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 ...
in
Suffolk County, New York, 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 Lo ...
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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
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 ...
of
Babylon 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
Babylon.
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.
*
Babylon, 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,
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 bo ...
*
Wheatley Heights
*
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-real ...
Other communities
*
Amity Harbor, in the hamlet of
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 ...
*
Copiague Harbor, in the hamlet of
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 ...
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, a
state park in the northeastern part of the town.
*
Captree State Park, a
state park partly in the southeastern section of the town and adjacent to the Fire Island Inlet.
*
Gilgo State Park, an undeveloped preserve on a barrier island on the southern side of the town.
*
Robert Moses State Park, a
state park 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's
Kitchen Nightmares. 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 wen ...
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 t ...
, the town has a total area of 114.2 square miles (295.7 km
2), of which 52.3 square miles (135.4 km
2) is land and 61.9 square miles (160.2 km
2) is water. The total area is 54.20% water.
Government
Babylon is governed by superviso
Rich Schafferand 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 in 1927, and acquired by
Republic Aviation
The Republic Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, New York, on Long Island. Originally known as the Seversky Aircraft Company, the company was responsible for the design and production of many important ...
in 1939. Currently, it also houses the
American Airpower Museum. 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's
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 a ...
is the primary railroad line in the town running from the Nassau County Line and terminating in the Village of Babylon with stations from
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 ...
to
Babylon. 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. Howe ...
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 runs through the northern part of the town with stations in
Pinelawn,
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-real ...
and
Deer Park.
Bus service
The Town of Babylon is served primarily by
Suffolk County Transit bus routes.
Major roads
*
Southern State Parkway
The Southern State Parkway (also known as the Southern State or Southern Parkway; abbreviated as SO on signage) is a limited-access highway on Long Island, New York, in the United States. The parkway begins at an interchange with the Belt and C ...
*
Robert Moses Causeway
*
Ocean Parkway
*
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, in the United States. Its two most prominent components are Merrick Road and Monta ...
*
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. N ...
*
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 in ...
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: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...
was 4,050.0 people per square mile (1,563.8/km
2). There were 71,186 housing units at an average density of 1,361.3 per square mile (525.6/km
2). 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 o ...
, 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 ...
or
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, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 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, 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 viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino 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 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, Suffolk County Executive
*
Tom Bohrer,
Olympic rower
*
Rodney Dangerfield, 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 re ...
, 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, Luzern ...
*
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
See also
*
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)