo. The current grandstand, Thoroughbred racing's largest, was completed in 1968 after five years of renovations to the Belmont complex.

Nassau County is a suburban county in the New York Metropolitan Area east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,334,544. The name of the county comes from an old name for Long Island, which was at one time named Nassau, after William of Nassau, Prince of Orange (who later became King William III of England.) The county colors, orange and blue, are also the colors of the House of Orange. Nassau County's county seat is Mineola.

Nassau and Suffolk counties together are generally referred to as "Long Island" by area residents — as distinct from the New York City boroughs of Queens (Queens County) and Brooklyn (Kings County), which physically make up the island's westernmost end.

In 2005, Forbes magazine named Nassau County, along with Suffolk County, New York, as the safest region in the United States, with the lowest crime rate.[citation needed]

As of 2008, Nassau County is the second richest county per capita in the State of New York and the 10th richest in the nation, with a median household income of $85,994.[1]

History

Nassau County was originally the eastern 70% of Queens County, when New York was divided into 12 counties in 1683. The area was originally contained in two towns: Hempstead and Oyster Bay. During the American Revolutionary War, the town of Hempstead was split into two, when Patriots in the northern part formed the new Town of North Hempstead, leaving Loyalist majorities in the Town of Hempstead. Following the 1898 formation of the City of Greater New York, the part of Queens County that was not annexed to New York City, consisting of the two towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay and most of the town of Hempstead (excluded was the Rockaway Peninsula, which did join Greater New York), was constituted as the new Nassau County, but not until 1899, one year later. Several other names had been considered, including Matinecock (a village within the county currently has that name), Norfolk (presumably because of the proximity to Suffolk County), Bryant, and Sagamore. However, Nassau had the historical advantage of having at one time been the name of Long Island itself, and was the name most mentioned when the new county was proposed as early as 1876.

In 1910 (some sources state 1918), the Village of Glen Cove became a city and seceded from the Town of Oyster Bay. In 1918, the Village of Long Beach was incorporated in the Town of Hempstead. In 1922, it became a city and seceded from the Town. These are the only two cities in Nassau County.

The United Nations Security Council was temporarily located in Nassau County from 1946 to 1951. Council meetings were held at the Sperry Gyroscope headquarters in the village of Lake Success near the border with Queens County. It was here on June 27, 1950 that the Security Council voted to back U.S. President Harry S Truman and send a coalition of forces to the Korean Peninsula, leading to the Korean War.

During the latter part of the 20th Century, Nassau County saw an influx of migrants from the five boroughs of New York City, especially Brooklyn and Queens, who left their urban dwellings for a more suburban setting. This led to a massive boom in population in the county, especially on the south shore. In 1947, William Levitt built his first planned community in Nassau County, in the Island Trees section (later renamed Levittown). (This should not be confused with the county's first planned community, in general, which is Garden City). In later decades, communities such as Wantagh, East Meadow, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, and Franklin Square began to grow. Formerly a village for the Reckouackie Indians, in the late 17th century included what today is Rockville Centre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockville_Centre,_New_York.raina_noor (talk) 17:40, 28 August 2008 (UTC)raina_noorraina_noor (talk) 17:40, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

In 1994, Federal Judge Arthur Spatt declared the Nassau County Board of Supervisors unconstitutional and directed that a 19-member legislature be formed.[2] Elections were held and Republicans won 13 seats and elected Bruce Blakeman as its first Presiding Officer (Speaker).[3]

In the 1990s, Nassau County saw huge budget problems, forcing the county to near bankruptcy. The county government increased taxes to prevent a takeover by the state of New York. This has led to the county having notoriously high property taxes, leaving some migrants from New York City who are seeking suburban life to move to Suffolk County, the Hudson Valley, New Jersey, Connecticut or Pennsylvania.

The economy has been booming and according to the United States Census Bureau, residents of Nassau County have among the highest per capita wealth in the country. Nassau County has also experienced heavy urbanization in many areas, such as Hempstead, Freeport, Mineola, and Westbury, leading some to say that some parts of the county resemble the outer boroughs of New York City rather than a suburb of it, though the Five Towns region tends to be more affluent than western Queens. The northern "Gold Coast" region tends to more closely resemble nearby Westchester County.

Law and government

The head of the executive is the County Executive, a post created in Nassau County in 1938. The current county executive is Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat who was elected in 2001; he is the first Democratic county executive since Eugene Nickerson left office in 1970. The District Attorney is Democrat Kathleen Rice, who in November, 2005 defeated 30-year incumbent Republican Denis Dillon in an upset victory. The county comptroller is Howard Weitzman, a Democrat, the county clerk is Republican Maureen O'Connell, and the county assessor is Harvey Levinson, another Democrat.

Nassau County Executives
Name Party Term
J. Russell Sprague Republican 1938–1953
A. Holly Patterson Republican 1953–1962
Eugene Nickerson Democrat 1962–1970
Ralph G. Caso Republican 1970–1978
Francis T. Purcell Republican 1978–1987
Thomas Gulotta Republican 1987–2001
Thomas Suozzi Democrat 2001–Present

The county legislature has 19 members. There are ten Democrats, nine Republicans.

Nassau County Legislature
District Legislator Party
1 Kevan Abrahams Democrat
2 Roger Corbin Democrat
3 John Ciotti Republican
4 Denise Ford Republican
5 Joseph Scannell Democrat
6 Francis X. Becker, Jr. Republican
7 Jeffrey Toback Democrat
8 Vincent Muscarella Republican
9 Richard Nicolello Republican
10 Judi Bosworth Democrat
11 Wayne H. Wink, Jr. Democrat
12 Peter J. Schmitt, minority leader Republican
13 Norma L. Gonsalves Republican
14 Dave Mejias Democrat
15 Dennis Dunne, Sr. Republican
16 Judith Jacobs Democrat
17 Edward Mangano Republican
18 Diane Yatauro, presiding officer Democrat
19 David Denenberg Democrat

Law enforcement

Main article: Nassau County Police Department

County police services are provided by the Nassau County Police Department. The cities of Glen Cove and Long Beach, as well as a number of villages, such as Freeport, Garden City, Hempstead, Lake Success, Malverne, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, and Sands Point, are not members of the county police district and maintain their own police forces. The same goes for the villages and unincorporated areas of Port Washington, which belong to the Port Washington Police District, the only such district in New York State. These smaller forces, however, make use of such specialized county police services as the police academy and the aviation unit. Also, all homicides in the county are investigated by the county police, regardless of whether or not they occur within the police district.

In 2006, Village leaders in the county seat of Mineola expressed dissatisfaction with the level of police coverage provided by the county force and actively explored seceding from the police district and having the village form its own police force. A referendum on December 5, 2006, however, decisively defeated the proposal.[4]

Since the Long Island State Parkway Police was disbanded in 1980, all of Nassau County's state parkways have been patrolled by Troop L of the New York State Police. State parks in Nassau are patrolled by the New York State Park Police. In 1996, the Long Island Rail Road Police Department was consolidated into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police.

County correctional services and enforcement of court orders are provided by the Nassau County Sheriff's Department. New York State Court Officers provide security for courthouses.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Long Island


Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democrat
2004 46.6% 288,355 52.2% 323,070
2000 38.5% 226,954 57.9% 341,610
1996 36.1% 196,820 55.7% 303,587
1992 40.5% 246,881 46.4% 282,593
1988 57.0% 337,430 42.2% 250,130
1984 61.8% 392,017 38.0% 240,697
1980 56.0% 333,567 34.8% 207,602
1976 53.7% 329,176 47.6% 302,869
1972 63.3% 438,723 36.5% 252,831
1968 51.3% 329,792 43.3% 278,599
1964 39.4% 248,886 60.5% 382,590
1960 55.1% 324,255 44.8% 263,303
1956 69.0% 372,358 30.9% 166,646
1952 69.9% 305,900 29.8% 130,267
1948 70.1% 184,284 26.8% 70,492

Like its neighbor Suffolk County, the county residents had voted for years chiefly for the Republican Party. In the 1990s, it began to swing Democratic. Democrat Bill Clinton won the county in presidential elections of 1992 and 1996. Later Nassau voters gave a large margin of victory to Al Gore in 2000 (57.9% to 38.5%) but John Kerry won in 2004 by a slimmer margin (52.2% to 46.6%) : in that election, Kerry won the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead , but lost the town of Oyster Bay.

Democratic strength is chiefly concentrated in the central and northern part of the county. This includes the central area near the Village of Hempstead and Uniondale, where there are large African-American and Hispanic populations as well as the affluent northern half of the county. This includes Great Neck, Glen Cove and Roslyn. There are also pockets of staunch Democrats in the Five Towns area in the southwest part of the county and in Long Beach.

Republicans are chiefly concentrated in the more suburban areas of the county. The middle class southeastern portion of the county is heavily Republican, and communities such as Massapequa, Seaford, Wantagh, Levittown, and Bethpage are the political base of Congressman Peter T. King. In the western portion of the county, wealthy Garden City is solidly Republican, as is the more middle-class community of Franklin Square.

The politically volatile areas of the county are in Farmingdale, East Meadow, Mineola, Oceanside and Rockville Centre.

Long Island's only Republican member of Congress, Representative Peter T. King is from Nassau County. His 3rd District includes heavily populated suburban neighborhoods like Long Beach, Massapequa, Levittown, Hicksville, Seaford, Wantagh, and Glen Cove. But Nassau County is also home to the popular gun-control advocate, Democrat Carolyn McCarthy, whose 4th District includes Garden City, Hempstead, Uniondale, East Meadow, Valley Stream and Rockville Centre. McCarthy defeated Republican congressman Dan Frisa in 1996 and has held on to her seat since.

Nassau County's other two congressmen are both Democrats. Representative Gary Ackerman, represents the 5th District, which includes the northwestern part of the county, including Great Neck, Sands Point, and Port Washington, and stretches into northeastern Queens. Steve Israel's 2nd District is mainly in Suffolk County, but also includes parts of Plainview, Old Bethpage, Jericho, Syosset, and Woodbury in Nassau County.

All of Nassau County's state senators were Republicans until February 2007 when Nassau County Legislator Craig Johnson was elected to the State Senate in a special election in the 7th district. The GOP, however still has a State Senate advantage of 8-1 on the Democratic trending Long Island, which is largely the reason the state senate is still in GOP hands. The districts are drawn so as not to overlap Queens, which has a stronger lean toward the Democrats.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 453 square miles (1,173 km²), of which, 287 square miles (743 km²) of it is land and 166 square miles (431 km²) of it (36.72%) is water.

Nassau County occupies a portion of Long Island immediately east of New York City, in the southeastern portion of New York State. It is divided into

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
190055,448—
191083,93051.4%
1920126,12050.3%
1930303,053140.3%
1940406,74834.2%
1950672,76565.4%
19601,300,17193.3%
19701,428,0809.8%
19801,321,582−7.5%
19901,287,348−2.6%
20001,334,5443.7%
2006 (est.)1,325,662[5]

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,334,544 people, 447,387 households, and 347,172 families residing in the county. The population density was 4,655 people per square mile (1,797/km²). There were 458,151 housing units at an average density of 1,598 per square mile (617/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.30% White (73.95% White Non-Hispanic), 10.01% African American, 0.16% Native American, 4.73% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.57% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.09% of the population.

By 2006 the racial or ethnic makeup of the county was 74.3% White (69.1% White Non-Hispanic). African Americans were 10.8% of the population. 7.8% other or mixed race. Asians were up to 6.9% of the population. The Latino population had grown slightly faster than the African-American population and now was 12.1% of the population.

Italian Americans make up a large portion of Nassau, and there are numerous Italian communities throughout the county. The large Sikh population in Nassau County has built numerous Sikh Gurdwaras or temples; the two main ones are in Plainview and Glen Cove. Other groups of significant European descent include: 17.43% Irish American, 13.20% German American and 3.07% English American.

According to the Census Bureau, the population of the county has slightly decreased to 1,333,137 people in 2005, although it had increased to 1,339,641 in 2004.

There were 447,387 households, out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.10% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.40% were non-families. 18.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $72,030, and the median income for a family was $81,246. Males had a median income of $52,340 versus $37,446 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,151. About 3.50% of families and 5.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.80% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.

Colleges and universities

Nassau County is home to numerous colleges and universities, including Adelphi University, Molloy College, Briarcliffe College, New York Institute of Technology, SUNY Old Westbury, Nassau Community College, Hofstra University, C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University, United States Merchant Marine Academy, and Webb Institute

County symbols

Bird = Osprey

Nassau county official flower is viola pedata "Birdsfoot Violet"

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nassau County, New York.

References

  1. ^ [1], Forbes.com, February 2, 2008
  2. ^ McQuiston, John T. "Judge Says He Will Create a Nassau Legislature on His Own if Supervisors Fail to Act", The New York Times, June 9, 1994. Accessed December 11, 2007.
  3. ^ McQuiston, John T. "Amid Pomp, Nassau County Inaugurates Its Legislature", The New York Times, January 13, 1996.
  4. ^ Residents Make Statement Against Village Police Department, Mineola American, December 15, 2006
  5. ^ Census data for Nassau County, United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 6, 2007.

External links

40°44′N 73°35′W / 40.73°N 73.59°W / 40.73; -73.59

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