Why is East Massapequa in Amityville School District? (New York, Oyster Bay: relocation, real estate)

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

East Massapequa is likely only around 10-20% black, it's much bigger than what people refer to it as.

That's correct.

The Hamlet of East Massapequa includes within its 2,271 acres, 738 acres that are in the Amityville, NY 11701 postal zone and 1,533 acres that are in the Massapequa, NY 11758 postal zone.

To give some idea of relative size:

................................................ac res
......Hamlet of East Massapequa.....2,271
......Hamlet of Massapequa............2,345
......Village of Massapequa Park......1,398
......Hamlet of North Massapequa....1,941

[Walter Greenspan]

Now, here's where the Hamlet of East Massapequa is located:

East Massapequa is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the southeast part of the Town of Oyster Bay, in the southeast part of Nassau County, along the Oyster Bay/Babylon town line and the Nassau/Suffolk County line.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of East Massapequa in the Town of Oyster Bay is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of South Farmingdale; on the east by the Hamlet of North Amityville and the Village of Amityville in the Town of Babylon, Suffolk County (the Oyster Bay/Babylon town line and the Nassau/Suffolk County line); on the south by the South Oyster Bay; and, on the west by the Village of Massapequa Park.

Creating the confusion, East Massapequa is one of those many villages and hamlets on Long Island where none of the places in the community have the hamlet name in their mailing addres: All places within the Hamlet of East Massapequa are in either the "Massapequa, NY 11758" or the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone.

Complicating the matter even more: the "Massapequa, NY 11758" postal zone is a bifurcated postal zone, with noncontiguous areas on the eastside and westside of the "Massapequa Park, NY 11752" postal zone", and the Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone is a bi-county postal zone, serving areas outside of the Village of Amityville, on both sides of the Nassau/Suffolk County line in the Hamlet of East Massapequa in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County and in the Hamlet of Copiague and in the Hamlet of North Amityville in the Town of Babylon, Suffolk County.

[parentoftwo]

I am new to the area, I knew when purchasing the house that my children were zoned for the AUFSD and I had no problem with that. One of my children is in the High school and the other is in the middle school. Each of them seem to be happy with their teachers and the location and the children attending. My gripe the district! and the so called adults I, as a parent have to deal with. They are absolutely not helpful and talk about prejudice, that level is way up there. I hope for the children of the future sake that out district counselor will get involve for their sake. I am really disgusted by the people whom I dealt with thus far. There is absolutely no sympathy for the children. I am not happy that these people in the registration office do not have any people skills. They are very rude and abusive. I am not one to complain but when it comes to children, I feel adults should be a little more considerate.

[Redd Jedd]

Having lived in the area from 1964 to 1995 and gone to Amityville schools, I’ll tell you why that area is in the Amityville school district. Before 1974, the area know as East Massapequa was also know as West Amityville (this is why West Amity Auto Part was located in Massapequa). The boarder was Carman’s Mill Road and Carman’s Road. It was a part of Amityville, include in the 11701 zip code. The trouble was that being in Nassau county, things like police coverage, trash pickup, road maintenance and snow plowing were a point of contention since the roads were in Nassau, in the Town of Oyster Bay, but the town of Amityville was in Suffolk, in the town of Babylon.

It was decided in order to resolve all of these issues that any part of Amityville that was in Nassau County would become part of Massapequa, and be serviced by the Town of Oyster Bay and the Nassau County police. Amityville school district could not stand to loose this part of its tax base, so part of the agreement was that the district could keep this area for school tax purposes only. Hence, people in effect moved to Massapequa without physically moving.

East Massapequa is not an official town, hamlet or anything else. East Massapequa has the same zip code as Massapequa. Massapequa Park did not want this area, which is why it is an island of 11762 surrounded by 11758. The term “East Massapequa” was how this area became to be know since that’s were it was. The Postal Service doesn’t care if you put the “East” in or not since it is all the 11758 zip code. The streets with duplicate names like Maple Street or Cedar Street had “East” slapped on the front of them to differentiate them from the ones just south of the post office on Sunrise Highway.

No place in East Massapequa has an Amityville 11701 zip code. Everything west of County Line Road is 11758 while everything east is 11701, including the houses on County Line Road. This is from where the road begins (at Merrick Road) right up to the Southern State Parkway. Separate towns, separate counties.

Amityville has a high percentage of minority students; last time I looked it was about 70%. When I attended high school, it was about 50%.

[TristansMommy]

Originally Posted by justone321

Who on earth is responsible for school zoning on LI? Massapequa is in Nassau County, Amityville is in Suffolk County. Amityville Schools are some the worst on LI. Why is East Massapequa forced to send their children across county lines to Amityville. Will someone please explain this?

This is not only in E. Massapequa but it's all over LI. I don't really know why school zoning is what it is..BUT school zoning DOES effect property value. So obviously homes in Massapquea/ Amityville Schools will not get as much money as Massapequa/ Massapequa Schools. It's very important when looking at homes, to double check and make sure you are looking in the SD you want or prefer.

There is a thread on here somewhere titled "You're not where you think you are on LI" .. or something like that.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

Having lived in the area from 1964 to 1995 and gone to Amityville schools, I’ll tell you why that area is in the Amityville school district. Before 1974, the area know as East Massapequa was also know as West Amityville (this is why West Amity Auto Part was located in Massapequa).

According to maps provided by the Nassau County Planning Commission, prior to 1990, East Massapequa and West Amityville were separate hamlets in the Town of Oyster Bay. Prior to that date, places in the Hamlet of East Massapequa had either a "Massapequa, NY 11758" or a "Massapequa Park, 11762" mailing address, while all the places in the Hamlet of West Amityville had an "Amityville, NY 11701" mailing address.

Concomitant with the 1990 Federal Census, the Nassau County Planning Commission eliminated the Hamlet of West Amityville and made that area officially part of the Hamlet of East Massapequa (in other words, the Hamlet of East Massapequa absorbed the previously separate Hamlet of West Amityville).

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

The trouble was that being in Nassau county, things like police coverage, trash pickup, road maintenance and snow plowing were a point of contention since the roads were in Nassau, in the Town of Oyster Bay, but the town of Amityville was in Suffolk, in the town of Babylon.

There is no, and never has been a Town of Amityville in the Town of Babylon (it's impossible to have a town in a town). There is the Village of Amityville (incorporated in 1894) in the Town of Babylon.

What confuses many people is that the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone is much larger than is the Village of Amityville, with the majority of places that have an "Amityville, NY" mailing address not in the Village of Amityville. Those places with an "Amityville, NY" mailing address that are not in the Village of Amityville are in the Hamlet of North Amityville and the Hamlet of Copiague in the Town of Babylon, and in the Hamlet of East Massapequa in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County.

I'm guessing that rather than there being confusion as to which municipality had jurisdiction, it might have been more that the area that prior to 1990 was West Amityville was just given limited service (i.e., overlooked or ignored) by both the Town of Oyster Bay and Nassau County.

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

It was decided in order to resolve all of these issues that any part of Amityville that was in Nassau County would become part of Massapequa, and be serviced by the Town of Oyster Bay and the Nassau County police. Amityville school district could not stand to loose this part of its tax base, so part of the agreement was that the district could keep this area for school tax purposes only. Hence, people in effect moved to Massapequa without physically moving.

While part of the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone was and still is in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, no part of "Amityville", which is a village (a municipal corporation) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County was ever in Nassau County.

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

East Massapequa is not an official town, hamlet or anything else. East Massapequa has the same zip code as Massapequa. Massapequa Park did not want this area, which is why it is an island of 11762 surrounded by 11758. The term “East Massapequa” was how this area became to be know since that’s were it was.

According to the Nassau County Planning Commission, East Massapequa is a hamlet in the Town of Oyster Bay.

The Village of Massapequa Park (incorporated in 1931) has a different border than does the "Massapequa Park, NY 11762" postal zone: about one out of every three places with a "Massapequa Park, NY" mailing address are NOT in the Village of Massapequa Park (these places are either in the Hamlet of Massapequa, the Hamlet of North Massapequa or the Hamlet of East Massapequa).

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

The Postal Service doesn’t care if you put the “East” in or not since it is all the 11758 zip code. The streets with duplicate names like Maple Street or Cedar Street had “East” slapped on the front of them to differentiate them from the ones just south of the post office on Sunrise Highway.

Places within the Hamlet of East Massapequa are in the "Massapequa Park, 11762" and the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone in addition to the "Massapequa, NY 11758" postal zone.

Bear in mind, a postal zone "City" and "Town" is an administrative district established by the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the mail, and as occurs in many areas of New York State as well as in many other states, 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.

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

No place in East Massapequa has an Amityville 11701 zip code. Everything west of County Line Road is 11758 while everything east is 11701, including the houses on County Line Road. This is from where the road begins (at Merrick Road) right up to the Southern State Parkway. Separate towns, separate counties.

Since 1990 when what had been the Hamlet of West Amityville was officially made part of the Hamlet of East Massapequa, the east part of the Hamlet of East Massapequa is in the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone.


To help people understand the geographic issues, here's a NYS Geographic Glossary:


.....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.

[Redd Jedd]

Originally Posted by Walter Greenspan

According to maps provided by the Nassau County Planning Commission, prior to 1990, East Massapequa and West Amityville were separate hamlets in the Town of Oyster Bay. Prior to that date, places in the Hamlet of East Massapequa had either a "Massapequa, NY 11758" or a "Massapequa Park, 11762" mailing address, while all the places in the Hamlet of West Amityville had an "Amityville, NY 11701" mailing address.

Concomitant with the 1990 Federal Census, the Nassau County Planning Commission eliminated the Hamlet of West Amityville and made that area officially part of the Hamlet of East Massapequa (in other words, the Hamlet of East Massapequa absorbed the previously separate Hamlet of West Amityville).





There is no, and never has been a Town of Amityville in the Town of Babylon (it's impossible to have a town in a town). There is the Village of Amityville (incorporated in 1894) in the Town of Babylon.

What confuses many people is that the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone is much larger than is the Village of Amityville, with the majority of places that have an "Amityville, NY" mailing address not in the Village of Amityville. Those places with an "Amityville, NY" mailing address that are not in the Village of Amityville are in the Hamlet of North Amityville and the Hamlet of Copiague in the Town of Babylon, and in the Hamlet of East Massapequa in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County.

I'm guessing that rather than there being confusion as to which municipality had jurisdiction, it might have been more that the area that prior to 1990 was West Amityville was just given limited service (i.e., overlooked or ignored) by both the Town of Oyster Bay and Nassau County.




While part of the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone was and still is in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, no part of "Amityville", which is a village (a municipal corporation) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County was ever in Nassau County.




According to the Nassau County Planning Commission, East Massapequa is a hamlet in the Town of Oyster Bay.

The Village of Massapequa Park (incorporated in 1931) has a different border than does the "Massapequa Park, NY 11762" postal zone: about one out of every three places with a "Massapequa Park, NY" mailing address are NOT in the Village of Massapequa Park (these places are either in the Hamlet of Massapequa, the Hamlet of North Massapequa or the Hamlet of East Massapequa).




Places within the Hamlet of East Massapequa are in the "Massapequa Park, 11762" and the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone in addition to the "Massapequa, NY 11758" postal zone.

Bear in mind, a postal zone "City" and "Town" is an administrative district established by the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the mail, and as occurs in many areas of New York State as well as in many other states, 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.




Since 1990 when what had been the Hamlet of West Amityville was officially made part of the Hamlet of East Massapequa, the east part of the Hamlet of East Massapequa is in the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone.


To help people understand the geographic issues, here's a NYS Geographic Glossary:


.....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.

I think people are getting hung up on the “hamlet” term. As you posted, hamlets are informal geographical areas. They still fall under the jurisdiction of the city (ex. Massapequa) and town (town of Oyster Bay) that they are in.

I misspoke when I said the “Town of Amityville”, as I meant village.

East Massapequa and West Amityville occupy the same area. West Amityville was considered the area between Carmens Road and County Line Road on the north side of Sunrise Highway to the Southern State, and between Carman Mill Road and County Line Road south of Sunrise. This is Nassau County. All of this area had a 11701 zip code and belonged to the Amityville school district and the mailing address was Amityville.

I had worked for the Post Office in the mid 1980’s for the 11758 zip code and nothing west of the west side of County Line Road has a 11701 – not since 1974. I delivered mail on County Line Road, and as mentioned, the west side of the street got its mail from 11758, the east side from 11701. North of Sunrise, the county line drifts west of County Line Road, and the houses on that side are in Amityville. All of the side streets on the west side of the road however are in Massapequa. Northwest grade school of the Amityville school district basically sits right on the county line.

While the Town of Babylon may not have been in Nassau County, the crux of the argument back then was which town should provide services to that area. Again, this was resolved in 1974.

True, the Village of Massapequa Park has tighter boundaries than does the zip code, but the zip codes do not spill over the county line. True, the name of the town you use is more or less basically tied to the post office your mail comes from.

Again, not sure why records show 1990 as the date this was settled, but it was a done deal in 1974. One day we lived in Amityville, the next we lived in Massapequa. Our mail used to come from Amityville’s Post Office, and then it came from Massapequa’s. Most people in this area do not concern themselves with hamlets, as they have no representatives, no zoning power and no signage designating boarders. We considered ourselves to be living in Massapequa or East Massapequa.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

I think people are getting hung up on the “hamlet” term. As you posted, hamlets are informal geographical areas. They still fall under the jurisdiction of the city (ex. Massapequa) and town (town of Oyster Bay) that they are in.

While Massapequa may be a "postal city/postal town", it, like East Massapequa, is a hamlet, and the "Massapequa, NY 11758" postal zone has a different border than does the Hamlet of Massapequa.

.................................................. acres
.....Hamlet of Massapequa............2,345
.....Massapequa, NY 11758..........5,128

Thus, more than half the places with a "Massapequa, NY" mailing address are NOT in the Hamlet of Massapequa (these places are either in the Hamlet of North Massapequa or in the Hamlet of East Massapequa).

Also, complicating the matter even more, the "Massapequa, NY 11758" postal zone is a bifurcated postal zone, with two noncontiguous areas on the eastside and westside of the "Massapequa Park, NY 11752" postal zone.

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

True, the Village of Massapequa Park has tighter boundaries than does the zip code

Tighter doesn't do justice to the situation where the Village of Massapequa Park is 34% smaller than is the postal zone (Massapequa Park, NY 1762) that borrows its name:

.................................................. .acres
.....Village of Massapequa Park.....1,398
.....Massapequa Park, NY 11762...2,120

Thus, about one out of every three places with a "Massapequa Park, NY" mailing address are NOT in the Village of Massapequa Park (these places are either in the Hamlet of Massapequa, the Hamlet of North Massapequa or the Hamlet of East Massapequa).

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

but the zip codes do not spill over the county line.

There are 3 ZIP Codes/postal zones that service areas on both sides of the Nassau/Suffolk County line: from north to south, these are "Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724", "Farmingdale, NY 11735" and "Amityville, NY 11701":

"Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724"
The "Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724" postal zone includes areas in the Village of Lloyd Harbor and the Hamlet of West Hills in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County, as well as parts of the Village of Laurel Hollow in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County. (The world-famous Cold Spring Harbor Lab is actually in the Village of Laurel Hollow in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County and not in the Hamlet of Cold Spring Harbor in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County.)

"Farmingdale, NY 11735"
The "Farmingdale, NY 11735" postal zone includes areas in the Village of Farmingdale, the Hamlet of South Farmingdale and the Hamlet of Plainedge in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, as well as the Hamlet of East Farmingdale and parts of the Hamlet of Hamlet of Wyandanch in the Town of Babylon, Suffolk County. (Despite "borrowing" the name of the Village of Farmingdale, the majority of places with a "Farmingdale, NY 11735" mailing address are in the Town of Babylon, Suffolk County, not in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County.)

"Amityville, NY 11701"
The "Amityville, NY" postal zone includes areas in the Village of Amityville, the Hamlet of Copiague and the Hamlet of North Amityville in the Town of Babylon, Suffolk County, as well as in the Hamlet of East Massapequa in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County.

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

True, the name of the town you use is more or less basically tied to the post office your mail comes from.

The name of the village or hamlet where a place is located is, more often than not, different from the name of the postal city/town in that place's mailing address, as 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.

There are many, many villages and hamlets that are in the service area of one or more postal zones that carry the name of different villages and/or hamlets, such as the Village of Lake Success in the Town of North Hempstead, Nassau County, where places in the Village of Lake Success have either a "Great Neck, NY 11020" or a "New Hyde Park, NY 11040" mailing address, or the Hamlet of Plainedge in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, where places in the Hamlet of Plainedge have either a "Massapequa, NY 11758", a "Levittown, NY 11756", a "Bethpage, NY 11714", a "Seaford, NY 11783" or a "Farmingdale, NY 11735" mailing address. There are many more such examples in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

There are several postal zones that service areas in 2 towns (the Town of North Hempstead and the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, for example), and there is a postal zone ("Westbury, NY 11590") that services areas in 3 towns: the Hamlet of New Cassel, the Village of Westbury and the Hamlet of Carle Place in the Town of North Hempstead; the Hamlet of Jericho and the Hamlet of Hicksville in the Town of Oyster Bay; and, the Hamlet of East Garden City, the Hamlet of Salisbury and the Hamlet of East Meadow in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County.

There is even a hamlet in the Town of Southold on Suffolk County's north fork that has a Connecticut ZIP Code: the island Hamlet of Fishers Island, located in Long Island Sound and is to the northeast of Plum Island and the Hamlet of Orient, has a "06390" ZIP Code. (Mail to and from Fishers Island is handled within a facility in the New London, CT Post Office. The manager of the New London-Fishers Island ferry lives in New London and on his way to work on Fishers Island picks up the mail bag with the incoming mail at the New London Post Office and in the evening, when he returns to New London, drops off a bag of outgoing mail.)


For a list of some of the more famous places that ain't where you think they are, please go here:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...where-you.html

[Redd Jedd]

Sorry, I was addressing my comments to the Amityville-Massapequa boarder. And, as I said, I worked for the post office for a short time in the Massapequa 11758 zip code. That zip code ends at the Nassau County line. We never had a delivery for any property in Suffolk County or Amityville. No house in Nassau County has a 11701 zip code. You are correct however, that Farmingdale spills over the county line.

I always liked the bit about Fisher’s Island. They associate themselves more with Connecticut than NY.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by Redd Jedd

No house in Nassau County has a 11701 zip code.

According to the Nassau County Planning Commission, the 738 acres that until 1990 was the Hamlet of West Amityville in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County and since 1990 has been part of the Hamlet of East Massapequa in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, were, and are, in the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone.

This means that 32.5% of the Hamlet of East Massapequa (2,271 acres) are in the "Amityville, NY 11701" postal zone.