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Port Jefferson, New York
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Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson | |
![]() Clockwise from top: a view of shops on Main Street, monument commemorating the village's maritime past, Port Jefferson Village Hall, A ferry passes a local power plant en route to Bridgeport, Connecticut, Port Jefferson Free Library
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Nickname(s):
Port Jeff; Port; PJ
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![]() U.S. Census Map
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Coordinates:
40°56′46″N 73°3′44″W / 40.94611°N 73.06222°WCountry United StatesState
New YorkCountySuffolkTownBrookhavenIncorporated1963Government
• TypeMayor-Council • MayorLauren SheprowArea
3.09 sq mi (8.00 km2) • Land3.06 sq mi (7.93 km2) • Water0.027 sq mi (0.07 km2)Elevation
12 ft (3.7 m)Population
7,962 • Density2,599.2/sq mi (1,003.55/km2)Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern Time Zone) • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00ZIP Code
Area codes631, 934FIPS code36-59355GNIS feature ID0960968Websitewww
Port Jefferson, also known as Port Jeff,[2] is an incorporated village in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 7,962 at the time of the 2020 census.[3]
Port Jefferson was first settled in the 17th century and remained a rural community until its development as an active shipbuilding center in the mid-19th century. The village has since transitioned to a tourist-based economy. The community's port remains active as the terminus of the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry – one of two commercial ferry lines between Long Island and Connecticut – and is supplemented by the terminus of the Long Island Rail Road's Port Jefferson Branch. It is also the center of the Greater Port Jefferson region of northwestern Brookhaven, serving as the cultural, commercial and transportation hub of the neighboring Port Jefferson Station, Belle Terre, Mount Sinai, Miller Place, Poquott, and the Setaukets.
The original settlers of the Town of Brookhaven, based in the neighboring hamlet of Setauket, bought a tract of land from the Setalcott Indians in 1655. The deed included the area of contemporary Port Jefferson along with all other lands along the North Shore from the Nissequogue River eastward to Mount Misery Point.[4]
Port Jefferson's original name was Sowaysset, a Native American term for either "place of small pines" or "where water opens.[5]
The first known home within the present village boundaries was erected in the early 1660s by Captain John Scott, an important leader in Long Island's early history. This house, named Egerton, was a grand abode on the western end of Mount Sinai Harbor at Mount Misery Neck.[6] The first settler in Port Jefferson's current downtown was an Irish Protestant shoemaker from Queens named John Roe, who built his still-standing home in 1682. It remained a small community of five homes through the 18th century, and was renamed to "Drowned Meadow" in 1682.[4]
Local lore has it that the pirate Captain Kidd rendezvoused in the harbor on his way to bury treasure at Gardiners Island.[7] Another legend is that: during the Revolutionary War, naval commander John Paul Jones had a ship fitted here.[7] However, there is no factual support for these assertions, and the historical works quoted do not present them as definitive facts. John Paul Jones's career in particular is well documented, and there are no accounts of him visiting the village, which was under British control during the time he served as a commanding officer.
In 1797, when the entire town had five houses, its first shipyard was built. By 1825, several shipbuilding firms were located there, which attracted new residents and commerce.[7]
During the War of 1812, British interference on Long Island Sound upset local shipping routes. On one occasion, two British warships, the frigate HMS Pomone and brig HMS Despatch sent their boats into the harbor under cover of darkness, capturing seven sloops.[8] To protect local interests, a small fortress was set up on the west side of Port Jefferson Harbor.[9]
In 1836 the local leadership initiated the community's transition from a "swampish hamlet" to a busy port town. The 22 acres of the harborfront, which flooded at high tide, were brought to a stable elevation with the construction of a causeway. The village changed its name from "Drowned Meadow" to "Port Jefferson", in honor of Thomas Jefferson.[10][11]
Numerous shipyards developed along Port Jefferson's harbor, and the village's shipbuilding industry became the largest in Suffolk County. Two whaling vessels were built for New Bedford at Port Jefferson in 1877 (ship Horatio and bark Fleetwing), and a Port Jefferson-built schooner (La Ninfa) was later converted into a whaling vessel at San Francisco.[12][13] Port Jefferson's primary role as a port in the 19th century was to build and support vessels engaged in the coastal freighting trades. Many of Port Jefferson's remaining homes from this period were owned by shipbuilders and captains. This includes the Mather House Museum, a mid-19th century home once owned by the Mather shipbuilding family that now serves as the center of a museum complex and headquarters for the Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson.
P. T. Barnum, the famous circus owner, owned a tract of land which ran through the village. His intention was to make Port Jefferson the home base for his circus, founded in 1871. The residents blocked his plans, and he eventually sold his land. Barnum Avenue now runs through the area that was once Barnum's.[14][15]
The section of town at the intersection of the two streets, then known as Hotel Square, became an active center of Port Jefferson's early tourism industry in the mid-19th century, with a variety of hotels and restaurants. This included the John Roe house, which was converted into the Townsend House hotel. The village's first post office was added to this intersection in 1855.[16]
With the 1923 sale of the Bayles Shipyard to the Standard Oil Company and demolition of all but two of its structures, Port Jefferson's shipbuilding industry came to a close. This resulted in an economic downturn, and the closing of many of the grand hotels in Hotel Square, as tourism declined along with the industry. Port Jefferson Harbor then became a depot for the oil transportation and gravel industries, and, since the 1940s, the site of a Long Island Lighting Company coal-fired power plant. The harbor also had activity as a rum-running center during the Prohibition era. Decades later, Port Jefferson's economy had recovered, with tourism as its base.
The village of Port Jefferson was incorporated in 1963.[17] The revitalization of lower Port Jefferson soon followed as local tourism brought increased revenues and the village adjusted itself to its new economic role. One such transformation was the 1976 redevelopment of the defunct Mather & Jones Shipyard into a shop-lined promenade known as Chandler Square.
A result of the transition is new public access to much of the waterfront, as several industrial lots had previously stood in the way. Danfords Hotel and Marina was one major waterfront project, which integrated several new and historical structures into a luxury hotel. Danfords includes a commercial marina and walkable pier, marking an aspect of the harbor's transformation from industrial to recreational use.
Harborfront Park, a project completed in 2004, similarly transitioned the site of a shipyard turned Mobil Oil terminal into a public park with picnic grounds, a seasonal ice skating rink and a promenade.[18] Concurrent to the park's construction was the rebuilding of a former shipyard warehouse into the Port Jefferson Village Center, a new public space for events and recreation.
A number of historic buildings were included in the Port Jefferson Village Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.[19] Separately listed are the Bayles Shipyard and First National Bank of Port Jefferson building.[19]
The village's commerce is divided into two centers that lie 1-mile (1.6 km) apart along Main Street and at differing elevations. These are known as Lower Port Jefferson and Upper Port Jefferson, respectively the waterfront and the railroad station sections of town. The first is currently the center of tourism, while the latter is undergoing plans for revitalization to the economic viability of its historic self. Further from Main Street, the remainder of Port Jefferson consists of several residential neighborhoods defined by the hills on which they sit. In the northeastern corner of the village is the neighborhood of Harbor Hills. This neighborhood occupies the western edge of Mount Sinai Harbor and contains the Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills. Brick Hill is the neighborhood directly west of the Lower Port Jefferson commercial center and was first developed by the noted circus owner P. T. Barnum. West of Upper Port Jefferson is Cedar Hill, which is topped by the c. 1859 Cedar Hill Cemetery where residents formerly would bask while enjoying views over the village from its highest point.
Within Port Jefferson is Port Jefferson Harbor, a natural deepwater harbor. Setauket Harbor branches off to the west from the harbor. One notable geographic feature is Pirate's Cove, a small cove dredged in the early 20th century by the Seaboard Dredging Company. The original name was Seaboard Hole, but it was changed for the sake of appealing to tourists, and several large sand dunes artificially created by the dredging can also be found here. The dunes, nearby coast, and surrounding wildlands are within the publicly-accessible McAllister County Park[20], with limited parking available on Anchorage Road. Foot traffic is welcome, bicycles are prohibited, and sections of the park are closed to visitors during nesting season for the endangered Piping Plover.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
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1880 | 1,724 | — | |
1890 | 2,026 | 17.5% | |
1970 | 5,515 | — | |
1980 | 6,731 | 22.0% | |
1990 | 7,455 | 10.8% | |
2000 | 7,837 | 5.1% | |
2010 | 7,750 | −1.1% | |
2020 | 7,962 | 2.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[21] |
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 7,750 people, 3,090 households, and 1,975 families residing in the village. The population density was approximately 2,500 people per square mile (980/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 88.5% White, 10.5% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% Asian, 1.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races.
There were 3,090 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male household with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. Of all households, 28.3% were made up of individuals living alone, and 9.0% consisted of people living alone who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.[22]
The age breakdown consisted of 20.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
In the 2008–2012 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the village was $108,060 and the median income for a family was $138,984. The per capita income for the village was $51,937. Of the population, 6.5% were below the poverty threshold.
Port Jefferson is home to Theatre Three, a non-profit theatre company founded in 1969. Each year Theatre Three stages four musicals and two plays and additionally performs A Christmas Carol during the annual Dickens Festival. Theatre Three is held in Athena Hall, a performance space dating to 1874. The village was home to two notable landscape painters in the late 19th century, William Moore Davis and Leon Foster Jones. Both artists produced numerous depictions of Port Jefferson and its harbor. They were the subject of a 1993 art exhibition by the Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages in Stony Brook.
Port Jefferson has been home to the annual Port Jefferson Village Dickens Festival every year since 1996. The festival celebrates the works and times of English novelist Charles Dickens. It takes place during a weekend early in December and typically includes many events and occurrences, such as the regular sighting of people who dress in 19th century clothing, house tours, the reading of winter-related poetry, caroling, and booths set up by local businesses. Students from the Port Jefferson Middle School and High School submit poetry and art that are used in the festival. Free concerts of seasonal music by various ensembles are presented at the Methodist church. Many small festivals are held during the summer, showcasing music and crafts. Each Fourth of July sees a substantial parade on Main Street. The village also hosts an annual outdoor concert series and film screenings, both of which currently take place in Harborfront Park throughout July and August. In keeping with its seafaring heritage, Port Jefferson hosts its own annual boat race series known as the Village Cup Regatta, with proceeds benefiting cancer research.
Port Jefferson is governed at the local level by a mayor, four trustees, and a village justice.[23][24]
The Port Jefferson Union Free School District covers Belle Terre and most of Port Jefferson. In 2008, the district had 1375 students.
There are three schools:
Port Jefferson union free school district (UFSD) is bordered on the west by Three Village Central School District, on the south by Comsewogue School District, and on the east by Mount Sinai School District.
Port Jefferson features a major ferry route, a Long Island Rail Road terminus, multiple bus lines, and an extensive network of roads.
The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry is one of two routes connecting Long Island to New England. The other route is the Cross Sound Ferry at Orient Point and no bridges or tunnels exist despite past proposals. Port Jefferson's ferry company was established in 1883 and was championed by influential circus owner P. T. Barnum. Barnum, who owned lands in both Port Jefferson and Bridgeport, Connecticut, became the new company's first president.[30]
The village additionally serves as the eastern terminus for the Long Island Rail Road's Port Jefferson Branch. The branch consists of a diesel train that connects to the electrified Main Line at Huntington station. During the full run it continues toward the western terminus of Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan or to Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. The average commute from Port Jefferson to Manhattan via the Long Island Rail Road takes approximately 2 hours. Train service to New York City first reached Port Jefferson in 1873. The ferry terminal and train station are approximately 1-mile (1.6 km) apart. In March 2014, mayor Margot Garant announced interest in establishing a future shuttle to link the two transportation networks as well as their respective sections of town, lower and upper Port Jefferson.[31][better source needed]
Suffolk County Transit operates a bus route, the 51, which runs from Patchogue station to Port Jefferson station via Ronkonkoma station, Smith Haven Mall, Stony Brook University, and Port Jefferson. It operates every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on weekends.[32] Routes 53 and 55 operate between Port Jefferson station and Patchogue station via Farmingville, New York, and New York State Route 112, respectively.[33][34]
Port Jefferson's main street forms a section of New York State Route 25A, a scenic and historic route through Long Island's North Shore from the New York City borough of Queens eastward to Calverton. Just southeast of the village is the eastern terminus of New York State Route 347, a multilane divided highway that connects to the Northern State Parkway in Hauppauge. New York State Route 112, an important north–south route, begins just south of the village and runs to Patchogue, with a dedicated bicycle lane along much of the route.
Nassau County
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County of Nassau | |
![]() Hempstead House, part of Sands Point Preserve, on Nassau County's Gold Coast, home to some of the world's most expensive real estate
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![]() Location within the U.S. state of New York
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![]() New York's location within the U.S.
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Coordinates: 40°44′50″N 73°38′17″W / 40.7472°N 73.6381°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Founded | 1899 |
Named after | House of Nassau |
Seat | Mineola |
Largest town | Hempstead |
Government
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• Executive | Bruce Blakeman (R) |
Area
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453 sq mi (1,170 km2) |
• Land | 285 sq mi (740 km2) |
• Water | 169 sq mi (440 km2) 37% |
Population
(2020)
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1,395,774 ![]() |
• Density | 4,900/sq mi (1,890/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Area code | 516, 363 |
Congressional districts | 2nd, 3rd, 4th |
Website | nassaucountyny.gov |
Population is 2020 official census |
Part of a series on |
Long Island |
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Nassau County (/ˈnæsɔː/ NASS-aw) is a suburban county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City, bordering the Long Island Sound on the north and the open Atlantic Ocean to the south. As of the 2020 United States census, Nassau County's population was 1,395,774, making it the sixth-most populous county in the State of New York,[1] and reflecting an increase of 56,242 (+4.2%) from the 1,339,532 residents enumerated at the 2010 census.[2] Its county seat is Mineola, while the county's largest and most populous town is Hempstead.[3][4][5]
Situated on western Long Island, the County of Nassau borders New York City's borough of Queens to its west, and Long Island's Suffolk County to its east. It is the most densely populated and second-most populous county in the State of New York outside of New York City, with which it maintains extensive rail and highway connectivity, and is considered one of the central counties within the New York metropolitan area.
Nassau County comprises two cities, three towns, 64 incorporated villages, and more than 60 unincorporated hamlets. Nassau County has a designated police department,[6] fire commission,[7] and elected executive and legislative bodies.[8]
A 2012 Forbes article based on the American Community Survey reported Nassau County as the most expensive county and one of the highest income counties in the U.S., and the most affluent in New York state, with four of the nation's top ten towns by median income located in the county.[9] As of 2024, the median home price overall in Nassau County is approximately US$800,000, while the Gold Coast of Nassau County features some of the world's most expensive real estate.
Nassau County high school students often feature prominently as winners of the International Science and Engineering Fair and similar STEM-based academic awards as well as top U.S. schools lists.[10] Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the Town of Oyster Bay; the Old Westbury campus of New York Institute of Technology; the second campus of the New York University Grossman School of Medicine in Mineola, Zucker School of Medicine in the Village of Hempstead; and the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, are prominent life sciences research and academic institutions in Nassau County. The presence of numerous prominent health care systems has made Nassau County a central hub for advanced medical care and technology. Eight cricket matches of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup were played at a temporary cricket stadium in Eisenhower Park in East Meadow in June 2024.
The name of Nassau County originated from an old name for Long Island, which was at one time named Nassau, after the Dutch family of King William III of England, the House of Nassau,[11] itself named after the German town of Nassau. The county colors (orange and blue) are also the colors of the House of Orange-Nassau.
Several alternate names had been considered for the county, including "Bryant", "Matinecock" (a village within the county currently has that name), "Norfolk" (presumably because of the proximity to Suffolk County), and "Sagamore".[12] However, "Nassau" had the historical advantage of having at one time been the name of Long Island itself,[13] and was the name most mentioned after the new county was proposed in 1875.[14][15][16]
The area now designated as Nassau County was originally the eastern 70% of Queens County, one of the original twelve counties formed in 1683, and was then contained within two towns: Hempstead and Oyster Bay. In 1784, the Town of North Hempstead, was formed through secession by the northern portions of the Town of Hempstead. Nassau County was formed in 1899 by the division of Queens County, after the western portion of Queens had become a borough of New York City in 1898, as the three easternmost towns seceded from the county.
When the first European settlers arrived, among the Native Americans to occupy the present area of Nassau County were the Marsapeque, Matinecoc, and Sacatogue. Dutch settlers in New Netherland predominated in the western portion of Long Island, while English settlers from Connecticut occupied the eastern portion. Until 1664, Long Island was split, roughly at the present border between Nassau and Suffolk counties, between the Dutch in the west and Connecticut claiming the east. The Dutch did grant an English settlement in Hempstead (now in western Nassau), but drove settlers from the present-day eastern Nassau hamlet of Oyster Bay as part of a boundary dispute. In 1664, all of Long Island became part of the English Province of New York within the Shire of York. Present-day Queens and Nassau were then just part of a larger North Riding. In 1683, the colonial territory of Yorkshire was dissolved, Suffolk County and Queens County were established, and the local seat of government was moved west from Hempstead to Jamaica (now in New York City).[17]
By 1700, virtually none of Long Island's area remained unpurchased from the Native Americans by the English colonists, and townships controlled whatever land had not already been distributed.[18] The courthouse in Jamaica was torn down by the British during the American Revolution to use the materials to build barracks.[19]
In 1784, following the American Revolutionary War, the Town of Hempstead was split in two, when Patriots in the northern part formed the new Town of North Hempstead, leaving Loyalist majorities in the Town of Hempstead. About 1787, a new Queens County Courthouse was erected (and later completed) in the new Town of North Hempstead, near present-day Mineola (now in Nassau County), known then as Clowesville.[20][21][23][24]
The Long Island Rail Road reached as far east as Hicksville in 1837, but did not proceed to Farmingdale until 1841 due to the Panic of 1837. The 1850 census was the first in which the combined population of the three western towns (Flushing, Jamaica, and Newtown) exceeded that of the three eastern towns that are now part of Nassau County. Concerns were raised about the condition of the old courthouse and the inconvenience of travel and accommodations, with the three eastern and three western towns divided on the location for the construction of a new one.[25] Around 1874, the seat of county government was moved to Long Island City from Mineola.[24][26][27] As early as 1875, representatives of the three eastern towns began advocating the separation of the three eastern towns from Queens, with some proposals also including the towns of Huntington and Babylon (in Suffolk County).[14][15][16]
In 1898, the western portion of Queens County became a borough of the City of Greater New York, leaving the eastern portion a part of Queens County but not part of the Borough of Queens. As part of the city consolidation plan, all town, village, and city (other than NYC) governments within the borough were dissolved, as well as the county government with its seat in Jamaica. The areas excluded from the consolidation included all of the Town of North Hempstead, all of the Town of Oyster Bay, and most of the Town of Hempstead (excluding the Rockaway Peninsula, which was separated from the Town of Hempstead and became part of the city borough).
In 1899, following approval from the New York State Legislature, the three towns were separated from Queens County, and the new county of Nassau was constituted.
In preparation for the new county, in November 1898, voters had selected Mineola to become the county seat for the new county[28] (before Mineola incorporated as a village in 1906 and set its boundaries almost entirely within the Town of North Hempstead), winning out over Hicksville and Hempstead.[29]
The Garden City Company (founded in 1893 by the heirs of Alexander Turney Stewart)[30] donated four acres of land for the county buildings in the Town of Hempstead, just south of the Mineola train station and the present day village of Mineola.[31] The land and the buildings have a Mineola postal address, but are within the present day Village of Garden City,[32] which did not incorporate, nor set its boundaries, until 1919.
In 1917,[33] the hamlet of Glen Cove was granted a city charter, making it independent from the Town of Oyster Bay. In 1918, the village of Long Beach was incorporated in the Town of Hempstead. In 1922, it became a city, making it independent of the town. These are the only two administrative divisions in Nassau County identified as cities.
From the early 1900s until the Depression and the early 1930s, many hilly farmlands on the North Shore were transformed into luxurious country estates for wealthy New Yorkers, with the area receiving the "Gold Coast" moniker and becoming the setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby. One summer resident of the Gold Coast was President Theodore Roosevelt, at Sagamore Hill. In 1908, William Kissam Vanderbilt constructed the Long Island Motor Parkway as a toll road through Nassau County. With overpasses and bridges to remove intersections, it was among the first limited access motor highways in the world, and was also used as a racecourse to test the capabilities of the fledgling automobile industry.
Nassau County, with its extensive flat land, was the site of many aviation firsts.[34] Military aviators for both World Wars were trained on the Hempstead Plains at installations such as Mitchel Air Force Base, and a number of successful aircraft companies were established. Charles Lindbergh took off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in 1927, completing the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight from the United States. Grumman (which in 1986 employed 23,000 people on Long Island[35]) built many planes for World War II, and later contributed the Apollo Lunar Module to the Space program.[34]
The United Nations Security Council was temporarily located in Nassau County, from 1946 till 1951. Council meetings were held at the Sperry Gyroscope headquarters in the village of Lake Success, near the border with Queens County. It was here that on June 27, 1950, the Security Council voted to back U.S. President Harry S Truman and send a coalition of forces to the Korean Peninsula, leading to the Korean War.
Until World War II, most of Nassau County was still farmland, particularly in the eastern portion. Following the war, the county saw an influx of people from the five boroughs of New York City, especially from Brooklyn and Queens, who left their urban dwellings for a more suburban setting. This led to a massive population boom in the county. In 1947, William Levitt built his first planned community in Nassau County, in the Island Trees section (later renamed Levittown; this should not be confused with the county's first planned community, which in general is Garden City). In the 1930s, Robert Moses had engineered curving parkways and parks such as Jones Beach State Park and Bethpage State Park for the enjoyment of city-dwellers; in the 1950s and 1960s the focus turned to alleviating commuter traffic.
In 1994, Federal Judge Arthur Spatt declared the Nassau County Board of Supervisors unconstitutional and directed that a 19-member legislature be formed.[36] Republicans won 13 seats in the election and chose Bruce Blakeman as the first Presiding Officer (Speaker).[37]
According to a Forbes magazine 2012 survey, residents of Nassau County have the 12th highest median household annual income in the country and the highest in the state.[9] In the 1990s, however, Nassau County experienced substantial budget problems, forcing the county to near bankruptcy. Thus, the county government increased taxes to prevent a takeover by the state of New York, leading to the county having high property taxes. Nevertheless, on January 27, 2011, a State of New York oversight board seized control of Nassau County's finances, saying the wealthy and heavily taxed county had failed to balance its $2.6 billion budgets.[38]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 453.2 square miles (1,174 km2), of which 284.7 square miles (737 km2) is land and 168.5 square miles (436 km2) (37%) is water.[39]
Nassau County borders the Long Island Sound on the north and the open Atlantic Ocean on the south. The highest point in the county is Harbor Hill on the north shore. The county occupies a portion of Long Island immediately east of the New York City borough of Queens. It is divided into two cities and three towns, the latter of which contain 64 villages and numerous hamlets. The county borders Connecticut across the Long Island Sound.
Between the 1990 U.S. census and the 2000 U.S. census, the Nassau County exchanged territory with Suffolk County and lost territory to Queens County.[40] Dozens of CDPs had boundaries changed, and 12 new CDPs were listed.[40]
Nassau County has a climate similar to other coastal areas of the Northeastern United States; it has warm, humid summers and cool, wet winters. The county's climate is classified as humid subtropical (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification. According to the Trewartha climate classification the climate is oceanic (Do) since six to seven months average above 50″F (10″C). The Atlantic Ocean helps bring afternoon sea breezes that temper the heat in the warmer months and limit the frequency and severity of thunderstorms. Nassau County has a moderately sunny climate, averaging between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually.[41] The hardiness zone is 7b.[42]
Climate data for Mineola, New York | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 71 (22) |
73 (23) |
85 (29) |
94 (34) |
97 (36) |
101 (38) |
105 (41) |
104 (40) |
100 (38) |
90 (32) |
83 (28) |
76 (24) |
105 (41) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39 (4) |
43 (6) |
50 (10) |
61 (16) |
70 (21) |
80 (27) |
85 (29) |
83 (28) |
76 (24) |
65 (18) |
55 (13) |
45 (7) |
63 (17) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 26 (−3) |
28 (−2) |
34 (1) |
42 (6) |
51 (11) |
61 (16) |
66 (19) |
65 (18) |
58 (14) |
48 (9) |
40 (4) |
31 (−1) |
46 (8) |
Record low °F (°C) | −10 (−23) |
−7 (−22) |
3 (−16) |
13 (−11) |
32 (0) |
43 (6) |
50 (10) |
48 (9) |
38 (3) |
27 (−3) |
10 (−12) |
−1 (−18) |
−10 (−23) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.62 (92) |
3.17 (81) |
4.35 (110) |
4.15 (105) |
3.90 (99) |
3.85 (98) |
4.40 (112) |
3.72 (94) |
3.91 (99) |
4.08 (104) |
3.73 (95) |
3.82 (97) |
46.7 (1,186) |
Source: The Weather Channel[43] |
Nassau County borders the following counties:[44]
In July 2017, the approval was granted by state legislators to the plan proposed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to add a third railroad track to the Long Island Rail Road corridor between the communities of Floral Park and Hicksville in Nassau County. The nearly US$2 billion transportation infrastructure enhancement project was expected to accommodate anticipated growth in rail ridership and facilitate commutes between New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island.[45]
The Long Island Expressway, Northern State Parkway, and Southern State Parkway are the primary east–west controlled-access highways in Nassau County. Northern Boulevard (New York State Route 25A), Hillside Avenue (New York State Route 25B), Jericho Turnpike (New York State Route 25), New York State Route 24, and Sunrise Highway (New York State Route 27) are also major east–west commercial thoroughfares across the county. The Meadowbrook State Parkway, Wantagh State Parkway, and Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (New York State Route 135) are the major north–south controlled-access highways traversing Nassau County.
Nassau County also has a public bus network known as NICE (Nassau Inter-County Express, formerly MTA Long Island Bus) that operates routes throughout the county into Queens and Suffolk counties. 24 hour service is provided on the n4, n6, and most recently the n40/41 lines.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1900 | 55,448 | — | |
1910 | 83,930 | 51.4% | |
1920 | 126,120 | 50.3% | |
1930 | 303,053 | 140.3% | |
1940 | 406,748 | 34.2% | |
1950 | 672,765 | 65.4% | |
1960 | 1,300,171 | 93.3% | |
1970 | 1,428,080 | 9.8% | |
1980 | 1,321,582 | −7.5% | |
1990 | 1,287,348 | −2.6% | |
2000 | 1,334,544 | 3.7% | |
2010 | 1,339,532 | 0.4% | |
2020 | 1,395,774 | 4.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[47] 1790–1960[48] 1900–1990[49] 1990–2000[50] 2010–2020[1] |
At the 2019 American Community Survey, the population of Nassau County stood at 1,356,924, an increase of 17,392 since the 2010 census.[51] At the 2010 U.S. census, there were 1,339,532 people, 448,528 households, and 340,523 families residing in the county. The population of Nassau County was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to have increased by 2.2% to 1,369,514 in 2017, representing 6.9% of the census-estimated State of New York population of 19,849,399[52] and 17.4% of the census-estimated Long Island population of 7,869,820.[53][54][55][56] At the 2000 United States census, there were 1,334,544 people, 447,387 households, and 347,172 families residing in the county.
In 2010, there were 340,523 family households. 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 60.0% were married couples living together. 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present. 24.1% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals. 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94. The average family size was 3.38.[57]
In 2010, the population was 23.3% under the age of 18. 18.7% were 62 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.[57] In 2019, there were 474,165 housing units and 446,977 family households.[58] From 2015 to 2019, there was an average of 2.99 persons per household, and 21.4% of the population was under 18 years of age.
At the 2019 American Community Survey, Nassau had a median household income of $116,100. The per capita income was $51,422. About 5.6% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.[58] The median income for a household in the county in 2010 was $72,030. and the median income for a family was $81,246. These figures had risen to $87,658 and $101,661 respectively according to a 2007 estimate.[59] Males had a median income of $52,340 versus $37,446 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,151. About 3.50% of families and 5.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.80% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.
The population density in 2010 was 4,700 people per square mile (1,800 people/km2). In 2000, the population density was 4,655 inhabitants per square mile (1,797/km2). In the 2010 census, there were 468,346 housing units at an average density of 1,598 per square mile (617/km2).
Place | Population 2010 census |
% white |
% black or African American |
% Asian |
% Other† |
% mixed race |
% Hispanic/ Latino of any race |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race | Ethnicity | ||||||
Nassau County | 1,339,532 | 71.0 | 11.1 | 7.6 | 5.9 | 2.4 | 14.6 |
Suffolk County | 1,493,350 | 81.0 | 7.3 | 3.4 | 5.9 | 2.4 | 16.5 |
Long Island Total (including Brooklyn and Queens) |
7,568,304 | 54.7 | 20.4 | 12.3 | 9.3 | 3.2 | 20.5 |
NY State | 19,378,102 | 65.7 | 15.9 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 17.6 |
USA | 308,745,538 | 72.4 | 12.6 | 4.8 | 7.3 | 2.9 | 16.3 |
†American Indian, Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander make up just 0.5% of the population of Long Island, and have been included with "Other". |
In 2010, the racial makeup of the county was 73.0% White (65.5% non-Hispanic white), 10.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 7.6% Asian (3.0% Indian, 1.8% Chinese, 1.0% Korean, 0.7% Filipino, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Vietnamese, 0.9% Other Asian), 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.6% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 15.6% of the population.[57] In 2019, Nassau County's racial and ethnic makeup was 58.2% non-Hispanic white, 11.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 10.3% Asian, 0.7% some other race, and 1.9% two or more races. The Hispanic and Latin American population increased to 17.5% of the population.[61]
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[62] | Pop 1990[63] | Pop 2000[64] | Pop 2010[65] | Pop 2020[66] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 1,171,317 | 1,063,903 | 986,947 | 877,309 | 779,454 | 88.63% | 82.64% | 73.95% | 65.49% | 55.84% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 88,414 | 105,315 | 129,860 | 141,305 | 147,216 | 6.69% | 8.18% | 9.73% | 10.55% | 10.55% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 892 | 1,262 | 1,311 | 1,379 | 1,714 | 0.07% | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.12% |
Asian alone (NH) | 14,472 | 38,434 | 62,744 | 101,558 | 163,165 | 1.10% | 2.99% | 4.70% | 7.58% | 11.69% |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [67] | x [68] | 272 | 197 | 292 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.02% |
Other race alone (NH) | 3,201 | 1,048 | 3,014 | 4,740 | 11,780 | 0.24% | 0.08% | 0.23% | 0.35% | 0.84% |
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [69] | x [70] | 17,114 | 17,689 | 35,728 | x | x | 1.28% | 1.32% | 2.56% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 43,286 | 77,386 | 133,282 | 195,355 | 256,425 | 3.28% | 6.01% | 9.99% | 14.58% | 18.37% |
Total | 1,321,582 | 1,287,348 | 1,334,544 | 1,339,532 | 1,395,774 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
In 2011, there were about 230,000 Jewish people in Nassau County,[71] representing 17.2% of the population, (as compared to 2% of the total U.S. population). Italian Americans also made up a large portion of Nassau's population. The five most reported ancestries were Italian (23%), Irish (14%), German (7%), Indian (5%), and Polish (4%). The county's population was highest at the 1970 U.S. census. More recently, a Little India community has emerged in Hicksville, Nassau County,[72] spreading eastward from the more established Little India enclaves in Queens. Rapidly growing Chinatowns have developed in Brooklyn and Queens,[73][74][75] as did earlier European immigrants, such as the Irish and Italians.
As of 2019, the Asian population in Nassau County had grown by 39% since 2010, to an estimated 145,191 individuals. There were approximately 50,000 Indian Americans and 40,000 Chinese Americans. Nassau County has become the leading suburban destination in the U.S. for Chinese immigrants.[76] Likewise, the Long Island Koreatown originated in Flushing, Queens, and is expanding eastward along Northern Boulevard[77][78][79][80][81] and into Nassau County.[75][78][79] The New York Times cited a 2002 study by the non-profit group ERASE Racism, which determined that Nassau, and its neighboring county, Suffolk, as the most de facto racially segregated suburbs in the United States.[82]
Place | Population 2010 census[57][60] |
% Catholic |
% not affiliated |
% Jewish |
% Protestant |
Estimate of % not reporting |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nassau County | 1,339,532 | 52 | 9 | 16 | 7 | 15 |
Suffolk County | 1,493,350 | 52 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
Long Island Total (including Brooklyn and Queens) |
7,568,304 | 40 | 18 | 12 | 7 | 20 |
NY State | 19,378,102 | 42 | 20 | 9 | 10 | 16 |
USA | 308,745,538 | 22 | 37 | 2 | 23 | 12 |
County police services are provided by the Nassau County Police Department. The cities of Glen Cove and Long Beach, as well as a number of villages, are not members of the county police district and maintain their own police forces. The following village police departments exist in Nassau County: Brookville (Brookville P.D. provides police protection for Brookville, Matinecock, Mill Neck and Cove Neck), Centre Island, Floral Park, Freeport, Garden City, Great Neck Estates, Hempstead, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Lynbrook, Malverne, Muttontown-Upper Brookville, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Oyster Bay Cove, Rockville Centre and Sands Point.
The Port Washington Police District is not a village department but is authorized by a special district, the only such district in the State of New York. These smaller forces make use of such specialized county police services as the police academy and the aviation unit. All homicides in the county are investigated by the county police, regardless of whether or not they occur within the police district.
In June 2011, the Muttontown Police Department commenced operations. The Old Brookville Police had formerly provided police services to the Village of Muttontown.
On June 1, 2022, the Old Brookville Police Department reverted to serving only the Village of Old Brookville and moved its headquarters to the grounds of the Old Brookville village hall. The Village of Brookville formed a new police department, established headquarters on the grounds of the Brookville Nature Park and assumed policing duties for the villages of Brookville, Matinecock, Mill Neck and Cove Neck, that were formerly served by the Old Brookville Police Department. The Village of Upper Brookville joined the Muttontown Police Department which was subsequently renamed the Muttontown-Upper Brookville (MUB) Police Department. The former Old Brookville Police headquarters is now the Upper Brookville village hall and also a substation for the Muttontown-Upper Brookville Police Department.
In 2006, village leaders in the county seat of Mineola expressed dissatisfaction with the level of police coverage provided by the county force and actively explored seceding from the police district and having the village form its own police force. A referendum in December 2006 decisively defeated the proposal.[85]
Since the Long Island State Parkway Police was disbanded in 1980, all of Nassau County's state parkways have been patrolled by Troop L of the New York State Police. State parks in Nassau are patrolled by the New York State Park Police. In 1996, the Long Island Rail Road Police Department was consolidated into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police. The MTA Police patrol Long Island Rail Road tracks, stations and properties. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police provides enforcement of state environmental laws and regulations. The State University of New York Police provides enforcement for SUNY Old Westbury.
The Nassau County Police Department posts the mug shots of DWI offenders as press releases on their website. This practice has come under the scrutiny of residents, media, and those pictured in these press releases. This practice has been criticized as being able to cost potential employees, students, or public figures their positions.[86]
County correctional services and enforcement of court orders are provided by the Nassau County Sheriff's Department. New York State Court Officers provide security for courthouses.
The Nassau County Auxiliary Police are a unit of the Nassau County Police Department. These volunteer police officers are assigned to 1 of 38 local community units and perform routine patrols of the neighborhood. They provide traffic control for local parades, races and other community events. Auxiliary Police officers are empowered to make arrests for crimes that occur in their presence.
Nassau County Auxiliary Police are required to complete a 42-week training course at the Nassau County Police Academy. Qualified officers are offered Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training. Auxiliary Police officers are certified and registered by the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services as full-time "peace officers". The City of Long Beach has an independent auxiliary police force which is part of its municipal police force. These officers are represented by the Auxiliary Police Benevolent Association of Long Island.
Nassau County is currently protected and served by 71 independent volunteer or combination paid/volunteer fire departments, organized into 9 battalions. The Nassau County Fire Commission also provides logistical support to all 71 departments.[87]
Department Number | Department Name |
---|---|
100 | Bellerose Village |
110 | Bellerose Terrace |
120 | Floral Park |
130 | Floral Park Centre |
140 | Garden City |
150 | Garden City Park |
160 | Mineola |
170 | New Hyde Park |
180 | South Floral Park |
190 | Stewart Manor |
Department Number | Department Name |
---|---|
200 | Baldwin |
210 | Freeport |
220 | Village of Island Park |
230 | Long Beach |
240 | Oceanside |
250 | Point Lookout-Lido |
Department Number | Department Name |
---|---|
300 | Hewlett |
310 | Inwood |
320 | Lawrence Cedarhurst |
330 | Meadowmere Park |
340 | Valley Stream |
350 | Woodmere |
Department Number | Department Name |
---|---|
400 | East Rockaway |
410 | Lakeview |
420 | Lynbrook |
430 | Malverne |
440 | Rockville Centre |
Department Number | Department Name |
---|---|
500 | Bayville |
510 | East Norwich |
520 | Glen Cove |
530 | Glenwood |
540 | Locust Valley |
550 | Oyster Bay |
560 | Roslyn Rescue |
570 | Sea Cliff |
580 | Syosset |
590 | Roslyn Highlands |
Department Number | Department Name |
---|---|
600 | Bellmore |
610 | East Meadow |
620 | Levittown |
630 | Massapequa |
640 | Merrick |
650 | North Bellmore |
660 | North Massapequa |
670 | North Merrick |
680 | Seaford |
690 | Wantagh |
Department Number | Department Name |
---|---|
700 | Elmont |
710 | Franklin Square and Munson |
720 | Hempstead |
730 | Roosevelt |
740 | South Hempstead |
750 | Uniondale |
760 | West Hempstead |
Department Number | Department Name |
---|---|
800 | Albertson |
810 | East Williston |
820 | Great Neck Alert |
830 | Great Neck Vigilant |
840 | Plandome |
850 | Port Washington |
860 | Williston Park |
870 | Manhasset-Lakeville |
Department Number | Department Name |
---|---|
900 | Bethpage |
910 | Carle Place |
920 | Farmingdale |
930 | Hicksville |
940 | Jericho |
950 | Plainview |
960 | Westbury |
970 | South Farmingdale |
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This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: August 2024 mask ban.(August 2024)
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The head of the county's governmental structure is the county executive, a post created in Nassau County in 1938. The current county executive is Bruce Blakeman, a Republican who was elected in 2021. The chief deputy county executive is Republican Arthur Walsh. The district attorney is Republican Anne T. Donnelly, who was elected in 2021, replacing Acting District Attorney Joyce Smith. Smith succeeded Madeline Singas after she was nominated and confirmed as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals in June 2021.
The county comptroller is Elaine Phillips, a Republican who formerly served in the New York State Senate. The county clerk is Republican Maureen O'Connell. Former elected offices chairman of the County Board of Assessors, county treasurer, and county sheriff were made appointed and serve at the pleasure of the county executive (county assessor in 2008 via referendum, changing it from a six-year term to appointed).[88]
The current Nassau County executive is Bruce Blakeman, a Republican.
Name | Party | Term |
---|---|---|
J. Russell Sprague | Republican | 1938–1953 |
A. Holly Patterson | Republican | 1953–1962 |
Eugene Nickerson | Democratic | 1962–1970 |
Ralph G. Caso | Republican | 1970–1978 |
Francis T. Purcell | Republican | 1978–1987 |
Thomas Gulotta | Republican | 1987–2001 |
Tom Suozzi | Democratic | 2002–2009 |
Ed Mangano | Republican | 2010–2017 |
Laura Curran | Democratic | 2018–2021 |
Bruce Blakeman | Republican | 2022–present |
The chief deputy county executive[89] is the highest appointed official in the Nassau County government, serving second-in-command under the auspice of the county executive. The Chief Deputy is responsible for managing the activities of all departments of the Nassau County government, which provides services to its 1.36 million residents. The chief deputy also officially serves as the acting county executive in the absence of, or disability of the County Executive. The current chief deputy county executive is Arthur T. Walsh, who was appointed by Executive Bruce Blakeman in 2022.
Name | Party | Term | Served Under |
---|---|---|---|
Robert McDonald | Republican | 1993–1999 | Thomas Gulotta |
Judy Schwartz | Republican | 1999–2001 | Thomas Gulotta |
Anthony Cancillieri | Democrat | 2002–2005 | Thomas Suozzi |
Christopher Hahn | Democrat | 2006–2009 | Thomas Suozzi |
Robert Walker | Republican | 2010–2017 | Edward Mangano |
Helena Williams | Democrat | 2018–2021 | Laura Curran |
Arthur Walsh | Republican | 2022–present | Bruce Blakeman |
The comptroller of Nassau County is the chief fiscal officer and chief auditing officer of the County who presides over the Nassau County Comptroller's Office. The comptroller is elected countywide to a four-year term and has no term limit.
Order | Name | Term | Party |
---|---|---|---|
1 | John Lyon | January 1, 1911 – December 31, 1913 | Republican |
2 | Chas L. Phipps | January 1, 1914 – January 3, 1916 | Republican |
3 | Earl J. Bennett | January 14, 1916 – December 31, 1922 | Republican |
4 | Philip Wiederson | January 1, 1923 – December 31, 1934 | Republican |
5 | Theodore Bedell | January 1, 1935 – December 31, 1964 | Republican |
6 | Peter P. Rocchio Sr. | January 1, 1965 – December 31, 1967 | Democratic |
7 | Angelo D. Roncallo | January 1, 1968 – January 3, 1973 | Republican |
8 | M. Hallstead Christ | January 4, 1973 – August 16, 1981 | Republican |
9 | Peter T. King | August 17, 1981 – December 31, 1992 | Republican |
10 | Alan Gurein | January 1, 1993 – December 31, 1993 | Republican |
11 | Frederick E. Parola | January 1, 1994 – December 31, 2001 | Republican |
12 | Howard S. Weitzman | January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2009 | Democratic |
13 | George Maragos* | January 1, 2010 – September 29, 2016 | Republican |
13 | George Maragos | September 30, 2016 – December 31, 2017 | Democratic |
14 | Jack E. Schnirman | January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2021 | Democratic |
15 | Elaine Phillips | January 1, 2022 – present | Republican |
* George Maragos was originally elected as a Republican, but became a Democrat in September 2016.
The county legislature has 19 members. There are twelve Republicans and seven Democrats.
District | Legislator | Party | Residence |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Kevan Abrahams, Minority Leader | Democratic | Roosevelt |
2 | Olena Nicks | Democratic | Westbury |
3 | Carrié Solages | Democratic | Elmont |
4 | Denise Ford, Alt. Deputy Presiding Officer | Republican | Long Beach |
5 | Debra Mule | Democratic | Freeport |
6 | C. William Gaylor | Republican | Lynbrook |
7 | Howard Kopel, Deputy Presiding Officer | Republican | Lawrence |
8 | John Giuffre | Republican | Stewart Manor |
9 | Richard Nicolello, Presiding Officer | Republican | New Hyde Park |
10 | Mazi M. Pilip | Republican | Great Neck |
11 | Delia DeRiggi-Whitton | Democratic | Glen Cove |
12 | James Kennedy | Republican | Massapequa |
13 | Thomas McKevitt | Republican | East Meadow |
14 | Laura M. Schaefer | Republican | Westbury |
15 | vacant | Levittown | |
16 | Arnold W. Drucker | Democratic | Plainview |
17 | Rose Marie Walker | Republican | Hicksville |
18 | Samantha Goetz | Republican | Locust Valley |
19 | Michael J. Giangregorio | Republican | Merrick |
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2024 | 368,117 | 51.44% | 338,424 | 47.29% | 9,124 | 1.27% |
2020 | 326,716 | 44.59% | 396,504 | 54.11% | 9,536 | 1.30% |
2016 | 292,025 | 45.13% | 332,154 | 51.33% | 22,943 | 3.55% |
2012 | 259,308 | 45.64% | 302,695 | 53.28% | 6,148 | 1.08% |
2008 | 288,776 | 45.43% | 342,185 | 53.84% | 4,657 | 0.73% |
2004 | 288,355 | 46.63% | 323,070 | 52.25% | 6,918 | 1.12% |
2000 | 227,060 | 38.46% | 342,226 | 57.96% | 21,153 | 3.58% |
1996 | 196,820 | 36.14% | 303,587 | 55.74% | 44,257 | 8.13% |
1992 | 246,881 | 40.52% | 282,593 | 46.38% | 79,852 | 13.10% |
1988 | 337,430 | 56.96% | 250,130 | 42.22% | 4,858 | 0.82% |
1984 | 392,017 | 61.83% | 240,697 | 37.96% | 1,349 | 0.21% |
1980 | 333,567 | 55.97% | 207,602 | 34.83% | 54,851 | 9.20% |
1976 | 329,176 | 51.78% | 302,869 | 47.64% | 3,711 | 0.58% |
1972 | 438,723 | 63.31% | 252,831 | 36.48% | 1,473 | 0.21% |
1968 | 329,792 | 51.27% | 278,599 | 43.31% | 34,804 | 5.41% |
1964 | 248,886 | 39.37% | 382,590 | 60.53% | 639 | 0.10% |
1960 | 324,255 | 55.12% | 263,303 | 44.76% | 761 | 0.13% |
1956 | 372,358 | 69.08% | 166,646 | 30.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 305,900 | 69.87% | 130,267 | 29.75% | 1,669 | 0.38% |
1948 | 184,284 | 69.48% | 70,492 | 26.58% | 10,462 | 3.94% |
1944 | 159,713 | 66.88% | 78,512 | 32.88% | 576 | 0.24% |
1940 | 143,672 | 66.12% | 73,171 | 33.67% | 450 | 0.21% |
1936 | 94,968 | 54.97% | 74,232 | 42.96% | 3,579 | 2.07% |
1932 | 78,544 | 54.51% | 61,752 | 42.85% | 3,804 | 2.64% |
1928 | 71,015 | 62.77% | 40,079 | 35.42% | 2,046 | 1.81% |
1924 | 45,825 | 70.47% | 14,322 | 22.02% | 4,884 | 7.51% |
1920 | 33,099 | 76.39% | 8,595 | 19.84% | 1,637 | 3.78% |
1916 | 13,910 | 61.67% | 8,430 | 37.38% | 215 | 0.95% |
1912 | 4,608 | 24.85% | 7,073 | 38.14% | 6,865 | 37.02% |
1908 | 9,787 | 63.04% | 4,883 | 31.45% | 855 | 5.51% |
1904 | 8,222 | 60.02% | 5,282 | 38.56% | 195 | 1.42% |
1900 | 6,994 | 61.03% | 4,325 | 37.74% | 141 | 1.23% |
For most of the twentieth century, residents of Nassau County and neighboring Suffolk County primarily supported the Republican Party in national elections. In presidential elections during the first half of the century, the Republican candidate often received more than twice as many votes as the Democratic candidate. Between the county's incorporation in 1899 and the 1980s, Democrats only won Nassau County in the elections of 1912 (where Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party split the Republican vote) and 1964 (where Lyndon B. Johnson won in a landslide).
The county began trending Democratic in the 1990s, like many of New York City's suburbs. Until 2024, it had voted for a Democrat in every presidential election since 1992. Bill Clinton carried the county in 1992 and 1996, as did Al Gore in 2000, the latter two times by margins of nearly 20 points. John Kerry's margin in Nassau County was considerably slimmer (5.6%) in 2004, as he won the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead but lost the town of Oyster Bay. The county went solidly for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, both times by around 8%. Hillary Clinton did marginally worse in 2016, winning by 6.2%. Joe Biden in 2020 fared better than Obama at 9.5%, but still not as well as Bill Clinton and Gore. Although the county leaned Democratic for the last 30 years on the national level, Democrats failed to win the county in the 2024 presidential election. Donald Trump earned 4.15% more of the county's votes, the first time Nassau was won by a Republican presidential candidate since 1988.[91]
Democratic strength is chiefly concentrated in both the wealthier and lower income sections of the county. Liberal voters dominate many of the wealthy communities of the North Shore, particularly in the Town of North Hempstead where affluent villages such as Sands Point, Old Westbury, Roslyn, Kensington, Thomaston, Great Neck Plaza, and Great Neck Estates as well as the neighboring City of Glen Cove vote consistently Democratic. Democratic strongholds also include several low income municipalities in the central portion of the county, such as the Village of Hempstead, Roosevelt, Uniondale and New Cassel, as well as in a few waterfront communities on the South Shore, such as the City of Long Beach and the Village of Freeport.
Republican voters are primarily concentrated in the middle to upper middle class southeastern portion of the county, which developed during the "post-war boom era". Heavily Republican communities such as Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Seaford, Wantagh, Levittown, Bethpage, and Farmingdale are the political base of many county GOP officials such as former Congressman Peter T. King and former County Executive Edward P. Mangano. In the western portion of the county, wealthy Garden City is solidly Republican, as is the middle-class community of Floral Park. Additionally, some of the more rustic areas of the North Shore, particularly in the Town of Oyster Bay usually vote for the GOP.
Areas of the county containing large numbers of swing voters include East Meadow, Oceanside, and Rockville Centre on the South Shore and Mineola on the North Shore. Several areas have changed in partisan affiliation. Formerly Democratic strongholds such as the Five Towns and parts of Great Neck have trended to the GOP while previously Republican areas such as Elmont, Valley Stream and Baldwin have become Democratic bastions.
District | Representative | Territory |
---|---|---|
NY-02 | Andrew Garbarino | Massapequa, parts of Suffolk County |
NY-03 | Tom Suozzi | All of North Hempstead and Glen Cove, most of Oyster Bay, parts of Hempstead, parts of Queens and Suffolk County |
NY-04 | Laura Gillen | All of Long Beach, most of Hempstead |
District | Representative | Territory |
---|---|---|
5 | Steven Rhoads | Wantagh and North Wantagh, Bellmore, Merrick and North Merrick, East Meadow, Levittown, Salisbury, Farmingdale, Hicksville, Bethpage |
6 | Siela Bynoe | Baldwin, Freeport, Rockville Centre, Hempstead (village), Uniondale, Garden City, Westbury |
7 | Jack Martins | Northern half of county |
8 | Alexis Weik | Massapequa and North Massapequa, parts of southwestern Suffolk County |
9 | Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick | Valley Stream, Elmont, Floral Park, Malverne, Lynbrook, the Five Towns, East Rockaway, and Long Beach |
Education features strongly in Nassau County's culture.[citation needed]
Nassau County has 58 public school districts,[92] which like post office districts use the same names as a city, hamlet, or village within them, but each sets the boundaries independently.[93] School district and community are not the same, and residences often have postal addresses that differ from the hamlet and/or school district in which they are located. Several of Nassau County's school districts are among the highest ranked public school systems in the country,[citation needed] including the Jericho Union Free School District, Great Neck Public Schools, and the Syosset Central School District.
School districts include:[92]
K-12:
Secondary:
Elementary:
Nassau County is home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, who played at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale from their inception in 1972. However, the Islanders announced in 2012 that starting in the fall of 2015, the team would be moving to Brooklyn and would play at the Barclays Center. Due to issues with Barclays Center being unable to adequately support ice hockey and declining attendance, the Islanders announced that for the 2018–19 season they would split their home games between Barclays Center and the newly renovated Nassau Coliseum. In December 2017, the Islanders won a bid to build a new 18,000-seat arena near Belmont Park in Elmont, returning them to Nassau County; UBS Arena opened in 2021.
The Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association, then known as the New York Nets, formerly played their home games in Nassau County at the now-demolished Island Garden arena in West Hempstead from 1969 to 1972 and then at the Coliseum from 1972 to 1977, before the franchise moved to New Jersey—its original home for several years before coming to Long Island in the late 1960s – and eventually, to Brooklyn.
The New York Cosmos (1970–1985) of the former North American Soccer League (1968–1984) played for two seasons, 1972 and 1973, at Hofstra Stadium at Hofstra University in Hempstead. The team's name was revived in 2010 with the New York Cosmos (2010) of the new North American Soccer League to also play at Hofstra Stadium, which had been renamed James M. Shuart Stadium in 2002. Nassau County is also the home of the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse, who play at Shuart Stadium. The county also operates several sports events for student-athletes, such as the Nassau County Executive Cup College Showcase.
Belmont Park in Elmont is a major horse racing venue which annually hosts the Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of the prestigious Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing. The now-demolished Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury hosted auto racing and, from 1940 through 1988, was a popular harness racing track.
Nassau is home to some famous and historic golf courses. Rockaway Hunting Club, founded in 1878, is the oldest country club in the country.[94] The U.S. Open has been held in Nassau five times, once each at Garden City Golf Club, Inwood Country Club, and Fresh Meadow Country Club, and twice at Bethpage Black Course, the first ever municipally owned course. Courses consistently ranked in the top 100 in the U.S. such as Bethpage Black, Garden City Golf Club, Piping Rock Club, and The Creek are located in the county. Nassau County hosted the 1984 Summer Paralympics, marking the first Paralympic Games to be held in the United States.
Nassau County hosted eight cricket matches of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow during June 2024.[95][96]
The first case of COVID-19 was reported in March 2020.[97] As of January 12, 2021, there have been 104,078 cases, 3,044 deaths, 2,102,900 tests conducted, and a 4.9% positivity rate.[98] According to The New York Times' COVID-19 tracker, Nassau County's average daily case count is 1,567 (116 per capita), with 1 in 13 testing positive (the third-worst of any county in the state) and 1 in 545 dying.[99]
In August 2024, Nassau County passed into law a ban on wearing face masks in public, making it a misdemeanor subject to a $1,000 fine and up to one year in prison to wear a facial covering in public, a move that was criticized by the New York Civil Liberties Union as a "dangerous misuse of the law to score political points."[100] The law does not apply to facial coverings "worn to protect the health or safety of the wearer," but does appear to ban wearing a mask in order to protect the health or safety of others, including persons with compromised immune systems.[100]
Public hospitals:
Tertiary care hospitals:
Community hospitals:
Figures in parentheses are 2019 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.[101]
The county's properties all have mailing addresses in Mineola, the official county seat, but are actually within Garden City's boundaries.
When Queens County was created the courts were transferred from Hempstead to Jamaica Village and a County Court was erected. When the building became too small for its purposes and the stone meeting house had been erected, the courts were held for some years in that edifice. Later a new courthouse was erected and used until the seat of justice was removed to North Hempstead.
From the final withdrawal of the British in November, 1783, until the 1830s, Queens continued as an essentially Long Island area of farms and villages. The location of the county government in Mineola (in present-day Nassau County) underscores the island orientation of that era. Population grew hardly at all, increasing only from 5,791 in 1800 to 7,806 in 1830, suggesting that many younger sons moved away, seeking fortunes where land was not yet so fully taken up for farming.
Under the Reorganization Act of March 7, 1788, New York was divided into 120 towns (not townships), many of which were already in existence.
The 1777 New York State Constitution, Article XXXVI, confirmed land grants and municipal charters granted by the English Crown prior to October 14, 1775. Chapter 64 of the Laws of 1788 organized the state into towns and cities...The basic composition of the counties was set in 1788 when the State Legislature divided all of the counties then existing into towns. Towns, of course, were of earlier origin, but in that year they acquired a new legal status as components of the counties.
The building shown below "is one of the most important buildings in the history of Mineola," wrote Jack Hehman, president of the Mineola Historical Society. Built in 1787 and known as the "old brig," it was the first Queens County courthouse and later a home for the mentally ill. The building was at Jericho Turnpike and Herricks Road until 1910, when it burned to the ground.
The investigation of the charges made against the Superintendent and keepers of the Mineola Asylum for the Insane, which was begun last Tuesday, was continued yesterday by the standing Committee on Insane Asylums of the Queens County Board of Supervisors-- Messrs. Whitney, Brinckerhoff, and Powell. The committee were shown through the asylum, which is the old building of the Queens County Court-house over 100 years old
There was only one post office established in present Nassau County when the Long Island post road to Sag Harbor was established September 25, 1794. It appears that the mail from New York went to Jamaica. This was the only post office in the present day Boroughs of Queens or Brooklyn before 1803. From Jamaica the mail went east along the Jericho Turnpike/Middle Country Road route and ended at Sag Harbor. The only post office on this route between Jamaica and Suffolk County was QUEENS established the same date as the others on this route 9/25/1794. This post office was officially Queens, but I have seen the area called "Queens Court House" and was located approximately in the Mineola-Westbury area. The courthouse was used until the 1870s when the county court was moved to Long Island City. Later it served as the Queens County Insane Asylum and still later as an early courthouse for the new Nassau County, during construction of the present "old" Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola. It was demolished shortly after 1900 ... after about 120 years of service of one type or the other.
For forty years the Supervisors of Queens County have been quarreling over a site for a Court-house. The incommodious building used
bottom right by spur road off Jericho Tpk – location is now known as Garden City Park. Clowesville was the name of the nearest station on the LIRR, approximately at the location of the present Merillon Avenue station. The courthouse was north of the station.
That was the year when the "Old Brig" courthouse was vacated after 90 years of housing lawbreakers. The county court moved from Mineola to Long Island City.
1874 – Queens County Courthouse and seat of county government moved from Mineola (in present-day Nassau County) to Long Island City.
North Hempstead, Oyster Bay and the rest of Hempstead were excluded from the vote.
Nassau County will receive around US$2.7 million in direct revenue from the tournament.
40°44′N 73°38′W / 40.733°N 73.633°W
Fairfield County
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![]() Location within the U.S. state of Connecticut
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![]() Connecticut's location within the U.S.
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Coordinates: 41°14′N 73°22′W / 41.23°N 73.37°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Founded | 1666 |
Named after | The hundreds of acres of salt marsh that bordered the coast. |
Seat | none; since 1960 Connecticut counties no longer have a county government Fairfield (1666–1853) Bridgeport (1853–1960) |
Largest municipality | Bridgeport (population) Newtown (area) |
Area
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• Total
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837 sq mi (2,170 km2) |
• Land | 625 sq mi (1,620 km2) |
• Water | 212 sq mi (550 km2) |
Population
(2020)
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• Total
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957,419 |
• Estimate
(2021)
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958,768 ![]() |
• Density | 1,530/sq mi (591/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Congressional districts | 3rd, 4th, 5th |
Fairfield County is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the most populous county in the state and was also its fastest-growing from 2010 to 2020. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 957,419,[1] representing 26.6% of Connecticut's overall population. The closest to the center of the New York metropolitan area, the county contains four of the state's seven largest cities—Bridgeport (first), Stamford (second), Norwalk (sixth) and Danbury (seventh)—whose combined population of 433,368 is nearly half the county's total population.
The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Fairfield County as the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk metropolitan statistical area.[2] The United States Census Bureau ranked the metropolitan area as the 59th most populous metropolitan statistical area of the United States in 2019. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has further designated the metropolitan statistical area as a component of the more extensive New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY–NJ–CT–PA combined statistical area,[2] the most populous combined statistical area and primary statistical area of the United States.[3]
As is the case with all eight of Connecticut's counties, there is no county government and no county seat. As an area, it is only a geographical point of reference. In Connecticut, the cities and towns are responsible for all local governmental activities including fire and rescue, schools, and snow removal; in a few cases, neighboring towns will share certain resources. The last county seat was Bridgeport, which had served this role from 1853 until 1960.[4] On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau formally recognized Connecticut's nine councils of governments as county equivalents instead of the state's eight counties. Connecticut's eight historical counties continue to exist in name only, and are no longer considered for statistical purposes.[5]
Fairfield County's Gold Coast helped rank it sixth in the U.S. in per-capita personal income by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in 2005,[6] contributing substantially to Connecticut being one of the most affluent states in the U.S.[7] Other communities are more densely populated and economically diverse than the affluent areas for which the county is better known.
Fairfield County was the home of many Native American tribes prior to the Europeans' arrival. People of the Schaghticoke tribe lived in the area of present-day New Fairfield and Sherman.[8] From east to west the Wappinger sachemships included the Paugussetts, Tankiteke, and the Siwanoy. There were also Paquioque and Potatuck inhabitants of Fairfield County.
The Dutch explorer Adriaen Block explored coastal Connecticut in the Spring and early Summer of 1614 in the North America-built vessel Onrust. The first European settlers of the county, however, were Puritans and Congregationalists from England. Roger Ludlow (1590–1664), one of the founders of the Colony of Connecticut, helped to purchase and charter the towns of Fairfield (1639) and Norwalk (purchased 1640, chartered as a town in 1651).[9] Ludlow is credited as having chosen the name Fairfield. Fairfield is a descriptive name referring to the beauty of its fields.[10] The town of Stratford was settled in 1639 as well by Adam Blakeman (1596–1665). William Beardsley (1605–1661) was also one of the first settlers of Stratford in 1639.
Fairfield County was established by an act of the Connecticut General Court in Hartford along with Hartford County, New Haven County, and New London County; which were the first four Connecticut counties, on May 10, 1666. From transcriptions of the Connecticut Colonial Records for that day:
The original Fairfield County consisted of the towns of Rye, Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Fairfield, and Stratford. In 1673, the town of Woodbury was incorporated and added to Fairfield County. In 1683, New York and Connecticut reached a final agreement regarding their common border. This resulted in the cession of the town of Rye and all claims to the Oblong to New York. From the late 17th to early 18th centuries, several new towns were incorporated in western Connecticut and added to Fairfield County, namely Danbury (1687), Ridgefield (1709), Newtown (1711), and New Fairfield (1740). In 1751, Litchfield County was constituted, taking over the town of Woodbury. The final boundary adjustment to Fairfield County occurred in 1788 when the town of Brookfield was incorporated from parts of Newtown, Danbury, and New Milford, with Fairfield County gaining territory from Litchfield County.
Other early county inhabitants include:
During the Revolutionary War, Connecticut's prodigious agricultural output led to it being known informally as "the Provisions State".[12] In the spring of 1777, the British Commander-in-Chief, North America General William Howe, in New York City, ordered William Tryon to interrupt the flow of supplies from Connecticut that were reaching the Continental Army. Tryon and Henry Duncan led a fleet of 26 ships carrying 2,000 men to Westport's Compo Beach to raid Continental Army supply depots in Danbury on April 22, 1777. American Major General David Wooster (1710–1777), who was born in Stratford, was in charge of the stores at Danbury and defended them with a force of only 700 troops. Two years later during a British raid on Greenwich on February 26, 1779 General Israel Putnam, who had stayed at Knapp's Tavern the previous night, rode away on his horse to warn the people of Stamford. Putnam was shot at by the British raiders but was able to escape. The hat he was wearing with a musket ball hole in it is on display at Knapp's Tavern in Greenwich (which is commonly, albeit somewhat erroneously, called Putnam's cottage).[13] In the summer of 1779, General William Tryon sought to punish Americans by attacking civilian targets in coastal Connecticut with a force of about 2,600 British troops. New Haven was raided on July 5, Fairfield was raided on the 7th and burned. Norwalk was raided on July 10 and burned on the 11th. Norwalk militia leader Captain Stephen Betts put up resistance to the invaders, but was overwhelmed by the powerful British raiders and was forced to retreat.
David Sherman Boardman (1786–1864) was a prominent early lawyer and judge in this and neighboring Litchfield County.
On October 7, 1801, Neheemiah Dodge and other members of the Danbury Baptist Association wrote a letter to then-president Thomas Jefferson expressing their concern that as Baptists they may not be able to express full religious liberty in the state of Connecticut whose "ancient charter" was adopted before the establishment of a Baptist church in the state. Jefferson replied in a letter to Dodge and the other members of the Danbury church on January 1, 1802, in which he stated that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution provided "a wall of separation between church and State" that protected them.[14]
An agricultural region, the first railroad was the Housatonic Railroad, construction started 1836 and ended 1840, extending from Bridgeport to New Milford originally, connecting Litchfield County crops to the port in Bridgeport, by passing New York City.[15] The New York and New Haven railroad along the county's coast was constructed in the late 1840s, which started in New York City and ended in New Haven, connecting Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk and all the towns on the coast.[16]
In 1851, the county seat of Fairfield County was moved from the town of Fairfield to the newly founded neighboring city of Bridgeport. This was due to its growing population and industry as the old courthouse erected 1794 was no longer adequate.[17] The first hospital in the county, and the 3rd hospital in Connecticut behind Hartford and New Haven Hospitals, Bridgeport Hospital was founded in 1884 along with Fairfield County's first nursing school. It would be soon followed by Danbury Hospital (1885), Norwalk Hospital (1893),[18] Stamford Hospital (1896) [19] Greenwich Hospital (1903),[20]St. Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport (1903), and Park City Hospital in Bridgeport (1926), which closed in 1993.[21][22][23]
By 1900, the largest cities in the county were Bridgeport, Norwalk, Danbury, Stamford and Greenwich.[24] By 1905, Bridgeport had become the principle manufacturing center in the state, and one of the major manufacturers in the New England region behind Boston, Providence, and Worcester, with $44,586,519 total worth of products manufactured without adjusting to today's money.[25] Stamford and Greenwich had become popular resort towns for New York City's wealthy.[26]
Connecticut in 1905 was 11th in the United States terms of industrial goods produced, and Fairfield County contained the city with the most total worth of products made, Bridgeport. One-fifth of Connecticut's population was employed in manufacturing, the state's largest industry which generated most of its wealth. Bridgeport in 1905 produced 20% of America's corsets. The 2nd largest city in Connecticut behind New Haven by 1910, Bridgeport's population grew by 50,000 people during the first 20 months of US involvement during the First World War, producing 50% of Allied ammunition during that time.[27] Bridgeport by 1920 had a population of 143,555 people, then the 44th largest US city. Danbury, in northern Fairfield County, was known as the "Hat City", producing 20% of America's hats, until the industry began to decline in the 1920s. Stamford (population 40,067 in 1920), was known as the "Lock City", as the home of the Yale and Towne Lock Manufacturing Company.[16][28][29][30] Bridgeport, nicknamed "Park City" had in 1930 over 500 factories within its borders. Bridgeport Machines, Inc., a milling machine manufacturer, was founded in Bridgeport in 1938, as well as Hubbell Incorporated in the 1890s, these are two examples, various companies were headquartered in Bridgeport, such as Warnerco, ACME Shear, Westinghouse subsidiary Bryant Electric among others, and others such as Remington Arms, General Electric, Singer Sewing Machines, Sikorsky Aircraft, Carpenter Steel, and countless others, had large scale manufacturing complexes there.[31]
Most of the county remained agricultural. Westport in the 1920s was a bohemian summer artist colony, and was home to famous artists, writers, and painters, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, who spent a summer in town. The Cos Cob art colony flourished from the late 1800s to the 1920s.[32][33]
At the height of its influence in the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan had a distinct presence in the county and county politics. The group was most active in Darien, but had small chapters in Norwalk, Stamford, and Bridgeport.[34] The Klan has since disappeared from the county.
The county's first institution of higher learning was Western Connecticut State University, founded in Danbury in 1903 (known by its acronym, WCSU),[35] followed by the University of Bridgeport in 1927, Fairfield University in neighboring Fairfield in 1947 and Sacred Heart University.[36]
Nearly one-third of Fairfield County's population lived within Bridgeport's city limits in 1950, 31.5%. The city began to decline in population as families moved into nearby suburbs, such as Fairfield, leading to widespread residential development. Bridgeport slowly began to loose jobs and large corporations moved into southern states or outside the country. The city gained a reputation for having an aging industrial image, what New York Times articles described as a smokestack filled, aging view of the city from the highway.[37][38] The Connecticut Turnpike (Interstate 95) was built in the mid-1950s along the coast, joining the scenic Merrit Parkway, built in the late 1930s to alleviate traffic on the Post Road, and built further inland away from population centers.[39] Towns such as Westport, Darien, New Canaan, Stamford, and Greenwich became New York City suburbs, forming the Connecticut Gold Coast,[40][41]
Fairfield County, along with all other Connecticut counties, was abolished as a governmental agency in accord with state legislation that took effect October 1, 1960.[42] The first enclosed shopping malls in Fairfield County were Trumbull Shopping Park (1963), in the bedroom community of Trumbull just outside Bridgeport, the now gone Lafayette Shopping Park (1965) in Bridgeport,[37] replaced downtown blocks that were demolished as part of the city's urban renewal, Danbury Fair Mall (1986) on the former fairgrounds of the annual Danbury Fair,[43] Hawley Lane Mallin Trumbull (1971) and the Stamford Town Center (1982) as part of the urban renewal project in downtown Stamford.[44]
Stamford, Connecticut, is an example of edge cityurbanization. Stamford in the 1960s was a residential suburb of New York City, with a few industries and research laboratories, but of Stamford's downtown was razed and rebuilt it with modern skyscrapers, and several major corporations moved their headquarters to Stamford, creating one of the largest corporate concentrations in the United States.[16] Originally a more moderate plan, entire downtown blocks and streets were demolished in slow phases and replaced with office towers, residential towers and the Stamford Town Center shopping mall courtesy of the F.D. Rich Company, which was hired by the city to redevelop what was described as the aging, deteriorating downtown, throughout the 60s, 70s and early 80s.[45][43] Stamford's population grew from 92,713 in 1960 to 135,470 people in 2020, making it the 2nd largest city in Connecticut in 2022 (behind Bridgeport), surpassing New Haven.[46][47]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 837 square miles (2,170 km2), of which 625 square miles (1,620 km2) is land and 212 square miles (550 km2) (25.3%) is water.[48]
The terrain of the county trends from flat near the coast to hilly and higher near its northern extremity. The highest elevation is 1,290 feet (390 m) above sea level along the New York state line south of Branch Hill in the Town of Sherman; the lowest point is sea level itself.
The Taconic Mountains and the Berkshire Mountains ranges of the Appalachian Mountains run through Fairfield County. The Taconics begin roughly in Ridgefield and the Berkshires begin roughly in Northern Trumbull, both running north to Litchfield County and beyond. A portion of the Taconics also is in rural Greenwich and rural North Stamford in Fairfield County and run north into Westchester County, New York, eventually re-entering Fairfield County in Ridgefield. A small portion of the Appalachian Trail runs through Fairfield County; the trail enters Connecticut in the northernmost and least populous town in the county, Sherman, and moves east into Litchfield County, which encompasses the majority of the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut.
The section of the Taconic Mountains range that runs through Greenwich and North Stamford of Fairfield County is also the part of the Appalachians that is closest to the coast out of the entire Appalachian Mountains.
The agreed 1684 territorial limits of the county are defined as 20 miles (32 km) east of New York's Hudson River, which extends into Long Island Sound with a southerly limit of halfway to Long Island, New York. The eastern limit is mostly a natural border defined as the halfway point of the Housatonic River with New Haven County with the exception of several islands belonging wholly to Stratford. The depth of the Sound varies between 60 and 120 feet (37 m).
The county hosts or contains the rivers Byram, Housatonic, Mianus, Mill, Norwalk, Pequonnock, Rippowam, Saugatuck, and Still.
The Still River is polluted with mercury nitrate from the hat industry in Danbury, also thereafter diluting into the Housatonic River and Long Island Sound.[49][50][better source needed]
The Housatonic is residually polluted with Monsanto chemicals called Aroclor, polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. From c. 1932 until 1977, the river received PCB pollution discharges from the General Electric plant at Pittsfield, Massachusetts.[51]
Refer to List of Mountains and Summits in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Fairfield County has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) which borders a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) along Long Island Sound. The hardiness zone is 6b in the north and 7a within ten miles of the coast except for areas of Greenwich and Stamford along the coast which are 7b. [1]
Climate data for Bridgeport, Connecticut (Sikorsky Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) |
68 (20) |
84 (29) |
91 (33) |
97 (36) |
97 (36) |
103 (39) |
100 (38) |
99 (37) |
89 (32) |
79 (26) |
76 (24) |
103 (39) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56.7 (13.7) |
55.3 (12.9) |
64.8 (18.2) |
76.4 (24.7) |
85.1 (29.5) |
90.7 (32.6) |
93.8 (34.3) |
91.5 (33.1) |
86.2 (30.1) |
78.1 (25.6) |
67.9 (19.9) |
59.7 (15.4) |
95.4 (35.2) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.4 (3.6) |
40.5 (4.7) |
47.4 (8.6) |
58.3 (14.6) |
68.4 (20.2) |
77.7 (25.4) |
83.4 (28.6) |
81.9 (27.7) |
75.4 (24.1) |
64.4 (18.0) |
53.6 (12.0) |
43.8 (6.6) |
61.1 (16.2) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.4 (−0.3) |
33.1 (0.6) |
39.3 (4.1) |
50.0 (10.0) |
60.0 (15.6) |
69.6 (20.9) |
75.7 (24.3) |
74.5 (23.6) |
67.6 (19.8) |
56.4 (13.6) |
46.0 (7.8) |
37.0 (2.8) |
53.4 (11.9) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24.4 (−4.2) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
32.3 (0.2) |
41.7 (5.4) |
51.7 (10.9) |
61.5 (16.4) |
67.9 (19.9) |
67.0 (19.4) |
59.8 (15.4) |
48.3 (9.1) |
38.4 (3.6) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
45.7 (7.6) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 6.6 (−14.1) |
9.9 (−12.3) |
17.6 (−8.0) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
40.8 (4.9) |
49.8 (9.9) |
59.1 (15.1) |
56.9 (13.8) |
46.2 (7.9) |
34.2 (1.2) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
15.6 (−9.1) |
4.6 (−15.2) |
Record low °F (°C) | −7 (−22) |
−6 (−21) |
4 (−16) |
18 (−8) |
31 (−1) |
41 (5) |
49 (9) |
44 (7) |
36 (2) |
26 (−3) |
13 (−11) |
−4 (−20) |
−7 (−22) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.18 (81) |
3.12 (79) |
4.09 (104) |
4.16 (106) |
3.58 (91) |
3.77 (96) |
3.32 (84) |
3.98 (101) |
3.96 (101) |
3.84 (98) |
3.11 (79) |
3.98 (101) |
44.09 (1,120) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 8.5 (22) |
10.7 (27) |
7.0 (18) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.9 (2.3) |
5.5 (14) |
33.6 (85) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.2 | 10.4 | 11.2 | 11.4 | 12.1 | 11.2 | 8.9 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 9.9 | 9.4 | 11.5 | 124.7 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 4.5 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 14.8 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 66.1 | 65.8 | 65.9 | 63.9 | 70.2 | 73.6 | 73.0 | 73.9 | 74.1 | 70.3 | 70.2 | 69.6 | 69.7 |
Average dew point °F (°C) | 18.0 (−7.8) |
18.7 (−7.4) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
34.3 (1.3) |
46.8 (8.2) |
57.4 (14.1) |
63.1 (17.3) |
63.5 (17.5) |
57.2 (14.0) |
45.9 (7.7) |
36.0 (2.2) |
24.6 (−4.1) |
41.0 (5.0) |
Source: NOAA[52][53][54] |
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Climate data for Danbury, Connecticut (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1937–present) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 71 (22) |
78 (26) |
92 (33) |
95 (35) |
97 (36) |
105 (41) |
106 (41) |
104 (40) |
100 (38) |
91 (33) |
82 (28) |
80 (27) |
106 (41) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 57.9 (14.4) |
58.6 (14.8) |
69.1 (20.6) |
83.3 (28.5) |
90.3 (32.4) |
93.7 (34.3) |
96.0 (35.6) |
93.6 (34.2) |
87.7 (30.9) |
79.2 (26.2) |
69.3 (20.7) |
59.2 (15.1) |
97.7 (36.5) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 36.1 (2.3) |
39.8 (4.3) |
47.9 (8.8) |
61.0 (16.1) |
71.8 (22.1) |
80.6 (27.0) |
85.5 (29.7) |
82.2 (27.9) |
75.1 (23.9) |
63.2 (17.3) |
51.1 (10.6) |
40.5 (4.7) |
61.2 (16.2) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 28.0 (−2.2) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
37.8 (3.2) |
49.7 (9.8) |
60.0 (15.6) |
69.3 (20.7) |
74.4 (23.6) |
72.3 (22.4) |
64.4 (18.0) |
52.7 (11.5) |
41.9 (5.5) |
32.5 (0.3) |
51.1 (10.6) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.9 (−6.7) |
21.1 (−6.1) |
27.9 (−2.3) |
38.5 (3.6) |
48.2 (9.0) |
58.1 (14.5) |
63.4 (17.4) |
61.8 (16.6) |
54.0 (12.2) |
42.2 (5.7) |
32.7 (0.4) |
24.9 (−3.9) |
41.1 (5.0) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 1.3 (−17.1) |
5.2 (−14.9) |
12.0 (−11.1) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
34.3 (1.3) |
44.4 (6.9) |
52.5 (11.4) |
49.8 (9.9) |
38.7 (3.7) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
18.0 (−7.8) |
8.7 (−12.9) |
−1.4 (−18.6) |
Record low °F (°C) | −18 (−28) |
−16 (−27) |
−9 (−23) |
14 (−10) |
25 (−4) |
35 (2) |
38 (3) |
37 (3) |
23 (−5) |
16 (−9) |
0 (−18) |
−11 (−24) |
−18 (−28) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.74 (95) |
3.28 (83) |
4.43 (113) |
4.17 (106) |
4.23 (107) |
4.83 (123) |
4.98 (126) |
4.88 (124) |
4.89 (124) |
4.97 (126) |
4.02 (102) |
4.65 (118) |
56.04 (1,423) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 15.7 (40) |
11.0 (28) |
10.4 (26) |
1.7 (4.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.9 (4.8) |
8.6 (22) |
49.3 (125) |
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 7 (18) |
9 (23) |
6 (15) |
1 (2.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (2.5) |
5 (13) |
12 (30) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 12.0 | 10.8 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 13.1 | 12.0 | 10.7 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 10.2 | 9.9 | 12.0 | 134.3 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 8.0 | 6.0 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 26.6 |
Source: NOAA[52][55] |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 36,290 | — | |
1800 | 38,208 | 5.3% | |
1810 | 41,050 | 7.4% | |
1820 | 42,739 | 4.1% | |
1830 | 47,010 | 10.0% | |
1840 | 49,917 | 6.2% | |
1850 | 59,775 | 19.7% | |
1860 | 77,476 | 29.6% | |
1870 | 95,276 | 23.0% | |
1880 | 112,042 | 17.6% | |
1890 | 150,081 | 34.0% | |
1900 | 184,203 | 22.7% | |
1910 | 245,322 | 33.2% | |
1920 | 320,936 | 30.8% | |
1930 | 386,702 | 20.5% | |
1940 | 418,384 | 8.2% | |
1950 | 504,342 | 20.5% | |
1960 | 653,589 | 29.6% | |
1970 | 792,814 | 21.3% | |
1980 | 807,143 | 1.8% | |
1990 | 827,645 | 2.5% | |
2000 | 882,567 | 6.6% | |
2010 | 916,829 | 3.9% | |
2020 | 957,419 | 4.4% | |
2021 (est.) | 958,768 | [56] | 0.1% |
U.S. Decennial Census[57] 1790–1960[58] 1900–1990[59] 1990–2000[60] 2010–2020[1] |
Race (NH = Non-Hispanic) | % 2020[61] | % 2010[62] | % 2000[63] | Pop. 2020 | Pop. 2010 | Pop. 2000 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White Alone (NH) | 57.7% | 66.2% | 73.1% | 552,125 | 606,716 | 645,152 |
Black Alone (NH) | 10.4% | 10.1% | 9.6% | 99,992 | 92,705 | 84,724 |
American Indian Alone (NH) | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 858 | 967 | 1,045 |
Asian Alone (NH) | 5.3% | 4.6% | 3.2% | 50,751 | 41,801 | 28,473 |
Pacific Islander Alone (NH) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 173 | 256 | 246 |
Other Race Alone (NH) | 1.2% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 11,232 | 5,695 | 3,396 |
Multiracial (NH) | 3.9% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 36,937 | 13,664 | 14,696 |
Hispanic (Any race) | 21.4% | 16.9% | 11.9% | 205,351 | 155,025 | 104,835 |
As of the census of 2000, there were 882,567 people, 324,232 households, and 228,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,410 inhabitants per square mile (540/km2). There were 339,466 housing units at an average density of 542 per square mile (209/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 79.31% White, 10.01% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 3.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.70% from other races, and 2.49% from two or more races. 11.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.6% were of Italian, 12.4% Irish, 6.5% German and 6.4% English ancestry.
In 2010, 66.2% of Fairfield County's population was non-Hispanic whites and 10.8% of the population was black. Asians were 4.6% of the population. Hispanics now constituted 16.9% of the population.[64]
As of 2000, 76.2% spoke English, 11.0% Spanish, 2.0% Portuguese, 1.7% Italian and 1.1% French as their first language. Some of the last group were Haitians, although other Haitians would identify Haitian Creole as their first language.
There were 324,232 households, out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 30.90% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $65,249, and the median income for a family was $77,690. Males had a median income of $51,996 versus $37,108 for females. The per capita income for the county was $38,350. About 5.00% of families and 6.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.30% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 916,829 people, 335,545 households, and 232,896 families residing in the county.[65] The population density was 1,467.2 inhabitants per square mile (566.5/km2). There were 361,221 housing units at an average density of 578.1 per square mile (223.2/km2).[66] The racial makeup of the county was 74.8% white, 10.8% black or African American, 4.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 6.8% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 16.9% of the population.[65] In terms of ancestry, 18.1% were Italian, 15.9% were Irish, 9.8% were German, 8.7% were English, 5.5% were Polish, and 2.7% were American.[67]
Of the 335,545 households, 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.21. The median age was 39.5 years.[65]
The median income for a household in the county was $81,268 and the median income for a family was $100,593. Males had a median income of $70,187 versus $50,038 for females. The per capita income for the county was $48,295. About 5.6% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.[68]
Data is from the 2010 United States Census and the 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.[69][70]
Town | Per capita income |
Median household income |
Median family income |
Population | Number of households |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bethel | Town | $36,608 | $83,483 | $99,568 | 18,584 | 6,938 |
Bridgeport | City | $19,854 | $41,047 | $47,894 | 144,229 | 51,255 |
Brookfield | Town | $58,715 | $119,370 | $136,682 | 17,550 | 6,427 |
Danbury | City | $31,461 | $65,275 | $74,420 | 80,893 | 28,907 |
Darien | Town | $95,577 | $175,766 | $211,313 | 20,732 | 6,698 |
Easton | Town | $63,405 | $140,370 | $163,194 | 7,490 | 2,577 |
Fairfield | Town | $55,733 | $113,248 | $138,067 | 59,404 | 20,457 |
Greenwich | Town | $92,759 | $124,958 | $167,825 | 61,171 | 23,076 |
Monroe | Town | $43,842 | $109,727 | $119,357 | 19,479 | 6,735 |
New Canaan | Town | $100,824 | $179,338 | $220,278 | 19,738 | 7,010 |
New Fairfield | Town | $39,486 | $101,067 | $108,720 | 13,881 | 4,802 |
Newtown | Town | $45,308 | $108,148 | $120,507 | 27,560 | 9,459 |
Newtown | Borough | $43,916 | $106,141 | $109,821 | 1,941 | 696 |
Norwalk | City | $43,303 | $76,161 | $93,009 | 85,603 | 33,217 |
Redding | Town | $65,594 | $130,557 | $145,833 | 9,158 | 3,470 |
Ridgefield | Town | $72,026 | $132,907 | $166,036 | 24,638 | 8,801 |
Sherman | Town | $48,637 | $115,417 | $129,177 | 3,581 | 1,388 |
Shelton | City | $38,341 | $80,656 | $97,211 | 39,559 | 15,325 |
Stratford | Town | $32,590 | $67,530 | $83,369 | 51,384 | 20,095 |
Stamford | City | $44,667 | $75,579 | $88,050 | 122,643 | 47,357 |
Trumbull | Town | $44,006 | $102,059 | $117,855 | 36,018 | 12,725 |
Weston | Town | $92,735 | $209,630 | $242,361 | 10,179 | 3,379 |
Westport | Town | $90,792 | $150,771 | $182,659 | 26,391 | 9,573 |
Wilton | Town | $78,234 | $153,770 | $181,763 | 18,062 | 6,172 |
Data is from the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates, "Race alone or in combination with one or more other races."[71]
Rank | Town | Population | White | Black | Asian | American Indian |
Other | Hispanic | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bridgeport | City | 143,412 | 49.8% | 35.9% | 3.9% | 0.6% | 11.8% | 36.7% |
2 | Stamford | City | 121,784 | 61.0% | 15.5% | 8.7% | 0.3% | 16.3% | 24.4% |
3 | Norwalk | City | 85,145 | 77.2% | 14.0% | 4.3% | 0.6% | 6.0% | 20.2% |
4 | Danbury | City | 80,101 | 74.2% | 8.7% | 6.5% | 1.2% | 13.0% | 25.1% |
5 | Greenwich | Town | 61,023 | 87.1% | 2.3% | 7.6% | 0.2% | 3.9% | 9.0% |
6 | Fairfield | Town | 59,078 | 92.9% | 1.8% | 5.0% | 0.2% | 1.4% | 4.4% |
7 | Stratford | Town | 51,116 | 79.5% | 14.2% | 3.7% | 0.5% | 4.1% | 15.3% |
8 | Shelton | City | 39,310 | 92.6% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 0.3% | 3.1% | 7.1% |
9 | Trumbull | Town | 35,752 | 91.9% | 2.4% | 5.4% | 0.2% | 1.5% | 6.0% |
10 | Newtown | Town | 27,235 | 92.7% | 2.0% | 3.4% | 0.5% | 3.0% | 6.0% |
11 | Westport | Town | 26,249 | 93.3% | 1.4% | 5.4% | 0.1% | 1.5% | 3.6% |
12 | Ridgefield | Town | 24,469 | 96.0% | 1.0% | 3.2% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 3.2% |
13 | Darien | Town | 20,580 | 95.2% | 0.8% | 3.8% | 0.1% | 1.3% | 3.7% |
14 | New Canaan | Town | 19,642 | 96.4% | 1.0% | 2.5% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 1.8% |
15 | Monroe | Town | 19,398 | 96.9% | 0.2% | 2.4% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 4.5% |
16 | Bethel | Town | 18,584 | 90.5% | 2.5% | 5.1% | 0.4% | 3.5% | 7.6% |
17 | Wilton | Town | 17,973 | 93.2% | 1.2% | 5.7% | 0.0% | 1.0% | 2.8% |
18 | Brookfield | Town | 16,339 | 92.0% | 1.6% | 6.1% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 4.4% |
19 | New Fairfield | Town | 13,847 | 95.3% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 3.6% | 6.5% |
20 | Weston | Town | 10,142 | 96.1% | 1.7% | 3.0% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 2.9% |
21 | Redding | Town | 9,058 | 95.7% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 2.1% | 0.3% | 2.6% |
22 | Easton | Town | 7,452 | 96.7% | 1.3% | 2.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.2% |
23 | Sherman | Town | 3,598 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.6% |
24 | Newtown | Borough | 2,035 | 97.7% | 0.8% | 2.0% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 2.7% |
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, corporations began moving their headquarters to Fairfield County from Manhattan; Thomas J. Lueck of The New York Times said that the trend "permanently decentralized big business in the New York region." During the 1980s many buyouts and reorganizations and an economic recession lead to companies vacating much of the suburban office space in Fairfield County. In 1992 Fairfield County had the headquarters of over 25 major multinational corporations, giving it the third largest concentration of those companies in the United States after New York City and Chicago.[72]
Fairfield County is home to a large concentration of hedge funds and private equity firms, with many located along the Gold Coast in places like Greenwich, Stamford, and Westport.[73][74][75] Major hedge funds headquartered in Fairfield County include Bridgewater Associates, AQR Capital, Point72 Asset Management, Lone Pine Capital, Viking Global Investors, and Tudor Investment Corporation.
Fairfield County is the top location for aquaculture in the state.[76]
As of 1960, counties in Connecticut do not have any associated county government structure. Thus Fairfield County is only a geographical point of reference. All municipal services are provided by the towns, who sometimes will share certain resources through regionalization. In order to address issues concerning more than one town, several regional agencies that help coordinate the towns for infrastructure, land use, and economic development concerns have been established. Within the geographical area of Fairfield County, the regional agencies are:
Several former county municipal buildings are used by other state or local agencies, including:
Law enforcement within the geographic area of the county is provided by the respective town police departments, whereas in other states in the region such as New York and Vermont law enforcement would be provided by the local county sheriff's department. In the less dense areas, such as Sherman, law enforcement is primarily provided by the Connecticut State Police. Prior to 2000, a County Sheriff's Department existed for the purpose of executing judicial warrants, prisoner transport, court security, Bailiff, and county and state executions. These responsibilities have now been taken over by the Connecticut State Marshal System.
Some municipalities in the county still maintain a sheriff's department to fill the void of the abolishment of the county sheriff's department, such as the City of Shelton which has established the Shelton Sheriff's Department to carry out warrants in the city.
The geographic area of the county is served by the three separate judicial districts: Danbury, Stamford-Norwalk, and Fairfield. Each judicial district has a superior court located, respectively, in Danbury, Stamford, and Bridgeport. Each judicial district has one or more geographical area courts ("GA"'s), subdivisions of the judicial districts that handle lesser cases such as criminal misdemeanors, small claims, traffic violations, and other civil actions.
Fire protection in the county is provided by the towns. Several towns also have fire districts that provide services to a section of the town.
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Education in the county is usually provided by the town governments. The exceptions are the towns of Redding and Easton at the secondary level, as those two joined to form a regional secondary school district (Region 9).
School districts include:[77]
K-12:
Secondary:
Elementary:
Private schools:
Closed schools:
Fairfield County has a low crime index of 2050.2 (per 100,000 citizens) as well as a murder closure rate of over 70%.[78] Several Governmental agencies, as well as private security contractors, have made note of Fairfield's low crime rates and the county currently has 6 cities and towns with a percentile safety index of 90% or higher compared to the rest of the continental United States (based on violent and property crimes).[79]
As with neighboring Westchester County, Fairfield County was generally a Republican stronghold for much of the 20th century. Urban municipalities such as Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport trended Democratic, while the suburban and rural enclaves tended to lean Republican. However, during the 1990s, these latter areas began to increasingly shift towards Democratic candidates. Today, only Hartford County has a higher concentration of Democratic voters. The last time the county voted for a Republican presidential candidate was in 1992 for George H.W. Bush.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2024 | 178,263 | 39.41% | 267,019 | 59.04% | 7,021 | 1.55% |
2020 | 169,039 | 35.74% | 297,505 | 62.90% | 6,446 | 1.36% |
2016 | 160,077 | 38.00% | 243,852 | 57.89% | 17,280 | 4.10% |
2012 | 175,168 | 44.22% | 217,294 | 54.85% | 3,668 | 0.93% |
2008 | 167,736 | 40.54% | 242,936 | 58.72% | 3,069 | 0.74% |
2004 | 189,605 | 47.29% | 205,902 | 51.35% | 5,460 | 1.36% |
2000 | 159,659 | 43.12% | 193,769 | 52.33% | 16,861 | 4.55% |
1996 | 144,632 | 41.06% | 172,337 | 48.93% | 35,258 | 10.01% |
1992 | 175,158 | 42.78% | 160,202 | 39.13% | 74,050 | 18.09% |
1988 | 221,316 | 59.04% | 149,630 | 39.91% | 3,932 | 1.05% |
1984 | 257,319 | 65.78% | 132,253 | 33.81% | 1,607 | 0.41% |
1980 | 201,997 | 54.88% | 124,074 | 33.71% | 42,027 | 11.42% |
1976 | 209,458 | 58.15% | 148,353 | 41.18% | 2,413 | 0.67% |
1972 | 233,188 | 64.00% | 125,128 | 34.34% | 6,050 | 1.66% |
1968 | 173,108 | 51.78% | 139,364 | 41.69% | 21,820 | 6.53% |
1964 | 125,576 | 39.17% | 194,782 | 60.75% | 261 | 0.08% |
1960 | 167,778 | 53.39% | 146,442 | 46.60% | 6 | 0.00% |
1956 | 199,841 | 70.19% | 84,890 | 29.81% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 167,278 | 60.72% | 106,403 | 38.62% | 1,812 | 0.66% |
1948 | 118,636 | 54.65% | 90,767 | 41.81% | 7,669 | 3.53% |
1944 | 103,693 | 50.51% | 99,181 | 48.31% | 2,423 | 1.18% |
1940 | 91,190 | 49.10% | 93,688 | 50.45% | 829 | 0.45% |
1936 | 67,846 | 41.56% | 87,329 | 53.49% | 8,088 | 4.95% |
1932 | 72,238 | 49.92% | 64,367 | 44.48% | 8,092 | 5.59% |
1928 | 71,410 | 55.81% | 55,491 | 43.37% | 1,047 | 0.82% |
1924 | 58,041 | 66.22% | 18,815 | 21.47% | 10,788 | 12.31% |
1920 | 55,251 | 66.48% | 24,761 | 29.79% | 3,101 | 3.73% |
1916 | 25,962 | 53.78% | 20,873 | 43.24% | 1,442 | 2.99% |
1912 | 13,147 | 31.53% | 15,663 | 37.56% | 12,893 | 30.92% |
1908 | 24,064 | 58.99% | 14,917 | 36.57% | 1,812 | 4.44% |
1904 | 23,490 | 58.22% | 15,796 | 39.15% | 1,063 | 2.63% |
1900 | 21,317 | 57.10% | 15,455 | 41.40% | 560 | 1.50% |
1896 | 24,489 | 67.91% | 9,726 | 26.97% | 1,848 | 5.12% |
1892 | 16,190 | 48.37% | 16,125 | 48.18% | 1,156 | 3.45% |
1888 | 15,549 | 49.55% | 14,984 | 47.75% | 848 | 2.70% |
1884 | 13,694 | 48.26% | 13,964 | 49.21% | 718 | 2.53% |
1880 | 12,009 | 49.67% | 12,063 | 49.89% | 108 | 0.45% |
1876 | 10,203 | 47.10% | 11,416 | 52.70% | 43 | 0.20% |
1872 | 8,401 | 49.66% | 8,515 | 50.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
1868 | 8,613 | 51.12% | 8,234 | 48.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
1864 | 7,368 | 50.60% | 7,193 | 49.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
1860 | 7,025 | 43.66% | 3,177 | 19.74% | 5,890 | 36.60% |
1856 | 6,233 | 49.08% | 5,539 | 43.61% | 928 | 7.31% |
1852 | 4,814 | 47.49% | 5,155 | 50.86% | 167 | 1.65% |
1848 | 5,036 | 52.63% | 4,064 | 42.47% | 469 | 4.90% |
1844 | 5,368 | 53.10% | 4,599 | 45.49% | 142 | 1.40% |
1840 | 4,870 | 55.77% | 3,862 | 44.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
1836 | 2,317 | 46.08% | 2,711 | 53.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
With Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway increasingly clogged with traffic, state officials are looking toward mass transit to ease the county's major thoroughfares' traffic burden.
New office buildings are being concentrated near railroad stations in Stamford, Bridgeport and other municipalities in the county to allow for more rail commuting. Proximity to Stamford's Metro-North train station was cited by the Royal Bank of Scotland as a key reason for locating its new U.S. headquarters building in downtown Stamford; construction on the office tower started in late 2006.
Within Fairfield County there are two regional airports: Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford and the Danbury Municipal Airport in Danbury. The county is also served by larger airports such as Bradley International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, and Westchester County Airport.
Connecticut Transit's Stamford division runs local and inter-city buses to the southern part of the county.[81] The Norwalk Transit District serves the Norwalk area in the southern central portion of the county; the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority serves Bridgeport and eastern Fairfield County; and the Housatonic Area Regional Transit agency serves Danbury and the northern portions of the county.
The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry carries passengers and cars from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson, New York, across Long Island Sound.
Ferry lines in and out of Stamford are also in development.
Commuter Rail is perhaps Fairfield County's most important transportation artery, as it allows its residents an efficient ride to Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Service is provided on Metro-North's New Haven Line, and every town on the shoreline has at least one station. Connecting lines bring service to New Canaan from Stamford on the New Canaan Branch, and to Danbury from South Norwalk on the Danbury Branch. Many trains run express from New York to Stamford, making it an easy 45-minute ride.
In the 2005 and 2006 sessions of the Legislature, massive appropriations were made to buy replacements for the 343 rail cars for the Metro-North New Haven Line and branch lines. The approximately 30-year-old cars will be replaced with new cars at a rate of ten per month starting in 2010.[82]
Bridgeport and Stamford are also served by Amtrak, and both cities see a significant number of boardings on the Northeast Regional route (Boston to Washington, D.C. with various termini in Virginia). This route also serves other Amtrak stations in Connecticut, including New Haven, Old Saybrook, New London, and Mystic.
U.S. 1 is the oldest east–west route in the county, running through all of its shoreline cities and towns. Known by various names along its length, most commonly "Boston Post Road" or simply "Post Road", it gradually gains latitude from west to east. Thus, U.S. 1 west is officially designated "South" and east is "North".
Though contiguous, U.S. 1 changes name by locality. In Greenwich it is Putnam Avenue. In Stamford, it becomes Main Street or Tresser Boulevard. In Darien, it is Boston Post Road or "the Post Road". In Norwalk, it is Connecticut Avenue in the west, Van Zant St, Cross St, and North Av in the center, and Westport Avenue in the east. In Westport, it is Post Road West from the Norwalk town line until the Saugatuck River, where it becomes Post Road East until Fairfield. In Fairfield, it is again Boston Post Road or "the Post Road". In Bridgeport, it follows Kings Highway in the west, North Avenue in the center, and Boston Avenue in the east. Finally, it becomes Barnum Avenue in Stratford.
The western portions of Interstate 95 in Connecticut are known as the Connecticut Turnpike or the Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike in Fairfield County and it crosses the state approximately parallel to U.S. Route 1. The road is most commonly referred to as "I-95". The highway is six lanes (sometimes eight lanes) throughout the county. It was completed in 1958 and is often clogged with traffic particularly during morning and evening rush hours.
With the high cost of land along the Gold Coast, state lawmakers do not consider widening the highway to be fiscally feasible, although occasional stretches between entrances and nearby exits are now sometimes connected with a fourth "operational improvement" Archived March 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine lane (for instance, westbound between the Exit 10 interchange in Darien and Exit 8 in Stamford).
The Merritt Parkway, also known as "The Merritt" or Connecticut Route 15, is a truck-free scenic parkway that runs through the county parallel and generally several miles north of Interstate 95. It begins at the New York state line, where it is the Hutchinson River Parkway, and terminates on the Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Bridge, where it becomes the Wilbur Cross Parkway at the New Haven county line.
The interchange between the Merritt Parkway and Route 7 in Norwalk was completed around the year 2000. The project was held up in a lawsuit won by preservationists concerned about the historic Merritt Parkway bridges. It is now exit 16/17A off the Merritt, and exit 15 off I-95. The parkway is a National Scenic Byway and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[83]
Interstate 84, which runs through Danbury, is scheduled to be widened to a six-lane highway at all points between Danbury and Waterbury. State officials say they hope the widening will not only benefit drivers regularly on the route but also entice some cars from the more crowded Interstate 95, which runs roughly parallel to it. Heavier trucks are unlikely to use Interstate 84 more often, however, because the route is much hillier than I-95 according to a state Department of Transportation official.
With its southern terminus at Interstate 95 in central Norwalk, U.S. Route 7 heads north through Wilton, Ridgefield, Danbury, and Brookfield to points north of the county. The route follows a path that was part of the pre-Columbian Great Trail.[84] In the 1950s, officials planned to convert all of the route to a four to six lane expressway.[84] The expressway was constructed in the cities of Danbury and Norwalk, but faced significantly opposition that prevented it from being constructed through the towns in between the two.[84][85] Plans to construct the expressway, known as "Super 7", have been floated throughout the decades, but have faced vocal opposition, and it has never been constructed.[84][85] In lieu of the expressway, segments of Route 7 in Fairfield County have been widened over the years.[85] Additionally, the expressway in Danbury has expanded north through Brookfield over the decades.[86]
Route 8 terminates in downtown Bridgeport from I-95 with Connecticut Route 25 and goes north. It splits from Connecticut Route 25 at the Bridgeport—Trumbull town line and continues north into southeastern Trumbull and Shelton, then beyond the county through some of towns of the Naugatuck River Valley to Waterbury and beyond. Construction of the route provided some impetus for the creation of office parks in Shelton and home construction there and in other parts of The Valley.
Route 25 starts in downtown Bridgeport from I 95 with Route 8 and goes north. It splits from Connecticut Route 8 at the Bridgeport—Trumbull town line and continues into Trumbull. The limited access divided expressway ends in northern Trumbull, but Route 25 continues into Monroe, Newtown, and Brookfield.
Teams that previously called Fairfield County their home include the Connecticut Wildcats[87] of USA Rugby League, the Danbury Whalers[88] and the Danbury Titans[89] of the Federal Hockey League, and the Bridgeport Bluefish in baseball's independent Atlantic League.[90] In addition, being a part of metropolitan New York City, the major professional sports teams of New York State and New Jersey are local teams to Connecticut.
Note: Villages are named localities within towns, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.
All communities in the county are in the area code 203/area code 475 overlay except for the town of Sherman which is in area code 860 and part of the geographical New Milford telephone exchange.
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2017)
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41°14′N 73°22′W / 41.23°N 73.37°W