Melville, New York | |
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 Melville Fire Department firehouse in October 2009 | |
 U.S. Census map of Melville | |
  Melville, New York Location on Long Island Show map of Long Island Melville, New York Location within the state of New York Show map of New York | |
| Coordinates:40°47′30″N73°24′20″W / 40.79167°N 73.40556°W /40.79167; -73.40556 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| County | Suffolk |
| Town | Huntington, New York |
| Named after | Herman Melville |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.11 sq mi (31.37 km2) |
| • Land | 12.11 sq mi (31.37 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 135 ft (41 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,284 |
| • Density | 1,592.3/sq mi (614.78/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 11747, 11760, 11775 |
| Area codes | 631, 934 |
| FIPS code | 36-46514 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0956931 |
Melville is an affluenthamlet andcensus-designated place (CDP) in thetown of Huntington inSuffolk County, onLong Island, inNew York, United States. The population was 19,284 at the time of the 2020 census.[2]
The area was known to theNative Americans asSunsquams. In the 17th century, it was named Samuel Ketcham's Valley, after one of the earliest natives living there. It was later known as Sweet Hollow, likely due to the large population of honey bees and the honey found in the trees.[3][4][5]
In 1829, aPresbyterian church was built at the corner of Old Country and Sweet Hollow Roads.[6][7]
The name Melville was first used in school records in 1854.[3] The exact origin of the name is unknown. Some say it was in honor of American novelistHerman Melville, author ofMoby-Dick, which was published three years earlier, in 1851. Melville's 1846 novelTypee also was very popular at that time. However, it is more likely derived from the wordmel, which is Latin for honey.[5][8]
In 1909, atrolley line toHuntington was established as an extension of the Huntington Trolley Spur that went south toAmityville and had a connection toBabylon.[9] There were six fare zones, one of which was the Duryea Farm in Melville.[10][11] A decade later, the line was closed after farmers complained that noise from the trolley frightened their animals.[12] Buses then provided local transportation after the trolley line closed. The growing use of private cars later further reduced demand for the trolley line.[13][14]
The Presbyterian church was in continuous use until 1930. It reopened in 1944 for the funeral of Edward Baylis and has been in use since then.[15] The church was moved 1 mile (1.6 km) to the west in 1977.[16]
In the 1950s, Melville and three of its neighbors,Dix Hills,Wyandanch, and the area known as Sweet Hollow, proposed incorporating as a single village.[17][18] The village would have been known as the Incorporated Village of Half Hollow Hills, would have had an area of roughly 50 square miles (130 km2), and would have embraced theHalf Hollow Hills Central School District.[17] The plans were unsuccessful.[17][19]
Office development along Route 110 in Melville increased throughout the 1960s. However, by 1971, the economy had slowed and many of the buildings were left vacant and struggled to find tenants.[20]
In 2001, Melville,Dix Hills,Wheatley Heights, andEast Farmingdale, which are all within the same school district, proposed incorporating as a single village.[21] These plans also failed, and each remain unincorporated hamlets to this day.[19]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, Melville has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31.3 km2).[22]
Melville lies on the east side ofSuffolk County's boundary withNassau County.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 19,284 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[23] | |||
As of the2020 census, the population was 19,284 with 6,883 households. The population density was 1,599.60 inhabitants per square mile (617.61/km2). There were 5,141 housing units at an average density of 454.2 per square mile (175.4/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.6%White (82.6%White Non-Hispanic), 7.4%Asian, 3%Black, 0%Native American, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 1.04% fromother races, and 4.4% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 4.4.% of the population. The population was 18,985 at the2010 census.[24]
As of the 2000 census,[25] there were 14,533 people, 4,930 households, and 3,993 families residing in Melville. The population density was 1,284.00 inhabitants per square mile (495.76/km2).
In 2000, there were 4,930 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.0% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $132,527, and the median income for a family was $170,881. Males had a median income of $142,972 versus $115,495 for females. Theper capita income for the CDP was $125,053. About 3.0% of families and 4.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over. The median house price in Melville as of 2007[update] is about $900,000.
Melville andHauppauge are the two primary business centers of Suffolk County, which is home to almost approximately 1.5 million people. Melville is home to the U.S. headquarters for several national and international corporations, includingCanon USA,[26][27]Chyron Corporation,[28]Leviton,[29]MSC Industrial Direct,[30]Nikon USA,[31]Henry Schein,[32] andVerint Systems.[33] Significant operations ofManhattan-basedThe Estée Lauder Companies are also based in Melville.[34]Newsday, Long Island's primary newspaper, is headquartered in Melville.[35]
In early 2013, Canon Inc. moved into its new regional headquarters for North and South America to Melville, building a $500-million 668,296-square-foot (62,086.7 m2) glass structure near Exit 49 of theLong Island Expressway on the 52-acre (210,000 m2) site of a formerpumpkin farm.[26] About 1,500 workers were expected to move from Canon'sLake Success offices.[26] The company chose Melville over othertri-state area locations because the employees "didn't want to leave the area".[26]
A number of companies were also once headquartered in Melville. In 1995,Swissair completed its headquarters in Melville. The building was designed by famed architectRichard Meier. However, when the company went out of business and reorganized asSwiss International Airlines in 2002, the new entity moved toUniondale.[36] Olympus America Inc., the U.S. subsidiary ofOlympus Corporation, moved in 2006 toCenter Valley, Pennsylvania.[37]Gentiva Health Services, aFortune 1000 provider of health services, relocated toAtlanta in 2009.[38] Later that year,Allion Healthcare was acquired byH.I.G. Capital.[39]
OSI Pharmaceuticals was bought byAstellas Pharma of Japan in 2010.[40]Arrow Electronics relocated toCentennial, Colorado in 2011.[41]Hain Celestial moved toLake Success in 2012.[42] The independent television stationWLNY-TV operated a studio in Melville. When it was acquired byCBS in 2012, it moved to the network's Manhattan facility.[43][44]Adecco Staffing, USA moved its U.S. headquarters toJacksonville, Florida in 2014.[45] WhenSbarro re-emerged from bankruptcy in 2014, the chain relocated its headquarters toColumbus, Ohio.[46]First Data announced in 2015 that it would be moving its operations to Georgia.[47] The company left Melville in 2017.[48] Shipping companyBouchard Transportation declared bankruptcy in 2020 and its assets were divided the following year.[49]
One of the nine state offices of U.S. SenatorChuck Schumer is located in Melville.[50]
Half Hollow Hills Central School District andSouth Huntington Union Free School District serve Melville.Katharine Gibbs School – Melville serves the post-school population with certificates and associate degrees.
TheLong Island Expressway andNorthern State Parkway, two ofLong Island's busiest highways and major points of entry in and out ofNew York City, pass through Melville.NY Route 110 also runs through Melville.
Until 1927, Melville was served by theHuntington Railroad's streetcar line, which ran along what today isNY Route 110 and has now been replaced by the S1 bus. The closest rail line is theLIRR'sMain Line toRonkonkoma andGreenport, but the closest station on that line isPinelawn, which only provides weekend service.Huntington station inHuntington is the closest full service station.
Melville's primary mode of public transit is the 1 bus run bySuffolk County Transit. Route 1 runs up and downRoute 110 seven days a week and connects to twoLong Island Railroad branches north and south of Melville.[51] The "Suffolk Clipper" express bus service also serves the numerous business parks in South Melville during weekdays.
Apark and ride andcarpool parking lot with a bus shelter exists adjacent to the north of theLIE, but long-distance bus service to and from there is either highly occasional or nonexistent.[52] The parking lot is still used by carpool commuters, but also attracts some illicit activity.
Melville is protected by the Melville Volunteer Fire Department. Established in 1947, it handles all emergencies, including fires, heavy rescues and extrications, emergency ambulances, hazmat, and other related tasks. The fire department responds to more than 3,500 alarms annually and provides continuous service on an annual budget of $1.5 million.
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