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2 Geography 3 Demographics |
General Information
Located on the picturesque north shore of Long Island, New York, the village is home to, among other things, Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Village. The history of the town has been closely linked to that of Ward Melville, a local businessman who at one point owned what is now the Three Villages (consisting of the villages of Stony Brook, Setauket, and Old Field.)
Beginning in 1939 with the creation of the Community Fund (currently the Ward Melville Heritage Organization), Ward Melville began the transformation of the area into his idea of an idyllic setting. His vision was of a New England town, with white clapboard and quaint stores. This effect has been largely achieved in the village proper, which consists of a green and a crescent of stores. In further pursuit of this goal, Melville donated the land and funds for the creation of Stony Brook University to the state of New York, as well as for the local school district.
The area has virtually no industrial or commercial base due to current zoning, and the rapid growth of residential development in the past decade has begun to place serious strain on schools as they try to cope with the added strain. However, the schools are generally considered to be above average.
Visitors to the area with children should plan on a visit to the Village, as well as the near by beach (sand street beach,) a duck pond, historic grist mill (c. 1751,) as well as the newly created Simons park, which has a fabulous board walk, trails, landscaping, and a year round grounds keeper. Additionally, the Carriage Museum is billed as one of the largest of its type in America, although may seem a little pricy for what you get.
Geography
Stony Brook is located at 40°54'23" North, 73°7'42" West (40.906399, -73.128443)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.0 km² (6.2 mi²). 14.9 km² (5.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 6.97% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 13,727 people, 4,758 households, and 3,787 families residing in the town. The population density is 923.3/km² (2,390.5/mi²). There are 4,970 housing units at an average density of 334.3/km² (865.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 91.82% White, 1.23% African American, 0.04% Native American, 5.70% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 2.43% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,758 households out of which 39.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% are married couples living together, 6.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% are non-families. 16.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.88 and the average family size is 3.22.
In the town the population is spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $90,009, and the median income for a family is $95,567. Males have a median income of $68,400 versus $41,770 for females. The per capita income for the town is $35,247. 2.9% of the population and 1.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 1.9% are under the age of 18 and 2.9% are 65 or older.