Nassau County, New York

Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, Nassau County's population was 1,395,774 with one police department, making it the sixth-most populous county in the State of New York, and reflecting an increase of 56,242 (+4.2%) from the 1,339,532 residents enumerated at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Mineola, while the county's largest town is Hempstead.
Situated on western Long Island, the County of Nassau borders New York City's borough of Queens to its west, and Long Island's Suffolk County to its east. It is the most densely populated and second-most populous county in the State of New York outside of New York City, with which it maintains extensive rail and highway connectivity, and is considered one of the central counties within the New York metropolitan area.
Nassau County contains two cities, three towns, 64 incorporated villages, and more than 60 unincorporated hamlets. Nassau County has a designated police department, fire commission, and elected executive and legislative bodies.
A 2012 Forbes article based on the American Community Survey reported Nassau County as the most expensive county and one of the highest income counties in the U.S., and the most affluent in New York state, with four of the nation's top ten towns by median income located in the county. As of 2023, the median home price in Nassau County is approximately US$700,000, and the Gold Coast of Nassau County features some of the world's most expensive real estate. Nassau County high school students often feature prominently as winners of the International Science and Engineering Fair and similar STEM-based academic awards. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the Town of Oyster Bay; the Old Westbury campus of New York Institute of Technology; Zucker School of Medicine in the Village of Hempstead; and the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, are prominent life sciences research and academic institutions in Nassau County.
Etymology
The name of Nassau County originated from an old name for Long Island, which was at one time named Nassau, after the Dutch family of King William III of England, the House of Nassau, itself named after the German town of Nassau. The county colors (orange and blue) are also the colors of the House of Orange-Nassau.
Several alternate names had been considered for the county, including "Bryant", "Matinecock" (a village within the county currently has that name), "Norfolk" (presumably because of the proximity to Suffolk County), 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 after the new county was proposed in 1875.
History
The area now designated as Nassau County was originally the eastern 70% of Queens County, one of the original twelve counties formed in 1683, and was then contained within two towns: Hempstead and Oyster Bay. In 1784, the Town of North Hempstead, was formed through secession by the northern portions of the Town of Hempstead. Nassau County was formed in 1899 by the division of Queens County, after the western portion of Queens had become a borough of New York City in 1898, as the three easternmost towns seceded from the county.
When the first European settlers arrived, among the Native Americans to occupy the present area of Nassau County were the Marsapeque, Matinecoc, and Sacatogue. Dutch settlers in New Netherland predominated in the western portion of Long Island, while English settlers from Connecticut occupied the eastern portion. Until 1664, Long Island was split, roughly at the present border between Nassau and Suffolk counties, between the Dutch in the west and Connecticut claiming the east. The Dutch did grant an English settlement in Hempstead (now in western Nassau), but drove settlers from the present-day eastern Nassau hamlet of Oyster Bay as part of a boundary dispute. In 1664, all of Long Island became part of the English Province of New York within the Shire of York. Present-day Queens and Nassau were then just part of a larger North Riding. In 1683, the colonial territory of Yorkshire was dissolved, Suffolk County and Queens County were established, and the local seat of government was moved west from Hempstead to Jamaica (now in New York City).
By 1700, virtually none of Long Island's area remained unpurchased from the Native Americans by the English colonists, and townships controlled whatever land had not already been distributed. The courthouse in Jamaica was torn down by the British during the American Revolution to use the materials to build barracks.
In 1784, following the American Revolutionary War, the Town of Hempstead was split in two, when Patriots in the northern part formed the new Town of North Hempstead, leaving Loyalist majorities in the Town of Hempstead. About 1787, a new Queens County Courthouse was erected (and later completed) in the new Town of North Hempstead, near present-day Mineola (now in Nassau County), known then as Clowesville.
The Long Island Rail Road reached as far east as Hicksville in 1837, but did not proceed to Farmingdale until 1841 due to the Panic of 1837. The 1850 census was the first in which the population of the three western towns (Flushing, Jamaica, and Newtown) exceeded that of the three eastern towns that are now part of Nassau County. Concerns were raised about the condition of the old courthouse and the inconvenience of travel and accommodations, with the three eastern and three western towns divided on the location for the construction of a new one. Around 1874, the seat of county government was moved to Long Island City from Mineola. As early as 1875, representatives of the three eastern towns began advocating the separation of the three eastern towns from Queens, with some proposals also including the towns of Huntington and Babylon (in Suffolk County).
In 1898, the western portion of Queens County became a borough of the City of Greater New York, leaving the eastern portion a part of Queens County but not part of the Borough of Queens. As part of the city consolidation plan, all town, village, and city (other than NYC) governments within the borough were dissolved, as well as the county government with its seat in Jamaica. The areas excluded from the consolidation included all of the Town of North Hempstead, all of the Town of Oyster Bay, and most of the Town of Hempstead (excluding the Rockaway Peninsula, which was separated from the Town of Hempstead and became part of the city borough).
In 1899, following approval from the New York State Legislature, the three towns were separated from Queens County, and the new county of Nassau was constituted.
In preparation for the new county, in November 1898, voters had selected Mineola to become the county seat for the new county (before Mineola incorporated as a village in 1906 and set its boundaries almost entirely within the Town of North Hempstead), winning out over Hicksville and Hempstead.
The Garden City Company (founded in 1893 by the heirs of Alexander Turney Stewart) donated four acres of land for the county buildings in the Town of Hempstead, just south of the Mineola train station and the present day village of Mineola. The land and the buildings have a Mineola postal address, but are within the present day Village of Garden City, which did not incorporate, nor set its boundaries, until 1919.
In 1917, the hamlet of Glen Cove was granted a city charter, making it independent 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, making it independent of the town. These are the only two administrative divisions in Nassau County identified as cities.
From the early 1900s until the Depression and the early 1930s, many hilly farmlands on the North Shore were transformed into luxurious country estates for wealthy New Yorkers, with the area receiving the "Gold Coast" moniker and becoming the setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby. One summer resident of the Gold Coast was President Theodore Roosevelt, at Sagamore Hill. In 1908, William Kissam Vanderbilt constructed the Long Island Motor Parkway as a toll road through Nassau County. With overpasses and bridges to remove intersections, it was among the first limited access motor highways in the world, and was also used as a racecourse to test the capabilities of the fledgling automobile industry.
Nassau County, with its extensive flat land, was the site of many aviation firsts. Military aviators for both World Wars were trained on the Hempstead Plains at installations such as Mitchel Air Force Base, and a number of successful aircraft companies were established. Charles Lindberg took off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in 1927, completing the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight from the United States. Grumman (which in 1986 employed 23,000 people on Long Island) built many planes for World War II, and later contributed the Apollo Lunar Module to the Space program.
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.
Until World War II, most of Nassau County was still farmland, particularly in the eastern portion. Following the war, the county saw an influx of people from the five boroughs of New York City, especially from Brooklyn and Queens, who left their urban dwellings for a more suburban setting. This led to a massive population boom in the county. 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). While in the 1930s, Robert Moses had engineered curving parkways and parks such as Jones Beach State Park and Bethpage State Park for the enjoyment of city-dwellers, in the 1950s and 1960s the focus turned to alleviating commuter traffic.
In 1994, Federal Judge Arthur Spatt declared the Nassau County Board of Supervisors unconstitutional and directed that a 19-member legislature be formed. Republicans won 13 seats in the election and chose Bruce Blakeman as the first Presiding Officer (Speaker).
According to a Forbes magazine 2012 survey, residents of Nassau County have the 12th highest median household annual income in the country and the highest in the state. In the 1990s, however, Nassau County experienced substantial budget problems, forcing the county to near bankruptcy. Thus, the county government increased taxes to prevent a takeover by the state of New York, leading to the county having high property taxes. Nevertheless, on January 27, 2011, a State of New York oversight board seized control of Nassau County's finances, saying the wealthy and heavily taxed county had failed to balance its $2.6 billion budgets.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (37%) is water.
Nassau County occupies a portion of Long Island immediately east of the New York City borough of Queens. It is divided into two cities and three towns, the latter of which contain 64 villages and numerous hamlets. The county borders Connecticut across the Long Island Sound.
Between the 1990 U.S. census and the 2000 U.S. census, the Nassau County exchanged territory with Suffolk County and lost territory to Queens County. Dozens of CDPs had boundaries changed, and 12 new CDPs were listed.
Countyscape
Climate
Nassau County has a climate similar to other coastal areas of the Northeastern United States; it has warm, humid summers and cool, wet winters. The county is classified as humid subtropical (Cfa) by some definitions, particularly closer to Queens and on the south coast. Other areas of Nassau have a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa). A significant portion of the western area of the county is Cfa due to being downwind from the urban heat island effect of New York City.
The Atlantic Ocean helps bring afternoon sea breezes that temper the heat in the warmer months and limit the frequency and severity of thunderstorms. Nassau County has a moderately sunny climate, averaging between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually. Average monthly temperatures in Mineola range from 31.9 °F in January to 74.9 °F in July. PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State U The hardiness zones are 7b and 7a.
Adjacent counties
Nassau County borders the following counties:
Fairfield County, Connecticut – north (maritime boundary)
Queens County – west
Suffolk County – east
Westchester County – northwest (maritime boundary)
Bronx County— northwest (maritime boundary)
Transportation
In July 2017, the approval was granted by state legislators to the plan proposed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to add a third railroad track to the Long Island Rail Road corridor between the communities of Floral Park and Hicksville in Nassau County. The nearly US$2 billion transportation infrastructure enhancement project was expected to accommodate anticipated growth in rail ridership and facilitate commutes between New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island.
The Long Island Expressway, Northern State Parkway, and Southern State Parkway are the primary east–west controlled-access highways in Nassau County. Northern Boulevard (New York State Route 25A), Hillside Avenue (New York State Route 25B), Jericho Turnpike (New York State Route 25), New York State Route 24, and Sunrise Highway (New York State Route 27) are also major east–west commercial thoroughfares across the county. The Meadowbrook State Parkway, Wantagh State Parkway, and Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (New York State Route 135) are the major north–south controlled-access highways traversing Nassau County.
Nassau County also has a public bus network known as NICE (Nassau Inter-County Express, formerly MTA Long Island Bus) that operates routes throughout the county into Queens and Suffolk counties. 24 hour service is provided on the n4, n6, and most recently the n40/41 lines.
National protected areas
Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Lido Beach Wildlife Management Area, a part of the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Demographics
At the 2019 American Community Survey, the population of Nassau County stood at 1,356,924, an increase of 17,392 since the 2010 census. At the 2010 U.S. census, there were 1,339,532 people, 448,528 households, and 340,523 families residing in the county. The population of Nassau County was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to have increased by 2.2% to 1,369,514 in 2017, representing 6.9% of the census-estimated State of New York population of 19,849,399 and 17.4% of the census-estimated Long Island population of 7,869,820. At the 2000 United States census, there were 1,334,544 people, 447,387 households, and 347,172 families residing in the county.
In 2010, there were 340,523 family households. 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 60.0% were married couples living together. 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present. 24.1% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals. 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94. The average family size was 3.38.
In 2010, the population was 23.3% under the age of 18. 18.7% were 62 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. In 2019, there were 474,165 housing units and 446,977 family households. From 2015 to 2019, there was an average of 2.99 persons per household, and 21.4% of the population was under 18 years of age.
At the 2019 American Community Survey, Nassau had a median household income of $116,100. The per capita income was $51,422. About 5.6% of the population lived at or below the poverty line. The median income for a household in the county in 2010 was $72,030. and the median income for a family was $81,246. These figures had risen to $87,658 and $101,661 respectively according to a 2007 estimate. 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.
The population density in 2010 was . In 2000, the population density was . In the 2010 census, there were 468,346 housing units at an average density of .
Race and ethnicity
In 2010, the racial makeup of the county was 73.0% White (65.5% non-Hispanic white), 10.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 7.6% Asian (3.0% Indian, 1.8% Chinese, 1.0% Korean, 0.7% Filipino, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Vietnamese, 0.9% Other Asian), 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.6% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 15.6% of the population. In 2019, Nassau County's racial and ethnic makeup was 58.2% non-Hispanic white, 11.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 10.3% Asian, 0.7% some other race, and 1.9% two or more races. The Hispanic and Latin American population increased to 17.5% of the population.
In 2011, there were about 230,000 Jewish people in Nassau County, representing 17.2% of the population, (as compared to 2% of the total U.S. population). Italian Americans also made up a large portion of Nassau's population. The five most reported ancestries were Italian (23%), Irish (14%), German (7%), Indian (5%), and Polish (4%). The county's population was highest at the 1970 U.S. census. More recently, a Little India community has emerged in Hicksville, Nassau County, spreading eastward from the more established Little India enclaves in Queens. Rapidly growing Chinatowns have developed in Brooklyn and Queens, as did earlier European immigrants, such as the Irish and Italians.
As of 2019, the Asian population in Nassau County had grown by 39% since 2010, to an estimated 145,191 individuals. There were approximately 50,000 Indian Americans and 40,000 Chinese Americans. Nassau County has become the leading suburban destination in the U.S. for Chinese immigrants. Likewise, the Long Island Koreatown originated in Flushing, Queens, and is expanding eastward along Northern Boulevard and into Nassau County. The New York Times cited a 2002 study by the non-profit group ERASE Racism, which determined that Nassau, and its neighboring county, Suffolk, as the most de facto racially segregated suburbs in the United States.
Law enforcement
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, are not members of the county police district and maintain their own police forces. The following village police departments exist in Nassau County: Brookville (Brookville P.D. provides police protection for Brookville, Matinecock, Mill Neck and Cove Neck), Centre Island, Floral Park, Freeport, Garden City, Great Neck Estates, Hempstead, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Lynbrook, Malverne, Muttontown-Upper Brookville, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Oyster Bay Cove, Rockville Centre and Sands Point.
The Port Washington Police District is not a village department but is authorized by a special district, the only such district in the State of New York. These smaller forces make use of such specialized county police services as the police academy and the aviation unit. All homicides in the county are investigated by the county police, regardless of whether or not they occur within the police district.
In June 2011, the Muttontown Police Department commenced operations. The Old Brookville Police had formerly provided police services to the Village of Muttontown.
On June 1, 2022, the Old Brookville Police Department reverted to serving only the Village of Old Brookville and moved its headquarters to the grounds of the Old Brookville village hall. The Village of Brookville formed a new police department, established headquarters on the grounds of the Brookville Nature Park and assumed policing duties for the villages of Brookville, Matinecock, Mill Neck and Cove Neck, that were formerly served by the Old Brookville Police Department. The Village of Upper Brookville joined the Muttontown Police Department which was subsequently renamed the Muttontown-Upper Brookville (MUB) Police Department. The former Old Brookville Police headquarters is now the Upper Brookville village hall and also a substation for the Muttontown-Upper Brookville Police Department.
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 in December 2006 decisively defeated the proposal.
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. The MTA Police patrol Long Island Rail Road tracks, stations and properties. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police provides enforcement of state environmental laws and regulations. The State University of New York Police provides enforcement for SUNY Old Westbury.
The Nassau County Police Department posts the mug shots of DWI offenders as press releases on their website. This practice has come under the scrutiny of residents, media, and those pictured in these press releases. This practice has been criticized as being able to cost potential employees, students, or public figures their positions.
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.
The Nassau County Auxiliary Police are a unit of the Nassau County Police Department. These volunteer police officers are assigned to 1 of 38 local community units and perform routine patrols of the neighborhood. They provide traffic control for local parades, races and other community events. Auxiliary Police officers are empowered to make arrests for crimes that occur in their presence.
Nassau County Auxiliary Police are required to complete a 42-week training course at the Nassau County Police Academy. Qualified officers are offered Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training. Auxiliary Police officers are certified and registered by the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services as full-time "peace officers". The City of Long Beach has an independent auxiliary police force which is part of its municipal police force. These officers are represented by the Auxiliary Police Benevolent Association of Long Island.
Fire departments
Nassau County is currently protected and served by 71 independent volunteer or combination paid/volunteer fire departments, organized into 9 battalions. The Nassau County Fire Commission also provides logistical support to all 71 departments.
Law and government
The head of the county's governmental structure is the county executive, a post created in Nassau County in 1938. The current county executive is Bruce Blakeman, a Republican who was elected in 2021. The chief deputy county executive is Republican Arthur Walsh. The district attorney is Republican Anne T. Donnelly, who was elected in 2021, replacing Acting District Attorney Joyce Smith. Smith succeeded Madeline Singas after she was nominated and confirmed as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals in June 2021.
The county comptroller is Elaine Phillips, a Republican who formerly served in the New York State Senate. The county clerk is Republican Maureen O'Connell. Former elected offices chairman of the County Board of Assessors, county treasurer, and county sheriff were made appointed and serve at the pleasure of the county executive (county assessor in 2008 via referendum, changing it from a six-year term to appointed).
County executive
The current Nassau County executive is Bruce Blakeman, a Republican.
Chief deputy county executive
The chief deputy county executive is the highest appointed official in the Nassau County government, serving second-in-command under the auspice of the county executive. The Chief Deputy is responsible for managing the activities of all departments of the Nassau County government, which provides services to its 1.36 million residents. The chief deputy also officially serves as the acting county executive in the absence of, or disability of the County Executive. The current chief deputy county executive is Arthur T. Walsh, who was appointed by Executive Bruce Blakeman in 2022.
Comptroller
The comptroller of Nassau County is the chief fiscal officer and chief auditing officer of the County who presides over the Nassau County Comptroller's Office. The comptroller is elected countywide to a four-year term and has no term limit.
* George Maragos was originally elected as a Republican, but became a Democrat in September, 2016.
County legislature
The county legislature has 19 members. There are twelve Republicans and seven Democrats.
Politics
|}
For most of the twentieth century, residents of Nassau County and neighboring Suffolk County primarily supported the Republican Party in national elections. However, the county began trending Democratic in the 1990s, like many of New York City's suburbs. It has voted for a Democrat in every presidential election since 1992. Bill Clinton carried the county in 1992 and 1996, as did Al Gore in 2000, the latter two times by margins of nearly 20 points. John Kerry's margin in Nassau County was considerably slimmer (5.6%) in 2004, as he won the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead but lost the town of Oyster Bay. The county went solidly for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, both times by around 8%. Hillary Clinton did marginally worse in 2016, winning by 6.2%. Joe Biden in 2020 fared better than Obama at 9.5%, but still not as well as Bill Clinton and Gore.
Democratic strength is chiefly concentrated in both the wealthier and lower income sections of the county. Liberal voters dominate many of the wealthy communities of the North Shore, particularly in the Town of North Hempstead where affluent villages such as Sands Point, Old Westbury, Roslyn, Kensington, Thomaston, Great Neck Plaza, and Great Neck Estates as well as the neighboring City of Glen Cove vote consistently Democratic. Democratic strongholds also include several low income municipalities in the central portion of the county, such as the Village of Hempstead, Roosevelt, Uniondale and New Cassel, as well as in a few waterfront communities on the South Shore, such as the City of Long Beach and the Village of Freeport.
Republican voters are primarily concentrated in the middle to upper middle class southeastern portion of the county, which developed during the "post-war boom era." Heavily Republican communities such as Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Seaford, Wantagh, Levittown, Bethpage, and Farmingdale are the political base of many county GOP officials such as Congressman Peter T. King and former County Executive Edward P. Mangano. In the western portion of the county, wealthy Garden City is solidly Republican, as is the more middle-class community of Floral Park. Additionally, some of the more rustic areas of the North Shore, particularly in the Town of Oyster Bay usually vote for the GOP.
Areas of the county containing large numbers of swing voters include East Meadow, Oceanside, and Rockville Centre on the South Shore and Mineola on the North Shore. Several areas have changed in partisan affiliation. Formerly Democratic strongholds such as the Five Towns and parts of Great Neck have trended to the GOP while previously Republican areas such as Elmont, Valley Stream and Baldwin have become Democratic bastions.
Although the county leans Democratic at the national level, Republicans swept all three of its U.S. House seats in the 2022 elections. George Santos represents the North Shore along with Mineola and North Massapequa, Anthony D'Esposito represents the South Shore along with Hempstead, and Andrew Garbarino represents Massapequa.
Nassau County is split across five state senate districts, four of which are represented by Republicans and one of which is represented by a Democrat.
District 5 is represented by Senator Steven Rhoads (R) and covers Wantagh and North Wantagh, Merrick and North Merrick, Levitown, Salisbury, Famingdale, Hicksville, and Bethpage.
District 6 is represented by Senator Kevin Thomas (D) and is a majority-minority district that covers Freeport, Rockville Centre, Hempstead (village), Uniondale, Garden City, and Westbury.
District 7 is represented by Senator Jack Martins (R) and covers the northern half of the county.
District 8 is represented by Senator Alexis Weik (R) and covers Massapequa and North Massapequa and parts of southwestern Suffolk County.
District 9 is represented by Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R) and covers Valley Stream, Elmont, Floral Park, Malverne, Lynbrook, the Five Towns, East Rockaway, and Long Beach.
Education
Nassau County has 58 public school districts, which like post office districts use the same names as a city, hamlet, or village within them, but each sets the boundaries independently. The number of districts and communities do not coincide, therefore the boundaries cannot be the same, and residences often have postal addresses that differ from the name of the hamlet and/or school district in which they are located.
School districts include:
K-12:
Amityville Union Free School District
Baldwin Union Free School District
Bethpage Union Free School District
Carle Place Union Free School District
Cold Spring Harbor Central School District
East Meadow Union Free School District
East Rockaway Union Free School District
East Williston Union Free School District
Farmingdale Union Free School District
Freeport Union Free School District
Garden City Union Free School District
Glen Cove City School District
Great Neck Union Free School District
Hempstead Union Free School District
Herricks Union Free School District
Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School District
Hicksville Union Free School District
Island Park Union Free School District
Island Trees Union Free School District
Jericho Union Free School District
Lawrence Union Free School District
Levittown Union Free School District
Locust Valley Central School District
Long Beach City School District
Lynbrook Union Free School District
Malverne Union Free School District
Manhasset Union Free School District
Massapequa Union Free School District
Mineola Union Free School District
North Shore Central School District
Oceanside Union Free School District
Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District
Plainedge Union Free School District
Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District
Port Washington Union Free School District
Rockville Centre Union Free School District
Roosevelt Union Free School District
Roslyn Union Free School District
Seaford Union Free School District
Syosset Central School District
Uniondale Union Free School District
Wantagh Union Free School District
West Hempstead Union Free School District
Westbury Union Free School District
Secondary:
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District
Sewanhaka Central High School District
Valley Stream Central High School District
Elementary:
Bellmore Union Free School District
Elmont Union Free School District
Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District
Franklin Square Union Free School District
Merrick Union Free School District
New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Union Free School District
North Bellmore Union Free School District
North Merrick Union Free School District
Valley Stream Union Free School District 13
Valley Stream Union Free School District 24
Valley Stream Union Free School District 30
Colleges and universities
United States Service Academy
United States Merchant Marine Academy – Kings Point
State University of New York
Nassau Community College – Garden City
SUNY Old Westbury – Old Westbury
Private
Adelphi University – Garden City
Hofstra University – Hempstead
Zucker School of Medicine
Maurice A. Deane School of Law
LIU Post – Brookville
Molloy University – Rockville Centre
New York Institute of Technology – Old Westbury
New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Webb Institute – Glen Cove
Sports
Nassau County is home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, who played at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale from their inception in 1972. However, the Islanders announced in 2012 that starting in the fall of 2015, the team would be moving to Brooklyn and would play at the Barclays Center. Due to issues with Barclays Center being unable to adequately support ice hockey and declining attendance, the Islanders announced that for the 2018–19 season they would split their home games between Barclays Center and the newly renovated Nassau Coliseum. In December 2017, the Islanders won a bid to build a new 18,000-seat stadium near Belmont Park in Elmont, returning them to Nassau County, UBS Arena opened in 2021.
The Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association, then known as the New York Nets, formerly played their home games in Nassau County at the now-demolished Island Garden arena in West Hempstead from 1969 to 1972 and then at the Coliseum from 1972 to 1977, before the franchise moved to New Jersey—its original home for several years before coming to Long Island in the late 1960s – and eventually, to Brooklyn.
The New York Cosmos (1970–1985) of the former North American Soccer League (1968–1984) played for two seasons, 1972 and 1973, at Hofstra Stadium at Hofstra University in Hempstead. The team's name was revived in 2010 with the New York Cosmos (2010) of the new North American Soccer League to also play at Hofstra Stadium, which had been renamed James M. Shuart Stadium in 2002. Nassau County is also the home of the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse, who play at Shuart Stadium. The county also operates several sports events for student-athletes, such as the Nassau County Executive Cup College Showcase.
Belmont Park in Elmont is a major horse racing venue which annually hosts the Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of the prestigious Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing. The now-demolished Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury hosted auto racing and, from 1940 through 1988, was a popular harness racing track.
Nassau is home to some famous and historic golf courses. Rockaway Hunting Club, founded in 1878, is the oldest country club in the country. The U.S. Open has been held in Nassau five times, once each at Garden City Golf Club, Inwood Country Club, and Fresh Meadow Country Club, and twice at Bethpage Black Course, the first ever municipally owned course. Courses consistently ranked in the top 100 in the U.S. such as Bethpage Black, Garden City Golf Club, Piping Rock Club, and The Creek are located in the county.
Nassau County hosted the 1984 Summer Paralympics, marking the first Paralympic Games to be held in the United States.
Health
The first case of COVID-19 was reported in March 2020. As of January 12, 2021, there have been 104,078 cases, 3,044 deaths, 2,102,900 tests conducted, and a 4.9% positivity rate. According to The New York Times''' COVID-19 tracker, Nassau County's average daily case count is 1,567 (116 per capita), with 1 in 13 testing positive (the third-worst of any county in the state) and 1 in 545 dying.
Communities
Figures in parentheses are 2019 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Cities
Glen Cove (27,166)
Long Beach (33,454)
Towns
Hempstead (766,980)
North Hempstead (230,933)
Oyster Bay (298,391)
Villages
Atlantic Beach (1,902)
Baxter Estates (1,049)
Bayville (6,732)
Bellerose (1,162)
Brookville (3,605)
Cedarhurst (6,633)
Centre Island (409)
Cove Neck (301)
East Hills (7,233)
East Rockaway (9,814)
East Williston (2,550)
Farmingdale (9,002)
Floral Park (15,844)
Flower Hill (4,889)
Freeport (42,956)
Garden City (22,454)
Great Neck (10,209)
Great Neck Estates (2,879)
Great Neck Plaza (7,027)
Hempstead (55,113)
Hewlett Bay Park (429)
Hewlett Harbor (1,272)
Hewlett Neck (472)
Island Park (4,886)
Kensington (1,189)
Kings Point (5,292)
Lake Success (3,144)
Lattingtown (1,764)
Laurel Hollow (2,033)
Lawrence (6,556)
Lynbrook (19,448)
Malverne (8,485)
Manorhaven (6,627)
Massapequa Park (17,143)
Matinecock (833)
Mill Neck (967)
Mineola (19,207)
Munsey Park (2,710)
Muttontown (3,668)
New Hyde Park (9,807)
North Hills (5,969)
Old Brookville (2,187)
Old Westbury (4,614)
Oyster Bay Cove (2,254)
Plandome (1,466)
Plandome Heights (1,018)
Plandome Manor (902)
Port Washington North (3,199)
Rockville Centre (24,550)
Roslyn (2,902)
Roslyn Estates (1,233)
Roslyn Harbor (1,108)
Russell Gardens (946)
Saddle Rock (988)
Sands Point (2,905)
Sea Cliff (5,020)
South Floral Park (1,760)
Stewart Manor (1,956)
Thomaston (2,613)
Upper Brookville (1,744)
Valley Stream (37,431)
Westbury (15,351)
Williston Park (7,253)
Woodsburgh (780)
Census-designated places
Albertson
Baldwin
Barnum Island
Bay Park
Bellerose Terrace
Bellmore
Bethpage
Carle Place
East Atlantic Beach
East Massapequa
East Meadow
East Norwich
Elmont
Franklin Square
Garden City Park
Garden City South
Glen Head
Glenwood Landing
Great Neck Gardens
Greenvale
Harbor Hills
Harbor Isle
Herricks
Hewlett
Hicksville
Inwood
Jericho
Lakeview
Levittown
Lido Beach
Locust Valley
Malverne Park Oaks
Manhasset
Manhasset Hills
Massapequa
Merrick
New Cassel
North Bellmore
North Lynbrook
North Massapequa
North Merrick
North New Hyde Park
North Valley Stream
North Wantagh
Oceanside
Old Bethpage
Oyster Bay
Plainedge
Plainview
Point Lookout
Port Washington
Roosevelt
Roslyn Heights
Saddle Rock Estates
Salisbury
Seaford
Searingtown
South Farmingdale
South Hempstead
South Valley Stream
Syosset
Uniondale
University Gardens
Wantagh
West Hempstead
Woodbury
Woodmere
Former CDPs
Baldwin Harbor (now part of Baldwin)
East Garden City (now part of Uniondale)
Locust Grove (now part of Syosset)
County symbols
County bird: Osprey
County flower: Birdsfoot Violet (Viola pedata)
Notable people
Sean Hannity — Conservative media host. Grew up in Franklin Square, now lives in Centre Island.
Rupert Murdoch — Lived in Centre Island.
MJF – Professional Wrestler and current AEW World Champion, was born and lives in Plainview.
Matt Cardona – Professional Wrestler, Lived in Nassau County
Brian Myers – Professional Wrestler, Lived in Nassau County
Jon Gabrus – Lived in Nassau County, worked at Jones Beach State Park as a lifeguard.
Bob Keeshan – (Captain Kangaroo) was born in Lynbrook
Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield – (of Ben & Jerry Ice Cream) both grew up in Merrick
Kevin James – was born in Mineola
Tatyana Ali – from North Bellmore
Carol Alt – lived in the Willistons
Criss Angel – from East Meadow
Carmelo Anthony – is said to have a home in Hewlett Harbor
Marc Anthony – had a home in Brookville, with Jennifer Lopez
Judd Apatow – raised in Syosset
Fred Armisen – grew up in Valley Stream
Ashanti (singer) – native of Glen Cove
Dave Attell – raised in Rockville Centre
Ruth Bader Ginsburg – lived in Rockville Centre after getting married
John Barry (composer) – lived in Oyster Bay
The Baldwin brothers-in age order: Alec Baldwin (b. 1958), Daniel Baldwin (b. 1960), William Baldwin (b. 1963), and Stephen Baldwin (b. 1966) – were raised in the Nassau Shores area of Massapequa
Bruce Blakeman – first Presiding Officer, Port Authority Commissioner, Councilman, County Executive. From Valley Stream, now lives in Atlantic Beach.
Nikki Blonsky – grew up in Great Neck
Stephen Boyd (American football) – native of Valley Stream
Lorraine Bracco – grew up in Hicksville
Nicholas Braun – native of Bethpage
Jim Breuer – grew up in Valley Stream
Jim Brown – grew up in Manhasset
Lenny Bruce – native of Mineola and Bellmore
William Cullen Bryant – lived at Cedarmere in Roslyn Harbor
Edward Burns – grew up in Valley Stream
Steve Buscemi and Michael Buscemi– grew up in Valley Stream
Cab Calloway – lived in Long Beach for a time
Eddie Cantor – lived in Great Neck
Theresa Caputo – lives in Hicksville
William J. Casey – lived in Bellmore and Roslyn Harbor
Vernon and Irene Castle – lived in Long Beach
Elaine Chao – grew up in Syosset
Harry Chapin – lived in Jericho
Michael Cimino – grew up in Westbury
Speedy Claxton – from Hempstead
Billy Crystal – is from Long Beach
Anthony Cumia – radio host, owns a home in Roslyn Heights
Chuck D – grew up in Roosevelt
Al D'Amato – US Senator, former Hempstead Supervisor, lived in Island Park and Lido Beach
Michelle DaRosa – also known as Michelle Nolan, grew up in Rockville Centre
Carson Daly – resides in Flower Hill
Tony Danza – Native of Malverne
Candy Darling – lived in Massapequa Park
Taylor Dayne – grew up in Baldwin
Dave DeBusschere – lived in Garden City
Gary Dell'Abate – native of Uniondale
Nelson DeMille – lives in Garden City
Ted Demme – native of Rockville Centre
Jonathan Demme – grew up in Baldwin
Brian Dennehy – grew up in Mineola
Tim Dillon – grew up in Island Park
Mort Drucker – lived in Syosset
Julius Erving – native of Roosevelt
Everlast – grew up in Valley Stream
Perry Farrell – grew up in Woodmere
D'Brickashaw Ferguson – grew up in Freeport
WC Fields – lived in Great Neck
Flavor Flav – grew up in Freeport
Whitey Ford – lived in Glen Cove
Mike Francesa – radio host. Born in Long Beach, lives in Flower Hill
Bev Francis – IFBB professional Australian female bodybuilder, powerlifter, and national shot put champion; lives in Syosset
Steve Weinberger – IFBB judge and powerlifter and husband of Bev Francis; lives in Syosset
William Gaddis – grew up in Massapequa; later lived in East Hampton
John R. Gambling – radio host; lifelong county resident
Joe Gatto (comedian) – lives in Lynbrook
Pamela Geller – blogger, author, political activist, and commentator
Debbie Gibson – grew up in Merrick
Danny Green – played high school basketball in Manhasset
Ellie Greenwich – lived in Levittown
Bill Griffith – raised in Levittown
Steve Guttenberg – raised in North Massapequa
Tobias Harris – basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers, lives in Syosset
John Hampson of Nine Days – lives in Wantagh
George "Gabby" Hayes – lived in Baldwin
Joey Heatherton – grew up in Rockville Centre
Ray Heatherton – lived in Rockville Centre
William S. Hofstra – lived in Hempstead
Red Holzman – lived in Cedarhurst
Al Iaquinta – grew up in Valley Stream
Dan Ingram – native of Oceanside
Joan Jett – lives in Long Beach
Billy Joel – grew up in Hicksville, and has a home in Centre Island
Christine Jorgensen – lived in Massapequa Park
JWoww – lived in Franklin Square
Donna Karen – raised in Woodmere
Andy Kaufman – raised in Great Neck and Westbury
Charlie Kaufman – grew up in Massapequa
Wendy Kaufman – lived in North Woodmere
Doris Kearns Goodwin – lived in Rockville Centre
Greg Kelly – native of Rockville Centre
Alicia Keys – once had a home in Muttontown
Jack Kirby – lived in Hewlett Harbor
Aline Kominsky-Crumb – native of Long Beach
Michael Kors – grew up in Merrick
Sandy Koufax – lived in Rockville Centre
Ron Kovic – from Massapequa
Ed Kranepool – lives in Old Westbury
Paul Krugman – grew up in Merrick
Tim Kubart – of Postmodern Jukebox is from Farmingdale
Ray Kump – grew up in Island Park
Jesse Lacey – native of Levittown
Erik Larson (author) – lived in Freeport
Cyndi Lauper – briefly lived in Valley Stream
Adam Lazzara – lived in Bellmore
Stan Lee – lived in Hewlett Harbor
Carol Leifer – grew up in East Williston
The Lemon Twigs – based out of Hicksville
John Lennon – briefly lived in Laurel Hollow
Alan Jay Lerner – lived in Centre Island
Wendy Liebman – grew up in East Hills
Scott Lipsky (born 1981) – tennis player, born in Hempstead
Peggy Lipton – raised in Lawrence
Lindsay Lohan – her family resides in North Merrick
Guy Lombardo – lived in Freeport
Jennifer Lopez – had a home in Brookville, with Marc Anthony
Susan Lucci – soap opera star grew up and still has a residence in Garden City
Chuck Lorre – native of Plainview
Lori Loughlin – raised in Oceanside
Elliot S. Maggin – DC Comics writer lived in Merrick
The Marx Brothers – lived in Great Neck
Jackie Martling – grew up in Mineola
Christopher Masterson and Danny Masterson are from East Williston
John McEnroe – lived in Cove Neck
Michael McKean – raised in Sea Cliff
Kate McKinnon of Saturday Night Live'' – grew up in Sea Cliff
Anne Meara – raised in Rockville Centre
John Melendez – Stuttering John from Howard Stern show – from Massapequa
Idina Menzel – from Syosset
Method Man – lived in Hempstead
Steve Madden – grew up in Lawrence
Larry Miller – grew up in Valley Stream
Harvey Milk – native of Woodmere and Hewlett
MF Doom – lived in Long Beach
Eddie Money lived in Levittown
Les Moonves – grew up in Valley Stream
Rita Moreno – lived in North Valley Stream
Errol Morris – grew up in Hewlett
Sterling Morrison – native of East Meadow
John Moschitta Jr. – native of Uniondale
Charlie Murphy – grew up in Roosevelt
Eddie Murphy – grew up in Roosevelt
Elliott Murphy – from Rockville Centre
Billy Murray (singer) – lived in Freeport
John Nolan (musician) – grew up in Rockville Centre
Ole Olsen (comedian) – lived for a time in Malverne
Momina Mustehsan – Pakistani singer, engineer; lives part-time in Nassau County
Bill O'Reilly – resides in Plandome; grew up in Westbury
Daryl Palumbo – lived in Bellmore
Adam Pascal – lived in Woodbury
Slim Jim Phantom – grew up in Massapequa
Natalie Portman – actress, grew up in Syosset
Gary Portnoy – lived in North Woodmere
C.W. Post and his daughter Marjorie Merriweather Post lived in Brookville. Her daughter, actress Dina Merrill spent time there too
Thomas Pynchon – born in Glen Cove and grew up in Oyster Bay
pH-1 – singer and rapper, grew up on Long Island
Prodigy (rapper) – native of Hempstead
Sheryl Lee Ralph - graduated from Uniondale High School
Lee Ranaldo – native of Glen Cove
Lou Reed – Grew up in Freeport
Busta Rhymes – from Uniondale
Joel Rifkin – lived in East Meadow
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US president, lived on Oyster Bay during his presidency. His estate, Sagamore Hill, is now a US National Historic Site
Eleanor Roosevelt and her father Elliott Roosevelt lived in Salisbury
Jeff Rosenstock – from Baldwin
Lonny Ross – native of Wantagh
Bob Rozakis and Laurie Rozakis live in the town of Oyster Bay
Rick Rubin – grew up in Lido Beach
Scott Rudin – from Baldwin
Chris Russo – from Syosset
Telly Savalas – native of Garden City
Shaggy – lives in Valley Stream
Jerry Seinfeld – grew up in Massapequa
Brian Setzer – grew up in Massapequa
Amy Schumer – from Oceanside
Adrienne Shelly – grew up in Jericho
Kevin Shinick – native of Merrick
Jamie-Lynn Sigler – native of Jericho
Helen Slater – from Bethpage
Elinor Smith – lived in Freeport
Greg Smith (American musician) – grew up in Valley Stream
Dee Snider – native of Baldwin
Lara Spencer – native of Garden City
Frank Springer – grew up in Malverne
Howard Stern – grew up in Roosevelt
Jim Steinman – native of Hewlett
Laura Stevenson – lived in Rockville Centre
Brandon Tartikoff - raised in Freeport
Taz (wrestler) – lived in Massapequa
John Tesh – native of Garden City
Vinny Testaverde – grew up in Elmont
LaMarcus Adna Thompson – lived in Glen Cove
Louis Comfort Tiffany – lived in Laurel Hollow
Moe Tucker – grew up in Levittown
Reginald VelJohnson – lives in Oceanside
Frank Viola – native of East Meadow
James Watson – lives in Laurel Hallow
Chris Weidman – Mixed martial artist and former middleweight champion in the UFC (honored with 'Chris Weidman Day' on July 17 in Nassau County)
Leslie West – grew up in East Meadow and Lawrence
Walt Whitman – lived in Hempstead
Robin Wilson (musician) – Lives in Valley Stream
Paul Zaloom – native of Garden City
Alan Zweibel – lived in Woodmere and Wantagh
Levar Stoney – mayor of Richmond, Virginia; was born in Nassau County
See also
List of counties in New York
List of Long Islanders
Nassau County Police Department
Nassau County Sports Commission
Nassau Inter-County Express
National Register of Historic Places listings in Nassau County, New York
References
External links
Nassau County official website
Nassau County Photo Gallery
Nassau Cadet Squadron 8 – Civil Air Patrol
PDF map showing LI school district boundaries and wealth comparisons
Best Places To Live in Nassau County, NY
History of Nassau County on county website
1899 establishments in New York (state)
Counties in the New York metropolitan area
Long Island Sound
Populated places established in 1899
William III of England