RONKONKOMA, LONG ISLAND

Ronkonkoma, Long Island

Ronkonkoma is a hamlet and census-designated place located in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. It is within the Town of Islip and near to the Long Island MacArthur Airport which is recognized as one of the top five regional airports in the country. Lake Ronkonkoma is on the north that split between Brookhaven and Smithtown townships. As of the 2000 census, there were 20,029 people, 6,550 households, and 5,200 families residing in the CDP. The median income for a household in the CDP was $67,339, and the median income for a family was $73,003. Males had a median income of $50,594 and only $35,013 for females. The latitude of Ronkonkoma is 40.815N. The longitude is -73.112W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 112 feet.

The community has been diversely translated as "white sand," "resting place of the wild geese," and the "fishing place." It is adjacent to Lake Ronkonkoma. There are some notable companies located in the town including CVD Equipment Corporation, a nanotechnology and high-technology engineering company that is doing research on carbon nanotubes in cooperation with the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. In early 2007, there were only four registered sex offenders living in Ronkonkoma with a ratio of 5007:1 number of residents in Ronkonkoma to the number of sex offenders. The number of registered sex offenders compared to the number of residents in this area is smaller than the state average.

Famous residents living in Ronkonkoma include Moira Kelly (actress), Lennon Murphy (singer/songwriter), Joe Jones (basketball coach), and John Negron (singer/songwriter). The racial-makeup comprises of 93.85% White, 0.90% African American, 0.06% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.12% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Most of its resident’s ancestries were Italian, Irish, German, Polish, and English. Ronkonkoma has 3 Elementary Schools and one Junior-High School. The Ronkonkoma Fire Department has a long history of service and has kept up with new technology. It makes an average of 4-ambulance and 1 fire call per day offers informative training in fire prevention. The department has also a comprehensive program of enrolling volunteers called Explorers who can handle fire-fighting as well as other emergency situations and lend a helping hand in an accident or a disaster. The local Chamber of Commerce of the Greater Ronkonkomas is dedicated to help business in the community and provides for recurrent interaction between local enterprises and people at large and arranges blood drives in the middle of its other activities of social significance. Ronkonkoma has a lake, nearby beaches and a recreation center, senior center, ball courts, playground, and a picnic area.