Valley Stream, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Valley Stream, New York
Village
Village of Valley Stream
Valley Stream and the surrounding areas, as seen from the air.
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York
Valley Stream, New York Location in Long Island Show map of Long Island Valley Stream, New York Location in New York Show map of New York Valley Stream, New York Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Nassau Village within Hempstead, New York
Area
• Total	3.50 sq mi (9.05 km2)
• Land	3.48 sq mi (9.01 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	37,511
• Estimate  (2019)	37,431
• Density	10,759.13/sq mi (4,154.29/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	11580-11583
Area code(s)	516
FIPS code	36-76705
GNIS feature ID	2391182
= North Valley Stream and South Valley Stream included

Hook & Ladder Company 1

Valley Stream is a village in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population in the Village of Valley Stream was 37,511 at the 2010 census. The incorporated Village of Valley Stream is within the Town of Hempstead, New York, along the border with Queens. The village is served by the Long Island Rail Road at the Valley Stream, Gibson, and Westwood stations. Money Magazine ranked Valley Stream as "the best place to live in New York" for 2017.

Geography

U.S. Census Map

Valley Stream is located at 40°39′53″N 73°42′12″W / 40.664780°N 73.703327°W / 40.664780; -73.703327 (40.664780, -73.703327).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), of which 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²), or 0.86%, is water.

Communities bordering Valley Stream are Elmont (Home of Belmont Park Racetrack), Lynbrook, Malverne, Franklin Square, Hewlett, Woodmere, and Rosedale (a neighborhood in Queens in New York City).

There are many different sections of Valley Stream:

• Valley Stream (Village)
• North Valley Stream
• North Woodmere
• South Valley Stream
• Gibson
• Mill Brook (formerly Green Acres)
• Winslow Estates
• Westwood

History

George Bradford Brainerd (American, 1845-1887). Gate House, Valley Stream, Long Island, ca. 1872-1887. Collodion silver glass wet plate negative. Brooklyn Museum

In the year 1640, 14 years after the arrival of the Dutch settlers in Manhattan, the area that is now Valley Stream was purchased by the Dutch West India Company from Rockaway Native Americans. There was no development of the woodland area for the next two centuries. The census of 1840 list about 20 families, most of whom owned large farms. At that time, the northwest section was called “Fosters Meadow”. The business section on Rockaway Avenue was called “Rum Junction” because of its lively nightlife. The racy northern section was known as “Cookie Hill”, and the section of the northeast that housed the local fertilizer plant was called “Skunks Misery”. Hungry Harbor, a section that has retained its name, was home to a squatter’s community.

Robert Pagan was born in Scotland on December 3, 1796. In or about the late 1830s, Robert, his wife Ellen, and their children emigrated from Scotland. On the journey to America, one of their children died and was buried at sea. The 1840 U.S. Census for Queens County lists Pagan's occupation as a farmer. Two children were born to Robert and Ellen Pagan after they settled in the town of Hempstead.

At this time, the community did not have a post office, so mail had to be picked up in Hempstead. Pagan petitioned the appropriate authorities for a post office and it was housed in his home, the Pagan-Fletcher House. He was advised that the community needed a name. Pagan chose "Valley Stream" based on the topographical appearance of the area. In 1843, the U.S. Post Office formally accepted the name of Valley Stream. As a consequence, Pagan is credited with naming the community. Pagan died on March 25, 1870.

Mr. Pagan’s wife, Ellen, also played a significant role in village history. Tired of traveling to Lynbrook for religious services, she began holding the services in her home. A Methodist minister was hired for periodic stops in the Pagan home, and the first congregation in Valley Stream was founded. She also pushed for her husband to change the family to Payan, seen now in Payan Avenue.

In 1853, Hempstead Turnpike was the only route that connected Valley Stream to Jamaica and New York City. The main streets in Valley Stream that connected the small village to the turnpike were Mill Road (which is Corona Avenue today) in the west, Sand Street (Central Avenue) in the south, and Dutch Broadway in the north. That year Merrick Road, a planked, one lane road came through Valley Stream, connecting the village to Merrick in the east, and Jamaica to the west. With the new thoroughfare in the area, Valley Stream residents and industry began to move southward.

In 1869, the South Side Railroad began stopping in Valley Stream and a branch of the railroad was constructed that connected the main line with the Rockaways. The new branch is now called the Far Rockaway Branch of the Long Island Railroad.

The new railroad, combined with the emergence of Merrick Road as a major artery, caused Valley Stream to grow into a substantial community. Around the start of the 20th century, Hendrickson Park became a prime vacationing spot for people from Brooklyn and Queens. The Valley Stream Hotel opened at the beginning of the 20th Century, overlooking the golf course. Many tourists who came to visit wound up moving to Valley Stream. The Village of Valley Stream was incorporated in 1925 as a result of its growth.

In 1922, developer William R. Gibson came to Valley Stream after building more than 2,500 homes in Queens. He bought 500 acres (2.0 km²) of land on Roosevelt Avenue and built homes on Avondale, Berkeley, Cambridge, Derby, and Elmwood Streets. Five years later he expanded his development to Cochran Place and Dartmouth Street.

Realizing that his development was perfectly designed for the new class of white-collar commuters, he petitioned the Long Island Railroad for a stop. The LIRR agreed to stop in the area if Gibson would build the station himself. On May 29, 1929, the Gibson station was opened. Gibson station, as it became known, still retains the name of its founder.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 37,511 people, 12,484 households, and 9,600 families residing in the village. The population density was 10,569.5 people per square mile (4,081.9/km²). There were 12,688 housing units at an average density of 3,687.5 per square mile (1,424.1/km²). The racial make up of the village was 57.25% White, 18.57% African American, 0.3% Native American, 11.38% Asian, 8.97% from other races and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 22.24% of the population. The median household income was $62,243 and the family income was $72,585. Median household income for the village was $77,905, and the median income for a family was $84,273.

Males had a median income of $80,094 versus $56,260 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $66,334. About 1.0% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 0.4% of those age 65 or over.

There were 12,484 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.37.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The village is home to significant Italian American, Irish American and German American populations, with 31.8% of the population identifying themselves as being of Italian ancestry in the 2000 Census.

Transportation

Roads

• NY 27
• Peninsula Boulevard (CR 2)
• Mill Road/Central Avenue
• Merrick Road
• Southern State Parkway

Buses

• n1: Elmont & East Rockaway
• n4: Jamaica & Freeport
• n2 & n8: New Hyde Park & Green Acres Mall
• n25: Great Neck Plaza & Lynbrook
• Q5: Jamaica & Green Acres Mall
• Q85: Locust Manor & Green Acres Mall
• Q111: Jamaica & South Valley Stream

Trains

The Valley Stream station on the LIRR.

• LIRR Far Rockaway Branch: Valley Stream, Gibson.
• LIRR Long Beach Branch: Valley Stream
• LIRR West Hempstead Branch: Valley Stream, Westwood.

Economy

• Green Acres Mall is located in Valley Stream.
• National Amusements Movie Theater chain started in Valley Stream.
• Ninety-Nines were started in Valley Stream.
• Snapple Beverage Co., and the drink itself, started in Valley Stream.

Education

Valley Stream has many separate elementary school districts that share the same central high school district. In addition, children living in the northern section of the Village, a CDP known as North Valley Stream, attend Alden Terrace Elementary School (Elmont UFSD), followed by Elmont Memorial High School (grades 7–12; Sewanhaka CHSD).

Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School District

• Ogden Elementary School
• Hewlett Elementary School
• Woodmere Middle School
• George W. Hewlett High School

Valley Stream School Union Free School District #13

• Howell Road Elementary School
• James A. Dever Elementary School (Originally Corona Ave Elementary School)
• Wheeler Avenue Elementary School
• Willow Road Elementary School

Valley Stream Union Free School District #24

• Brooklyn Avenue Elementary School
• Robert W. Carbonaro Elementary School
• William L. Buck Elementary School

Valley Stream Union Free School District #30

• Clear Stream Avenue Elementary School
• Forest Road Elementary School
• Shaw Avenue Elementary School

Valley Stream Central High School District

The front of Valley Stream Central High School.

• Valley Stream Central High School
• Valley Stream Memorial Junior High School
• Valley Stream North High School
• Valley Stream South High School

Notable people

Images for kids

• 

  Panoramic map of Valley Stream with brief description, list of landmarks, and inset images (1924)

See also

In Spanish: Valley Stream para niños