Amityville, NY

 

Amityville, New York
Coordinates: 40°40′18″N 73°24′54″W / 40.67167, -73.415
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Suffolk
Area
- Village	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2000)
- Village
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	11701, 11708
Area code(s)	631
FIPS code	36-02044
GNIS feature ID	0942440

Amityville is a village in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States.

The area was first used by Huntington settlers in 1653 as a source of salt hay, and was incorporated as a village on March 3rd, 1894. [1]

The population was 9,441 at the 2000 census.

History

First Settlers

Huntington settlers first visited the Amityville area in 1653 as a source of salt hay. Chief Wyandanch granted the first deed to land in Amityville in 1658 [2].

The placename is strictly speaking an incident name, marking an amicable agreement on the choice of a placename (Room A. Placenames of the world: origins and meanings, p. 6).

Village Incorporation

West Neck South, as the area was first known, incorporated as a village on March 3rd, 1894. The name was changed to Amityville after a heated village meeting where residents argued over name proposals. [3]

The Village Today

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 9,441 people, 3,434 households, and 2,266 families residing in the village. The population density is 1,744.1/km² (4,508.4/mi²). There are 3,577 housing units at an average density of 660.8 persons/km² (1,708.1 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 84.34% White, 8.54% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.32% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. 9.18% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 3,434 households out of which 27.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% are married couples living together, 10.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 34.0% are non-families. 27.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.15.

In the village the population is spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village is $61,885, and the median income for a family is $72,632. Males have a median income of $52,011 versus $35,055 for females. The per capita income for the village is $27,750. 7.5% of the population and 5.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.1% are under the age of 18 and 8.7% are 65 or older.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²). 5.4 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 15.38% water.

Points Of Interest

The Triangle

The fork of Broadway and Park Avenue, along with Ireland Place create a triangular plot of land at the center of the village. The Triangle building was built in 1892, the same year that Ireland Place opened.

A Gazebo was added to the north point of The Triangle in 1988. In 1994, The Triangle was officially designated “Memorial Triangle” in memory of all who have served the village.[ http://www.amityvillehistoricalsociety.org/Hist.Chronological.htm]

Lauder Museum

The Lauder Museum is located at the corner of Broadway and Ireland Place, just south of The Triangle. The historic building was built for the Bank Of Amityville in 1909. The Amityville Historical Society opened the Lauder Musem in 1972.[ http://www.amityvillehistoricalsociety.org/Hist.Chronological.htm]

The Amityville Horror

Main article: The Amityville Horror

Amityville is best known as the setting of the novel The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson which was published in 1977, and has been turned into a series of films made between 1979 and 2005. The story of The Amityville Horror can be traced back to a real life murder case in Amityville in November 1974, when Ronald DeFeo, Jr. shot dead six members of his family at 112 Ocean Avenue. In December 1975 George and Kathy Lutz and their three children moved into 112 Ocean Avenue but left after twenty-eight days, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena produced by the house. Jay Anson's novel is said to be based on these events but has been the subject of much controversy. The house featured in the novel and its film versions still exists, but has been renovated and the address changed in order to discourage tourists from visiting it.The strange things include blood coming out of the walls, eyes in the windows, and a locked (while inside) room of locusts.

Hollywood Re-Creations

Amity Island, the setting of the 1975 film Jaws, got its name from Amityville.^{[citation needed]}

The 2004 animated series Danny Phantom also has those similarities. However, it's known as Amity Park.

Notable Residents

Famous Amityville residents include: NBA Player Mike James, MLB Player Tony Graffanino, Former Dallas Cowboy's Lineman John Niland,Astronaut Kevin Kregel, Al Capone, George Lutz, Annie Oakley, and Andria Francis. Amityville has also spawned the rock band Taking Back Sunday, who have found some commercial success. Hip-Hop group De La Soul also got their start here, as students of Amityville High School, and released their debut LP 3 Feet High and Rising soon after (1989). Most were still highschool students when their first album was released.

Amityville is also the home of legendary high school football coach Lou Howard. In the 1950s and '60s, Howard's Amityville teams were nearly unbeatable.

Amityville is also the home of the Amityville Warriors Basketball team. The warriors won the New York state championship four years in a row from 1999- 2003. The warriors also made the trip in 2004 attempting to make US history as the first team to win 5 state titles in a row, but lost to the would be champions, Jamesville- Dewitt. The roster included, AJ Price, Mark Johnson, Craig Stewart, PJ Smith, Courtney Cooke, Mat Devot, Sam Duncan, Keith Burgess, Ray Jones, Darrell Young, Brian Clinton, and Gamble Dickerson. Notable Warriors, NBA player Mike James, Sheldon Jones, Jason Fraser, and current UCONN starting point guard AJ Price.

Trivia

• Two Major League Baseball players have died in Amityville...Henry Austin (1895) and George Ross (1935).
• Amityville is the title of track 14 on Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP.
• Amityville was one of the first places in America to find an infestation of the Asian long-horned beetle in September of 1996. [4]
• In the game Dragonfable there is a town called Amityvale.

External links

• Official Website

Town of Babylon, New York
County	Suffolk County, New York
Villages	Amityville · Babylon · Lindenhurst
Hamlets	Copiague · Deer Park · East Farmingdale · Gilgo, Oak Beach  Captree · North Amityville · North Babylon · North Lindenhurst · West Babylon · Wheatley Heights · Wyandanch
Website:   townofbabylon.com

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