ROCKY POINT, LONG ISLAND

Rocky Point, Long Island

Rocky Point is a hamlet and census-designated place located in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. It is within the Town of Brookhaven along the Long Island Sound, 7 miles east of the harbor of Port Jefferson. Rocky Point is one of the four north shore towns represented in the Council of Dedicated Merchants (CDM - Chamber of Commerce) whose members work together to promote local business. As of the 2000 census, there were 10,185 people, 3,557 households, and 2,593 families residing in the CDP. The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,463, and the median income for a family was $60,423. Males had a median income of $46,804 and only $35,205 for females. The latitude of Rocky Point is 40.952N. The longitude is -72.925W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 194 feet.

The area was once a home to the site where American radio company RCA operated a very large transmitting and transmitter research facility known as Radio Central. The radio company began to transmit transatlantic radio messages from Radio Central after its opening on November 5, 1921. RCA Radio Central at Rocky Point was considered the world's largest and most powerful wireless transmitting station, and after World War I, Radio Central was established at the suggestion of Navy officials to acquire the American Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company. This was encouraged by the government because of the importance of an American-owned and operated overseas communications system. In 1970s, the 5200 acre Rocky Point site was demolished and now consists of many concrete ruins and downed telephone poles and radio towers.

Rocky Point is a home of the inventor and scientist Nikola Tesla’s early research facilities. The racial-makeup of the area comprises of 95.60% White, 0.68% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.80% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. The community is served by Rocky Point Union Free School District which has one elementary school, one intermediate school, one middle school, and a high school. The district has an excellent educational programs and in continuous process of public awareness activities, screening and evaluating all young children with disabilities and their families. Rocky Point's main business district is along Route 25A and along Broadway. Its Fire Department covers an area of approximately 25 square miles including the hamlets of Rocky Point and Shoreham, the Incorporated Village of Shoreham and parts of Miller Place and Ridge. One of the historical landmarks in Rocky Point is the Noah Hallock Cemetery which is the oldest tombstone, dated 1766. With about forty members of the Hallock family are buried at the little cemetery on Hallock Lane. While shopping centers, restaurants, and services DOT Route 25A; the beaches, the natural resources, geographic beauty and sublime ecology have always been protected by local residents and government.