Freeport, New York

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Freeport, New York
settlement_type = Village
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

pushpin_

pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of New York
pushpin_mapsize =

---

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = U.S. Census Map


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New York
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Nassau
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Bill Glacken
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 12.5
area_land_km2 = 11.9
area_water_km2 = 0.6
area_total_sq_mi = 4.8
area_land_sq_mi = 4.6
area_water_sq_mi = 0.2

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 43783
population_density_km2 = 3680.1
population_density_sq_mi = 9531.3

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 6
elevation_ft = 20
latd = 40 |latm = 39 |lats = 14 |latNS = N
longd = 73 |longm = 35 |longs = 13 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 11520
area_code = 516
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 36-27485
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0970151
website = [http://www.freeportny.com http://www.freeportny.com]
footnotes =

Freeport is a village in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, USA, on the South Shore of Long Island. The population was 43,783 at the 2000 census.

The Incorporated Village of Freeport is in the southwestern part of Nassau County, lying within the Town of Hempstead. Freeport has its own municipal electric utility and police department. Freeport also has a station on the Long Island Rail Road.

History and culture

History

The village now known as Freeport was part of an area called "the Great South Woods" during colonial times. In the mid-1600s, the area was renamed Raynor South, and ultimately Raynortown, after a herdsman named Edward Raynor, who had moved to the area from Hempstead in 1659, cleared land and built a cabin. [http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist001k,0,6458691.story?coll=ny-lihistory-navigation Newsday.com Long Island History: Freeport] , accessed 20 July 2006.]

In 1853, residents voted to rename the village Freeport, adopting a variant of a nickname used by ship captains during colonial times because they were not charged customs duties to land their cargo. The village was incorporated in 1892. 19th century Freeport developer John Randall, who opposed all of Freeport being laid out in a grid, put up a Victorian house virtually overnight on a triangular plot at the corner of Lena Avenue and Wilson Place to spite the grid designers.Mason-Dtaffen, Carrie. (March 30, 1997) Newsday "Living In - Diversity Freely Spices Freeport." Section: Life; Page E25.] The Freeport Spite House still is standing and occupied.

Oystering became a thriving industry after the Civil War, although it declined at the beginning of the 20th century because of changing salinity in the bay and because of pollution. In the early years Freeport was a tourist and sportsman's destination for its boating and fishing, but after World War II the village became a bedroom community for New York City. The separation between the two eras was marked by the fire that destroyed the Freeport Hotel in the late 1950s. During the 1950s local merchants resisted building any shopping malls in the village and subsequently suffered a great loss of business when large malls were built in communities in the central part of Long Island.

Freeport saw its share of the social, political, and racial turbulence of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The 1969–'70 school year saw three high school principals in the village's only high school, after which William McElroy, formerly the junior high school principal, came to the position of high school principal in August 1970 "in the midst of racial tension and a constantly-polarizing student body"; McElroy backed such initiatives as a student advisory committee to the Board of Education and, in his own words, "made [him] self available to any civic-minded group" that wished to discuss with him the situation in the school. By May 1972, he could claim success, of a sort. "Formerly, a fight between a black and a white student would automatically become racial; now a fight is just a fight—between two students." [Veronica Seabrook, "McElroy Sees Change Evolving", "Flashings" (Freeport High School newspaper), May 15, 1972. p. 3–4. The quotation "in the midst of racial tension and a constantly-polarizing student body" is Seabrook's.]

More recently, in June 2008 sixteen people were arrested after violence erupted in the high school. [http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-lidate5730105jun17,0,3517199.story Rivera, Laura. "16 Arrested in Freeport High School Melee"] , "Newsday", 2008-06-17.]

Description

Freeport is located on the south shore of Long Island. The south part of the village is penetrated by several canals that allow access to the Atlantic Ocean by means of passage through salt marshes; the oldest of these canals is the late 19th century Woodcleft Canal. Freeport has extensive small boat facilities and a resident fishing fleet, as well as charter and open fishing boats.

Freeport is an Incorporated Village with its own Police, Fire, Electric and Water Departments. Freeport's government is made up of four Trustees and a Mayor. One Trustee also serves in the capacity of Deputy Mayor. Currently, the Mayor is William F. Glacken, Deputy Mayor is Renaire Frierson, and Donald Miller, William White, and Jorge Martinez are Trustees. The Mayor and Board of Trustees are elected to four-year terms.

Culture

Freeport is a Long Island hot spot during the summer season in New York. A popular festival occurs on Freeport's Nautical Mile (the west side of Woodcleft Canal) each June, which attracts many people from across Long Island, and New York City. The Nautical Mile is a strip along the water that features their well-known seafood restaurants, crab shacks, bars, eclectic little boutiques, fresh fish markets, as well as party cruise ships, and casino boats that float atop the canals. People line up for the boat rides, and clamor to the many restaurants which provide diners with seating on the water's edge & eat mussels, oysters, crabs, and steamed clams (known locally simply as "steamers") accompanied by pitchers of beer. A very popular 18-hole miniature golf course offers fun for the whole family. Additionally, a new waterfront park, which will include a transient marina, boardwalk, and benches is nearing completion at the foot of the Nautical Mile. This is in addition to an existing scenic pier.

Freeport has an ethnically and racially diverse population. Freeport's African-American population is largely in the northern section of the village. There is one housing project, named after Nassau County's first black judge, Moxie Rigby. Freeport's Hispanic community is made up of Puerto Ricans and immigrants who hail from Colombia, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and many other Latin American nations. One can go through Freeport and experience the wares, groceries of Latin American cuisine at Compare Foods Warehouse, a Latin American themed supermarket (there are two in the village) and, on top of that, there are many Latin American themed grocery stores, restaurants dotting Merrick Road and Main Street that display Caribbean food, Central American food, Dominican food and South American food. Across town, is the South Side, with many suburban homes gracefully adorning a canal system.

Freeport, along with neighboring Merrick, is also the gateway to Jones Beach, one of the largest state beaches in New York. One famous area is the Town of Hempstead Marina, where people from all over Long Island dock their boats. Freeport is a 45 minute ride by the Long Island Rail Road to Manhattan, making the trip an easy commute to New York City.

Freeport was also one of the few Long Island towns to hold a sizeable open air market area, known as the Freeport Mall. Many of the local businesses objected when the mall area became shabby and disused. The mall was then dismantled and returned to through traffic with regular parking on each side of the street.

chools

The children of Freeport, in grades 1-4, attend four magnet elementary schools, each with a different specialty: Archer Street (Microsociety and Multimedia Magnet School), Leo F. Giblyn (School of International Cultures), Bayview Avenue (School of Arts and Sciences), and New Visions (School of Exploration & Discovery). In grades 5 & 6, all public school children attend Caroline G. Atkinson School on the north side of the town. Seventh and 8th graders attend John W. Dodd Middle School. The Middle School is built on the property that housed the older Freeport High School, but not on exactly the same site. The old high school served for some years as the junior high; then the new junior high was built on what was previously parking lot and playground, and the old building was torn down.

Children in grades 9-12 attend Freeport High School, which borders the town of Baldwin and sits beside the Milburn duck pond, which is fed by a creek, several hundred yards of which was diverted underground when the high school was built. Freeport High School uses the Red Devil as a mascot, and its colors are red and white. The school has track-and-field facilities.

Upstream, just north of the high school and the railroad tracks, is the ruin of the former Brooklyn Water Works, described by Christopher Gray of the "New York Times" as looking like an "ancient, war-damaged abbey." Designed by architect Frank Freeman and opened in 1891 to serve the City of Brooklyn (later made a borough of New York City), it was fully active until 1929 with a capacity of 54 million gallons a day, and remained in standby for emergency use until 1977, when the pumps and other machinery were removed. See Ridgewood Reservoir. An unsuccessful 1989 plan would have turned the building into condos. [Christopher Gray, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFDC1F3DF932A35753C1A96F948260 STREETSCAPES: Millburn Pumping Station; A Rundown 'Abbey' Gets New Life as Condominiums] , "New York Times", October 1, 1989. Accessed online 20 July 2006.] [ [http://www.lioddities.com/Abandoned/BWW.htm Brooklyn Water Works] on the Long Island Oddities site. Accessed online 20 July 2006.] Currently, the parcel is the subject of litigation and ongoing investigations by various agencies.

Until the late 1970s, Freeport was home to Freeport Speedway, also known as Freeport Municipal Stadium: a race track which showcased stock car racing, and demolition derbies. The site is now a BJs Warehouse Club.

Freeport is home to the Freeport Recreation Center, which features an enclosed, year-round ice skating rink; an indoor pool; an outdoor Olympic-size pool; an outdoor diving tank; an outdoor children's pool; handball courts; sauna; steam room; fully equipped workout gyms; basketball courts; and snack bars serving hot and cold foods. The "Rec Center" also offers evening adult classes and hosts a pre-school program, camp programs, and a senior center.

Geography

Freeport is located at coor dms|40|39|14|N|73|35|13|W|city (40.653935, -73.587005)GR|1.

Freeport is bisected by east-west New York State Route 27, Sunrise Highway. Meadowbrook Parkway defines its eastern boundary.

Surrounding communities

Baldwin is to the west, and Merrick is to the east. Roosevelt lies to the north. The south village boundary is not precisely defined, lying in the salt flats and bays.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 43,783 people, 13,504 households, and 9,911 families residing in the village. The population density was 9,531.3 people per square mile (3,682.9/km²). There were 13,819 housing units at an average density of 3,008.3/sq mi (1,162.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 42.6% White, 32.9% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 17.1% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.3% of the population. [ [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=86000US11520&_geoContext=01000US%7C86000US11520&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=04000US36&_zip=11520&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=860&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=&show_2003_tab=&redirect=Y Freeport (village) Fact Sheet ] ]

There were 13,504 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.20 and the average family size was 3.65.

In the village the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village in 1999 was $55,948, and the median income for a family was $61,673. Males had a median income of $37,465 versus $31,869 for females. The per capita income for the village was $21,288. About 8.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Famous Freeporters

;Graduates of Freeport High School:

* D'Brickashaw Ferguson, offensive tackle for the New York Jets
* Morlon Greenwood, football player
* Jay Hieron, professional mixed martial arts fighter and IFL welterweight champion
* Mitch Kapor, founder of Lotus Development Corporation and the designer of Lotus 1-2-3
* Erik Larson, author of works such as "Isaac's Storm" and "The Devil in the White City"
* Peter Lerangis, American author of children's and young-adult fiction; valedictorian of the FHS Class of 1973
* Lou Reed, singer-songwriter and Velvet Underground founding member
* Dick Schaap, was an American sportswriter, broadcaster, and author
* Harold E. Varmus, 1989 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* Michael Zielenziger, an American journalist and author

;Other residents:
Kay Gardner, was a musician, composer, author, and musical producer who lived in Freeport.

Freeport was also the home to the musician Guy Lombardo during the latter portion of his life. His former residence on South Grove Street (now Guy Lombardo Avenue) included a boat house where he kept his powerful speed boats, which he raced on the ocean.

Leo Carrillo, Actor (The Cisco Kid) built a home on Randalls Channel at the corner of Roosevelt and South Long Beach Avenue.

Havoc and Prodigy of hip-hop group Mobb Deep currently live in Freeport.

Grammy Award-winning American gospel singer Donnie McClurkin is pastor of Perfecting Faith Church.

Flavor Flav also grew up in Freeport and neighboring Roosevelt. [Glenn Gamboa, [http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/wednesday/partii/ny-ettop5650358apr16,0,769093.story Flavor Flav's breakout role] , "Newsday", April 16, 2008. Accessed online 12 May 2008.]

References

External links

* [http://www.freeportny.com Freeport official website]
* [http://www.thenauticalmile.us Freeport Nautical Mile website]
* [http://nauticalmilemap.com/map.cfm Interactive Map of Nautical Mile, Freeport, NY]
* [http://www.freeporthistory.org/ Freeport Historical Society]
* [http://www.njrn.com/nyhistory.html New York Auto Racing History]
* [http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist001k,0,6458691.story?coll=ny-lihistory-navigation Newsday Our Island Our History: ]
* [http://www.freeporthistory.org/news.htm Freeport Historical Society News Page]
* [http://www.longisland.com/www_frame.php?http://www.freeportny.com Long Island.com: Welcome to the Village of Freeport]
* [http://www.loving-long-island.com/the-nautical-mile-freeport.html Freeport's Nautical Mile - What it is, things to do...]
* [http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/localguide/ny-xli-nauticalmile,0,4375351.htmlstory Nautical Mile] 2007 article by Newsday
* [http://209.139.1.182/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/fml&CISOBOX1=Freeport Freeport] on Long Island Memories, Long Island Library Resources Council digitization program