Fort Salonga is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in the

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 ...

of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. The population was 10,008 at the 2010 census. The hamlet is considered the easternmost part of the historic

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

of Long Island, with the Geissler Estate being located within the hamlet.

History

One night during the Revolutionary War, Colonial forces landed on the beach in nearby Crab Meadow, and moving down the beach overtook the fort. In the post-

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

era the rich red clay deposits gave birth to a successful

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

works as well as other trade. Barges loaded with

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutri ...

swept from the streets of

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 ...

would arrive, and farmers from nearby towns would come to get the manure for fertilizer. The emptied barges were then loaded with bricks for the trip back to the city. One of the brick companies to operate there in the late 19th century was owned by the Brown family, whose bricks bore the initials BBB for Brown's Best Bricks. The family home on the top of the hill on Breeze Hill Road has served as the clubhouse for the Indian Hills Country Club since 1963.

The hamlet's name

The name evolved from the Revolutionary War-era British

Fort Salonga Fort Salonga, also known as NYSDHP Unique Site No. A103-08-0036, is an archeological site in the vicinity of Fort Salonga, New York that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is the site of the Revolutionary War Britis ...

, or Fort Slongo, (named after one of the fort’s architects) once located near the border of the towns of Huntington and Smithtown, overlooking the

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

. The area was formerly known as Fresh Pond.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.12%, is water. The Fort Salonga CDP includes the hamlet of Crab Meadow.

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 9,634 people, 3,225 households, and 2,715 families residing in the CDP. 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 1,068.8 per square mile (412.8/km²). There were 3,310 housing units at an average density of 367.2/sq mi (141.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.83%

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 ...

, 0.61%

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 ...

, 0.05% Native American, 1.71%

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 ...

, 0.28% 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 0.51% from two or more races.

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 were 2.25% of the population. There were 3,225 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.8% 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, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 12.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.22. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males. Fort Salonga is an affluent location, with a median family income for a household in the CDP of $98,128, and the median income for a family was $106,253. Males had a median income of $70,663 versus $51,694 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 CDP was $41,933. About 2.5% of families and 3.3% of the population 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 ...

, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The portion of Fort Salonga located within the Town of Huntington is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the

Northport-East Northport Union Free School District Northport-East Northport Union Free School District is a school district in New York. History In 1922 the East Northport and Eatons Neck districts united with Northport, forming the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District, and in ...

, while the portion located within the Town of Smithtown is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Kings Park Central School District. As such, children who reside within Fort Salonga and attend public schools go to school in one of these two districts, depending on where they live within Fort Salonga. The school district boundary within Fort Salonga overlaps with the town boundaries, following Bread and Cheese Hollow Road.

References

External links

Fort Salonga Association official website
{{authority control Huntington, New York Smithtown, New York Long Island Sound Census-designated places in New York (state) Hamlets in New York (state) Census-designated places in Suffolk County, New York Hamlets in Suffolk County, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state)