Rockville Centre, commonly abbreviated as RVC, is an incorporated

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 ...

located in the

Town of Hempstead The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, on t ...

in Nassau County, on the South 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 24,023 at the 2010 census.

History

Rockville Centre has been occupied by humans for thousands of years. Generally speaking, the people of the prehistoric Woodlands period East River culture are believed to have been the Algonkian-speaking ancestors of the historical Indian tribes of western Long Island. The historical territory of their

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

descendants, the Canarsie, Recouwacky (Rockaway), Matinecock and Massapequa, included present-day western Long Island's Queens and Nassau Counties. By the year 1643, there were roughly thirteen Algonquin bands (then referred to as tribes) living east of the Dutch-English settlements: the four or so

chieftaincies in western Long Island, and

Metoac Metoac is an erroneous term used by some to group together the Munsee-speaking Lenape (west), Quiripi-speaking Unquachog (center) and Pequot-speaking Montaukett (east) American Indians on what is now Long Island in New York state. The term wa ...

descendants of the prehistoric Woodlands period Windsor culture living on eastern Long Island, considered by some to be branches of the Pequot: Merrick, Nissequoge, Secatoag, Seatauket, Patchoag, Poosepatuck (also called Uncachogee), Corchaug, Shinnecock, Manhasset and Montaukett. Imported diseases had decimated the natives in 16th century. While disease was still a major factor during the decades of the 17th century, native mortality in western Long Island due to disease was similar to that of the settlers. Most

were pushed out of their homeland by expanding European colonies; the colonies received many emigrants while the

Munsee The Munsee (or Minsi or Muncee) or mə́n'si·w ( del, Monsiyok)Online Lenape Talking Dictionary, "Munsee Indians"Link/ref> are a subtribe of the Lenape, originally constituting one of the three great divisions of that nation and dwelling along t ...

-speaking Indian communities did not. Their dire situation was exacerbated by losses from intertribal conflicts. The Reckouakie tribe (the Reckonhacky chieftaincy) had left their original land in present-day

Rockaway Rockaway may refer to: Places in the United States *Rockaway Beach (disambiguation) New Jersey * Rockaway, New Jersey, a borough in Morris County *Rockaway Township, New Jersey, a township in Morris County *Rockaway Creek (New Jersey), a tributar ...

and its surroundings in Queens County to Dutch Governor Kieft in 1640 because he wanted it for better defense of New Netherlands. Most settled to the east in what was to become Rockville Centre on the traditional land of the Matinecock (or of the Massapequa), with whom they had ties of kinship. Dutch and English settlers declared the 1639 treaty meant no Indians would remain in western Long Island (so they could sell it to emigrants), in contrast to the exact terms of the treaty which meant the Native Americans were willing to share the

usufruct Usufruct () is a limited real right (or ''in rem'' right) found in civil-law and mixed jurisdictions that unites the two property interests of ''usus'' and ''fructus'': * ''Usus'' (''use'') is the right to use or enjoy a thing possessed, directl ...

of unoccupied land, with the Dutch leadership having

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

superior to their

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Al ...

's eminent domain. This led to many conflicts, then four years of open warfare. The Reckonhacky / Rockaway were party to a peace treaty dated May 24, 1645 following the devastation of Indian communities by Dutch soldiers. Violent expropriation dislocated them with the arrival of additional Dutch and English settlers. The hamlet was named "Rockville Centre" in 1849, after local Methodist preacher and community leader Mordecai "Rock" Smith. It was incorporated as a village in 1893. Rockville Centre emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

connected to New York by 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 ...

(LIRR). In 1915, the ''New York Tribune'' went so far as to declare that Rockville Centre was a place in which "the average mortal could live happily." Like many Long Island communities at the time, Rockville Centre's population included a considerable number of supporters of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

during the 1920s. When the white supremacist organization placed a wreath at the town's memorial to its war dead in 1923, the American Legion removed it in protest, but the city police received so many calls of complaint in response that they were forced to replace the wreath. In the late 1960s, the village of Rockville Centre received a stinging rebuke for its failure to maintain public housing units primarily inhabited by African-Americans. A report from Nassau County's Human Rights Commission stated Rockville Centre was "at best indifferent to, if not actually in favor of, Negro removal." Martin Luther King Jr. visited Rockville Centre in 1968, where he addressed a large audience at South Side Junior High School on March 26, 1968. On February 17, 1950, two LIRR trains collided near

Rockville Centre station The Rockville Centre station is a station along the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is officially at North Village Avenue and Front Street north of Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre, New York, but the station property spreads w ...

, killing 32 and injuring more than 80. The Rockville Centre Post Office was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1989.

Demographics

2000 census

At the time 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 24,568 people living in the village, 9,201 households and 6,468 families. 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 7,496.5 people per square mile (2,892.0/km²). There were 9,419 housing units at an average density of 2,874.0 per square mile (1,108.7/km²); ,. The racial makeup of the village was 84.3%

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 ...

, 9.8%

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 ...

, 7.8%

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, 1.5%

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.04%

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 ...

, 3.0% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. There were 9,201 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.25. The population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 women there were 87.9 men. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 81.9 men. According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the village was $99,299, and the median income for a family was $128,579. Males had a median income of $70,149 versus $43,800 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 village was $40,739. 5.0% of the population and 2.8% 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, 7.0% of those under the age of 18 and 5.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

2010 census

At the time of the

of 2010, there were 24,111 people living in the village, 9,201 households and 6,468 families. The

was 7,496.5 people per square mile (2,892.0/km²). There were 9,419 housing units at an average density of 2,874.0 per square mile (1,108.7/km²); ,. The racial makeup of the village was 78.3% White, 8.6% Black or African American, 9.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.0% Asian alone, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 0.1% Some Other Race, and 1.2% Two or More Races. There were 10,002 households, of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 32.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.28. The population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 women there were 87.9 men. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 81.9 men.

Geography

Rockville Centre is located at 40°39'48" North, 73°38'13" West (40.663390, −73.636831). The village has a total area of , of which is land and is water, the latter total comprising 2.38% of the total area.

Education

Rockville Centre students attend the

Rockville Centre Union Free School District Rockville Centre Union Free School District is a school district headquartered in the William H. Johnson Administration Building on the campus of South Side High School in Rockville Centre, New York Rockville Centre, commonly abbreviated as RV ...

, the Oceanside UFSD, and the Baldwin UFSD. The Rockville Centre U.F.S.D. has five public elementary schools
The Watson SchoolThe Covert SchoolThe Wilson SchoolThe Hewitt School
an
The Riverside School
In addition to the elementary schools, Rockville Centre also consists o
South Side Middle School
and

South Side High School Southside High School or South Side High School may refer to: *Southside High School (Gadsden, Alabama) *Southside High School (Dallas County, Alabama), a school in the Dallas County Schools system * Southside High School (Batesville, Arkansas) * ...

. The district extends beyond Rockville Centre's borders, including part of

South Hempstead South Hempstead is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 3,243 at the 2010 census. History South Hempstead's name reflects its geogra ...

, and Hempstead. Covert Elementary School is located in South Hempstead. Part of Rockville Centre is located in the Oceanside school district and a part in the Baldwin School District. According to www.schooldigger.com, South Side High School ranks 116th out of 752 schools in New York State. This is based on actual test scores.

In 2012, South Side High School was ranked #22 by U.S. News & World Report'
Best High Schools
and #2 in the state of NY. It has also consistently rated in Newsweek'
The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,300 top U.S. Schools
#42 in 2008, #44 in 2007, #32 in 2006, #45 in 2005 and #65 in 2003. Approximately 20 percent of the residents of the Village of Rockville Centre live in the Oceanside Union Free School District. Rockville Centre students attend Oceanside School #2 and Oceanside School #5 as well as the Oceanside Middle School and Oceanside High School and some live in the Baldwin School District attending Plaza Elementary School, Baldwin Middle School, and Baldwin High School in Baldwin, NY Rockville Centre has one private K-8 Catholic day school, The St. Agnes Cathedral (Rockville Centre, New York), Saint Agnes Cathedral School
The Saint Agnes Cathedral School
occupies a single campus. The Saint Agnes Cathedral School provides a day school education for Kindergarten through Eighth Grade for families across Nassau County. The Saint Agnes Cathedral School's upper school (9–12), though now defunct, shared the complex at one time. The school is widely regarded for their consistently high-rated academic program among Long Island private schools, as well as their diverse secondary school placement.

Notable people

Notable current and former residents of Rockville Centre include: Sandy Koufax

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Tripl ...

(1916–1997), jockey who was inducted into the horse racing Hall of Fame. * Dave Attell (born 1965), comedian. *

Pete Axthelm Pete Axthelm (August 27, 1943 – February 2, 1991) was a sportswriter and columnist for the '' New York Herald Tribune'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ''Newsweek'' and its ''Inside Sports''. During the 1980s, his knowledge of sports and journalistic ...

(1943–1991), sportswriter, columnist and TV commentator. *

Gina Naomi Baez Gina Naomi Baez is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. With a flourishing acting career having landed roles in Spike Lee's '' She's Gotta Have It'', ''Orange is the New Black'' and most recently CBS's ''FBI''. She has appeared in nu ...

, actress. *

Sy Berger Seymour Perry Berger (July 12, 1923 – December 14, 2014) was an employee of the Topps company for over 50 years. He is credited as being the co-designer of the 1952 Topps baseball series, as is regarded as "the father of modern baseball cards". ...

(1923–2014), baseball card designer with

Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...

Tommy Bianco Thomas Anthony Bianco (born December 16, 1952) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was born in Rockville Centre, New York. He was a switch hitter and threw right handed. Bianco was drafted by the Milwa ...

(born 1952), third baseman who played for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. * John Byner (born 1938),

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

, comedian and actor. *

John F. Carew John Francis Carew (April 16, 1873 – April 10, 1951) was an American lawyer and politician who served eight terms as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1913 to 1929. He was a nephew of Thomas Francis Magner. Biography Born in Williams ...

(1873–1951), politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1913–1929. * Brian Cashman (born 1967), general manager of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. *

Kevin Connors Kevin Connors is a sports television journalist for ESPN. He is among the most versatile studio hosts in sports television, handling ESPN's coverage of college basketball and college football, as well as Baseball Tonight. He is also a regular anc ...

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

anchor. *

Ted Demme Edward Kern Demme ( ; October 26, 1963 – January 13, 2002) was an American director, producer, and actor. Early life Demme was born in New York City, the son of Gail (née Kern) and Frederick Rogers Demme. He grew up in Rockville Centre, New ...

(1963–2002), film director and producer. * Thomas DiNapoli. New York State Comptroller *

Billy Donovan William John Donovan Jr. (born May 30, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He has served as head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since September 2020 after previously coa ...

(born 1965), head coach, Chicago Bulls, NBA. * Crystal Dunn (born 1992), association football forward, U.S. Women's National Team. *

Martin Feldstein Martin Stuart Feldstein ( ; November 25, 1939 – June 11, 2019) was an American economist. He was the George F. Baker Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the president emeritus of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER ...

(1935-2019) Chief of Economic Advisors to Ronald Reagan. *

Joseph Fins Joseph J. Fins, M.D., D. Hum. Litt., M.A.C.P., F.R.C.P. (born 1959) is an American physician and medical ethicist. He is chief of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College, where he serves a ...

(1959–), physician and medical ethicist. * Bethenny Frankel (1970–), entrepreneur. * Joel Gallen, television and film director/producer, and president of Tenth Planet Productions. *

Joe Gannascoli Joseph R. Gannascoli (born February 15, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Vito Spatafore on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Prior to acting, Gannascoli was a professional chef. Early life Gannascoli was born a ...

, actor, Vito Spatafore on ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

'' *

Doris Kearns Goodwin Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin (born January 4, 1943) is an American biographer, historian, former sports journalist, and political commentator. She has written biographies of several U.S. presidents, including ''Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream ...

, author, historian, TV news analyst, 1995 Pulitzer Prize winner for history. * Seth Grahame-Smith, writer and film producer. *

Judy Griffin Judy Griffin is an American author and politician, and a member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 21st district which includes portions of the town of Hempstead in Nassau County on Long Island. A Democrat, Griffin was first ele ...

, New York State Assemblywoman, currently lives in Rockville Centre *

Mel Gussow Melvyn Hayes "Mel" Gussow (; December 19, 1933 – April 29, 2005) was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for ''The New York Times'' for 35 years. Biography Gussow was born in New York City and grew up in Rockville ...

(1933–2005), theater critic for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. *

Amy Hargreaves Amy Hargreaves (born January 27, 1970) is an American actress who has worked in film, television, video games and theater. She had a recurring role on ''Homeland'' as Maggie Mathison. In 1994, she starred in ''Brainscan'' with Edward Furlong. I ...

, actress. * John D. Hawke Jr. (1933-2022), former United States Comptroller of the Currency * Jim Hayes (1948–2009), all-time Boston University basketball scoring average leader. * Joey Heatherton (1944–), actress and entertainer. *

Ray Heatherton Ray Heatherton (June 1, 1909 – August 15, 1997) was an American singer, Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre performer, and a New York City television personality in the early days of the medium. Early career Ray Heatherton was born ...

(1909–97), actor. *

John E. Herbst John Edward Herbst (born August 12, 1952) is a retired American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2000 to 2003 and United States Ambassador to Ukraine from September 2003 to May 2006. Education Herbst received ...

(1959-), ambassador. * Art Heyman (1941–2012), basketball player, All-American at Duke University. * Henry Hill (1943–2012), mob informant. * Donald Holder, stage lighting designer. * Billy Idol, musician * Dean Kamen (1951–),

Segway Human Transporter The Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter invented by Dean Kamen and brought to market in 2001 as the Segway HT, subsequently as the Segway PT, and manufactured by Segway Inc. ''HT'' is an initialism for "human transpo ...

inventor. *

Kerry Keating Kerry Keating (born July 15, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and the former head men's basketball coach at Santa Clara University. Early life and college education Keating was born in Stoughton, Massachusetts and grew up in Rockvi ...

, head coach,

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

Broncos, former UCLA assistant coach. *

Kevin Kelton Kevin Kelton is an American television writer and producer whose credits include ''Saturday Night Live'', ''Night Court'', ''Boy Meets World'' and other network series. He has also written articles and essays for '' National Lampoon''. Kelton is ...

(1956–), TV writer-producer, wrote for ''Saturday Night Live''. * Gilbert King (1962–), author, Pulitzer Prize winner. * Sandy Koufax (1935–), Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher. *

Frank Layden Francis Layden (born January 5, 1932) is an American former basketball coach and executive of the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz as well as former head coach of the Women's National Basketball Association's Utah Starzz. Coaching car ...

(1932–), Niagara University coach, president and coach of NBA's Utah Jazz. * Kenny Laguna, producer, songwriter and musician. *

David Wong Louie David Wong Louie (; December 20, 1954 – September 19, 2018) was a Chinese-American novelist and short story writer. Life and career Born in Rockville Centre, New York, Louie graduated from East Meadow High School in 1973, as "one of the fe ...

(1954-2018), novelist and short-story writer. * Brian Mahoney (born 1948), New York Nets player BA head coach at Manhattan College and St. John's University. *

Brendan Malone Brendan Thomas Malone (born April 21, 1942) is an American basketball coach. Early life Malone grew up in Astoria, Queens in New York City and graduated from Rice High School. Malone's father, also named Brendan, unloaded freight cars for the R ...

(1942–), assistant coach for Detroit Pistons, former head coach of Toronto Raptors and

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. *

Terry McDermott Terence McDermott (born 8 December 1951) is an English former football midfielder who was a member of the Liverpool team of the 1970s and early 1980s, in which he won three European Cups and five First Division titles. He was capped 25 times ...

, baseball player for L.A. Dodgers. * Anne Meara (1929–2015), actress and comedian, mother of actor Ben Stiller. *

Elliott Murphy Elliott James Murphy (born March 16, 1949) is an American rock singer-songwriter, novelist, record producer and journalist living in Paris. Biography Elliott Murphy was born in Rockville Centre, New York, grew up in Garden City, Long Island a ...

(born 1949), singer-songwriter. * John Nolan and

Michelle Nolan Michelle DaRosa (née Nolan) is an American musician, formerly of the band Straylight Run, for whom she was a vocalist, guitarist, and pianist. Biography Michelle DaRosa was born Michelle Nolan on September 13, 1980, in Rockville Centre, ...

of the band Straylight Run. * Mark O'Connell, drummer of the band Taking Back Sunday, attended South Side High School. *

Daryl Palumbo Daryl Palumbo (born February 10, 1979) is an American musician, originally from Bellmore, New York. He is the frontman of the bands Glassjaw, Head Automatica and Color Film. As a youth he was a member of the Long Island straight edge band ''Xbus ...

(1979–), of the bands GlassJaw and

Head Automatica Head Automatica was an American Rock music, rock band from Brooklyn, New York (state), New York fronted by Daryl Palumbo (also of Glassjaw). History The beginnings of the band stemmed from singer Daryl Palumbo's interests in the hip hop music ...

. * Floyd Patterson (1935–2006), boxer, Heavyweight Champion of the World. * Frank Pellegrino, actor and restaurateur. *

Tommy Rainone Tommy Rainone (born January 8, 1980) is an American professional boxer. Early life Rainone's love affair with boxing began at the age of seven. After watching Rocky for the first time, the Plainview, NY, Plainview Long Island native began to ...

(1980–), welterweight boxer. *

June Diane Raphael June Diane Raphael ( ; born January 4, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She has starred in TV comedy programs ''Burning Love'', Adult Swim's '' NTSF:SD:SUV::'', and ''Grace and Frankie''. Notable film work includes support ...

, actress, comedian, writer. * Bob Richardson (1928–2005), photographer. *

Tom Riker Thomas E. Riker (born February 28, 1950) is an American former professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a 6'10", 225 lb. center. Riker was selected 8th overall in the 1972 ...

(1950-), basketball player. *

Joan Roberts Joan Roberts (July 15, 1917 – August 13, 2012) was an American actress, most famous for creating the role of Laurey in the original Broadway production of ''Oklahoma!'' in 1943. Early years Roberts was born Josephine Rose Seagrist in Man ...

, created role of Laurey in original production of ''Oklahoma!'' on Broadway. * Ted Robinson, Emmy Award-winning radio and TV sportscaster. * Noah Rubin (1996–), tennis player. * Amy Schumer (1981–), comedian. *

Robert B. Silvers Robert Benjamin Silvers (December 31, 1929 – March 20, 2017) was an American editor who served as editor of ''The New York Review of Books'' from 1963 to 2017. Raised on Long Island, New York, Silvers graduated from the University of Chicago ...

(1929–2017), editor of ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'' *

Dean Skelos Dean George Skelos (born February 16, 1948) is an American former politician from Long Island, New York. A Republican, Skelos served in the New York State Assembly and later represented the Ninth District in the New York State Senate from 1985 t ...

, former New York State Senator; former New York State Senate Republican Majority Leader. * Howard Stern (1954–), radio personality. * Paulette Tavormina, photographer. * Danielle Elizabeth Tumminio, author, theologian, and religious leader. *

Vinny Testaverde Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football at Miami, where he was an All-American and won the Hei ...

, College Hall of Fame Quarterback, Heisman Trophy Winner, 2 Time NFL All Pro. *

Marc Turnesa Marc Turnesa (born March 19, 1978) is an American professional golfer who has played on the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour. He is the grandson of Mike Turnesa, one of seven well-known golfing brothers of the early 20th century. Professional car ...

, golfer on the PGA Tour. * Jay Wright (1961–), head coach of

Villanova Wildcats The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East (NCAA Division I) for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (Football Championship Sub ...

basketball team. *

AJ Wynder A. J. Wynder (born September 11, 1964) is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the Nassau Community College men's basketball team. A former professional basketball player, during his playing career Wynder was a membe ...

, basketball player for 1990–91 Boston Celtics. *

Matt Reeves Matt Reeves (born April 27, 1966) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He first gained recognition for the WB drama series ''Felicity (TV series), Felicity'' (1998–2002), which he co-created with J. J. Abrams. Reeves came t ...

(1966–), film director.

In popular culture

*The third season episode ''Long Island'', of Dave Attell's television show ''Insomniac'' featured several locales in Rockville Centre, including Stinger's Irish Pub, the LIRR station, and the comedian's home. *''

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (also simply known as ''Eternal Sunshine'') is a 2004 American romantic science fiction drama film written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Michel Gondry, and starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. P ...

'' (2004), starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Rockville Centre is mentioned as the home-destination of both Joel Barish (Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Winslet) when the two play hooky from work to visit Montauk. * Edward Burns has filmed scenes of several of his films in Rockville Centre.

References

External links

* **
Rockville Centre Public Library

Official website
of the village's

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

*
Rockville Centre Herald
' {{authority control 1849 establishments in New York (state) Hempstead, New York Villages in New York (state) Villages in Nassau County, New York