Huntington, New York

George Bradford Brainerd Street, 1907

George Bradford Brainerd Street, ca. 1872–1887

In 1653, three men from Oyster Bay, Richard Holbrook, Robert Williams and Daniel Whitehead, purchased a parcel of land from the Matinecock tribe. This parcel has since come to be known as the "First Purchase" and included land bordered by Cold Spring Harbor on the west, Northport Harbor on the east, what is now known as Old Country Road to the south and Long Island Sound to the north. The three men immediately turned the land over to the settlers who had already been living there.[2]

The origin of the name is unknown but the consensus among historians is it was named for the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell who was Lord Protector of England at the time of the town's establishment. From that initial settlement, Huntington grew over subsequent years to include all of the land presently comprising the modern Towns of Huntington and Babylon. The southern part of the town was formally separated to create Babylon in 1872.[2]

Because Huntington was populated largely by English settlers, unlike the rest of the New Amsterdam colony, the town voted in 1660 to become part of the Connecticut colony rather than remain under the authority of New Amsterdam. It was not until the British gained control of New Amsterdam in 1664 (renaming it New York) that Huntington was formally restored to the jurisdiction of New York.[2]

Following the Battle of Long Island during the American Revolutionary War, British troops used Huntington as their headquarters, and remained encamped there until the end of the war.[2]

The arrival of the Long Island Rail Road in 1867 transformed the economy of Huntington from primarily agriculture and shipping (based on its well protected harbor) to tourism and commuting. Cold Spring Harbor became a popular summer resort.[2]

The end of World War II brought about an explosive growth of population in Huntington amid white flight, as in the rest of the region. Farms and resorts gave way to homes, and Huntington has transformed into a major commuter town for nearby New York City.[2]

In 1988, the Supreme Court ruled that Huntington had violated the Fair Housing Act by preventing apartment construction anywhere except in Black neighborhoods.[3] A developer of an affordable housing project sought to build it in a white neighborhood, but the town restricted the developer to black neighborhoods.[4] The Supreme Court ordered the town to build an affordable housing project in a white neighborhood. Construction on that project began in 2023.[3]

In 2019, Huntington banned the creation of new basement apartments.[3] In 2023, a councilmember proposed legalizing basement apartments to alleviate the housing crisis in Huntington and other communities surrounding New York City.[3] At a July 2023 hearing, in which local residents railed against "migrants, pedophiles, or criminals" moving into Huntington, council members backtracked on their support for the zoning change.[3]

Huntington is bounded by Long Island Sound to the north, Nassau County to the west, Babylon to the south, and Smithtown to the east. It also shares a small border with Islip to the southeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 137.1 square miles (355 km²), of which 94.0 square miles (243 km²) is land and 43.1 square miles (112 km²) (31.44%) is water.[5]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 195,289 people, 65,917 households, and 52,338 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,078.4 inhabitants per square mile (802.5/km²). There were 67,708 housing units at an average density of 720.6 per square mile (278.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town in 2000 was 88.31% White, 4.22% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 3.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.27% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.58% of the population. As of the census of 2010, the racial makeup of the town was 84.15% White, 4.68% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 4.96% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.89% from other races, and 2.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.00% of the population.

There were 65,917 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.6% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $102,865, and the median income for a family was $113,119.[9] Males had a median income of $61,748 versus $40,825 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,390. About 2.9% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

The town government consists of a town council with four members, all of whom are elected at large. The town supervisor is elected by the entire town. Other elected positions are the Town Clerk, Highway Superintendent, and Receiver of Taxes.[10] A referendum to move to a ward district system on December 22, 2009, failed 81% to 18%.

Sbarro's headquarters were located in Melville in the Town of Huntington until 2015.[11]

Around 2002, Swiss International Air Lines's North American headquarters moved from Melville to Uniondale, Town of Hempstead. The facility, the former Swissair North American headquarter site, was completed in 1995. Swissair intended to own, instead of lease, its headquarters site. It enlisted architect Richard Meier to design the Melville facility.[12][13]

In 1997, Aer Lingus announced that it was moving its North American headquarters from Manhattan to Melville; James Lyndon, a spokesperson for the airline, said that the company moved to Long Island in an effort to reduce costs, as leasing costs are lower on Long Island than in Manhattan. The move would transfer 75 employees, including administrative personnel, marketing personnel, sales personnel, and telephone reservation agents. The airline planned to move on June 15, 1997. The airline had also considered sites in Boston and in Westchester, New York.[14]

Several weekly newspapers cover local news exclusively, including The Long-Islander, since 1838 as well as The Times of Huntington by TBR News Media. The Village Connection Magazine, published by Jim Savalli, is a lifestyle and entertainment magazine dedicated to the town of Huntington. Additionally, Patch, an online-only news website formerly owned by AOL; and the Huntington Buzz, an online-only news website that is independently owned; cover hyper-local news on issues, people and events in Huntington.

• Huntington is the setting of the long-running comic strip The Lockhorns.
• Huntington is the basis for the television series The Wonder Years.
• Huntington is the town in which the American sitcom Growing Pains supposedly takes place.[16] However, Robin Hood Lane, the street address of the Seaver family's home, is fictional.[17] The show's creator, Neal Marlens, grew up in Huntington.[18]
• The Village of Northport was mentioned in episode 6 of the 2012 NBC drama series Smash.[19]

• 1946 Town of Huntington planning map from Wikimedia Commons
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Huntington, New York
• Heckscher Museum of Art
• Huntington Family
• Kelsey Outrage

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Town of Huntington, New York.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Huntington (New York).

• Official website
• Huntington Historical Society
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Huntington (New York)" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.