West Hempstead 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
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
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:
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* '' ...
, United States. The population was 19,835 at the 2020 census.
[ It is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempstead and is represented by Councilman Edward Ambrosino.
The residents in the hamlet had once unsuccessfully proposed to change their hamlet's name to Mayfair Park.
]
History
West Hempstead first appeared on maps as the name of a Long Island Railroad
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, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County on Long Island. With an average week ...
station in 1893. There are three railroad stations within its borders: West Hempstead, Hempstead Gardens, and Lakeview. The line continues to Valley Stream
Valley Stream is a village in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population in the Village of Valley Stream was 37,511 at the 2010 census.
The incorporated Village of Valley Stream is within the Town of Hempstead, a ...
where it joins the 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 ...
. Halls Pond Park, the main park within West Hempstead, was dedicated by Nassau County in 1961. The smaller Echo Park contains a public indoor pool. Its name is derived from the community's first four little league teams: Eagles, Cardinal, Hawks, and Orioles. In 1956, the West Hempstead Public Library was founded and chartered by the State in 1967. Its present 28,000 square-foot facility was completed in 2007.
In 2001, residents of West Hempstead held a nonbinding referendum on renaming the community. The vote followed a two-year effort by the West Hempstead Civic Association and the West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce to give the community a unique name, distancing itself from the neighboring crime ridden Hempstead. By a 94-vote margin, West Hempstead retained its name over the proposed Mayfair Gardens.
West Hempstead is easily accessed from the 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 ...
at Exit 17N.
The West Hempstead Union Free School District currently operates 5 schools; 1 kindergarten, 2 elementary, 1 middle school and 1 high school.
West Hempstead's name reflects upon the fact that it is located immediately west of the Village of Hempstead.
Geography
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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (3.64%) is water.
West Hempstead lies on a gently sloping terrain between the Hempstead Plains
The Hempstead Plains is a region of central Long Island, in what is now Nassau County, in New York State. It was once an open expanse of native grassland estimated to once extend to about . It was separated from the North Shore of Long Island by ...
and the Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. Pine Stream runs through the center of West Hempstead, feeding into Halls Pond. The community is bordered on the east by Hempstead Lake State Park
Hempstead Lake State Park is a state park located in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York in the United States. The park is located in West Hempstead, New York, West Hempstead and is one of three state parks within t ...
and on the south by the 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 ...
.
Demographics
2010 Census
As of the 2010 2010 Census, there were 4,867 families residing in the West Hempstead Census Designated Place (CDP) and 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 7,039.1 per square mile (2,716.2/km2). There were 6,110 housing units at an average density of 2,298.3/sq mi (886.9/km2).
There were 6,024 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% 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, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.47.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $97,627 and the median income for a family was $102,481. Males had a median income of $52,391 versus $39,871 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 $32,732. About 2.4% of families and 3.7% 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 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
2017 ACS
As of the American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...
of 2013–2017, there were 19,841 people in 6,148 households. The racial makeup of the CDP was 70.8% 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 ...
, 12.8% 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 ...
, 0.5% Native American, 9.5% 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 ...
, 0.0% 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 ...
, 11.3% 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 4.6% 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 ...
or 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 20.3% of the population.
In the 2017 ACS, the CDP population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18 and 14.8% age 65 or older. The median age was 40.3 years.
The CDP is 5.1% people under age 5, 5.8% people age 5–9 years old, 7.9% people age 10–14 years old, 7.3% people age 15–19 years old, 7.0% people age 20–24 years old, 11.8% people age 25–34 years old, 11.1% people age 35–44 years old, 16.5% people age 45–54 years old, 7.2% people age 55–59 years old, 5.6% people age 60–64 years old, 8.1% people age 65–74 years old, 4.1% people age 75–84 years old, and 2.6% people age 85 or older.
In 2017, the West Hempstead CDP population had an approximately even number of males (9,922) and females (9,919). However, there is nuance to this data: for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 65 or over, there were only 65.7 males.
West Hempstead, along with adjoining Franklin Square has a sizable Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
population that counts seven synagogues and the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County elementary school among its local institutions.
Notable people
* Nathan Englander
Nathan Englander (born 1970) is an American short story writer and novelist. His debut short story collection, ''For the Relief of Unbearable Urges,'' was published by Alfred A. Knopf, in 1999. His second collection, ''What We Talk About When We T ...
, American short story writer and novelist, was born and raised in West Hempstead.
* Kalomoira
Maria Kalomira Sarantis ( gr, Μαρία Καλομοίρα Σαράντη; born January 31, 1985), known professionally as Kalomira (sometimes transliterated as Kalomoira), is a Greek-American singer, songwriter, model, television personality ...
, popular Greek singer, was born in West Hempstead.
* Lucien Laurin
Lucien Laurin (March 18, 1912 – June 26, 2000) was a French-Canadian jockey and Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. He was best known for training Secretariat (horse), Secretariat, who won the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Sta ...
, award-winning horse trainer and Belmont Stakes champion, lived in West Hempstead.
* Don McPherson
Donald G. McPherson (born April 2, 1965) is a former National Football League and Canadian Football League quarterback. He spent seven seasons in the NFL and CFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Oilers, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Ro ...
, former NFL player
* Walt Whitman
Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...
, American poet, essayist and journalist, was the headmaster of the West Hempstead-based District 17 Schoolhouse.
* Orville Wright, Inventor of powered flight, lived in West Hempstead in the early 1930s.
* Joseph J. Sarcona, coached West Hempstead's Little League team to Long Island's first Little League World Series Championship, in 1962.
Local activities
* West Hempstead Chiefs Soccer Club
* The New York Equestrian Center, Horse Riding & Boarding
* Hempstead Lake State Park
Hempstead Lake State Park is a state park located in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York in the United States. The park is located in West Hempstead, New York, West Hempstead and is one of three state parks within t ...
* West Hempstead Community Support Association
* West Hempstead Lions Club
* West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce
* West Hempstead Kiwanis Club
* Boy Scout Troop 240
* Cub Scout Pack 240
References
External links
West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce official website
{{authority control
Census-designated places in New York (state)
Hempstead, New York
Census-designated places in Nassau County, New York