Island Park, Long Island
 Island Park is a village located in Nassau County, on the south shore of Long Island, New York. It is within the Town of Hempstead and governed by a major and four trustees. Island Park is bordered on the west by a man-made canal running parallel to Suffolk Road. The LIRR station provides commuters with a direct link to New York City. As of the 2000 census, there were 4,732 people, 1,685 households, and 1,199 families residing in the area. The median income for a household in the village was $57,813, and the median income for a family was $63,864. Males had a median income of $42,432 and only $29,593 for females. The latitude of Island Park is 40.604N. The longitude is -73.655W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 0 feet.
In 1889, Phineas T. Barnum purchased about five acres of land in the area and the neighborhood of Barnum Island to be the winter home for his traveling circus. Some historians say he chose the area because of its closeness to the city and because it was quiet. His associates included members of his family, performers, and different show animals. The community’s former and merged names were Barnum Island and Hog Island.
The area has several well-known residents which include Alfonse D'Amato, a U.S. senator. Island Park is considered having one of the smallest school districts in New York City with a total only of 1,270 students. It has two schools, Francis X. Hegarty Elementary and Lincoln Orens Middle. Both offers good educational programs with eighty-three percent of the students in the district go on to higher education. The school district serves the village of Island Park as well as the two surrounding hamlets, Barnum Island and Harbor Isle.
The community has four places of worship; a synogogue and Greek Orthodox, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches. Island Park has its own public library, The Island Park Public Library. It provides all resources and services necessary to satisfy the ever-changing informational needs of the community. Island Park is a great place to live for those fun-loving individual and a good place to bring up children. Having an excellent climate is a primary reason people wants to stay in the area where the wind keep it cool in the summer and warmer than inland in the winter. The very popular Shell Creek Park is within the area that offers all kinds of recreational facilities including ballpark, basketball court, and four tennis courts. The community is also home of fine restaurants which serves delicious cuisine such as Coyote Grill, Paddy MCGees, and Panda House. The Paddy MCGees Fish House and Bar Restaurant, a perfect place after a day spent on Lido Beach while enjoying its traditional meals of stone crabs, lobster, crunchy fried lemon sole, and a bowl of French fries. Houses in Island Park are very much affordable with a mix of split-levels, colonials, and contemporary cedar.
|
