Wantagh

Wantagh (WAHN-taw) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 18,871 at the time of the 2010 census. The Wantagh area was inhabited by the Merokee (or Merikoke) tribe of the Metoac Indians prior to the first wave of European settlement in the mid-17th century. Early settler accounts refer to Wantagh as "Jerusalem". The creek running northsouth through Wantagh, and which has been covered up in many places but is still visible between the Wantagh Parkway and the housing developments west of Wantagh Avenue, was originally the Jerusalem River. During the Revolutionary War, British ships traveled up Jones inlet and came ashore to raid Jerusalem farms. George Washington rode through Jerusalem on April 21, 1790, as part of his 5-day tour of Long Island. The oldest cemetery in Wantagh is the Jackson Cemetery, located just north of the St. de Chantal Roman Catholic Church. There are 63 confirmed graves that include descendants of the Jackson and Seaman families, with the most notable being Thomas Jackson, who served in the Second World War. The town's first school was established in 1790. At some time around the 1880s, Jerusalem was renamed Ridgewood, and the town's original LIRR station was named "Ridgewood Station". Later, RidgewOOD was renamed Wantagh to avoid confusion with another town in New York State with the same name.

History

Long Island's Wantagh area was inhabited by the Merokee (or Merikoke) tribe of the Metoac Indians prior to the first wave of European settlement in the mid-17th century. The oldest original settlers of the Wantagh/Jerusalem area were the Jackson and Seaman families, and their marks are still visible today. Wantagh is home to a number of New York State Historical Markers (9 of Nassau County's 25), including: Cherrywood, Capt. John Seaman's 300-acre (1.2 km²) estate and home, from 1644, on the corner of Wantagh and Jerusalem avenues. North Jerusalem Road, originally constructed in 1644 between Hempstead and Jerusalem, on to Merrick Road. The Cornbury Patent, given by Queen Anne conferring the present-day site of Jones Beach to Major Thomas Jones, whose family would later provide the land that would become Jones Beach State Park in 1929. The Samuel and Elbert Jackson House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. There are 63 confirmed graves in the Jackson Cemetery, with the most notable including Thomas Jackson, who served in the Second New York War in the Battle of Fort St. George in 1780. This cemetery includes members of the Rierson family who were Loyalists during the Revolutionary War and were warden of Long Island's first Masonic lodge in 1797. There is also a plot of land that has been redeveloped into what has been called Rierson Avenue.

Geography

Wantagh is located at 40°4029N 73°3038W (40.674697, -73.510548) It has a warm temperate climate (type Cfa) with cool winters, hot summers, and mild springs and falls. It is located in hardiness zone 8a due to its south shore location, while most of Long Island is situated in zone 7b. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.1 square miles (11 km²), of which 3.8 sq miles (9.8 km²) is land and 0.3sq miles (0.78km²) (7.25% of the area is water) The town is located on Long Island's south shore, at the southern tip of the island. The town of Wantagh has a population of 2,827. It has an area of 3.1 sq miles, or 11 km², with 3.7 sq miles of land and 7.8 square miles of water. The city has a climate of Cfa, which means it has cool winters and hot summers. It also has a mild spring and fall season, with mild winters and mild spring/fall seasons. The area has a temperature of 40°C (86°F) and an average daily rainfall of 1.7 inches (4.4 mm) The city is located near the New Jersey Turnpike, which is at the state's southern tip.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,971 people, 6,179 households, and 5,215 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,936.3 per square mile (1,907.5/km²). There were 6,250 housing units at an average density of 1,626.3/sq mi (628.4/ km²) The racial makeup of the CPD was 96.75% white, 0.20% black or African American, 0,04% Native American, 1.89% Asian, 0.,34% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.26% of the population. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was3.37. The CDP has a population of 18,788. It is home to the U.S. Open, the New York State Open, and the New Jersey State Fair. The U.N. World Cup is held in New York City in July and August each year. It also hosts the Winter Olympics in February and the Winter Paralympics in March. The city's mayor is New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is also a former mayor of New York. The town is located on New York's East Coast. It was the site of the first major rail line connection between New York and New Jersey, which was built in the late 1800s.

Parks and recreation

Parks located within the hamlet include: Cedar Creek Park (commonly referred to as being within Wantagh, but in actuality is just within neighboring Seafords borders)Twin Lakes PreserveMill PondWantagh Park is also located in the hamlets of Wantagh and Seafords. The hamlet is also home to the Long Island Rail Road station at Wantagh-Seafords. It is also known as the birthplace of the New York Mets baseball team and the New Jersey Devils hockey team. The Wantagh River runs through the town, and runs through Wantagh Park. The Long Island River flows through the village of Seafords, which is located just outside the Wantagh border. It also flows into the Little River, which runs through Seafords and into Wantagh. The Little River is a tributary of the East River, and is known as one of the most scenic rivers in New York City. It was also the site of the first recorded human life in the area, and was first documented in 17th century records. In 18th century, the area was known as "The Little River" or "The River River" and was part of the "Little River" district of Long Island. In the early 1900s, Wantagh was known for its love of baseball, particularly the New England Red Sox. The town was also a popular destination for New York Yankees baseball games. It has been home to a number of sports teams, including the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, and New York Rangers.

Education

Wantagh is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Wantagh Union Free School District. The hamlet is also home to the Maplewood School, a private school that offers nursery, pre-school, kindergarten, and summer camp programs. The Wantagh Library District and the Seaford Library District roughly correspond with those of the school districts. The boundaries of these districts within the hamlet roughly correspond to those of these school districts, so students who reside in Wantagh and attend public schools will go to school in one of these two districts depending on where in the hamlets they live. Wantagh is home to one of the New York City boroughs, the Borough of Wantagh. It is located on the East River, which runs through the town of Long Island, New York, and into the borough of Queens. The borough is the largest borough in New York state, with a population of around 2,000 people. The city's population is about 1,800 people, making it the third-largest borough in the state. It has a population growth rate of 0.7% per year, the highest rate of any New York city borough. The population of the borough is about 2,500 people, the second-highest in the city. The town's population has grown by 1.8% since the mid-1990s, when it was just over 1,200 people. Its population has increased by 2.3% since then, the largest growth rate in the borough since the early 2000s.

Transportation

Commuter rail service in Wantagh is provided by the Long Island Rail Road, specifically at the Wantagh station on the Babylon Branch. Most parking at the station is limited to Town of Hempstead residents and requires a permit. Express trains to Penn Station average roughly a 45-minute one-way trip. Bus service is provided on the n19, n54, and n55 lines. These lines are operated by Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) Merrick Road, the SeafordOyster Bay Expressway, Sunrise Highway, and Wantagh State Parkway all traverse and have major intersections or exits/entrances within Wantagh. The Wantagh Police Department is based in the town of Wantagh, New York. The department has been in existence since the early 1900s. It was formed by the Port Washington Police Department, which was later absorbed by the Nassau County Police Department. It is now part of the New York City Department of Public Safety, which has its headquarters in the Town of Long Island. The town has a population of about 3,000. It has a history of being the site of several World War II-era battles, including the Battle of the Bulge and the Second World War Battle of Gettysburg. It also was the location of the first U.S. Air Force base in the United States, which is now the base of the Air Force Support Station at Long Island MacArthur Airport, which lies just south of the town.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Wantagh, Nassau County, New York = 36.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Wantagh = 3.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 4,659 individuals with a median age of 40.4 age the population dropped by -3.55% in Wantagh, Nassau County, New York population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,859.79 residents per square mile of area (1,876.49/km²). There are average 3.04 people per household in the 6,000 households with an average household income of $107,641 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.00% of the available work force and has dropped -3.67% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 25.66%. The number of physicians in Wantagh per 100,000 population = 529.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Wantagh = 41.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 24.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 108. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 174. 81 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 25.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 47, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Wantagh, Nassau County, New York which are owned by the occupant = 91.58%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 53 years with median home cost = $410,450 and home appreciation of -2.24%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $23.43 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $9,401 per student. There are 14.6 students for each teacher in the school, 373 students for each Librarian and 466 students for each Counselor. 10.03% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 22.51% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 15.53% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).