Excellent Long Island Geographic Resource (New York, Hempstead: houses, transfer, neighborhoods)

[Walter Greenspan]

The geography of Long Island can be quite confusing, even to current residents, let alone to those who live in other parts of the country and have never been to the area. Thus, the following ...

For a good set of town-by-town maps showing all the villages and hamlets in each of LI's 13 towns, read on:

Each year, LIPA, as successor to LILCO, publishes a report (the report is published by LIPA, but is written by KeySpan, previously known as LILCO) updating the census population numbers (by using people-per-electric meter ratios) for all the 293 communities on Long Island.

There are 2 cities and 13 towns (as well as 2 Indian reservations) in the bi-counties and the 13 towns (3 in Nassau and 10 in Suffolk) are further sub-divided into 96 villages (municipal corporations) and 195 hamlets (unincorporated areas), yielding 293 communities (2 + 96 + 195 = 293).

..............Nassau......Suffolk........Total

....cities............2..........0..............2
...villages.........64.........32.............96
.hamlets..........70........125............195

.....total.........136........157............293

The heart of this 58-page report are maps of each of the 13 towns (3 in Nassau, 10 in Suffolk), showing the true borders of all villages and hamlets (not the postal zone borders) in each town. The facing pages list which communities are villages or hamlets and their populations. (You'll find villages and hamlets that you never knew existed because they are in some other community-named postal zone.)

I'm including after my name a NYS Geographic Glossary with the NYS definitions of county, city, town, village, hamlet and postal zone.

I consider this the best resource available in understanding the geography and governmental organization of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

You can download a copy of the latest edition of the LI Population Survey by going to (copy and paste into your browser):

<a href="http://www.lipower.org/company/pubs/popsurvey.html"></a>

If you will be so kind, please let me know what you think of this report after you have downloaded it.

I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting.

Regards,

Walter Greenspan


. Cities, Towns, Villages, Hamlets and Postal Zones in New York State

New York State is divided into counties.

County
A county is a municipal corporation, a subdivision of the state, created to perform state functions; a "regional" government. All counties are divided into cities, towns and Indian reservations.

City
A city is a unique governmental entity with its own special charter. Cities are not sub-divided, except into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas.

Town
A town is a municipal corporation and encompasses all territory within the state except that within cities or Indian reservations. Towns can be sub-divided into villages and hamlets.

Village
A village is a general purpose municipal corporation formed voluntarily by the residents of an area in one or more towns to provide themselves with municipal services. The pattern of village organization is similar to those of a city. A village is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas.

Hamlet
A hamlet is an unincorporated area in one or more towns that is governed at-large by the town(s) it is in. A hamlet is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas.

Postal Zone "City" and "Town"
A postal zone "City" and "Town" is an administrative district established by the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the mail. Postal zone "City" and "Town" may not (but are encouraged to) conform to municipal or community borders. Thus, postal zone location does not always determine city, village or hamlet location.


Please be aware: In many areas of New York State, the problem of non-conforming postal zones leads to a situation where the majority of places have a different community name in their mailing address than the community where that place is actually located.

[nancy thereader]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm. I was trying to think of all of the Suffolk villages (I am sure you're correct), but I could not remember all 32 .

[sean sean sean sean]

I've been working on mapping out every single city, village, hamlet, CDP and even some neighborhoods that aren't on the census in Wikimapia. I'm done with Nassau County and almost done with western Suffolk...I threw in the Rockaway Peninsula for good measure too since it used to be Nassau County.

Wikimapia - Let's describe the whole world!

When this is done (if it ever is!), every area will have pictures and a brief description/history....might take a few years though Zoom in/out to see more detailed areas, lemme know if I'm missing anything too!

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

I threw in the Rockaway Peninsula for good measure too since it used to be Nassau County.

The Rockaway peninsula was never part of Nassau County. It was part of the Town of Hempstead, but left the Town of Hempstead before Nassau County seceded from Queens County.

Here are the specifics:

From the creation of Queens County on November 1, 1683, all of Nassau County was part of Queens County.

The first change occurs in 1886 when the Lloyd's Neck peninsula in the Town of Oyster Bay is transferred (excluding riparian rights) to the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County.

The second change comes in 1898 when the western-quarter of Queens County (the City of Long Island City, the Towns of Newtown, Flushing and Jamaica and the Rockaway peninsula of the Town of Hempstead) are annexed by the new New York City. The eastern three-quarters (the Towns of North Hempstead, Hempstead and Oyster Bay) remained part of Queens County, but is not part of New York City. Thus, for one year, part of Queens County is in New York City and part is not in New York City.

The third, and final change, comes in 1899 when the eastern three-quarters of Queens County (the Towns of North Hempstead, Hempstead and Oyster Bay) seceded from and became independent of Queens County and formed Nassau County.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

Hmmmmmmmmmmm. I was trying to think of all of the Suffolk villages (I am sure you're correct), but I could not remember all 32 .

If you go the recommended URL for the LIPA Annual Population Survey and download the current edition of the report, you'll find a town-by-town listing of which villages and which hamlets are in each of the 10 Towns in Suffolk County.

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by Walter Greenspan

The Rockaway peninsula was never part of Nassau County. It was part of the Town of Hempstead, but left the Town of Hempstead before Nassau County seceded from Queens County.

I stand corrected!

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

I've been working on mapping out every single city, village, hamlet, CDP and even some neighborhoods that aren't on the census in Wikimapia.

Be careful: hamlets are CDP (Census Designated Places) and neither are defined by the same-named postal zone.

Please bear in mind, the problem of non-conforming postal zones leads to a situation where the majority of places have a different community name in their mailing address than the community where that place is actually located.

As occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets) and in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 32 villages and 125 hamlets), these 292 (293 - 1 = 292) communities have a different border than the same-named postal zone, and many of these communities are in multiple postal zones, none of which may have the community name.

Only the Village of Sea Cliff in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County and the same-named postal zone (Sea Cliff, NY 11579) have the exact same border.

I strongly recommend that you download the Annual Population Survey and see the town-by-town listings of villages and hamlets (CDPs) and town-by-town maps that show the borders of all villages and hamlets in the 3 towns in Nassau County and in the 10 towns in Suffolk County. These town-by-town listings and maps are the official listings and maps provided by the Nassau County Planning Commission and the Suffolk County Planning Department, respectively.

[baylovers]

Interesting thread... thanks.

[sean sean sean sean]

Walter, I'm well aware of the administrative divisions. I don't use the postal zoning maps for reference at all....I use the census maps, whatever minute differences between those and the ones used by the Planning Commissions exist I couldn't tell you...but looking at the maps on LIPA's website they're "close enough for government work". Also, due to the constraints of Wikimapia (and my patience) it would be impossible to draw these outlines as perfectly as they lay in reality....but I think I do a pretty good job. Take a look for yourself and compare with your LIPA maps.... (just roll the mouse over the boxes).

Wikimapia - Let's describe the whole world!

Also....Hamlets are CDPs, but "hamlet" is somewhat loosely defined and according to the census bureau there are other unincorporated areas within the towns that don't even warrant the definition "Hamlet". I think these are mostly neighborhood/demographic based (North Valley Stream/South Valley Stream) or based on old communities which no longer exist...."North Bellmore" for instance, was once "Smithville South". Furthermore, there are other neighborhoods that are either no longer on the census or never were that still are somewhat widely known or at least significantly geographically different than the locale that they are drawn in...for instance Meadowmere Park or North Woodmere. Take a look at the maps I'm no slouch, but I'm not the be all end all of cartography either

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

Take a look for yourself and compare with your LIPA maps.... (just roll the mouse over the boxes).

Sean, unfortunately at the moment I'm unable to access your map(s) as I'm online via a dial-up modem.

The county Planning Commission/Department are Constitutionally required to supply the NYS Secretary of State with maps of their respective county. It is these maps and the accompanying list of villages and hamlets that are, albeit somewhat crudely, reprinted in the Annual Population Survey. More precise wall-sized maps, that clearly show individual streets, are available at the respective Planning Commission/Department.

North Valley Stream and South Valley Stream are hamlets. There is no North Woodmere, that area is part of South Valley Stream (I was told that the name North Woodmere was a developer's marketing device in order to attract Jewish buyers and thus sell for a higher price than if the area where he had built houses was thought to be in South Valley Stream, its actual community).

Over time, there have been many name changes, such as Smithville South becoming North Bellmore. One of the latest is South Westbury is now Salisbury.

Also over time, hamlets have absorbed other hamlets, such as when Syosset absorbed Locust Grove, and hamlets have separated to form two or more hamlets, such as when Baldwin Harbor separated from Baldwin.

By the way, in which hamlet is the neighborhood of Meadowmere Park? Inwood? Woodmere?