Manhasset, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manhasset is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 8,362. Manhasset is a Native American term that translates to "the island neighborhood." A 2005 Wall Street Journal article ranked Manhasset as the best town for raising a family in the New York metropolitan area [1].
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[edit] Geography
Manhasset is located at (40.792754, -73.693263)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.2 km² (2.4 mi²). 6.2 km² (2.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (1.24%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 8,362 people, 2,831 households, and 2,185 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,350.9/km² (3,505.8/mi²). There were 2,917 housing units at an average density of 471.2/km² (1,223.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 75.1% White, 12.3% African American, 0.9% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.5% of the population. (please note that the statistics are of the year 2000)
There were 2,831 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 6.81 and the average family size was 5.73.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $88,472, and the median income for a family was $104,601. Males had a median income of $65,294 versus $41,997 for females. The per capita income for the town was $43,454. 5.7% of the population and 3.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.4% are under the age of 18 and 6.9% are 65 or older.
Manhasset is a heavily Catholic community, which caused some tension when the North Hempstead Supervisor objected to a priest's blessing at a 2005 Christmas tree lighting in the village.
[edit] History
19th Century Manhasset was a farming community on the valley road (now Community Drive) from Hyde Park and Success Pond (now New Hyde Park and Lake Success) to Manhasset Bay, an inlet of Long Island Sound between the Great Neck and Cow Neck peninsulas. This was one of the passes through the line of hills separating the Hempstead Plains of Long Island from its North Shore. At the end of the century the Long Island Railroad built a high trestle to carry a single track extension of the Great Neck line over the tip of Manhasset Bay and through the high land of Cow Neck to Port Washington. The present station under Plandome Road opened in the 1920s, when a few pioneering commuters from the City started turning a lowland rural community into a highland commuter town. A commercial district developed along Plandome Road. New public buildings appeared, including a red brick elementary school, a Town Hall for North Hempstead, a Post Office, and a telephone exchange for the peninsula. With Manhasset recentered upon Cow Neck, the old name for the high land was forgotten and the Valley withered.
"Manhasset Press" is the community's local paper published weekly by Anton News.[2]
[edit] Schools
- Manhasset High School
- Manhasset Middle School
- Shelter Rock Elementary School
- Munsey Park Elementary School
- St Mary's Elementary School
- St Mary's High School
- Our Lady of Grace Montessory School
- The Manhasset School District covers not only the unincorporated areas discussed in the census reports, but several incorporated villages including Plandome, Plandome Manor, Munsey Park and part of Flower Hill. The Valley School, serving Manhasset's African American community, was closed in the 1960s by a desegregation lawsuit. The centrally located and antiquated Plandome Road School was demolished in the 1970's, having been replaced by the new Shelter Rock School.
- Manhasset is one of Long Island's most highly regarded public schools that routinely sends its graduates to colleges rated highly competitive by Barron's College Guide [3].
[edit] Sports
- Manhasset's mascot is the Indians and school colors are orange and blue.
- Manhasset has a long, established rivalry with the Garden City Trojans. In recent years, a side rivalry has developed with the Cold Spring Harbor Seahawks.
- In 1932, Manhasset established the first HS Lacrosse team on Long Island while Garden City followed shortly after in 1934 [4]. A yearly lacrosse tradition known as the "Woodstick Classic" emerged between the schools and is currently the nation's longest continuous boys lacrosse rivalry. Manhasset leads the all-time series, 64-50. [5].
- The Manhasset High School girls cross country team won the Nassau County conference championship for the second consecutive year in 2005.
- The Manhasset JV football team went undefeated in 1988, 2005, and 2006.
- Manhasset Wrestling has won the small school counties two years in a row in 2005 and 2006.
- The Manhasset 2000 Boys Soccer team finished third in the New York State Tournament.
- The Manhasset Boys Outdoor Track & Field team has only five losses in at least 20 years, with an undefeated record until 2005
[edit] Commerce
Manhasset is well-known for its high-end premium open-air shopping center, the Americana Manhasset This center is along Northern Boulevard's "Miracle Mile" which is referenced in Billy Joel's 1980 hit It's Still Rock and Roll to Me. The Miracle Mile has been a mainstay in suburban shopping and includes the still operational Lord & Taylor, often referred to as the first branch store in America. In addition to Lord & Taylor, Manhasset supported branches of some of the most most well known stores in NY over the years - B. Altman and Company, Bonwit Teller, Abraham & Straus, Best & Co., Arnold Constable, Franklin Simon, Peck & Peck, W. & J. Sloane and even a J.J. Newberry.
[edit] Notable residents
- Fred Abatemarco - Former Editor-In-Chief, Popular Science Magazine
- Frances Hodgson Burnett - Prolific UK-born writer whose best-known book, The Secret Garden, was published while she was living in the Plandome Park area of Manhasset.
- Jim Brown - Hall of Fame Football Player/Actor
- L.L. Cool J - Recording Artist/Actor
- Billy Crudup - Actor, born in Manhasset, in movies such as Big Fish, Mission: Impossible III, and Almost Famous
- Boomer Esiason - Former Professional Football Player
- Mike Francesa - Sports Radio Talk Show Host of WFAN's "Mike and the Mad Dog"
- John Gagliardi - Professional lacrosse player, named one of the 150 best lacrosse players in the world.
- Leroy Grumman, founder of the Grumman Aircraft Corp
- Al Hodge, actor (Captain Video, The Green Hornet, more) and member/Sunday School teacher at the Congregational Church of Manhasset
- Ken Howard - Actor
- Chris Jericho - Musician/Former Professional Wrestler
- Sean Landeta - NFL Football Player
- Peter Le Jacq - A Maryknoll priest and special consultant to Pope John Paul II on the AIDS epidemic in East Africa
- Warner Leeds, known as the Tin-Plate King, who gave his name to Leeds Pond
- Jason Marquis - St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher
- John McConnell- Senior Vice President of ABC Radio Programming
- Patrick McEnroe, former tennis player and Davis Cup captain
- Bill O'Reilly - Fox News Anchor
- Diane Whipple - Deceased; victim of an internationally covered mauling by two dogs in San Francisco; former All-American college lacrosse player, former beloved college lacrosse coach at St. Marys College of California
- Payne Whitney, wealthy American business man and socialite
- Nick Murtha - Professional lacrosse player, named one of the 150 best lacrosse players in the world.
[edit] References
[edit] Movie References
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947) -- In the film, Fred Gailey tells Mr. Kringle that he would like to buy a colonial home in Manhasset [6].
- The Good Shepherd (2006) -- Portions of the movie were filmed in Manhasset. [7].
[edit] Television References
- Jim Brown, All American (2002) -- Portions of the Spike Lee's HBO documentary were filmed in Manhasset.
- Made (2003) -- Scenes from MTV's TV Series Made were filmed in Manhasset.
[edit] Literary References
- The Great Gatsby (1925) -- The eastern shore of the Manhasset Bay was F. Scott Fitzgerald's inspiration for "East Egg".
- The Tender Bar (2005) -- Coming of age novel by J.R. Moehringer that takes place in Manhasset. [8]
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[edit] External links
- Manhasset Chamber of Commerce
- Manhasset Community Website
- Manhasset-Lakeville Volunteer Fire Department
- A detailed history of the town
- First Congregational Church
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
