Holtsville is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
and
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...
(CDP) in
Suffolk County, on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
, in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, United States. The population was 19,714 at the 2010 census.
The hamlet is mainly in the
Town of Brookhaven, while the southwestern portion is in the
Town of Islip. An
IRS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
Processing Center is located in Holtsville, along with
NYPA's
Richard M. Flynn Power Plant.
History
The hamlet known today as Holtsville included only a few farmhouses in the late 18th century. In 1843, the
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad 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 County on Long Islan ...
opened its
Waverly station. Maps from that period label the area as ''Waverly'', and a stagecoach line ran north–south along present day Waverly Avenue. As another post office named
Waverly already existed in New York, the name of the hamlet was changed to Holtsville in 1860, in honor of U.S. Postmaster General
Joseph Holt
Joseph Holt (January 6, 1807 – August 1, 1894) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician. As a leading member of the James Buchanan#Administration and Cabinet, Buchanan administration, he succeeded in convincing Buchanan to oppose the ...
. As of 1874, Holtsville consisted of 15 houses, a school, and a general store.
The train station retained the name "Waverly" for some time, but was eventually also changed to Holtsville, probably in the 1890s, after farmers complained about their shipments going upstate by mistake.
[Bayles, Richard Mather. ''Bayles' Long Island Handbook'' (Budget Steam Print: Babylon, New York, 1885) (1885 guidebook notes that the train station is called Waverly)] In 1916, the Suffolk County
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
Sanatorium opened on land that was considered Holtsville at the time, but is now part of the hamlet of
Selden. The site later became the location of the main campus of
Suffolk County Community College.
The
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
opened a large processing center on a site in the hamlet in 1972.
The rail era in Holtsville ended in 1998, when a number of LIRR stations closed due to low ridership.
Holtsville commuters were advised to use
Medford and
Ronkonkoma stations; more use Ronkonkoma because, except for a few peak-hour trains terminating in
Mineola or
Hicksville, boarding at Medford would require transfer to an electric train at Ronkonkoma anyway.
As of 2016, the Internal Revenue Service in Holtsville has the lowest
ZIP Code (00501) in use in the United States.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010,
there were 19,714 people, 5,316 households, and 4,454 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 5,418 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 81.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.7%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.09%
Native American, 4.4%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 0.2% from
other races, and 0.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 11.1% of the population.
There were 5,316 households, out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.2% were non-families. 12.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.19 and the average family size was 3.47.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $68,544, and the median income for a family was $71,784. Males had a median income of $50,361 versus $31,709 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the CDP was $24,031. About 2.4% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the
poverty threshold
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 ...
, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Parks and recreation
Holtsville is home to the
Harold H. Malkmes Wildlife Education and Ecology Center, a public zoo and ecological park located on the site of a former landfill. Some of the amenities at the park include: a triple pool complex; exercise-trail fitness course; nature preserve and ecology center, featuring buffalo, bobcats, eagles, ecology exhibits and tours, free
compost
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...
, greenhouses and a picnic area.
Education
The
Sachem School District serves the residents of Holtsville.
References
Islip (town), New York
Brookhaven, New York
Hamlets in New York (state)
Census-designated places in New York (state)
Census-designated places in Suffolk County, New York
Hamlets in Suffolk County, New York