Floral Park, New York
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Floral Park is an incorporated village located in western Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 16,172 at the time of the 2020 census.
Floral Park is at the western border of Nassau County, mainly in the Town of Hempstead, while the section north of Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) is within the Town of North Hempstead. The area was formerly known as East Hinsdale.
The neighborhood of Floral Park in the New York City borough of Queens is adjacent to – but not part of – the village.
History
The area that is now Floral Park once marked the western edge of the great Hempstead Plains, and by some reports was initially known as Plainfield.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web, "The History of Floral Park". Retrieved 12/22/08.</ref> Farms and tiny villages dominated the area through the 1870s when the development of the Long Island Rail Road Hempstead Branch and Jericho Turnpike cut through the area. Hinsdale had more than two dozen flower farms after the Civil War.<ref>"Floral Park: Planting seeds for its growth" Template:Webarchive, Newsday. Retrieved 12/30/07.</ref> The present-day village of Floral Park was once called East Hinsdale.<ref>Weidman, B.S. (1981) Nassau County, Long Island, in Early Photographs, 1869-1940. Courier Dover Publications, pg 49.</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1874, John Lewis Childs arrived in the area to work for C.L. Allen as a seed seller. After building his own seed and bulb business<ref>A Picture of the John Lewis Childs Seed Company Template:Webarchive Retrieved April 10, 2009.</ref> and starting America's first seed catalog business, Childs bought a great deal of land in the area.<ref name=":0" /> To promote his own business and the local horticultural industry, Childs named the local streets after flowers and renamed the area Floral Park. The expansion of the Floral Park Post Office and nearby village businesses are attributed solely to the success of Childs' business.<ref>Ross, P. (1903) History of Long Island: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, pg. 247.</ref><ref name=":2" />
When the local Post Office took the name Floral Park, the Long Island Rail Road followed suit by changing the name of the community's train station from East Hinsdale to Floral Park in 1888. Formerly part of Queens, Floral Park became part of the new County of Nassau in 1899, and it was subsequently incorporated as a village in 1908. Childs served as its first Village President starting that year.<ref name=":2" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
By 1903, the village boasted more than Template:Convert of Childs' flower beds. The massive volume of his mail order business grew the local post office to such an extent that it drew comparisons with the post offices of Chicago, Baltimore, and Boston.<ref>Ross, P. (1903) History of Long Island: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, pg. 248.</ref>
In 1936, as the village continued to grow, Floral Park Village Hall was built, allowing the village to house its government in a centralized, efficient facility.<ref name=":2" />
In 1960, as part of a grade-crossing elimination project executed by the New York Public Service Commission, the Long Island Rail Road was elevated through the village; the Floral Park station was rebuilt on an elevated viaduct as part of the project.<ref name=":23">Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Portions of the northern and western village boundaries are the border with New York City.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
The village also shares borders with the several Nassau County communities; the Village of Floral Park borders the Village of Bellerose and Bellerose Terrace to the northwest, the Incorporated Villages of New Hyde Park and Stewart Manor to the east, the Incorporated Village of South Floral Park to the south, and the unincorporated hamlet of Elmont to the southwest – in addition to the unincorporated hamlets of Floral Park Centre and North New Hyde Park to the northeast.<ref name=":1" />
Drainage
The Village of Floral Park is located within the Hook Creek Watershed, which – in turn – is located within the larger Long Island Sound/Atlantic Ocean Watershed.<ref name=":92">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":16">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":22">Template:Cite web</ref>
Climate
Plant zone
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Village of Floral Park is located within hardiness zone 7b.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Demographics
2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 14,290 | 12,938 | 11,495 | 89.50% | 81.56% | 71.08% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 59 | 198 | 262 | 0.37% | 1.25% | 1.62% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 7 | 10 | 14 | 0.04% | 0.06% | 0.09% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 617 | 1,086 | 1,889 | 3.86% | 6.85% | 11.68% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0.03% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Other Race alone (NH) | 31 | 53 | 82 | 0.19% | 0.33% | 0.51% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 99 | 184 | 360 | 0.62% | 1.16% | 2.23% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 859 | 1,391 | 2,067 | 5.38% | 8.77% | 12.78% |
| Total | 15,967 | 15,683 | 16,172 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2010 census
As of the 2010 census,<ref>United States Census</ref> the population was 87% White, 81.6% Non-Hispanic White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 6.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.6% from other races, and 2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.8% of the population.
2000 census
As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 15,967 people, 5,770 households, and 4,258 families residing in the village. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 5,892 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the village was 93.56% White, 0.46% African American, 0.06% Native American, 3.88% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.38% of the population.
There were 5,770 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $113,719, and the median income for a family was $137,243. Males had a median income of $56,527 versus $38,592 for females. The per capita income for the village was $51,183. None of families or the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
The average and median sales prices of a home in the village as of 2011, were, respectively, $468,738 and $460,000.<ref>"Floral Park Real Estate" Template:Webarchive, Market Report Retrieved 12/28/11.</ref>
Education
The Village of Floral Park is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Floral Park–Bellerose Union Free School District and the Sewanhaka Central High School District.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Two high schools are located in Floral Park: Floral Park Memorial High School and Sewanhaka High School, both of which are part of the Sewanhaka Central High School District (which also includes schools in nearby New Hyde Park, Franklin Square and Elmont).<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There are three elementary schools in Floral Park. Two of them – the John Lewis Childs School and the Floral Park–Bellerose School – are part of the Floral Park–Bellerose Union Free School District (the latter school also serves the neighboring village of Bellerose and Bellerose Terrace).<ref name=":1" />
Furthermore, Our Lady of Victory Elementary School is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, Our Lady of Victory parish.<ref name=":1" />
Emergency services
The Village of Floral Park has its own Police Department, which is made up of an Operations and Administration division.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Floral Park Police Department provides service to all residents within the boundaries of the Village of Floral Park. The Village also has a volunteer fire department, made up of three Engine Companies (Alert Engine Co. #1, Reliance Engine Co. #2, Active Engine Co. #3), a Hook & Ladder Company, and a Rescue (Emergency Medical Services) Company.<ref name=":1" />
Notable people
- Benedetto Aloi (1935–2011), consigliere of Colombo crime family, New York City mobster.
- John Lewis Childs (1856–1921), horticulturist and politician; founding father of the Village of Floral Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Alexander Viespi Jr. (1933–2021), known professionally as Alex Cord, American actor.
- Diana Diamond (born 1937), newspaper editor.Template:Citation needed
- William Diard (1924–2009), opera singer.
- Steve Falteisek (born 1972), former Major League Baseball pitcher. Falteisek was drafted in the tenth round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft by the Montreal Expos.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–1989), photographer, born and raised on the Queens side.<ref>Glueck, Grace. "Fallen Angel" Template:Webarchive, The New York Times, June 25, 1995. Accessed October 14, 2007. "Growing up in a blue-collar precinct of Floral Park and steeped in Catholicism, Mapplethorpe developed -- to his alarm -- an adolescent interest in gay pornographic magazines."</ref>
- Pete Nice (born 1967), hip-hop MC (born Peter J. Nash).<ref>Pearlman, Jeff. "He traded hip-hop to become a horsehide historian" Template:Webarchive, ESPN, February 18, 2008. Accessed December 28, 2016. "Long before he was drawn to the hip-hop stylings of the Sugar Hill Gang and Kurtis Blow, Nash was a young baseball geek in Floral Park, N.Y., gobbling up cards with reckless abandon, rooting for his beloved Dave Kingman ('Unfortunate choice of a hero,' he now laments) and writing letter upon letter to his favorite players."</ref>
- Pete Richert (born 1939), former Major League Baseball pitcher.<ref>Ulrey, Adam. Pete Richert Template:Webarchive, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed December 28, 2016. "Peter Gerard Richert was born on October 29, 1939, in Floral Park, New York."</ref>
- Stephen Roberts (1917–1999), actor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Max Shachtman (1904–1972), associate of Leon Trotsky.<ref>Guide to the Max Shachtman Photographs Template:Webarchive, Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives. Accessed December 28, 2016. "Shachtman grew up in New York City and lived there (mainly in the Bronx) much of his life before moving to a home in Floral Park, a suburb of New York, in 1954."</ref>
- John Williams (born 1932), classical composer and conductor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Adjacent Queens neighborhood
The Queens neighborhood is adjacent to the Village of Floral Park, and uses the designation "North Floral Park" with a ZIP Code of 11004 and telephone area codes of 718, 347, and 917. North Floral Park also extends into the ZIP Code of 11001.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.<ref>Queens Boards, New York City. Accessed January 26, 2024.</ref> Floral Park is a middle-class neighborhood that consists mostly of Cape Cod–style houses. Most of the houses were built after World War II to accommodate returning soldiers. Veterans today make up 11 percent of all residents in Floral Park, versus six percent citywide.<ref name="nytimes20073">Template:Cite news</ref>
Union Turnpike is the border between the neighborhoods, with Glen Oaks to the north. The other boundaries of Floral Park are roughly Little Neck Parkway and 252nd Street to the west, Langdale Street to the east, and a diagonal boundary from Hillside Avenue at 271st Street to Jericho Turnpike at 257th Street to the south. The neighborhood is close to the Cross Island Parkway and the Grand Central Parkway. MTA New York City Transit buses serve Floral Park on the Template:NYC bus link local routes and Template:NYC bus link express route. MTA Bus Company operates the Template:NYC bus link express buses, to Midtown Manhattan and the Template:NYC bus link bus to Jamaica. The neighborhood is also served by Nassau Inter-County Express Template:LI bus link bus. The Floral Park station, located in Nassau County proper, is the closest service on the Long Island Rail Road Hempstead Branch, which travels to Jamaica station and to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.
See also
References
External links
Template:Commons category Template:Wikivoyage
- Template:Official website
- Floral Park Historical Society
- Long Island Rail Road Online Museum--Floral Park/East Hinsdale
Template:HempsteadNY Template:NorthHempsteadNY Template:Queens