- There is also a Town of Nassau.
Nassau County is a county located in the state of New York. As of 2000, the population is 1,334,544. It was named for William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, who became King William III of England. Its county seat is Mineola.
Nassau and Suffolk counties are generally referred to as "Long Island" (as distinct from New York City) by area residents, although the New York City boroughs of Queens and Kings County make up the island's western-most counties.
History
Nassau County was originally part of Queens County, when New York was divided into 12 counties in 1683. The area was originally contained in two towns: Hempstead and Oyster Bay. In the American Revolutionary War, the town of Hempstead was split into two, when pro-revolutionists in the northern part formed the new Town of North Hempstead, leaving royalist majorities in the Town of Hempstead. Following the 1898 formation of Greater New York, the part of Queens County that was not annexed to New York City, consisting of the two towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay and most of the town of Hempstead (excluded was the Rockaway Peninsula, which did join Greater New York), was constituted as the new Nassau County, but not until a year later in 1899. Several other names had been considered: Matinecock (note that a village in the county currently has that name), Norfolk, (presumably because of the proximity to Suffolk County), Bryant, and Sagamore, but Nassau had the historical advantage of having at one time been the name of Long Island.
In 1910 (some sources state 1918), The Village of Glen Cove, in the Town of Oyster Bay, became a city and seceded from the Town of Oyster Bay.
In 1918, the Village of Long Beach was incorporated in the Town of Hempstead. In 1922, it became a city and seceded from the Town of Hempstead.
Law and government
The county legislature has 19 members. The current county executive is Democrat Thomas Suozzi who was elected as the first Democratic county executive in 2001.
Like its neighbor, Suffolk County, in U.S. Politics the county was long controlled by the Republican Party. In the 1990s, it began to swing Democratic. Democrat Bill Clinton won the county in presidential elections of 1992 and 1996. Later Nassau voters gave a large margin of victory to Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry won in 2004.
Long Island's only Republican member of Congress, Representative Peter King is from Nassau County, his district includes heavily populated suburban neighborhoods like Massapequa, Levittown, Hicksville, and Glen Cove, but Nassau County is also home to the popular gun-control advocate, Democrat Carolyn McCarthy, whose district includes Garden City, Hempstead, and Rockville Centre. McCarthy defeated a Republican congressman in 1996 and has held on to her seat since. Nassau County's other two congressmen are both Democrats. Representative Gary Ackerman, represents the northwestern part of the county, including Great Neck and Port Washington. Steve Israel's district is mainly in Suffolk County, but also includes parts of Plainview, Old Bethpage, Jericho, Syosset, and Woodbury in Nassau County.
Geography
Nassau County occupies a portion of Long Island immediately east of New York City, in the southeastern portion of New York State. It is divided into
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,173 km² (453 mi²). 743 km² (287 mi²) of it is land and 431 km² (166 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 36.72% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,334,544 people, 447,387 households, and 347,172 families residing in the county. The population density is 1,797/km² (4,655/mi²). There are 458,151 housing units at an average density of 617/km² (1,598/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 79.30% White, 10.09% African American, 0.16% Native American, 4.73% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.57% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. 9.99% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 447,387 households out of which 35.30% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.10% are married couples living together, 10.90% have a female householder with no husband present, and 22.40% are non-families. 18.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.93 and the average family size is 3.34.
In the county the population is spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 92.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $72,030, and the median income for a family is $81,246. Males have a median income of $52,340 versus $37,446 for females. The per capita income for the county is $32,151. 5.20% of the population and 3.50% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.80% of those under the age of 18 and 5.60% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities, Towns, Villages, and hamlets
Adjacent counties and areas
Nassau County's east border is Suffolk County, and its west border is Queens County, a Borough of New York City. To the north is the Long Island Sound with Westchester County, New York and the State of Connecticut on the opposite shore. To the south is the Atlantic Ocean.
External links
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