Amityville

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)

Amityville
—  Village  —
Amityville Village Hall
U.S. Census Map
Amityville Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 40°40′18″N 73°24′54″W / 40.67167°N 73.415°W / 40.67167; -73.415Coordinates: 40°40′18″N 73°24′54″W / 40.67167°N 73.415°W / 40.67167; -73.415
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Suffolk
Government
• Mayor	Peter T. Imbert
Area
• Total	2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2)
• Land	2.1 sq mi (5.4 km2)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2)
Elevation	20 ft (6 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	9,441
• Density	4,508.4/sq mi (1,740.7/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
Website	www.amityville.com

Amityville is a village in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. The population was 9,441 at the 2000 census.

History

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.^[1] The area was originally called Huntington West Neck South (it is on the Great South Bay and Suffolk County, New York border in the southwest corner of what once called Huntington South but is now the Town of Babylon. According to village lore, the name was changed in 1846 when residents met to find a better name for its new post office. The meeting turned into bedlam and one participant was to exclaim, "What this meeting needs is some amity". Another version says the name was first suggested by mill owner Samuel Ireland to name the town for his boat, the Amity.^[2]

The place name is strictly speaking an incidental name, marking an amicable agreement on the choice of a place name ^[3] The village was formally incorporated on March 3, 1894. In the early 1900s Amityville was a popular tourist destination with large hotels on the bay and large homes. Annie Oakley was said to be a frequent guest of vaudevillian Fred Stone. Will Rogers had a home across Clocks Boulevard from Stone. Gangster Al Capone also had a house in the community. Amityville has been twinning with Le Bourget, France since 1979.^[1]

The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror house in 2005. The house's signature quarter moon windows on the top floor were replaced in 1990.

Amityville is best known as the setting of The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson which was published in 1977, and has been turned into a series of films made between 1979 and 2012. 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 and killed six members of his family at 112 Ocean Avenue. In December 1975 George and Kathy Lutz and Kathy's three children moved into the house, 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 Dutch Colonial Revival architecture house built in 1927 was put on the market in May 2010 for $1.15 million and sold in September for $950,000.^[4]

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 4,508.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,744.1/km²). There are 3,577 housing units at an average density of 660.8 persons/km² (1,708.1 persons/sq mi). The ethnic 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 18 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 $90,068, and the median income for a family is $105,381 Males have a median income of $88,057 versus $65,291 for females.The per capita income for the village is $27,750. 2.5% of the population and 1.1% of families are below the poverty line.Out of the total people living in poverty, 2.4% are under the age of 18 and 1.6% are 65 or older.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it is water. The total area is 15.38% water.

Points of interest

The Triangle in downtown Amityville

• 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.^[5]
• 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 Museum in 1972.^[5]
• The Mike James Courts at Bolden Mack Park.
• The Amityville beach.

Notable residents

• Henry Austin
• Mae Capone - Wife of Mobster Al Capone
• Benjamin Britten - world renowned British classical composer from 1939-1942.
• Tony Graffanino - MLB Player
• Mike James - NBA Player
• Kevin Kregel - Astronaut
• Donnie McClurkin - Gospel Singer
• Robert Phillips - classical guitarist
• A. J. Price - NBA player
• George Ross
• Eddie Reyes - Founder of Taking Back Sunday
• Ronald DeFeo, Jr. - Convicted mass-murderer
• George Lutz - Former owner of 112 Ocean Avenue from 1975–1976
• De La Soul - Hip Hop trio
• Annie Oakley - Famous female sharpshooter of the 19th century
• John Niland - NFL Player

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amityville, New York

External links

• Official website