Hicksville 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) within the

Town of Oyster Bay The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three towns that make up Nassau County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County to extend from the North Shore to the South Shore o ...

in Nassau 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 CDP's population was 43,869 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Hamlet namesake Valentine Hicks was the son-in-law of

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

and

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

preacher

Elias Hicks Elias Hicks (March 19, 1748 – February 27, 1830) was a traveling Quaker minister from Long Island, New York. In his ministry he promoted doctrines deemed unorthodox by many which led to lasting controversy, and caused the second major schism w ...

, and eventual president of 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 ...

. He bought land in the village in 1834 and turned it into a station stop on the LIRR in 1837. Hicksville was founded accidentally when a financial depression brought the LIRR to a stop at Broadway, Hicksville. The station slowly grew and though it started as a train station, it turned into a hotel then a real estate deal, even becoming a depot for

produce In American English, produce generally refers to wikt:fresh, fresh List of culinary fruits, fruits and Vegetable, vegetables intended to be Eating, eaten by humans, although other food products such as Dairy product, dairy products or Nut (foo ...

, particularly cucumbers for a

Heinz Company The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. ...

plant. After a blight destroyed the cucumber crops, the farmers grew potatoes. It turned into a bustling New York City suburb in the building boom following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Failed incorporation attempt

In 1953, Hicksville attempted to incorporate itself as the Incorporated Village of Hicksville. Many residents felt that by incorporating as a village, the community would be run more effectively than by the Town of Oyster Bay. A petition had been signed with 6,242 signatures from residents in favor of the plan. However, these plans were unsuccessful, and Hicksville remains an unincorporated area of the Town of Oyster Bay to this day, as of 2023.

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 , of which is land and 0.15% is water.

Climate

The climate is borderline between hot-summer

humid continental Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

(''Dfa'') and

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between la ...

(''Cfa'') and the local

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 7a. Average monthly temperatures in the village center range from 31.9 °F in January to 74.7 °F in July.

Economy

Metalab Equipment Company, a division of Norbute Corp, made laboratory furniture and cabinetry. Alsy Manufacturing manufactured electric lamps and lampshades from 1975 through 1991. The Rubber Company of America (RUCO) built a manufacturing site in 1945. RUCO Polymer Corp. (

Hooker Chemical Company Hooker Chemical Company (or Hooker Electrochemical Company) was an American firm producing chloralkali products that was active from 1903 to 1968. The company became notorious in 1977, when residents near its chemical waste site, Love Canal, repo ...

) manufactured plastics, latex, and esters. Occidental Chemical Corporation (OCC) owned and operated this site from 1966 to 1982. The site was purchased by Sybron Corporation, then in 2000, the Bayer Corporation (Bayer MaterialScience) purchased the Hooker Ruco facility and in 2002 decided to close the facility. The facility was a freight customer of the

and New York and Atlantic Railway, served by a spur track off the Main Line next to the grade crossing at New South Road. The site was used for the production of polyester from 1982 until 2002. The LIRR removed the switch during track work sometime after the closure and demolition of the buildings on the property. The property remains fenced-off and vacant currently. The presence of a major LIRR hub means that Hicksville developed as a major bedroom community of New York City. The LIRR has a team yard on West John Street, just east of Charlotte Avenue, served by the

New York and Atlantic Railway The New York and Atlantic Railway (NY&A) is a short line railroad on Long Island, within the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. It was formed in 1997 to provide freight service over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road, a ...

, for off-line freight customers receiving or shipping cargo by rail to anywhere in the North American rail network. Hicksville's North Broadway, positioned in the center of Nassau County, developed into a significant retail center. North Broadway was home to the Mid-Island Shopping Plaza (now known as Broadway Mall), a 156,000-square-foot Sears department store and auto center (which closed in 2018) and various other restaurants and retail stores. Hicksville is home to a number of South Asian grocery stores, clothing shops and restaurants, due to its large proportion of immigrants from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, and

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Business with headquarters in Hicksville

Sam Ash Music Sam Ash Music was founded in 1924, and was the largest family-owned chain of musical instrument stores in the United States, with 45 locations in 16 states. With corporate headquarters in Hicksville, New York, Sam Ash sold musical instruments, r ...

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 43,869 people, and 13,409 households residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was 6,458.9 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 47.2%

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 ...

, 32.8% Asian, 3.4%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 6.9% from two or more races, and

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 13.6% of the population. For the period 2017–2021, the median annual income for a household in the CDP was $123,230. 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 $46,504. About 4.1% of people 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 ...

Asian population growth

By 1996 there were around four to five restaurants in Hicksville serving

South Asian cuisine South Asian cuisine includes the traditional cuisines from the modern-day South Asian republics of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, also sometimes including the kingdom of Bhutan and the emirate of Afghanistan. Also som ...

, and this started the ascent of a "

Little India Little India (also known as Indian Street, India Bazaar, or India Town) is an Indian people, Indian or South Asian sociocultural environment outside India or the Indian subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with a significant concentra ...

" there. Between 2010 and 2020, Asian populations in Hicksville grew faster than the population as a whole. During this period, Hicksville's Asian population grew from 8,139 to 14,178, comprising 32.3% of the town's population. By 2020, Hicksville had become "a hub" of

Indian-American Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from India. The terms Asian Indian and East Indian are used to avoid confusion with Native Americans in the United States, who are also referred to as "Indians" or "Am ...

life, with multiple

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

n grocery stores, clothing shops, and restaurants, serving the religious, economic, financial, and cultural needs of its many South Asian residents.

Government

As an unincorporated hamlet within the

, Hicksville is governed directly by the town's government, which is seated in Oyster Bay.

Politics

In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Hicksville voters voted for Donald J. Trump (R).

Education

School districts

Hicksville is primarily located within the boundaries of the Hicksville Union Free School District. However, a small part of the hamlet's southeastern corner is located within the boundaries of the

Bethpage Union Free School District The Bethpage Union Free School District (BUFSD) in Bethpage, New York contains 5 schools. The boundaries of the school district include parts of some surrounding hamlets (such as Old Bethpage, Plainview, and Plainedge). The District has a p ...

while a small portion of the hamlet's northeastern corner is located within the boundaries of the

Syosset Central School District The Syosset Central School District serves the inhabitants of Syosset, a suburb in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island. It also serves the neighboring suburb of Woodbury, as well as parts of Plainview, Jericho, Muttontown, Oyster Bay C ...

. As such, children who reside within Hicksville and attend public schools go to school in one of these three districts depending on where they live within the hamlet. In 2023, Hicksville High School was ranked in the top 30% of New York schools by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Library districts

Hicksville is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Hicksville Library District, the Bethpage Library District, and the Syosset Library District. The boundaries of these three districts within the hamlet roughly correspond to those of the three school districts.

Transportation

Road

Four state-owned roads pass through the hamlet:

New York State Route 106 New York State Route 106 (NY 106) is a state highway located in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It begins in the Hempstead, New York, town of Hempstead at an intersection with New York State Route 105, NY 105 in No ...

New York State Route 107 New York State Route 107 (NY 107) is a state highway in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. The route begins at an intersection with Merrick Road ( unsigned County Route 27 or CR 27; formerly NY 27A) in Massapequ ...

, the

Northern State Parkway The Northern State Parkway (also known as the Northern State or Northern Parkway) is a controlled-access parkway on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. The western terminus is at the Queens– Nassau County line in Lake Success � ...

, and the

Wantagh State Parkway The Wantagh State Parkway is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access Parkways in New York, parkway on Long Island, New York (state), New York, in the United States. It links the Ocean Parkway (Long Island), Ocean Parkway in Jones Beach ...

. Additionally, the

forms portions of the hamlet's northern border. Other major roads within the hamlet include Jerusalem Avenue,

Old Country Road Old Country Road is a major east–west thoroughfare through central Nassau County and extending into western Suffolk County on Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), ...

, Plainview Road, Woodbury Road, and South Oyster Bay Road.

Rail

Hicksville is a major hub on the Long Island Rail Road, where the

Ronkonkoma Branch The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, the "Ronkonkoma Branch" includes trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicks ...

meets with the

Port Jefferson Branch The Port Jefferson Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The branch splits from the Main Line (Long Island Rail Road), Main Line just east of Hicksville ...

to form the Main Line.

Bus

The area is also a hub for the following routes operated by

Nassau Inter-County Express The Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) is the local bus system serving Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. It also serves parts of western Suffolk County, as well as eastern portions of the New York City borough of Queens. ...

: * n20H: Great Neck – Hicksville via Northern Blvd * n22: Hicksville – Jamaica via Prospect Avenue/Hillside Avenue * n24: Hicksville – Jamaica via Old Country Road/Jericho Turnpike * n48: Hicksville – Hempstead via Carman Avenue * n49: Hicksville – Hempstead via Newbridge Road * n78: Hicksville – Plainview via Old Country Road * n79: Hicksville –

Huntington, New York Huntington is one of ten Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States. The town's population was 204,127 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 11 ...

Walt Whitman Mall and Shops via Old Country Road * n79x: Hicksville –

Walt Whitman Mall and Shops via Old Country Road * n80: Hicksville – Massapequa Park via Hicksville Road

Public safety

Hicksville's fire protection is provided by the Hicksville Fire Department. Its police protection comes from the Nassau County Police Department's 2nd and 8th precincts, as well as the MTA Police and Nassau County Auxiliary Police.

Notable people

* Tyler Arnone, soccer player *

Lorraine Bracco Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress best known for her performance as psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi on the HBO crime drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007) and for her breakthrough role portraying Karen Friedman Hil ...

, actress; best known for her roles in '' Goodfellas'' and ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'' *

Theresa Caputo Theresa Caputo (born June 10, 1967) is an American alleged psychic medium, best known for her TLC reality television series '' Long Island Medium''. Early life Caputo, the daughter of Nicholas and Veronica Brigandi, was born and raised in ...

, purported medium; star of ''

Long Island Medium ''Long Island Medium'' is an American reality television series starring Theresa Caputo, a self-professed medium who claims she can communicate with the dead. Much of the program, which premiered on September 25, 2011, takes place in Hicksville ...

'' *

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

, soccer player who represented the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

Denny Dias Dennis Dias (born December 12, 1946) is an American guitarist, best known for being a founding member of Steely Dan. Career Dias was working with his own band, Demian, out of his garage in Hicksville, New York, when his band's manager, Bruce Ro ...

, former guitarist for

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...

Larry Eisenhauer Lawrence Conway Eisenhauer (February 22, 1940 – January 29, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Boston Patriots of the American Football League (AFL). A graduate of Chaminade High School in Min ...

, professional football player * Frank Gerwer, professional skateboarder *

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

, singer and musician *

Maura Johnston Maura K. Johnston (born May 28, 1975) is a writer, editor and music critic. A member of Boston College's journalism faculty, she has written for ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Boston Globe'', ''Pitchfork'', ''The Awl'', ''The New York Times'', ''Spin' ...

, writer and academic *

Mitch Kupchak Mitchell Kupchak (born May 24, 1954) is an American professional basketball executive and retired player. He is the former president of basketball operations and general manager of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NB ...

, professional basketball executive and former player *

The Lemon Twigs The Lemon Twigs are an American rock band from the Hicksville neighborhood of Long Island, New York. The duo consists of brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario. Both brothers are vocalists, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, and during live ...

, indie rock band * Dennis Michael Lynch, businessman and filmmaker *

Don Murphy Don Murphy (born April 1970) is an American film producer who produced ''Natural Born Killers'', ''Real Steel'', '' Splice'' and many other films, including ''Transformers'' and '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' and the upcoming re-ima ...

, film producer *

Tim Parker Timothy Parker may refer to: * Timothy Parker (puzzle designer) (born 1960) * Timothy Britten Parker (born 1962), American stage, film, and television actor * Gift of Gab (rapper) (1970–2021, Timothy Jerome Parker), American rapper * Tim Park ...

, professional soccer player *

Dave Pietramala Dave Pietramala (born 1967) is the defensive coordinator for the University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team and the former head coach for the Johns Hopkins University Men's Lacrosse team. He also served as the DC for the Syracuse Univers ...

, defensive coordinator for

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

men's lacrosse team *

Al Pitrelli Al Pitrelli (born September 26, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Megadeth, Alice Cooper and Savatage. He has performed with various acts as a band member, session musician and touring me ...

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

and

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill (producer), Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-pr ...

guitarist * Steve Rosenthal, labor and political strategist *

Al Sarrantonio Al Sarrantonio (May 25, 1952 – January 27, 2025) was an American horror and science fiction writer, editor, and publisher who authored more than 50 books and 90 short stories. He also edited numerous anthologies. Background and education Sar ...

, science fiction author * Gary D. Schmidt, author * Robert Shulman, serial killer * Rob Walker, politician and legislator

References

External links

Hicksville Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Hicksville, New York Oyster Bay (town), New York Census-designated places in New York (state) Hamlets in New York (state) Census-designated places in Nassau County, New York Hamlets in Nassau County, New York