Brightwaters is an incorporated

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located within the southwestern part of the Town of Islip 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 3,181 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Brightwaters was developed in the early 20th Century by the T.B. Ackerson Company, which was known for its work in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. By 1916, locals felt that their community – which, at the time, was still an unincorporated part of the Town of Islip – would be better off if they were to incorporate it as a village, citing concerns over how their community was being taxed, and how they had to pay for private subscriptions for services which they believed should have been provided to the area by Islip through their taxes. This prompted the locals to sign a petition to incorporate Brightwaters as a village. The petition was given to the Town of Islip on September 20, 1916, and Brightwaters officially became an incorporated village on November 30 of that year.

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 village has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.26%, is water. It contains Wohseepee Park in northern Brightwaters, the Brightwaters Canal directly south of

Montauk Highway Montauk Highway is an east–west road extending for across the southern shore of Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It extends from the Amityville, New York, Amityville–Copiague, New York, Copiague line, where ...

, and four lakes directly north of Montauk Highway: Cascades Lake, Mirror Lake, Lagoon Lake and Nosrekca Lake. The village's businesses are located at the intersection of Windsor Avenue and Orinoco Drive (referred to as Brightwaters Village). These geographic features make up the three districts of the village; the Canal District (southern Brightwaters, everything south of Montauk Highway), the Lakes District (central Brightwaters, everything north of the highway to Union Boulevard) and the Wohseepee Park District (northern Brightwaters, everything north of Union Boulevard to Seneca Drive). Brightwaters uses the 11718 ZIP code, which is distinct from the Bay Shore Postal District (11706).

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,103 people residing in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 94.26%

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 ...

, 1.51%

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 ...

, 1.61% Asian, 0.03% Native American, 0.87% from other races, and 1.71% 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 composed 5.12% of the population.

Census 2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,248 people, 1,127 households, and 912 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,144 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.23% White, 1.57% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.06% of the population. Out of the 1,127 households, 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.8% 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, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.0% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.20. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males. The median income for a household in the village in 2016 was $146,892, and the median income for a family was $121,569. About 0.8% of families and 1.8% 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 ...

, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Parks in Brightwaters include: * Gilbert Park * Walker Beach * Wohseepee Park

Government

As of July 2021, the Mayor of Brightwaters is John J. Valdini, and the Village Trustees are Mary Del Vecchio, Michael Dopsovic, Patrick Fawcett, and Thomas Zepf. In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Brightwaters voters voted for Donald J. Trump ( R).

Education

School district

Brightwaters is located entirely within the boundaries of – and is thus served by – the Bay Shore Union Free School District.
Text list
/ref> Accordingly, all children who reside within Brightwaters and attend public schools go to Bay Shore's schools.

Library district

Brightwaters is located wholly within the boundaries of the Bay Shore–Brightwaters Public Library District.

Notable person

Rick Lazio Enrico Anthony Lazio (; born March 13, 1958) is an American attorney and former four-term United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from the State of New York. A Long Island native, Lazio became well-known during his bid for Uni ...

– Congressman, 2000 Senatorial candidate, and former gubernatorial candidate (R).

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Islip (town), New York Villages in New York (state) Villages in Suffolk County, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state) 1916 establishments in New York (state)