Oyster Bay (town), New York



The Town of Oyster Bay is easternmost of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County that extends from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 293,925.

There are 18 villages and 18 hamlets within the Town of Oyster Bay. The U.S. Post Office has organized these 36 places into 30 different 5-digit ZIP codes.

Oyster Bay is also the name of a hamlet on the north shore within the Town of Oyster Bay. Nearby this hamlet, in the Village of Cove Neck, is the former residence and summer White House of Theodore Roosevelt, Sagamore Hill, now a museum. At least six of the 36 villages and hamlets of the Town have shores on Oyster Bay Harbor, an inlet of Long 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.

History
The area was originally part of the colony of New Amsterdam and settled by some Dutch in 1632. In 1639, the Dutch West India Company made its first purchase of land on Long Island from the local Indians. The Dutch did not dispute English claims to what is now Suffolk County, but when settlers from New 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 of Hempstead 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 in Flushing, Newtown, and Jamaica. In 1650, the Treaty of Hartford established a boundary between Dutch and English claims at "Oysterbay", by which the Dutch meant present-day Cold 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 of Cromwell as a republic, and smugglers took advantage of the unresolved border dispute. In 1653, English settlers made their first purchase of land in Oyster Bay from the local Matinecock tribe, though there were already some rogue English settlements there. The monarchy was restored in England in 1660, and in 1644 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 of New York, becoming the Township of Oyster Bay. By 1687, the last piece of land was sold by the Indians, and few remained by 1709.

During most of the American Revolution the town was under the control of English forces. The town was originally part of Queens County until the western portion of that county was amalgamated into New York City in 1898 and Nassau County was created in 1899. In 1918 Glen Cove incorporated as a city and formed a governing system separate from the town. Following World War Two, housing replaced farmland as the population grew from about 40,000 in 1950 to more than 290,000 in 1990. There are 40 buildings and sites presently named Town of Oyster Bay Landmarks.

Geography
The Town of Oyster Bay extends from the Long Island Sound in the north, south to the waters of South Oyster Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by the Town of North Hempstead on the northwest and Town of Hempstead on the southwest. It is the easternmost of the three towns of Nassau County, with Suffolk County, New York immediately to the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 169.5 square miles (439.0 km²), of which, 104.4 square miles (270.3 km²) of it is land and 65.1 square miles (168.7 km²) of it (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 a plain.

Government and politics
The Town of Oyster Bay has a government made up of a town supervisor (John Venditto) and a town council of six members (Joseph D. Muscarella, Anthony D. Macagnone, Chris J. Coschignano, Rebecca Alesia, Elizabeth Faughnan, and Joseph G. Pinto). Council members are elected on a town wide basis as there are no election districts within the town. Two other elected positions are Town Clerk (Steven L. Labriola) and Receiver of Taxes (James J. Stefanich). All elected positions are held by Republicans.

The Town of Oyster Bay contains the following 18 incorporated villages, all but two of which are in the more northern part:
 * 1) Bayville (1919)
 * 2) Brookville (1931)
 * 3) Centre Island (1926)
 * 4) Cove Neck (1927)
 * 5) East Hills (1931) (This village is shared with the Town of North Hempstead.)
 * 6) Farmingdale (1904)
 * 7) Lattingtown (1913)
 * 8) Laurel Hollow (1926)
 * 9) Massapequa Park (1931)
 * 10) Matinecock (1928)
 * 11) Mill Neck (1925)
 * 12) Muttontown (1931)
 * 13) Old Brookville (1929)
 * 14) Old Westbury (1924) (This village is shared with the Town of North Hempstead.)
 * 15) Oyster Bay Cove (1931)
 * 16) Roslyn Harbor (1931) (This village is shared with the Town of North Hempstead.)
 * 17) Sea Cliff (1883)
 * 18) Upper Brookville (1932)

Hamlets in New York state are named places within towns that are not incorporated as villages or cities. They are governed and administered by the Town Council. The Town of Oyster Bay contains the following 18 unincorporated hamlets:
 * 1) Bethpage
 * 2) East Massapequa
 * 3) East Norwich
 * 4) Glen Head
 * 5) Glenwood Landing (part)
 * 6) Greenvale (part)
 * 7) Hicksville
 * 8) Jericho
 * 9) Locust Valley
 * 10) Massapequa
 * 11) North Massapequa
 * 12) Old Bethpage
 * 13) Oyster Bay
 * 14) Plainedge
 * 15) Plainview
 * 16) South Farmingdale
 * 17) Syosset
 * 18) Woodbury

Notes:
 * 1) Sea Cliff - a small portion within the Town of Oyster Bay that is not part of this village has the same ZIP Code as the village.
 * 2) Seaford - a small portion of Massapequa has the same ZIP Code as Seaford, which is in the Town of Hempstead.

Demographics
As of the census 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 people per square mile (1,087.3/km²). There were 101,076 housing units at an average density of 968.4/sq mi (373.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.83% White, 1.64% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 4.85% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.36% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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. Males had a median income of $60,726 versus $39,420 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,895. About 2.0% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Aer Lingus operates its United States office in Jericho CDP and in the Town of Oyster Bay. Acclaim Entertainment was originally located in the hamlet of Oyster Bay in the Town of Oyster Bay. It originally occupied a one-room office in Oyster Bay. At a later time it occupied a brick structure with two stories. In 1994 Acclaim bought a headquarters building in Glen Cove.

Education
State University of New York at Old Westbury is in the town.

Notable residents

 * Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
 * Randolph Huntington, 19th century horse breeder
 * John Gotti Jr. Former boss of the Gambino crime family