East Rockaway, New York

East Rockaway, New York
Village
Incorporated Village of East Rockaway
Seal
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York.
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 40°38′37″N 73°40′1″W / 40.64361°N 73.66694°W / 40.64361; -73.66694Coordinates: 40°38′37″N 73°40′1″W / 40.64361°N 73.66694°W / 40.64361; -73.66694
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Nassau
Government
• Mayor	Bruno Romano
Area
• Total	1.0 sq mi (2.7 km2)
• Land	1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	9,818
• Density	9,800/sq mi (3,600/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
ZIP code	11518
Area code(s)	516
FIPS code	36-22876
GNIS feature ID	0949233
Website	www.villageofeastrockaway.org

The docks in East Rockaway, renovated in 2005

Village Hall

East Rockaway is a village in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. The population was 9,818 at the 2010 census.^[1]

The Incorporated Village of East Rockaway is in the town Hempstead, adjacent to Lynbrook, Hewlett, Rockville Centre, and Oceanside. The primary ethnicities are mainly Italian and Irish. The Waverly Park neighborhood, near the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Center and along the border with Hewlett, has a sizable Jewish community.

History

U.S. Census Map

Originally named Near Rockaway, the village began as a shipping and trading center for the south shore of Long Island. The village's location was desirable for ships because of its deep channels inland. Eventually a grist mill was built on the Mill River by Joseph Haviland through a land grant in 1688. The Haviland-Davison Grist Mill, located in Memorial Park, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.^[2] Later an oven was purchased to make bread for the surrounding population. The village prospered in shipping and milling over the years, even after several sales of the land.^[3]

The village's name was changed in 1869 to East Rockaway. The village was incorporated in 1900, and Floyd Johnson was president. At the time of incorporation the town had a population of 969.^[4] Back in the 1960s a student from East Rockaway High School, named Donald Scaglione, attempted to steal the school's bell from the bell tower. Unknowingly the bell weighed too much to carry, even for Don, who was one of the football team's star offensive linemen. The bell was dropped. The Scaglione family was responsible for fixing the bell. The bell tower remains empty as of October 18, 2009.

Demographics

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 10,414 people, 3,926 households, and 2,787 families residing in the village. The population density was 10,187.6 people per square mile (3,942.0/km²). There were 4,003 housing units at an average density of 3,916.0 per square mile (1,515.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.64% White, 0.61% African American, 0.03% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.79% of the population.

East Rockaway is a haven for small boats, has excellent marinas and it also houses a number of fine dining estabnlishments, some of which have been operation for nearly 50 or more years. It even has its own US Post Office. There were 3,926 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the village the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $59,911, and the median income for a family was $78,363. Males had a median income of $50,365 versus $36,387 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,601. About 2.4% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or older.

Education

Currently there are two elementary schools serving grades K-6 in the East Rockaway School District, and one Junior/Senior high school educating grades 7-12. Each grade of the high school consists of roughly 100 students.^[8] The nickname of the athletic teams is "The Rocks." All high school varsity, jr. varsity and freshman team colors are a distinctive Orange and Black. Located in East Rockaway is also St. Raymonds Catholic school consisting of pre-k through 8th grade.

East Rockaway High School fields competitive teams in football, cross country, volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball, and track. Along with these teams East Rockaway also combines with schools in the Malverne school district to form teams. These include soccer, lacrosse and tennis. School musicals and the inter-class competition known as "Rock Rivalry" are widely popular throughout the community. The western portion of East Rockaway is part of school district 20, the Lynbrook school district. Its Waverly Park Elementary School, which feeds into Lynbrook South Middle School, is located in East Rockaway.^[9]

Notable people

• Gary Giddins (1948- ), writer, Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams
• Reid Gorecki (1980-), Major League Baseball player
• Brian Keith (1921–1997), actor Family Affair
• Don Murray (1929- ), actor Bus Stop

Village services

The village is protected by the 4th Precinct of the Nassau County Police Department. Fire and ambulance services are provided by the all volunteer East Rockaway Fire Department.

Parks

• John Street Complex — This recreational complex has one baseball diamond, two basketball courts, and a concession stand. Flag Football, Baseball, and Basketball are played at this complex.^[10][11]
• Bay Park — A large park located in the Bay Park neighborhood in the village's southern half. Contains multiple baseball and softball fields, two playgrounds, a football/soccer field, a picnic area, and more. Had renovations that had been occurring since 2012 completed in 2015 by the county.

Transportation

East Rockaway contains two Long Island Rail Road stations, both of which serve the Long Beach Branch. The main station between Ocean Avenue and Atlantic Avenue, and the Centre Avenue station northwest of there. Until 1951, there was also a third station at Atlantic Avenue.

East Rockaway also has two active gas stations. Monday evenings from Memorial Day to Labor Day local car collectors meet with their vehicles in the parking lot next to the Post Office near the Mill River.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to East Rockaway, New York.

• The Village of East Rockaway official website
• East Rockaway Fire Department
• East Rockaway Library
• East Rockaway School District
• East Rockaway Chamber of Commerce

Town of Hempstead, New York
County	Nassau
Villages	Atlantic Beach Bellerose Cedarhurst East Rockaway Floral Park Freeport Garden City Hempstead Hewlett Bay Park Hewlett Harbor Hewlett Neck Island Park Lawrence Lynbrook Malverne Mineola New Hyde Park Rockville Centre South Floral Park Stewart Manor Valley Stream Woodsburgh
Hamlets	Baldwin Baldwin Harbor Barnum Island Bay Park Bellerose Terrace Bellmore Bethpage East Atlantic Beach East Garden City East Meadow Franklin Square Garden City South Harbor Isle Hewlett Inwood Levittown Lido Beach Merrick North Lynbrook Oceanside Point Lookout Roosevelt Salisbury (South Westbury) Seaford South Hempstead South Valley Stream Uniondale Wantagh West Hempstead Woodmere
CDPs	Elmont Lakeview Malverne Park/Malverne Oaks North Bellmore North Merrick North Valley Stream North Wantagh
State Parks	Hempstead Lake Jones Beach Valley Stream