East Hills, New York
Encyclopedia
East Hills is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 on the North Shore
North Shore (Long Island)
The North Shore of Long Island is the area along Long Island's northern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. The region has long been the most affluent on Long Island, as well as the most affluent in the New York metropolitan area, which has earned it the nickname "the Gold Coast." Though some...

 of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

. It is considered part of the Greater Roslyn area, which is anchored by the Village of Roslyn
Roslyn, New York
Roslyn is a village in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,770...

. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 6,955.

The Village of East Hills is mostly in the Town of North Hempstead, with a small portion in the Town of Oyster Bay
Oyster Bay (town), New York
The Town of Oyster Bay is easternmost of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County that extends from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the town population was...

.

The land purchase

The village of East Hills, New York, was incorporated on June 24, 1931, and held its first election on July 8 that same year. But even before it was incorporated, East Hills has been a part of the recorded history of the United States since 1643. In that year, the Rev. Robert Fordham and John Carman sailed across Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...

 from Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...

 and purchased what we now know as the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead from the Rockoway, Mericock, Marsappeaque and Matinecock Indians.

Settlers came the following year and named the area Hempstead, in honor of their home city, Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....

 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The area fell in relative obscurity for about a century after that.

Landmarks

East Hills cannot boast that George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

 ever slept here, but his diary does refer to an Oyster Bay visit, and of his breakfast at what we now know as the George Washington Manor on Old Northern Boulevard in Roslyn. We also know that President Washington inspected the paper mill in Roslyn park, and it certainly doesn't take much imagination to have the Father of Our Country riding, or walking, the 100 yards to what was to become East Hills.

Perhaps the one thing in East Hills which has been in existence longer than any other man-made object is Harbor Hill Road in East Hills. "A path alongside Harboure Hill" is mentioned in records dating back to 1661.

For many years, much of what now is East Hills was the home of a few wealthy families. The neighborhood now known as Fairfield Park was once a polo field. The Country Estates neighborhood was the home of the Clarence Mackay
Clarence Mackay
Clarence Hungerford Mackay was an American financier, believed to inherit most of a $500 million estate in 1902. In 1926, his daughter Ellin married Irving Berlin against her father's wishes and he disinherited her....

 family for 30 years and known as Harbor Hill
Harbor Hill
Harbor Hill was a spectacular Long Island mansion built from 1899-1902 in Roslyn, New York, commissioned by Clarence Hungerford Mackay. It was designed by McKim, Mead, and White, with Stanford White supervising the project...

, starting in 1898. The Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...

, who later abdicated the throne of the England to marry Mrs. Simpson, was entertained at the Mackay estate in 1924. And Charles A. Lindberg rested at the Mackay estate after his return to the United States following his historic solo flight to France in 1927. Three remaining buildings from the Harbor Hill estate were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1991: Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage
Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage
Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage is a historic home located at East Hills in Nassau County, New York, USA, designed about 1902 by noted architects Warren and Wetmore in an eclectic style. It is a -story frame house with a brick first floor set on a rubble base...

, Mackay Estate Gate Lodge
Mackay Estate Gate Lodge
Mackay Estate Gate Lodge is a historic gatehouse located at East Hills in Nassau County, New York. It was designed in 1899 and built in 1900 - 1902 by noted architect Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White in the French Baroque style. It is a small but imposing stone building with a central...

, and Mackay Estate Water Tower
Mackay Estate Water Tower
Mackay Estate Water Tower is a historic water tower located at East Hills in Nassau County, New York. The tower is a utilitarian structure manufactured by the Phillipsburg, New Jersey firm of Tippett and Wood. The tank is round in plan and topped by a bell-shaped slate roof and copper cupola. The...

.

Government

On June 24, 1931, representatives of the 269 people living in the village-to-be met in the home of Robert H. Willets, whose family lived in the area for eight generations. The Willets family then lived in the house where Stephen Taber, one of the great names in Roslyn's early history, resided in 1839. The house still stands at 50 Andover Road, off the Long Island Expressway's South Service Road near the entrance to the Norgate neighborhood. The name "East Hills" was adopted at the suggestion of H. Stewart McKnight, who was then the Nassau County Attorney.

Two weeks after the incorporation, an election was held in barns on the Mackay estate, and Mr. Willets was elected Mayor. John Mackay, Ellen A. Hennessy, Stephen Willets and Catherine Hechler were elected Trustees. Charles Hechler, Mrs. Heckler's husband, was designated Village Clerk.

Robert Willets served as Mayor until he retired in 1945. William W. Murray, Jr. succeeded him, until his resignation (due to ill health) in 1952. Raymond E. Dolar subsequently served as Mayor until 1966, when he relocated to Florida. William R. Fleischer succeeded him and became East Hills' fourth Mayor in 1967.

The village then and now

When East Hills was incorporated in 1931, the land area of East Hills was 98% farm and estate holdings, with 65 homes occupying the remaining 2%. Today, the percentage is reversed; with 98% of the land area occupied by homes, and less than 2% remains undeveloped. There are about 2,300 homes today in East Hills, and the population is approaching 7,200 people.

That, in brief, is the story of East Hills—beginning with holdings by Indian tribes, to vast acreages for the wealthy few, to gracious living for many today.

Geography

East Hills is located at 40°47′39"N 73°37′37"W (40.794052, -73.627051).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the village has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6 km²), all of it land.

The portions of the village on Harbor Hill
Harbor Hill
Harbor Hill was a spectacular Long Island mansion built from 1899-1902 in Roslyn, New York, commissioned by Clarence Hungerford Mackay. It was designed by McKim, Mead, and White, with Stanford White supervising the project...

, in Clarence Mackay
Clarence Mackay
Clarence Hungerford Mackay was an American financier, believed to inherit most of a $500 million estate in 1902. In 1926, his daughter Ellin married Irving Berlin against her father's wishes and he disinherited her....

's former estate, are among the highest areas in Nassau County.

Park

On Labor Day 2006, The Park at East Hills opened. It has a pool, nature walks, senior facilities, and tennis and basketball courts. The construction of the park was financed through the sale of bonds; carrying and operating costs are paid through taxes.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 6,842 people, 2,245 households, and 2,029 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 2,991.5 people per square mile (1,153.6/km²). There were 2,275 housing units at an average density of 994.7 per square mile (383.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 92.94% White, 0.8% African American, 0.01% Native American, 4.82% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.

There were 2,245 households out of which 46.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 84.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.6% were non-families. 8.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.2.

In the village the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $149,726, and the median income for a family was $159,316. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $52,115 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the village was $59,297. About 1.5% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the 2008 presidential election Democrat Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 won East Hills over Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

54%-46%.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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