Oyster Bay, New York | |
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| Town of Oyster Bay | |
      From left to right:Downtown Oyster Bay,Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory,Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, a winter's day indowntown Massapequa Park, a street inSouth Farmingdale, andMill Neck Manor | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nicknames: TOBAY; ToB | |
_highlighted.svg) Location in the state ofNew York andNassau County. | |
 Show Oyster Bay Show New York Show the United States | |
| Coordinates:40°45′34″N73°30′10″W / 40.75944°N 73.50278°W /40.75944; -73.50278 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| County | Nassau |
| First settled | 1653; 373 years ago (1653) |
| Incorporated as a town | 1687; 339 years ago (1687) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| • Town Supervisor | Joseph S. Saladino (R) |
| • Town Council | |
| Area | |
• Total | 169.39 sq mi (438.73 km2) |
| • Land | 103.74 sq mi (268.69 km2) |
| • Water | 65.65 sq mi (170.04 km2) 38.75% |
| Elevation | 180 ft (55 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 301,332 |
| • Density | 2,904.6/sq mi (1,121.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Area codes | 516, 363 |
| FIPS code | 36-56000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979336 |
| Website | www |
TheTown of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the threetowns that make upNassau County,New York, United States. Part of theNew York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County to extend from theNorth Shore to theSouth Shore ofLong Island. As of the2020 census, it had a population of 301,332, making it the 5th most populous city or town in the state.
There are 18 villages and 18hamlets within the town of Oyster Bay. TheUnited States Postal Service has organized these 36 places into 30 five-digitZIP Codes, served by 20 post offices.[2] Each post office shares the name of one of the hamlets or villages, but their boundaries are usually not coterminous.
Oyster Bay is also the name ofa hamlet on the North Shore, within the town of Oyster Bay. Near this hamlet, in the village ofCove Neck, isSagamore Hill, the former residence andsummer White House ofU.S. PresidentTheodore Roosevelt and now a museum. At least six of the 36 villages and hamlets of the town have shores onOyster Bay Harbor, an inlet ofLong Island Sound, and many of these at one time or another have also been referred to as being part of the hamlet of Oyster Bay.[3]
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Succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples had lived in the area for thousands of years. At the time of European contact, theLenape (Delaware) nation inhabited western Long Island. By 1600 the band inhabiting the local area was called theMatinecock after their location, but they were Lenape people.
Following European colonization, the area became part of the colony ofNew Netherland. In 1639, theDutch West India Company made its first purchase of land on Long Island from the local Native Americans. The English also had colonies on Long Island at this time. The Dutch did not dispute English claims to what is now Suffolk County, but when settlers fromNew England arrived in (present-day) Oyster Bay in 1640, they were soon arrested as part of a boundary dispute. In 1643, Englishmen purchased land in the present-day town ofHempstead from the Indians that included land purchased by the Dutch in 1639. Nevertheless, in 1644, the Dutch director granted a patent for Hempstead to the English.
The Dutch also granted other English settlements inFlushing,Newtown, andJamaica. In 1650, theTreaty of Hartford established a boundary between Dutch and English claims at "Oysterbay", by which the Dutch meant present-dayCold Spring Harbor (to the east) and the English meant all of the water connected to present-day Oyster Bay Harbor. Meanwhile, the government of England came under the control ofOliver Cromwell as a republic, andsmugglers took advantage of the unresolved border dispute. In 1653, English settlers made their first purchase of land in Oyster Bay from the localMatinecock tribe, though there were already some rogue English settlements there. For this purchase, the English settlers paid to the Native American Moheness (aka Assiapum), "six kettles, six fathoms of wampum, six hoes, six hatchets, three pairs of stockings, thirty awl-blades or muxes, twenty knives, three shirts and as much Peague as will amount to four pounds sterling."[4] The monarchy was restored in England in 1660, and in 1664 King Charles gave Long Island (and much else) to his brother James, leading to the Dutch relinquishing control of all of New Amsterdam.
In 1667 the settlement at Oyster Bay received its charter from the new English colony ofNew York, becoming the Township of Oyster Bay. By 1687, the last piece of land was sold by the Indians, and few remained by 1709.[5]
TheCensus of slaves, conducted in theProvince of New York in 1755, contains a long list of enslaved individuals in Oyster Bay, including the hamlets ofJericho and what is nowNorth Hempstead. It is followed by a remarkable additional list of "free Negroes Melattoes [people of Afro-European ancestry] and Mustees [people of Afro-Indigenous ancestry] Resideing within ye Township of Oysterbay that may probably Be Likely In case of Insurrections To be as Mischevious as ye Slaves."[6] (Free individuals were not supposed to be reported for the Census; a local militia captain supplied it on his own initiative, with the expectation "that ye Other Captains in Oysterbay will acquaint Your Honour [governor of New York] of those Resideing in ye Other parts of ye Township.")[6]
During most of theAmerican Revolution the town was under the control of British forces.
The town was originally part ofQueens County, until the western portion of that county was amalgamated intoNew York City in 1898 and Nassau County was created in 1899. In 1918,Glen Cove, to the west, incorporated as a city and formed a governing system separate from the town. FollowingWorld War II, housing replaced farmland as the population grew from about 40,000 in 1950 to more than 290,000 in 1990.[5][7]
Oyster Bay is home to theSeawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, one of the oldest yacht clubs in the Western Hemisphere, which opened in 1871.[8] There are 40 buildings and sites presently namedTown of Oyster Bay Landmarks.
The town of Oyster Bay extends fromLong Island Sound in the north, south to the waters ofSouth Oyster Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by the town ofNorth Hempstead on the northwest and the town ofHempstead on the southwest. It is the easternmost of the three towns of Nassau County, withSuffolk County immediately to the east.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 169.5 square miles (439 km2), of which 104.4 square miles (270 km2) is land and 65.1 square miles (169 km2), or 38.42%, is water. As with most of Long Island, the north shore is hilly, the south shore has sandy beaches, and the area between is aplain.
Between the 1990 Census and the 2000 census, the town exchanged territory with the towns of Hempstead (Nassau County) andBabylon (Suffolk County). It also gained territory from the town ofHuntington in Suffolk County.[9]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 4,097 | — | |
| 1800 | 4,548 | 11.0% | |
| 1810 | 4,725 | 3.9% | |
| 1830 | 5,193 | — | |
| 1840 | 5,865 | 12.9% | |
| 1850 | 6,900 | 17.6% | |
| 1860 | 9,168 | 32.9% | |
| 1870 | 10,595 | 15.6% | |
| 1880 | 11,923 | 12.5% | |
| 1890 | 13,870 | 16.3% | |
| 1900 | 16,334 | 17.8% | |
| 1910 | 21,802 | 33.5% | |
| 1920 | 20,296 | −6.9% | |
| 1930 | 36,869 | 81.7% | |
| 1940 | 42,594 | 15.5% | |
| 1950 | 66,930 | 57.1% | |
| 1960 | 290,055 | 333.4% | |
| 1970 | 333,342 | 14.9% | |
| 1980 | 305,750 | −8.3% | |
| 1990 | 292,657 | −4.3% | |
| 2000 | 295,164 | 0.9% | |
| 2010 | 293,214 | −0.7% | |
| 2020 | 301,332 | 2.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
The 2019American Community Survey determined the population was 293,576, estimating a 1.6% increase from the2010 United States census.[11] The racial and ethnic makeup of Oyster Bay was 75.5% non-Hispanic White, 2.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 12.5% Asian, 2.0% from two or more races, and 8.1% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.
As of the 2010 census[12] the population was 85%White (80%Non-Hispanic White), 2.3%Black orAfrican American, 0.2%Native American, 9.1%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 1.9% fromother races, and 1.6% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 7.5% of the population.
As of thecensus[13] of 2000, there were 293,925 people, 99,355 households, and 80,278 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,816.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,087.3/km2). There were 101,076 housing units at an average density of 968.4 per square mile (373.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 90.83%White, 1.64%Black orAfrican American, 0.07%Native American, 4.85%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 1.36% fromother races, and 1.23% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 5.06% of the population.
There were 99,355 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $99,873, and the median income for a family was $115,095.[14] Males had a median income of $60,726 versus $39,420 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $35,895. About 2.0% of families and 3.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
Aer Lingus operates its United States office in Oyster Bay, centered on the hamlet ofJericho.[15][16][17]Cablevision Systems, a major cable company in the tri-state area has its corporate headquarters inBethpage, New York,[18] as well as a satellite office inJericho, New York that contains its medium to large business solutions division,Lightpath.[19]Acclaim Entertainment was originally located in the hamlet ofOyster Bay.[20] It originally occupied a one-room office in Oyster Bay. At a later time it occupied a brick structure with two stories.[21] In 1994 Acclaim bought a headquarters building inGlen Cove.[22]
Both theState University of New York at Old Westbury andNew York Institute of Technology or NYIT (and its affiliatedNew York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine) are located inOld Westbury.LIU Post, the largest campus of the privateLong Island University system, is located inBrookville.
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The Town of Oyster Bay has a government comprising a town supervisor and a town council consisting of six members. Council members are elected on a town-wide basis, and there are no election districts within the town. Two other elected positions are town clerk and receiver of taxes. At one point, the town had its own police force, but it no longer does.[23]
In New York, atown is a major division within a county. Larger towns may contain a number of namedincorporated villages that provides numerous local services to the village residents. Towns may contain namedunincorporated hamlets, governed and administered by the town council.
The Town of Oyster Bay contains all or part of 20 incorporated villages:[24][25]
The town of Oyster Bay also contains all or part of 17 unincorporated hamlets:[28]
There are also a few areas that are not part of any incorporated village or census-designated place:[citation needed]
Notes:
TheLong Island Rail Road'sOyster Bay Branch serves the town's vicinity fromGlen Head toOyster Bay. TheMain Line runs through the center of the town with stations inHicksville, andBethpage. ThePort Jefferson Branch begins at Hicksville, and goes through Hicksville andSyosset. Rail freight service also exists along theCentral Branch which begins inBethpage. Further south in the town, theBabylon Branch runs fromSeaford to the Suffolk County Line with stations inMassapequa andMassapequa Park.
The Town of Oyster Bay is served primarily byNassau Inter-County Express bus routes, though some routes fromSuffolk County Transit also enter the town from the east.
Interstate 495 is the Long Island Expressway, and the sole interstate highway in the Town of Oyster Bay, with interchanges from Exits 40 inJericho to part of Exit 48 inPlainview near theNassau-Suffolk County Line.
Northern State Parkway is a suburban continuation of theGrand Central Parkway that has interchanges from Exit 35 inJericho to Exit 38 inWoodbury. The route runs along the south side of the Long Island Expressway until Exit 37A, where it crosses the expressway and moves to the north side. As a parkway, no trucks are allowed.
Bethpage State Parkway A one-lane south-to-north parkway spanning from Southern State Parkway toBethpage State Park that was proposed for expansion into the Northern State Parkway.
Southern State Parkway cuts through the southern portion of the town from inNorth Massapequa at Exits 29, 30, and 31. The rest of the road runs between the borders ofSouth Farmingdale, andEast Massapequa before finally crossing the Nassau-Suffolk County Line.
Ocean Parkway is an at-grade parkway spanning almost the entirety ofJones Beach Island and completely dominating that island within the Town of Oyster Bay. After leavingJones Beach State Park territory, it servesTobay Beach before crossing the Nassau-Suffolk line inWest Gilgo Beach.
New York State Route 24
New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25
New York State Route 27
New York State Route 27A
New York State Route 105
New York State Route 106
New York State Route 107
New York State Route 109
New York State Route 135
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