Massapequa, New York

Massapequa (/ˌmæsəˈpiːkwə/, mass-ə-PEEK-wə) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Massapequa area. The population of the CDP was 21,685 at the time of the 2010 census.

Massapequa, New York
Hamlet and census-designated place
The All-American Hamburger Drive-In on Merrick Road in Massapequa
The All-American Hamburger Drive-In on Merrick Road in Massapequa
Nickname(s): 
Pequa; Matzah Pizza
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York
Massapequa, New York is located in Long Island
Massapequa, New York
Massapequa, New York
Location on Long Island
Massapequa, New York is located in New York
Massapequa, New York
Massapequa, New York
Location within the state of New York
Massapequa, New York is located in the United States
Massapequa, New York
Massapequa, New York
Location within the contiguous United States
Coordinates: 40.670403°N 73.47115°W / 40.670403; -73.47115
Country United States
State New York
County Nassau County, New York
TownOyster Bay
Area
[1]
 • Total3.99 sq mi (10.34 km2)
 • Land3.56 sq mi (9.22 km2)
 • Water0.43 sq mi (1.12 km2)
Elevation
26 ft (8 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total21,355
 • Density6,000.28/sq mi (2,316.90/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
11758
Area code516
FIPS code36-45986
GNIS feature ID0956651

The Greater Massapequa area, which includes the nearby CDPs of North Massapequa and East Massapequa, as well as the incorporated village of Massapequa Park, has a combined population of over 75,000.

History

A 19th-century writer identified Massapequa as one of the "13 tribes of Long Island," but additional research has shown that they were a band of Lenape, the Algonquian-speaking people who occupied the western part of the island at the time of European encounter. The bands were identified by names of the geographic areas they occupied.

The Native Americans to the east spoke a different Algonquian language and were related to the Pequot people of Connecticut and southern New England, another in the large Algonquian languages family of tribes in coastal areas along the Atlantic Ocean. Major bands of Pequot in eastern Long Island were the Montaukett and Shinnecock. Today the Shinnecock Indian Nation has gained federal recognition and has a reservation on Long Island's South Fork.

Geography
U.S. Census map of Massapequa.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10 km2), of which 3.7 square miles (9.6 km2) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2), or 9.20%, is water.

Massapequa and nearby places with "Massapequa" in their names are sometimes collectively called "the Massapequas".[2]

Climate

Massapequa has a temperate climate that is very similar to other coastal areas of the Northeastern United States; it has warm, humid summers and cold winters, but the Atlantic Ocean helps bring afternoon sea breezes that temper the heat in the warmer months and limit the frequency and severity of thunderstorms. However, severe thunderstorms are not uncommon, especially when they approach the island from the mainland (Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut) in the northwest. In the wintertime, temperatures are warmer than areas further inland (especially in the night and early morning hours), often causing a snowstorm further inland to fall as rain on the island. However, measurable snowfalls every winter, and in many winters one or more intense storms called Nor'easters may occasionally produce blizzard conditions with snowfalls of 1–2 feet (30–60 cm) and near-hurricane-force winds. On average, 28" of snow falls each winter in Massapequa.[3] Long Island temperatures also vary from west to east, with the western part of the island warmer on most occasions than the east. This is due to two factors; one because the western part is closer to the mainland and the other is the western part is more developed causing what is known as the urban heat island effect.

This climate is classified as hot-summer humid continental (Dfa) which borders upon a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) on the coast. Average monthly temperatures in the central CDP range from 31.4 °F in January to 74.3 °F in July.[4]

On August 25, 2006, a small F0 tornado struck Massapequa.

On Monday, October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy devastated much of Massapequa, especially south of Merrick Road where surging flood waters rose both along the shore and along the numerous canals that run a mile inland. Schools were closed for several days and weeks. Many residents remained without power for weeks after the storm because of downed power lines. Hundreds of houses and buildings sustained major flood damage and had to be gutted and renovated during the ensuing year.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
202021,355—
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 22,652 people, 7,417 households, and 6,297 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 6,207.5 inhabitants per square mile (2,396.7/km2). There were 7,514 housing units at an average density of 2,059.1 per square mile (795.0/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.42% White, 0.17% African American, 0.02% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 2.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Because it has large Italian and Jewish communities, the town is sometimes referred to as "matzah pizza".[7][8]

There were 7,417 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.1% were non-families. Of all households, 12.5% were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the CDP, the population was spread, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years as of 2007. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $107,181, and the median income for a family was $116,266.[9] Males had a median income of $78,859 versus $57,016 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $42,169. 2.9% of the population and 1.6% of families were below the poverty line.

Education
Massapequa High School

During the 1960s and the 1970s, Massapequa School District had seven elementary schools (Carman Road, East Lake, Birch Lane, Fairfield, Unqua, Hawthorn, Raymond J. Lockhart), two junior high schools (John P. McKenna and J. Lewis Ames, formerly Parkside) and two high schools, Massapequa and Alfred G. Berner.

A photography book published in late 2014—called Massapequa: A Pictorial History Through The Eyes of Baby Boomers—contains old and current pictures of all these schools and many other sites around town important to the thousands of baby boomers raised in the Pequas.

In the 1990s the Massapequa school district restructured the district by leasing Carmans Road elementary to Nassau BOCES. Hawthorn Elementary was rented to the police department in 2006 and currently serves as the Nassau County Police Academy. John P. McKenna Jr. High School was converted to an elementary school, while Alfred G. Berner became the new middle school. J. Lewis Ames Jr. High School is also no longer a middle school, but now the "Ames Campus" of Massapequa High School, which is where the ninth grade currently attends.

In 2017, the district was once again restructured, changing all elementary schools from grades K–6 to K–5. This also changed the grades at the middle school, from grades 7–8 to 6–8.[10]

The Massapequa Union Free School District currently has:[11]

  • Six elementary schools (grades K–5)
Birch Lane
East Lake
Fairfield
Lockhart
Unqua
McKenna
  • One middle school (grades 6–8)
Berner Middle school (formerly Berner High School 1962–1987)
  • One high school annex (grade 9)
Ames
  • One high school (grades 10–12)
Massapequa High School

Transportation

The Massapequa station on the Long Island Rail Road's Babylon Branch is located within the hamlet.[11]

A house in Massapequa in 1934

Notable people

References
  1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. Historical Society of the Massapequas Archived 2012-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Weather at New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK): Weather and Climate in New York Area, NY, USA".
  4. "PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University".
  5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  6. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  7. Schmidt, Catherine (August 3, 1986). "If You're Thinking of Living In; Massapequa". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  8. Harbrecht, Douglas (September 1, 1991). "But Will It Play in Matzo Pizza". Bloomberg. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  9. "Massapequa CDP, New York". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  10. http://www.msd.k12.ny.us/board.cfm?subpage=3209
  11. "Long Island Index: Interactive Map". www.longislandindexmaps.org. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  12. "Diamond Wrote Lyrics While Walking Our Streets – I Am…I Said a Fan of NEIL DIAMOND".

Official Massapequa Website

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