East Rockaway, New York Facts for Kids

The Incorporated Village of East Rockaway is at the edge of Rockaway Peninsula Proper in the town of Hempstead, adjacent to Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett, Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, and Oceanside. It is the final neighborhood before the beginning of Five Towns, although some have come to include wealthier sections of East Rockaway as a part of Five Towns. East Rockaway is an inner suburb, only 24 km (15 mi) from downtown Manhattan. The primary ethnicities are Italian and Irish. The Waverly Park neighborhood, near the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Center [1] and along the border with Hewlett, has a sizable Jewish community.

History
Demographics
Village services
- Parks
Transportation
Education
Notable people
See also

History

U.S. Census Map

Originally named Near Rockaway, the village began as a shipping and trading center for the south shore of Long Island. The village's location was desirable for ships because of its deep channels inland. Eventually a grist mill was built on the Mill River by Joseph Haviland through a land grant in 1688. The Haviland-Davison Grist Mill, located in Memorial Park, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Later an oven was purchased to make bread for the surrounding population. The village prospered in shipping and milling over the years, even after several sales of the land.

The village's name was changed in 1869 to East Rockaway. The village was incorporated in 1900, and Floyd Johnson was president. At the time of incorporation the town had a population of 969. Back in the 1960s a student from East Rockaway High School, named Donald Scaglione, attempted to steal the school's bell from the bell tower. Unknowingly the bell weighed too much to carry, even for Don, who was one of the football team's star offensive linemen. The bell was dropped. The Scaglione family was responsible for fixing the bell. The bell tower remains empty as of October 18, 2009.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	509	—
1900	739	—
1910	1,200	62.4%
1920	2,005	67.1%
1930	4,340	116.5%
1940	5,610	29.3%
1950	7,970	42.1%
1960	10,721	34.5%
1970	11,795	10.0%
1980	10,917	−7.4%
1990	10,152	−7.0%
2000	10,414	2.6%
2010	9,818	−5.7%
2019 (est.)	9,814	0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,414 people, 3,926 households, and 2,787 families residing in the village. The population density was 10,187.6 people per square mile (3,942.0/km²). There were 4,003 housing units at an average density of 3,916.0 per square mile (1,515.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.64% White, 0.61% African American, 0.03% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.79% of the population.

There were 3,926 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $59,911, and the median income for a family was $78,363. Males had a median income of $50,365 versus $36,387 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,601. About 2.4% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or older.

Village services

The village is protected by the 4th Precinct of the Nassau County Police Department. Fire and ambulance services are provided by the all volunteer East Rockaway Fire Department.

Parks

John Street Complex — This recreational complex has one baseball diamond, two basketball courts, and a concession stand. Flag Football, Baseball, and Basketball are played at this complex.
Bay Park — A large park located in the Bay Park neighborhood in the village's southern half. Contains multiple baseball and softball fields, two playgrounds, a football/soccer field, a picnic area, and more. Had renovations that had been occurring since 2012 completed in 2015 by the county.

Transportation

East Rockaway contains two Long Island Rail Road stations, both of which serve the Long Beach Branch. The main station between Ocean Avenue and Atlantic Avenue, and the Centre Avenue station northwest of there. Until 1951, there was also a third station at Atlantic Avenue.

East Rockaway also has two active gas stations. Monday evenings from Memorial Day to Labor Day local car collectors meet with their vehicles in the parking lot next to the Post Office near the Mill River.

Education

The docks in East Rockaway, renovated in 2005

Village Hall

Currently there are two primary school districts serving East Rockaway, East Rockaway School District and Lynbrook Union Free School District:

There are three schools within the East Rockaway School District:

Rhame Avenue Elementary School
Centre Avenue (Elementary) School
East Rockaway High School - Serves grades 7-12

Each grade of the high school consists of roughly 100 students. The nickname of the athletic teams is "The Rocks." All high school varsity, jr. varsity and freshman team colors are a distinctive Orange and Black. East Rockaway High School fields competitive teams in football, cross country, volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball, and track. Along with these teams East Rockaway also combines with schools in the Malverne school district to form teams. These include soccer, lacrosse and tennis. School musicals and the inter-class competition known as "Rock Rivalry" are widely popular throughout the community.

Located in East Rockaway on Atlantic Avenue is St. Raymonds Catholic school, consisting of Pre-k through 8th grade. See Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre

The Waverly Park and Northwestern neighbourhoods of East Rockaway (the border approximately running down Rocklyn, Carman, and Grant Avenues) are part of Lynbrook School District 20 in the Lynbrook Union Free School District, and are serviced by four main schools:

Waverly Park Elementary School (in East Rockaway)
Marion Street Elementary School (in East Rockaway)
South Middle School (in Hewlett)
Lynbrook Senior High School (in Lynbrook)

Notable people

Gary Giddins (1948- ), writer, Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams
Reid Gorecki (1980-), Major League Baseball player
Brian Keith (1921–1997), actor Family Affair
Don Murray (1929- ), actor Bus Stop
Elizabeth Laskowski (1959-), Co Founder of The Box Music Television The Box (UK and Ireland TV channel)
Bruce Sussman (1949-), Songwriter

East Rockaway, New York facts for kids

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