Peconic is a

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) that roughly corresponds to the

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 ...

by the same name in the

Town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Southold 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 CDP's population was 683 at the 2010 census.

History

The community derives its name from

Peconic Bay The Peconic Bay is the parent name for two bays (Great Peconic Bay and Little Peconic Bay) between the North Fork, Suffolk County, New York, North Fork and South Fork, Suffolk County, New York, South Fork of Long Island in Suffolk County, New Yor ...

, which in turn derives its name from a Native American word meaning "nut trees". The area was originally called "Hermitage", and the name "Peconic" was adopted later. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was home to the Peconic School, an

artist colony Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, Art school, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typica ...

initially led by painters Benjamin Rutherfurd Fitz, Edward August Bell, Henry Prellwitz and Edith Mitchill Prellwitz.

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

was staying in Peconic in 1939 when he signed the famous Einstein–Szilárd letter to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Goldsmith's Inlet was the site of a tidal mill that was improved with a windmill in 1870.

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 hamlet has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.58%, is water.

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 1,081 people, 426 households, and 310 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 682 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the community was 94.45%

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 ...

, 0.93%

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 ...

, 1.11% Asian, 2.41% from other races, and 1.11% 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 were 3.61% of the population. There were 426 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% 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, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.98. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median income for a household in the community was $52,368, and the median income for a family was $60,956. Males had a median income of $49,167 versus $45,769 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 $24,343. About 1.5% of families and 3.2% 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 1.6% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

* Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District (small western portion of CDP of Peconic) * Southold Union Free School District (eastern part of CDP of Peconic)

Notable person

Painter Benjamin Rutherford Fitz was raised in Peconic. He died there in 1891.

References

{{authority control Southold, New York Census-designated places in New York (state) Hamlets in New York (state) Census-designated places in Suffolk County, New York Hamlets in Suffolk County, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state)