Amityville, New York

Amityville is a village in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 9,500 people. It is an important community with its own law enforcement agency, known as the Amityville Police Department. The village is well-known and has been the subject of many stories and discussions over the years.

History

Huntington settlers first visited the Amityville area in 1653 because it had a good source of salt hay for feeding animals. Chief Wyandanch gave the first piece of land to settlers in 1658. The area was originally called Huntington West Neck South, but the name was changed to Amityville in 1846. Some say a meeting got very chaotic and someone shouted, "We need some amity!" Others say a mill owner named Samuel Ireland suggested the name after his boat, the Amity.

The village became official on March 3, 1894. In the early 1900s, Amityville was a popular place to visit, with big hotels and lovely homes. Famous people like Annie Oakley, Will Rogers, and composer Benjamin Britten all spent time there. A church called St. Mary's started meeting in 1886 and built its chapel two years later.

The Amityville Horror

Main article: The Amityville Horror

Amityville is known for the book The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, published in 1977 and turned into movies starting in 1979. The book is based on events that happened in 1974, when a family tragedy occurred at a house on Ocean Avenue. A new family moved into the house in 1975 but left after just twenty-eight days, saying they felt strange and scary things happening. While the book tells a dramatic story, many people debate whether the house is truly special or haunted. The people of Amityville often prefer not to talk about these events, and the local history group usually avoids the topic. The house from the story still stands today, though it has been updated and its address changed to keep tourists away.

Geography

The village of Amityville covers a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²). Out of this, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) is water, making up about 15.38% of the area being water.

Amityville is bordered to the west by East Massapequa in Nassau County, to the north by North Amityville, to the east and south by Copiague, and to the south by the Great South Bay.

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 census, Amityville had a population of 9,500 people. The average age was 49.5 years. About 14.7% of the residents were younger than 18, and 24.5% were 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 88.5 males in the same age group.

All residents lived in urban areas. There were 3,846 households, with 21.7% having children under 18 living in them. Most households were either married couples (43.7%) or were led by a female without a spouse present (31.1%). About 30.9% of households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

There were 4,015 housing units, with a small percentage being vacant. The rates of vacancy were 0.7% for homes owned by people living there and 2.8% for rented homes.

Demographic estimates

About 28.2% of housing units were in buildings with multiple apartments. Most people owned their homes (71.8%), and the median value of these homes was $443,500. Around 20.7% of homes were rented.

Nearly 38.1% of households were not families. The average number of people per household was 2.43, and the average family size was 3.02.

Most people (78.7%) had lived in the same house for over a year. About 14.9% of the population were born outside of their country, and 21.6% of people aged 5 and older spoke a language other than English at home.

A large majority (90.1%) of people aged 25 and older had finished high school, and about 30.7% had earned a bachelor's degree or higher. The average time it took for people aged 16 and older to get to work was 27.8 minutes.

Income and poverty

The median income for a household in the village was $74,366. The per capita income was $35,411. About 6.5% of the population lived below the poverty line.

Education

The whole village of Amityville is part of the Amityville Union Free School District. This school district also includes most of North Amityville and East Massapequa, along with a small part of Copiague.

Points of interest

• The Triangle – This special area is where Broadway and Park Avenue meet at Ireland Place, forming a triangle shape. A building was constructed here in 1892, and later it was named “Memorial Triangle” to honor those who served the village.

• The Lauder Museum is found at the corner of Broadway and Ireland Place, just below The Triangle. This old building was first built in 1909 and became a museum in 1972.

• The Mike James Courts at Bolden Mack Park are not inside the village of Amityville. They are in a nearby area called North Amityville.

• Amityville Beach is a popular spot for visitors.

• Sand Island is an island in the Great South Bay, south of Amityville Beach, and you can only reach it by boat.

• 112 Ocean Avenue is famous because it was featured in the book The Amityville Horror.

• The Frank W. Smith House was recognized for its history and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

Transportation

Amityville has a train station called the Amityville station on the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. This station is a central spot for both Nassau Inter-County Express and Suffolk County Transit buses.

The Suffolk County Transit buses include routes to places like the Halesite Fire Department, Patchogue LIRR, Smith Haven Mall, and Babylon LIRR. The Nassau Inter-County Express buses go to the Hempstead Transit Center and Farmingdale State College.

Notable people

Amityville, New York has been home to many well-known people. Actor Alec Baldwin and actress Christine Belford lived there. Sports stars like Rob Carpenter, a wide receiver, and Tre Mason, who played for the Los Angeles Rams, are also from Amityville.

Other famous residents include De La Soul, a hip-hop trio, and Benjamin Britten, a British classical composer who stayed there during World War II. The village has also been home to musicians, actors, and business leaders like Bill McDermott, former CEO of ServiceNow and SAP.

Sister city

Amityville has been a sister city with Le Bourget, France since 1979. This means the two places work together and support each other in friendly ways.