MERRICK, LONG ISLAND

Merrick, Long Island

Merrick is a hamlet (census-designated place) which located in Nassau County, Long Island, New York. As of 2000 census, there were 22,764 people, 7,524 households, and 6,478 families residing in the CDP. The median income for a household in the CDP was $93,132, and the median income for a family was $99,589. Males had a median income of $69,607 and only $41,618 for females. The latitude of Merrick is 40.662N. The longitude is -73.551W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 13 feet.

The name Merrick is taken from “Meroke” which means peaceful and it derived from the name of the Iroquois tribe formerly indigenous to the area. In 1650, a Reverend Denton moved his parishioners to the area from Stamford, Connecticut, and founded the Town of Merrick. The other former and merged names include Meric and Merikohe.

Many people in Merrick make a good living. The hamlet doesn't have many people below the poverty line. The Long Island Rail Road station is the symbolic center of Merrick. The railroad platform divides North Merrick from South Merrick. Houses in Merrick alter in size and style such as capes, colonials, tudors, and many more with very affordable prices. North Merrick is older and most homes are white clapboard with wraparound porches and one-story with small backyards. South Merrick is newer, closer to the water, and with more expensive homes such as Spanish stuccos, shingled ranches and small-scale mansions with pools and docks. The selling price is nearly $600,000.

The town is actually part of two different school systems: the Merrick Union Free School District consisting of Lakeside, Birch, and Chatterton Elementary Schools and the the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District consisting of Brookside, Merrick Avenue, Grand Avenue and Jerusalem Avenue Junior High Schools and J. F. Kennedy, John J. Calhoun and W. C. Mepham High Schools. There are four synagogues in town and seven churches consisting of two Catholic, one Episcopal, one Baptist, one Methodist, one Presbyterian and a newly completed Greek Orthodox Church topped by a copper dome. There are several of recreational opportunities in the area that can be found at Cammanns Pond, Merrick Road Park Golf Course and the Norman J. Levy Park Preserve, which has an operational windmill. Many fast-food chains are actively operating in Merrick like McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Roy Rogers, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McMichael's Seafood, Chicken N' Ribs, three Chinese Restaurants, three pizza parlors, three ice-cream parlors and one bagel store are but a few of the restaurants on Merrick Road which runs east-west through town.