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Port Washington, New York
Main Street in Port Washington, looking east on June 6, 2021.
Main Street in Port Washington, looking east on June 6, 2021.
Nickname(s): 
"Port"
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York.
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York.
Port Washington, New York is located in New York
Port Washington, New York
Port Washington, New York
Location in New York
Country  United States
State  New York
County  Nassau County, New York
Town North Hempstead
First settled 1644
Named for George Washington
Area
 • Total 5.6 sq mi (14.6 km2)
 • Land 4.2 sq mi (10.9 km2)
 • Water 1.4 sq mi (3.7 km2)
Elevation
98 ft (30 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 15,846
Demonym(s) Port Washingtonian
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
11050–11055
Area code(s) 516
FIPS code 36-59520
GNIS feature ID 0960979

Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The hamlet is the anchor community of the Greater Port Washington area. The population was 15,846 at the 2010 census.

History

In the 1870s, Port Washington became an important sand-mining town; it had the largest sandbank east of the Mississippi, and easy barge access to Manhattan. Some 140 million cubic yards of local sand were used for concrete for New York skyscrapers like the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, according to Jon Kaiman, the Town Supervisor until 2013. Fifteen years ago, the sand mines were redeveloped as Harbor Links, a golf course for North Hempstead residents.

Port Washington is depicted as the area of East Egg in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby.

The Thomas Dodge Homestead, Execution Rocks Light, Gould-Guggenheim Estate, William Landsberg House, Main Street School, Monfort Cemetery, Sands-Willets Homestead, and John Philip Sousa House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Knickerbocker Yacht Club is a yacht club in Port Washington for over 100 years.

Geography

GoosePondinNovSm
Baxter Pond, November 2007

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.6 square miles (15 km2), of which 4.2 square miles (11 km2) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) (25.22%) is water.

Bar Beach

Bar beach
Bar Beach
Bar Beach North Hempstead
Bar Beach North Hempstead

Bar Beach is a beach located on the North Shore (Long Island), in Port Washington. It is adjacent to Hempstead Harbor beach.

A fireworks display sometimes takes place at the beach on Memorial Day but not in 2007. The absence of fireworks has been blamed on the Americana Manhasset and Wheatley Plaza by the Town of North Hempstead. Fireworks returned to Bar Beach (renamed as North Hempstead Beach Park in 2008) on Memorial Day, with the Town of North Hempstead fully sponsoring the event. In late 2007, the Town assumed management of the neighboring beach, Hempstead Harbor, from Nassau County. After beginning renovations to this portion of the beach, the entire property was re-opened in the spring of 2008 as North Hempstead Beach Park.

In addition to the annual Memorial Day fireworks show, the beach is host to "Beachfest", an end of summer festival which is held each September. Beachfest features music, games, food vendors, and attractions for all ages.

Demographics

2010 Census

As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,846. The racial makeup of the population was 82.2% White 74.7% Non-Hispanic White, 2.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 4.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 13.4% of the population. The median income for households in Port Washington, New York is $127,813, while the mean household income is $189,892.

Places of worship

Churches

  • St Stephen's Episcopal Church (Episcopalian)
  • Lutheran Church of Our Savior (Lutheran) – ELCA)
  • 1st Church of Christ Scientist Port Washington (Christian Science)
  • United Methodist Church of Port Washington (Methodist)
  • Faith Korean Church of Long Island (Presbyterian)
  • Our Lady of Fatima (Roman Catholic)
  • St Peter of Alcantara (Roman Catholic)
  • Bible Church-Port Washington
  • New York Philadelphia Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian)
  • Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church (Greek Orthodox)

Synagogues

  • Temple Beth Israel (Conservative)
  • The Community Synagogue (Reform)
  • Port Jewish Center (Reform)
  • Chabad of Port Washington (Orthodox)
  • Chevrat Tefillah (conservative)
Port Washington Fire Department 100th Anniversary Logo
PWFD Logo
Port Washinton Fire Department Fighting House Fire September 2011
PWFD Fighting a Structure Fire in Sands Point
Port Washinton Fire Department Attacking Basement Fire September 2011
PWFD Attacks a Basement Fire in Port Washington North

Transportation

Rail

Port Washington LIRR Station House from Main Street, Port Washington, Long Island, New York
The Port Washington LIRR station's station house.

Port Washington is the terminus of the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, which opened for passengers in 1898.

Bus

The n23 bus operated by Nassau Inter-County Express, which runs from Manorhaven to the Mineola Intermodal Center in Mineola also serves Port Washington, running along Main Street and Port Washington Boulevard.

Additionally, the NICE operates a shuttle route called the Port Washington Shuttle, which provides local service in the hamlet and throughout the Greater Port Washington area, with limited service to the Village of Roslyn, which is located slightly southeast of Port Washington.

Gallery

Economy and real estate

Economy

There are numerous small stores in Port Washington with 6 shopping centers, 4 strip malls and an industrial complex on the east side of Port Washington next to Hempstead Harbor, off West Shore Road. Entertainment One, NPD Group, Pall, and Systemax are located in that industrial complex.

Real estate

One notable housing development in Port Washington is New Salem, which was developed by Long Island housing developer Cy Williams.

In 2017, Port Washington, NY 11030 was ranked as the 418th wealthiest ZIP Code by Forbes, with a median home sale price of $1,323,271.

Education

South Salem Elementary School, Port Washington, NY December 2020
The Port Washington UFSD's South Salem Elementary School, as seen on December 26, 2020.

School district

Port Washington is located entirely within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Port Washington Union Free School District. As such, all students who reside within the hamlet and attend public schools go to Port Washington's schools.

Library district

Port Washington is located entirely within the boundaries of the Port Washington Library District.

Notable people

  • Harry B. Anderson, former chairman of Merrill Lynch.
  • Alva Belmont (1853–1933), socialite and suffragette.
  • Carlos Beltrán (born 1977), professional baseball player.
  • Len Berman (born 1947), television sportscaster and morning radio host.
  • John Cassavetes (1929–1989), actor and film director; graduated from Port Washington High School in 1947.
  • John Fasano (1961-2014), screenwriter and director.
  • William H. Folwell (1924-2022), American Episcopal prelate
  • Lucy Fradkin (born 1953), visual artist.
  • Howard Gould (1871–1959), financier.
  • Bob Griffin (born 1980), American-Israeli basketball player, and English Literature professor.
  • Daniel Guggenheim (1856–1930), industrialist and philanthropist.
  • W. Averell Harriman (1896-1991), former Governor of New York.
  • William Randolph Hearst (1863–1951), publisher.
  • Craig M. Johnson (born 1971), former New York State senator.
  • Dave Kerpen (born 1976), serial entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, global keynote speaker.
  • Edgar F. Luckenbach (1868–1943), shipping magnate.
  • Margaret Marian McPartland (1918-2013), English-born jazz pianist.
  • Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942), publisher.
  • Evelyn Mulry Moore (1942–2012), wheelchair athlete.
  • Nancy Overton (1926-2009), singer.
  • Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. (1927-2002), chief executive of Pfizer Inc.
  • Susan Quittmeyer, opera singer.
  • Jean Ritchie, (1922-2015), folk singer; lived in Port Washington 1956-2010.
  • Charles Cary Rumsey (1879–1922), sculptor, husband of Mary Harriman Rumsey.
  • Mary Harriman Rumsey, (1881-1934), founder of The Junior League, member National Women's Hall of Fame.
  • Felix Sater, real estate developer and former managing director of Bayrock Group.
  • Anthony Scaramucci (born 1964), founder of SkyBridge Capital; former White House Communications Director to President Donald Trump.
  • Richard Shindell (born 1960), singer-songwriter.
  • John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), composer.
  • Sean Spicer (born 1971), 30th White House Press Secretar.
  • Jean Swain (1923-2000), singer.
  • Herbert Bayard Swope (1882–1958), editor and journalist.
  • Burl S. Watson (1893-1975), President and CEO of Cities Service Company.
  • Jon "Stugotz" Weiner (born 1972), co-host of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.
  • Burt Young (born 1940), actor best known for appearing in Rocky and its sequels.
  • Marv Albert (born 1941), sportscaster.
  • William Tavoulareas (1919-1996), president of the Mobil Oil Company.
  • Don Vultaggio (1951/1952), founder of the Arizona Beverage Company.

Images for kids

See also

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