Island Park is a village located in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is a neighbor to Long Beach to the south, and Oceanside to the north. The population was 4,928 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Island Park was developed by the Island Park-Long Beach Company as a resort community in the 1920s, after previous development plans for the area were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I and the subsequent wartime efforts.

Island Park incorporated itself as a village in 1926. Its first mayor was Charles N. Talbot, who served in that capacity for 12 years. The proposal was ultimately defeated, and to this day, Harbor Isle remains an unincorporated hamlet governed by the Town of Hempstead.

Geography

thumb|left|U.S. Census map of Island Park.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Island Park village, New York – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>

!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|-

|White alone (NH)

|3,694

|3,170

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,729

|78.06%

|68.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |55.38%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|31

|64

|style='background: #ffffe6; |149

|0.66%

|1.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.02%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|2

|3

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9

|0.04%

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.18%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|50

|115

|style='background: #ffffe6; |203

|1.06%

|2.47%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.12%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|2

|0

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8

|0.04%

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|15

|21

|style='background: #ffffe6; |60

|0.32%

|0.45%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.22%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|74

|48

|style='background: #ffffe6; |125

|1.56%

|1.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.54%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|864

|1,234

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,645

|18.26%

|26.51%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |33.38%

|-

|Total

|4,732

|4,655

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,928

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Island Park had a population of 4,928. The median age was 41.6 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.3 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,725 households in Island Park, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.7% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.1% aged 19 and under, 6.1% from 20 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.8 years. Female population was 51.1% and male population was 49.9%. The board votes on all resolutions in the village and are chiefly responsible for all municipal operations. The Village Clerk runs the day-to-day operations of the Village and acts as a supervisor for all Village staff.

Education

Island Park is located entirely within the boundaries of the Island Park Union Free School District, which provides education to all children in the Village of Island Park who attend public schools through grade 8. Students in grades K-4 attend the Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School, and those in grades 5-8 attend Lincoln Orens Middle School.

Children in grades 9–12 attend Long Beach High School, which is a part of the Long Beach City School District.

From circa 1968<!--2018 - 50 , source text: "After almost 50 years" --> to 2008, the Island Park district sent high school students only to West Hempstead High School, operated by the West Hempstead Union Free School District. From circa 2008 to 2018,<!--Source text: "It's been nearly a decade since[...]"--> Island Park school district residents had the choice of attending either Long Beach HS or West Hempstead HS. In 2018 the Island Park school district stopped paying for Island Park residents to have the West Hempstead choice, and this was effective the 2019-2020 school year.

Transportation

Road

Major roads within Island Park include Island Parkway, Austin Boulevard, Long Beach Road, and Warwick Road. All of which are owned by Nassau County and are maintained by both the Village and County through a shared services agreement.

  • Anthony D'Esposito (born 1982), Congressman, United States House of Representatives (2023–)
  • Tim Dillon (born 1985), actor, comedian, and host of The Tim Dillon Show podcast.
  • John F. Good (1936–2016), FBI agent who created the Abscam sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
  • Raymond Kelly (born 1941), former New York City Police Commissioner.
  • Vinny Palermo, former de facto head of the New Jersey DeCalvacante mafia family and basis for character Tony Soprano from the HBO series The Sopranos. Lived in Island Park with his family in the 1990s.

References

  • Official website