Massapequa, Long Island, NY
Our current neighborhood spotlight is Massapequa!
Our second featured Long Island neighborhoods is Massapequa, which is our hometown and where my wife grew up. This great neighborhood is made up of great people, a wonderful community feel and delicious restaurants. Read on to see why I chose this community to spotlight in this neighborhood feature!
History of Massapequa
The first signs of early life on Massapequa were by Indian tribes. ‘Massapequa’ means great waterland. These Indian tribes hunted and fished and some planed corn. When Dutch settlers traveled to Long Island, they did not easily coexist with the Indian tribes. Eventually, Indians were driven from Long Island. This was in part due to the smallpox epidemic along with the influx of white settlers. Indians migrated back to the mainland. When the American Revolution began, it was rare to see Indians on Long Island, or “Paumanok”: land of tribute.
Did You Know?
Massapequa is in close proximity to NYC; a short train ride away on the Long Island Rail Road. It has a total area of 4 square miles; .4 square miles of it is water. Furthermore, the U.S. Census of 2010 counted 22,652 people. Additionally, the median home value is $446,200.
This great neighborhood is also home to quite a few famous people, including the Baldwin brothers. Second, Jerry Seinfeld grew up here, also attending Massapequa High School. Another celebrity includes Brian Setzer, a guitarist and singer/songwriter who grew up in this great town as well.
The Village of Massapequa Park was once home to an airport! Fitzmaurice Flying Field was used by private planes and was named after James Fitzmaurice. He was the first to fly a plane from Ireland to Canada. The field was eventually closed and; today, is home to McKenna Elementary School.
Things to Do
Have you ever visited All American Hamburgers? This town is famous for All American’s delicious french fries and hamburgers.
Sunrise Mall, first opened in 1973, is of course a large and busy convenient shopping mall.
Equally important to note, Park Blvd is lined with delicious restaurants and shops.
Massapequa School District strives for excellence and prides itself for a large, diversified athletics program. Consequently, the Chiefs have an excellent reputation throughout Long Island.
Useful Links
Click here to find happenings around town.
Additionally, here is the public school system link: http://www.msd.k12.ny.us/
Did you enjoy reading about this wonderful town? For more, take a look at our first neighborhood spotlight!