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Massapequa Park, New York

Coordinates: 40°41′4″N 73°26′58″W / 40.68444°N 73.44944°W / 40.68444; -73.44944
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Massapequa Park, New York
Village
Incorporated Village of Massapequa Park
A Massapequa Park welcome sign in 2016
A Massapequa Park welcome sign in 2016
Official seal of Massapequa Park, New York
Seal
Nicknames: 
"Masspark"; "Matzo-Pizza Park"; "The Park"
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York
Massapequa Park, New York is located in Long Island
Massapequa Park, New York
Massapequa Park, New York
Location on Long Island
Massapequa Park, New York is located in New York
Massapequa Park, New York
Massapequa Park, New York
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 40°41′4″N 73°26′58″W / 40.68444°N 73.44944°W / 40.68444; -73.44944
Country United States
State New York
CountyNassau
TownOyster Bay
Incorporated1931
Government
 • MayorDaniel M. Pearl
Area
[1]
 • Total
2.25 sq mi (5.82 km2)
 • Land2.19 sq mi (5.68 km2)
 • Water0.054 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Elevation
23 ft (7 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
17,109
 • Density7,805.6/sq mi (3,013.76/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
11762
Area codes516, 363
FIPS code36-45997
GNIS feature ID2390968
Websitemasspkny.gov

Massapequa Park is an incorporated village located within the southern portion of the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 17,109 at the time of the 2020 census.

The areas south and east of the village borders are considered the hamlet of Massapequa because they are under the jurisdiction of the Town of Oyster Bay rather than the village. The hamlet shares the same zip code, fire department and school district as the village.

History

[edit]

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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

In 1931, Massapequa Park was incorporated as a village to ensure control of land use and other issues.[2][3] 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.[4]

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.[5] 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).[6]

Geography

[edit]
U.S. Census map of Massapequa Park

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2), all land, of which 2.19 square miles (5.7 km2) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km2) is water.[7]

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.[8]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1940488—
19502,334378.3%
196019,904752.8%
197022,11211.1%
198019,779−10.6%
199018,044−8.8%
200017,499−3.0%
201017,008−2.8%
202017,1090.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

Racial and ethnic composition

[edit]
Massapequa Park village, New York – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[10] Pop 2010[11] Pop 2020[12] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 16,614 15,858 15,105 94.94% 93.24% 88.29%
Black or African American alone (NH) 37 52 78 0.21% 0.31% 0.46%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 2 1 12 0.01% 0.01% 0.07%
Asian alone (NH) 243 255 306 1.39% 1.50% 1.79%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 1 0 0.00% 0.01% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 6 4 62 0.03% 0.02% 0.36%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 72 80 311 0.41% 0.47% 1.82%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 525 757 1,235 3.00% 4.45% 7.22%
Total 17,499 17,008 17,109 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

[edit]

As of the 2020 census, there were 17,109 people living in Massapequa Park.[13][14] The median age was 43.1 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.0 males.[13]

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.[15]

There were 5,759 households, of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18. Of all households, 68.9% were married-couple households, 9.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 19.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]

There were 5,913 housing units, of which 2.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.2%.[13][14]

2010 census

[edit]

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 per square mile (1,025.6/km2). 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.[16]

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.[16]

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.[16]

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.[16]

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.[16]

Due to the sizable Jewish and Italian populations long associated with the area, the village is frequently referred to as "Matzo-Pizza Park."[17]

Government

[edit]

As of April 2026, the Mayor of Massapequa Park is Daniel M. Pearl, and the Village Trustees are Dana M. Durso, Tina Schiaffino, Todd A. Svec, and Christine M. Wiss.[18]

The Mayor and members of the Board of Trustees are each elected to two-year terms, and the village elections are held in March.[18]

Politics

[edit]

In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Massapequa Park voters voted for Donald J. Trump (R).[19][20][21]

Parks and recreation

[edit]

The Village of Massapequa Park owns and operates three parks main: Brady Park, Colleran Park, and Mansfield Park.[22] It also owns and maintains several memorials and associated parks which are located throughout the village.[23]

Education

[edit]

The village is primarily located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Massapequa Union Free School District.[8]

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, meanwhile, are located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Farmingdale Union Free School District.[8]

Transportation

[edit]

The Long Island Rail Road's Massapequa Park station on the Babylon Branch is located in the village.[8][24]

Major roads within the village include Merrick Road (CR 27) and Sunrise Highway (NY 27).[8] Furthermore, the Village of Massapequa Park owns roughly 30 miles (48 km) of roads, which are maintained by the Village of Massapequa Park Department of Public Works.[25]

Notable people

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See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Winsche, Richard (1999). The History of Nassau County Community Place-Names. Interlaken, New York: Empire State Books. ISBN 978-1557871541.
  3. ^ "About Us | Village of Massapequa Park". Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  4. ^ "Sears Houses of Massapequa Park, New York". October 12, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  5. ^ "Massapequa – The City of Homes". Massapequa Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  6. ^ "Fitzmaurice Field Bowing to School; 'Cow Pasture' Airport Closed to Permit Expansion of Education in Nassau". The New York Times. June 21, 1953. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Long Island Zoning Atlas". www.longislandindexmaps.org. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Massapequa Park village, New York". United States Census Bureau.
  11. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Massapequa Park village, New York". United States Census Bureau.
  12. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Massapequa Park village, New York". United States Census Bureau.
  13. ^ a b c d "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  14. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  15. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  16. ^ a b c d e "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Massapequa Park village, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  17. ^ "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. August 10, 1980. p. C1.
  18. ^ a b "Government | Village of Massapequa Park". Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  19. ^ LaRocco, Paul (November 12, 2024). "Map: How Long Island voted for president in Harris-Trump race". Newsday. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  20. ^ Wines, Luke. "The 2024 Election at a Precinct Level". VoteHub. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  21. ^ Welch, Will (November 8, 2017). "How Long Island Voted". Newsday. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  22. ^ "Parks & Recreation | Village of Massapequa Park". Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  23. ^ "Memorials | Village of Massapequa Park". Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  24. ^ "MTA LIRR - Massapequa Park". lirr42.mta.info. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  25. ^ "Public Works | Village of Massapequa Park". Retrieved July 16, 2023.
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