Massapequa (, ) 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) in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of

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 of the CDP was 21,355 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

The name ''Massapequa'' or historically ''Marsapeague'' means “great water land”. The first occupants were a band of Algonquian speakers, the Massapequa people, one of the ''13 tribes of Long Island'', a sub-group of the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

people. At first, most of the Massapequa people were friendly and helpful to the Europeans, but then, around 1658, merchants from the Town of Oyster tricked Chief Tackapausha into selling the land. He tried to rectify this misunderstanding, but remained unsuccessful. In 1670 (35 years after the Europeans initially settled there), only a few Native Americans were left on the Island. At the time of the second World War, the population was about 3,000, and most worked in agriculture, or at nearby aircraft manufacturing plants. In 1953, the last remains of a fort of the Massapequa, an archeological site, was covered up by a real estate developer; it is now a National Register-listed

United States National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

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 , or 9.20%, is water. Massapequa and nearby places with "Massapequa" in their names are sometimes collectively called "the Massapequas".

Climate

Massapequa has a temperate climate that is very similar to other coastal areas of the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

; it has warm, humid summers and cold winters, but the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

helps bring afternoon sea breezes that temper the heat in the warmer months and limit the frequency and severity of thunderstorms. However, severe thunderstorms are not uncommon, especially when they approach the island from the mainland (Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut) in the northwest. In the wintertime, temperatures are warmer than areas further inland (especially in the night and early morning hours), often causing a snowstorm further inland to fall as rain on the island. However, measurable snowfalls every winter, and in many winters one or more intense storms called

Nor'easters A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low-p ...

may occasionally produce blizzard conditions with snowfalls of 1–2 feet (30–60 cm) and near-hurricane-force winds. On average, 28" of snow falls each winter in Massapequa. Long Island temperatures also vary from west to east, with the western part of the island warmer on most occasions than the east. This is due to two factors; one because the western part is closer to the mainland and the other is the western part is more developed causing what is known as the

urban heat island Urban areas usually experience the urban heat island (UHI) effect; that is, they are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas. The temperature difference is usually larger at night than during the day, and is most apparent when winds ar ...

effect. This climate is classified as hot-summer humid continental (''Dfa'') which borders upon a

humid subtropical climate 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 ...

(''Cfa'') on the coast. Average monthly temperatures in the central CDP range from 31.4 °F in January to 74.3 °F in July. On August 25, 2006, a small F0

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

struck Massapequa. On Monday, October 29, 2012,

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

devastated much of Massapequa – especially south of

Merrick Road Merrick Road is an east–west urban arterial in Queens, Nassau County, New York, Nassau, and Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk counties in New York (state), New York, United States. It is known as Merrick Boulevard or Floyd H. Flake Boulevard in ...

, where surging flood waters rose both along the shore and along the numerous canals that run a mile inland. Schools were closed for several days and weeks. Many residents remained without power for weeks after the storm because of downed power lines. Hundreds of houses and buildings sustained major flood damage and had to be gutted and renovated during the ensuing year.

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 22,652 people, 7,417 households, and 6,297 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 7,514 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.42%

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 ...

, 0.17%

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 ...

, 0.02% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.37% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 2.59% of the population were

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. Because it has large Italian and Jewish communities, the town is sometimes referred to as " matzah pizza". There were 7,417 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.1% were non-families. Of all households, 12.5% were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.33. In the CDP, the population was spread, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years . For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.0 males. The

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 ...

for a household in the CDP was $107,181, and the median income for a family was $116,266. Males had a median income of $78,859 versus $57,016 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 $42,169. 2.9% of the population and 1.6% 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 ...

Education

The majority of Massapequa is in the Massapequa Union Free School District. A small portion is in the Plainedge Union Free School District.
Text list
Massapequa residents originally attended schools in neighboring towns. Even after the creation of the Massapequa Union Free School District (also known as MSD) appropriately aged students were often sent to schools such as Amityville Memorial High School because a high school in Massapequa did not exist. At first students were only went to Amityville, but after 1953 they were given the option of attending schools in towns like Freeport and Baldwin and at Willington Mepham High School in Bellmore. MSD constructed their first modern multi-room building in the mid 1920s. It was built on Massapequa Avenue, which is why it received the name "Massapequa Avenue School". After the construction of Massapequa High School in 1955 this original school was renamed to "Fairfield School" to avoid confusion with the similar names. Currently MSD owns and operates 6 elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school; however, this number has changed throughout its history. Active MSD Schools: *Massapequa High School: established in 1955, graduated their first class in 1956, and teaches students in grades 10-12. *Massapequa High School - Ames Campus: renamed in 1977, teaches students grade 9. *Berner Middle School: renamed in 1977, teaches students grades 6-8. *Birch Lane Elementary School: established in 1956, teaches students grades K-5. *East Lake Elementary School: established in 1955, teaches students grades K-5. *Fairfield Elementary School: established in 1925, teaches students grades K-5. *Lockhart Elementary School: established in 1957, teach students grades K-5. *McKenna Elementary School: renamed in 1977, teaches students grades K-5. *Unqua Elementary School: established in 1952, teaches students grades K-5. Former Names of Active MSD Schools: *Massapequa Jr./Sr. High School: established 1955 *Berner High School: established in 1962 *J. Lewis Ames Junior High School (post-expansion version of Parkside Elementary School): renamed in 1957 *McKenna Junior High School: established 1958 *Parkside Elementary School (was expanded and renamed into J. Lewis James Junior High School in 1957): established December 1950 *East Lake High School (January 1953 to June 1955) Former Schools Not Used by MSD: *Hawthorn Elementary School: established in 1954, taught grades K-6, building leased to the Nassau County Police Department Seventh Precinct for cadet training 2006-2022, parking lot leased to Massapequa Fire District during station remodeling. *Carman Road School: established in 1956, shut down in 1978, leased to Nassau BOCES for special education, voted on and sold to Nassau BOCES in late 2010s

Infrastructure

Transportation

The Massapequa station on 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 ...

's Babylon Branch is located within the hamlet. State routes 27, 27A,

105 105 may refer to: *105 (number), the number * AD 105, a year in the 2nd century AD * 105 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 105 (telephone number), the emergency telephone number in Mongolia * 105 (MBTA bus), a Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority ...

107 107 may refer to: *107 (number), the number *AD 107, a year in the 2nd century AD *107 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *107 (New Jersey bus) *107 Camilla, a main-belt asteroid *Peugeot 107, a city car See also

*10/7 (disambiguation) *Bohrium, ...

, and 135 serve the town. The Bethpage State Parkway and

Southern State Parkway The Southern State Parkway (also known as the Southern State or Southern Parkway) is a controlled-access parkway on Long Island, New York, in the United States. The parkway begins at an interchange with the Belt and Cross Island parkways ...

are in the town. Several NICE bus routes also serve Massapequa.

Notable people

Sal Alosi Sal Alosi (born May 11, 1977, in Massapequa, New York) is an American strength and conditioning coach. Playing career Alosi was a cornerback at Hofstra University from 1996 to 2000. As a senior, he was named the co-recipient of the Mayor’s Tr ...

– former New York Jets strength & conditioning coach * Brian Baldinger – football player * Baldwin brothers – actors *

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...

– actor *

Phil Baroni Philip George Baroni (April 16, 1976) is an American former mixed martial artist, kickboxer, boxer, and professional wrestler. Baroni competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, Cage Rage, DREAM, EliteXC, Bellator MMA, Titan FC, Palace Fi ...

– MMA fighter * Dakota Barnathan – soccer player * Matt Bennett – actor * Peter Brennan – U.S. Secretary of Labor, died here on October 2, 1996 * Joey Buttafuoco – involved in Amy Fisher scandal *

Candy Darling Candy Darling (November 24, 1944 – March 21, 1974) was an American actress, best known as a Warhol superstar. She was a pioneer for transgender visibility, inspiring songs by the Rolling Stones and Lou Reed. Her performances Andy Warhol's f ...

– actress in Andy Warhol films *

Roy DeMeo Roy Albert DeMeo (; September 7, 1940 – January 10, 1983) was an American mobster in the Gambino crime family in New York City. He headed a group known as the "DeMeo crew", which consisted of approximately twenty associates involved in murder ...

– mobster * Jennifer DeSena – Attorney and 38th

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the f ...

North Hempstead, New York North Hempstead (officially known as the Town of North Hempstead) is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the 7th largest city or town ...

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

– musician, lived in Massapequa with first wife Jaye Posner *

Joe Donnelly Joseph Simon Donnelly Sr. (born September 29, 1955) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013 and as a United States Senate, U.S. Senator from 2013 to 2019. A member of t ...

– U.S. Senator in Indiana *

Michael Dougherty Michael Patrick Dougherty (born October 28, 1974) is an American writer, director, animator, and producer known for his work in a variety of genre films, both big and small. Beginning his career as an animator and illustrator, Dougherty’s a ...

– screenwriter * Stanley Drucker – longtime principal clarinetist for the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

* Elliot Easton – The Cars' lead guitarist * Andre Eglevsky – ballet dancer * Frank Field – weather man * Storm Field – weather man * William Gaddis – novelist * Carlo Gambino – mobster * Andy Glazer – poker player *

Steve Guttenberg Steven Robert Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for playing Carey Mahoney in the '' Police Academy'' films from 1984 to 1987. He also acted in '' Three Men and a Baby ...

– actor * Jessica Hahn – model *

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. He is one of a handful of people to win Emmy Awards, Emmy, Grammy Awards, Grammy, Academy Awards, Oscar, and Tony Awards, Tony awards, a feat ...

– composer * William Johnston – novelist * Thomas Jones (1731–1792) – historian *

Christine Jorgensen Christine Jorgensen (; May 30, 1926 – May 3, 1989) was an American actress, singer, recording artist, and transgender activist. A trans woman, she was the first person to become widely known in the United States for having Sex reassignment ...

– transgender pioneer *

Charlie Kaufman Charles Stuart Kaufman (; born November 19, 1958) is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. Having first come to prominence for writing ''Being John Malkovich'' (1999), ''Adaptation (film), Adaptation'' (2002), and ''Eternal Sun ...

– screenwriter and director * Sean Kenniff – physician * Brian Kilmeade – co-host of '' Fox and Friends'' *

Ron Kovic Ronald Lawrence Kovic (born July 4, 1946) is an American anti-war activist, author, and United States Marine Corps sergeant who was wounded and paralyzed in the Vietnam War. His best selling 1976 memoir '' Born on the Fourth of July'' was made i ...

– Vietnam veteran, anti-war activist, author * Brian Langtry – lacrosse player *

Mark LoMonaco Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971), known by his ring name Bubba Ray Dudley (also spelled Buh-Buh Ray Dudley), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for being ...

– pro wrestler * Dennis Michael Lynch – filmmaker * Joe Maca – soccer player, died here on July 13, 1982 * "Stuttering" John Melendez (b. 1965) - radio personality and entertainer *

Sonny Milano Frank "Sonny" Milano (born May 12, 1996) is an Americans, American professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), left winger who is currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Columbu ...

– (born 1996) National Hockey League forward for the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

* James Naughtin – aka Erik Rhodes, pornographic actor and director * Bob Nelson – comedian * Charles Nolan – fashion designer * Peggy Noonan – political speechwriter and conservative columnist * Rob O'Gara – professional ice hockey player for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

* Maureen Ohlhausen – (Kraemer) acting chair of the Federal Trade Commission * Slim Jim Phantom – musician * Eric Reid – Miami Heat television announcer * Chris Richards – musician, Suffocation bassist * Lee Rocker – musician * Angelo Dominick Roncallo – U.S. representative * Doc Schneider – Major League Lacrosse goaltender *

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a semi-fictionalized version ...

– comedian and actor * Peter Senerchia (Tazz) – pro wrestler and announcer *

Matt Serra Matt Serra (born June 2, 1974) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitor and a former UFC Welterweight Champion. He is the co-sta ...

– former MMA champion *

Brian Setzer Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with ...

– rockabilly icon, The Stray Cats * Helen Slater – actress, ''Supergirl'' * Bobby Slayton – comedian and actor * Dee Snider – lead singer, Twisted Sister * Robert Sobel – author * Casey Stern – SiriusXM radio personality * Richie Supa – Singer/Songwriter asso/Aerosmith *

Buddy Tate George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (February 22, 1913 – February 10, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Tate was born in Sherman, Texas, United States, and first played the alto saxophone. According to the website All Ab ...

– jazz saxophonist * Wesley Walker – former wide receiver for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

* Christie Welsh – former U.S. Women's Soccer forward

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Massapequa, New York Census-designated places in Nassau County, New York Census-designated places in New York (state) Hamlets in Nassau County, New York Hamlets in New York (state) Oyster Bay (town), New York Populated coastal places in New York (state)