The Town of Babylon is one of ten

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Suffolk County, New York Suffolk County () is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. It is mainly located on the eastern end of Long Island, but also includes several smaller islands. According to the 2020 United States census, the county's populatio ...

, United States. Its population was 218,223 as of the 2020 census. Parts of

Jones Beach Island Jones Beach Island is one of the outer barrier islands off the southern coast of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. Etymology It is named for Major Thomas Jones, who first came to Long Island in 1692, where he proceeded to build the ...

, Captree Island and

Fire Island Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York. Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also Long ...

are in the southernmost part of the town. It borders Nassau County to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. At its westernmost point, it is about from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

at the

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

border, and about from

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. The

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

is also within the town.

History

The region was once called Huntington South. Nathaniel Conklin moved his family to the area, and around 1803 named it New Babylon, after the ancient city of

. The town was officially formed in 1872 by a partition of the Town of Huntington.

Communities and locations

The following communities and locations are within the Town of Babylon:

Villages

Amityville Amityville () is a village near the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York. The population was 9,523 at the 2010 census. History Huntington settlers first visited the Amityville area in 1653 due ...

, in the southwestern part of the town. *

, in the southeastern section of the town. * Lindenhurst, in the southern part of the town, between the villages of Babylon and Amityville.

Hamlets

* Captree or Captree Island *

Copiague Copiague ( ) is a hamlet on Long Island (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 23,429 at the 2020 census. Copiague is an unincorporated place within Babylon. Geography Copiague is located ...

* Deer Park *

East Farmingdale East Farmingdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The population of the CDP was 6,484 at the 2010 census. Located in the Town of Babylon, the residents are served by the Farmingda ...

* Gilgo, includes communities of

West Gilgo Beach West Gilgo Beach is a small private gated community located in the town of Babylon, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is part of the Gilgo census-designated place. History West Gilgo Beach was founded on Sept 18, 1939 by reside ...

, Gilgo Beach, and Cedar Beach * North Amityville * North Babylon * North Lindenhurst *

Oak Beach Oak Beach is a small community and census-designated place located near the eastern end of Jones Beach Island, a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay of Long Island. The community is part of the village of Babylon in ...

, includes community of Oak Island *

West Babylon West Babylon is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 43,213 at the 2010 census. Geography West Babylon is located at (40.713399, -73.357106). West Babylon is bord ...

Wheatley Heights Wheatley Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 5,130 at the 2010 census. The CDP, located in the Town of Babylon, is named after the hamlet in the same general vicinity. In the past, some or ...

Wyandanch Wyandanch (, ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 12,990 at the 2020 census. In the past, some or all of Wyandanch was proposed to become part of the never-realiz ...

Other communities

* Amity Harbor, in the hamlet of

* Copiague Harbor, in the hamlet of

Islands

*''Captree Island'', an island partly in the southeastern part of the town and containing part of Captree State Park. *''Cedar Island'', an island in the Great South Bay. *''Gilgo Island'', an island in the western end of the Great South Bay. *''Grass Island'', an island in the Great South Bay. *''Thatch Island'', an island in the Great South Bay. *''Oak Island'', an island in the Great South Bay.

Beaches

* Cedar Beach * Gilgo Beach * Oak Beach * Overlook Beach

State parks

Belmont Lake State Park Belmont Lake State Park is a day-use state park located in North Babylon, New York on Long Island. History Belmont Lake State Park was established in 1926 on land that was formerly part of the " Nursery Stud Farm", a Thoroughbred horse farm owne ...

, a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

in the northeastern part of the town. *

Captree State Park Captree State Park is a state park located in the towns of Babylon and Islip in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The park is located south of Captree Island on the easternmost end of Jones Beach Island, and overlooks the Fire Island ...

, a

partly in the southeastern section of the town and adjacent to the Fire Island Inlet. *

Gilgo State Park Gilgo State Park is a undeveloped state park in Gilgo, Suffolk County, New York. The park is located on Jones Beach Island, a barrier island off the southern shore of Long Island. History Previous use of the land was for a United States Life-S ...

, an undeveloped preserve on a barrier island on the southern side of the town. * Robert Moses State Park, a

on Fire Island, is partly in the town.

Other

* ''Fire Island Inlet'', a passage between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay. * The town was featured in the American version of

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...

Kitchen Nightmares ''Kitchen Nightmares'' is an American reality television series formerly broadcast on the Fox network, in which chef Gordon Ramsay is invited by the owners to spend a week with a failing restaurant in an attempt to revive the business. Produced ...

. Ramsay spent a week at Peter's, an Italian eatery that's now out of business. *Tanner Park, Town of Babylon, Copaigue, New York

Media

WBAB WBAB (102.3 FM) is a classic rock radio station licensed to Babylon, New York and owned by Cox Radio. The station is also simulcast on WHFM (95.3 FM) licensed to Southampton, New York and serving eastern Long Island. History WBAB first went o ...

102.3FM is licensed to Babylon with studios at 555 Sunrise Highway. ''The Babylon Beacon'' has covered the town for many years.

Geography

The western town line is the border of Nassau County, and the southern town boundary is the Atlantic Ocean. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of 114.2 square miles (295.7 km²), of which 52.3 square miles (135.4 km²) is land and 61.9 square miles (160.2 km²) is water. The total area is 54.20% water.

Government

Babylon is governed by superviso
Rich Schaffer
and four town council members.

Transportation

Airports

Republic Airport Republic Airport is a regional airport in East Farmingdale, New York, located one mile east of Farmingdale village limits. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation ''reliever airpo ...

is an airport in East Farmingdale originally built by

Fairchild Aircraft Fairchild was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale, New York; Hagerstown, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas. History Early aircraft The company was founded by Sherman Fairchild in 1 ...

in 1927, and acquired by

Republic Aviation The Republic Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, New York, on Long Island, New York, Long Island. Originally known as the Seversky Aircraft Company, the company was responsible for the design and produc ...

in 1939. Currently, it also houses the

American Airpower Museum The American Airpower Museum is an aviation museum located on the former site of Republic Aviation at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, New York. It maintains a collection of aviation artifacts and an array of aircraft spanning the many ye ...

. Zahn's Airport also existed in North Amityville from 1936 to 1980.

Long Island Macarthur Airport Long Island MacArthur Airport (formerly known as Islip Airport) is a public airport in Ronkonkoma, New York, on Long Island. The Town of Islip owns and operates the airport, which serves about two million airline passengers a year, as well as g ...

is a nearby commercial city-owned airport in Ronkonkoma, with daily commercial flights.

Railroad lines

The

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk Co ...

Babylon Branch The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The term refers to the trains serving Montauk Branch stations from Valley Stream east to Babylon; in other words, the Babylon Branch is ...

is the primary railroad line in the town running from the Nassau County Line and terminating in the Village of Babylon with stations from

. Rail freight service also exists along the Central Branch which also uses some

Montauk Branch The Montauk Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch runs the length of Long Island, 115 miles (185 km) from Long Island City on the west to Montauk on the east. How ...

trains running from the Main Line in Bethpage. East of Babylon station, the Montauk Branch continues across the Babylon-Islip Town Line. Additionally, the

Main Line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

runs through the northern part of the town with stations in Pinelawn,

and Deer Park.

Bus service

The Town of Babylon is served primarily by

Suffolk County Transit Suffolk County Transit is the provider of bus services in Suffolk County, New York on Long Island and is an agency of the Suffolk County government. It was founded in 1980 as a county-run oversight and funding agency for a group of private con ...

bus routes.

Major roads

Southern State Parkway The Southern State Parkway (also known as the Southern State or Southern Parkway; abbreviated as SO on Road signs in the United States, signage) is a limited-access highway on Long Island, New York (state), New York, in the United States. The pa ...

Robert Moses Causeway The Robert Moses Causeway is an parkway in Suffolk County, New York on Long Island. The parkway, originally known as the Captree Causeway, connects West Islip on Long Island to the barrier beach islands, such as Captree Island, Jones Beach I ...

Ocean Parkway * NY-24

New York State Route 24 New York State Route 24 (NY 24) is a east–west state highway on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. The highway is split into two segments, with the longest and westernmost of the two extending from an interchange with In ...

New York State Route 27 New York State Route 27 (NY 27) is a long state highway that runs east–west from Interstate 278 (I-278) in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York. Its two most prominent c ...

New York State Route 27A New York State Route 27A (NY 27A) is a state highway extending from Massapequa in Nassau County to Oakdale in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York (state), New York, in the United States. Its two most prominent components are Merric ...

New York State Route 109 New York State Route 109 (NY 109), also known as the Babylon–Farmingdale Turnpike, is a four-lane state highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. It runs from Farmingdale in the Nassau County town of Oyster Bay to ...

New York State Route 110 New York State Route 110 (NY 110) is a major north–south state highway along the western border of Suffolk County, New York. It runs between the village of Amityville in the town of Babylon and Halesite in the town of Huntington. NY ...

New York State Route 231 New York State Route 231 (NY 231) is a north–south state highway located in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. The route extends for from a partial interchange with NY 27A in Babylon to an interchange with the Nort ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 211,792 people, 69,048 households, and 52,407 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 4,050.0 people per square mile (1,563.8/km²). There were 71,186 housing units at an average density of 1,361.3 per square mile (525.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 76.34%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 15.65%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.27% Native American, 1.89%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 3.36% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.47% from two or more races. 10.05% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 69,048 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.45. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $60,064, and the median income for a family was $66,261. Males had a median income of $45,160 versus $32,062 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $22,844. 6.7% of the population and 4.6% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

. Out of the total population, 7.4% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Notable people

Steve Bellone Steven Bellone (born September 11, 1969) is an American politician serving as the 8th and current County Executive of Suffolk County, New York, on Long Island. Early life and education Steven Bellone was raised in Babylon, New York. He gradu ...

, Suffolk County Executive * Tom Bohrer, Olympic rower *

Rodney Dangerfield Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Rodney Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, his catchphrase "I don't get no resp ...

, comedian *

Dan Meuser Daniel Philip Meuser ( ; born February 10, 1964) is an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist who is the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district. A Republican, he previously served as the secretary of rev ...

, US Representative for

Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district is located in the east central part of the state and encompasses all of Carbon County, Columbia County, Lebanon County, Montour County, and Schuylkill County, as well as parts of Berks County, Luzerne ...

Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah or simply Rakim (), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, rapper

References

External links

* * *
''Babylon Beacon'' (local newspaper)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babylon (Town), New York Towns on Long Island Towns in Suffolk County, New York Towns in the New York metropolitan area Populated coastal places in New York (state) Populated places established in 1872 1872 establishments in New York (state)