Centereach () 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 ...

in Suffolk County,

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 31,578 at the 2010 census.

History

The

of Centereach was first called West Middle Island, but primarily became known as New Village until the early 20th century. When it was discovered that another village shared the same name, the name was changed to Centereach in 1916. The name Centereach reflects the centrality of the hamlet's location 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 ...

, literally meaning "center reached". Over the years Centereach has progressed from a small hamlet to a primarily suburban community. The population in 1940 was only 628, but the area had grown to nearly 20,000 residents by 1970. The two earliest suburban developments, which began in the early 1950s, were Dawn Estates and Eastwood Village.WLIW, David Overton, Brookhaven Town Historian on Centereach
, October 7, 1993 In 1998, the first

single-point urban interchange A single-point urban interchange (SPUI, or ), also called a single-point interchange (SPI) or single-point diamond interchange (SPDI), is a type of highway interchange. The design was created in order to help move large volumes of traffic th ...

in New York State was opened in Centereach, at Middle Country Road and Nicolls Road. Centereach, historically a working-class area, has experienced a construction boom in the past decade. As of 2009, the median home price was $335,000. New construction in the Centereach area has resulted in an influx of residents with a higher

median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...

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.

New York State Route 25 New York State Route 25 (NY 25) is an east–west state highway in downstate New York in the United States. The route extends along the central parts and North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island for just over from east ...

(Middle Country Road) passes through the community and is the primary commercial thoroughfare. Centereach borders South Setauket, Terryville, Selden, Farmingville, Holtsville, Holbrook, Lake Ronkonkoma, Lake Grove and Stony Brook on Long Island.

Demographics

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 2000, there were 27,285 people, 8,176 households, and 6,998 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 8,329 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 75.36%

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 ...

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 14.08%, 4.98%

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 ...

, 0.18% Native American, 2.17% 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 ...

, 1.36% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. There were 8,176 households, out of which 43.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.6% 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, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.4% were non-families. 10.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 3.49. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $86,445, and the median income for a family was $92,178 as of a 2007 estimateAmerican Fact Finder
/ref>). Males had a median income of $49,167 versus $32,007 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 $23,197. About 3.7% of families and 5.6% 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 4.6% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

* Middle Country Central School District * Sachem School District * Centereach High School * Dawnwood Middle School * Three Village Central School District - covers the neighborhoods between Route 347, Nicholls Road, and Hawkins Ave. known as South Setauket.

Notable people

Don Heck Donald L. HeckDonald L. Heck
at the Social Security Death Index. Retrieved on Septem ...

, comic-book artist, co-creator of

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

(born New York City, lived in Centereach as adult)

References

{{authority control 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