Nassau County is a county located in the U.S. State of New York. As of 2000, the population is 1,334,544. It was named for William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, who became King William III of England. Its county seat is Mineola. Nassau and Suffolk counties are generally referred to as "Long Island" (as distinct from New York City) by area residents.
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2 Law and Government 3 Geography 4 Demographics 5 Cities and Towns |
History
Nassau County was originally part of Queens County, when New York was divided into 12 counties in 1683. The area was originally contained in two towns: Hempstead and Oyster Bay. In the American Revolutionary War, the town of Hempstead was split into two, when pro-revolutionists in the northern part formed the new Town of North Hempstead, leaving royalist majorities in the Town of Hempstead. Following the 1898 formation of Greater New York, the part of Queens County that was not annexed to New York City, consisting of the two towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay and most of the town of Hempstead (excluded was the Rockaway Peninsula, which did join Greater New York), was constituted as the new Nassau County, but not until a year later in 1899. Several other names had been considered: Matinecock (note that a village in the county currently has that name), Norfolk, (presumably because of the proximity to Suffolk County), Bryant, and Sagamore, but Nassau had the historical advantage of having at one time been the name of Long Island.
In 1910 (some sources state 1918), The Village of Glen Cove, in the Town of Oyster Bay, became a city and seceded from the Town of Oyster Bay.
In 1918, the Village of Long Beach was incorporated in the Town of Hempstead. In 1922, it became a city and seceded from the Town of Hempstead.
Law and Government
The county legislature has 19 members.Geography
Nassau County occupies a portion of Long Island immediately east of New York City, in the southeastern portion of New York State. It is divided into
Glen Cove
Demographics
As of 2000, there are 1,334,544 people, 447,387 households, and 347,172 families residing in the county. The population density is 1,797/km² (4,655/mi²). There are 458,151 housing units at an average density of 617 persons/km² (1,598 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 79.30% White, 10.09% African American, 0.16% Native American, 4.73% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.57% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. 9.99% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 447,387 households out of which 35.30% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.10% are married couples living together, 10.90% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 22.40% are non-families. 18.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.93 and the average family size is 3.34.
In the county the population is spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 92.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $72,030, and the median income for a family is $81,246. Males have a median income of $52,340 versus $37,446 for females. The per capita income for the county is $32,151. 5.20% of the population and 3.50% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.80% are under the age of 18 and 5.60% are 65 or older.
Cities and Towns