BELLMORE, LONG ISLAND

Bellmore, Long Island

Bellmore is a hamlet and census-designated place located in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. It serves as a suburb of New York City and approximately 27 miles east of Manhattan and 10 miles east of the Nassau-Queens (New York City) Line. As of the 2000 census, there were 16,441 people, 5,643 households, and 4,604 families residing in the CDP. The median income for a household in the CDP was $74,976, and the median income for a family was $83,236. Males had a median income of $56,639 and only $39,241 for females. The latitude of Bellmore is 40.668N. The longitude is -73.527W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 16 feet.

The area was first settled by Englishmen who crossed the Sound from Connecticut in the middle of the Seventeenth Century. In 1655, Thomas Southard bought a 214 acre farm in what is now North Bellmore. About twenty years later, John Smith deeded 100 acres to his son, Jeremiah further south, near the bay. John Bedell married Sarah Southard and moved into their new home on Merrick Road and two communities were grown out of these beginnings. Smithville (later Smithville South) was named for the many Smith families which joined the Southards and New Bridge named for the peninsula on which it stood was along Merrick Road. The community was named by the railroad which was built through the area in 1867.

In recent time, the community offers a mix of retail business, professional services, entertainment, and eateries. The Bellmore home market offers an assortment of home sizes and styles including Capes, ranches, split ranches, high ranches, and Colonials. Home values normally range from $500,000 up to $2million on the high-end. Notable residents include Lenny Bruce (progressive comedian), George Kennedy (actor), and Daryl Palumbo (lead singer in Glassjaw band). The Brokerage Comedy Club is nearby where people can relax, have a drink and generally enjoy friendly comedy after dark.

Several Bellmore area attractions are East Bay Park, Gunther Field, and Newbridge Road Park. The park is a perfect place for children to serve as their playground. It has a lot of recreational activities such as basketball, golf, hockey, swimming, and ice skating. The area has its own public library. The Bellmore Memorial Library is operated by the Nassau Library System. The school districts of Bellmore are the Bellmore School District, North Bellmore School District, and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. The Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores helps the community to promote the education, success and prosperity of its members, to address the problems and concerns with running a business, to voice out in the world of government decision-making, to promote business interests, and all possible ways that makes Bellmore a progressive community.