Northport, New York

Northport is a village in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 7,606. Students attend the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District.

The Village of Northport sits along New York State Route 25A in the Town of Huntington, on Long Island's picturesque North Shore. It is known for its bucolic main street which still bears trolley rails from a long discontinued streetcar that brought people to the village from the Long Island Rail Road station in East Northport. Main Street ends at the village dock and village green, site of numerous "concerts in the park" on summer evenings. It has a number of fine restaurants and ice cream parlors, antique stores, as well as an old-style barbershop, and other independent retailers.History

 European Settlement

The original inhabitants of the area now known as Northport were the Matinecocks, one of 13 Native American tribes of Long Island. The Matinecocks called this land "Opcathontyche", which meant "wading place creek".^[1] After Dutch interest a few years earlier, the land was sold by Chief Asharoken, head of the Matinecocks, to three Englishmen in 1656.^[2]

With land that was well suited for farming, the early settlers grazed cattle on pastures around the harbor. The area soon became known as Great Cow Harbor.^[3] (The nearby village of Centerport was known as Little Cow Harbor.)

Growth, Change, and Shipbuilding

Woodbine Avenue and Northport Harbor, circa 1900

Around the Revolutionary War, a concentration of 31 families began settling around where Main Street and Route 25A now intersect. This settlement became known as Red Hook.^[1] Although most people continued calling it Great Cow Harbor, the village was officially known as Red Hook by the early 19th century. This was one of several short-lived name changes for the town, which included Bryant's Landing in 1802, Vernon Valley in 1820, and Crab Meadow soon thereafter.^[3]

By 1837 the village finally became known as Northport, although the village was not formally incorporated until 1894.^[3] The reason for this name was never officially documented but coincides with the rapid growth of port-related industries. By 1840 the region had shifted away from its farming roots as shipbuilding became the community's primary industry. Northport's shipbuilding boon lasted a half-century, but waned in the late 1800's as steel-hulled ships began replacing the wooden vessels produced in the village.^[1]

Railroads & Trolleys

Main Street, sometime between 1902 and 1909

On April 25, 1868 the Long Island Railroad opened a station within the village of Northport.^[4] This was an essential transportation link for the village, especially for the growing commuter population. However, just a few years later the LIRR decided to move the Northport station to a new location in Larkfield (which would later become known as East Northport) to facilitate further railway extension to Port Jefferson. The new railway station located on Larkfield Road retained the station name of Northport and was opened on January 13, 1873.^[5]

After the old bypassed village station closed in 1899, Northport decided to build a 2½ mile trolley line to take commuters between Main Street and the new Northport station located in Larkfield. The new commuter trolley opened in mid-April of 1902. The trolley would eventually become obsolete with the invention of the automobile and the trolley made its last scheduled commuter run on August 19, 1924.^[6] The tracks remain a defining feature of Main Street to this day.

Modern Northport

After nearly a century of heavy commercial use, the waterfront which had supported the community for generations, had fallen into decay by the 1920's. The village decided to purchase the land along the harbor and created Northport Memorial Park in 1932.^[1]

Today Northport has grown well beyond its roots of rural farming and industrial shipbuilding.

Geography

Northport is located at 40°54′10″N, 73°20′39″W (40.902803, -73.344069).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²). 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (9.02%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 7,606 people, 2,952 households, and 2,069 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,271.3/km² (3,287.0/mi²). There were 3,052 housing units at an average density of 510.1/km² (1,319.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.04% White, 0.59% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.09% of the population.

There were 2,952 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the village the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $86,456, and the median income for a family was $104,488. Males had a median income of $78,715 versus $50,119 for females. The per capita income for the village was $43,694. About 1.6% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Interesting Facts

• Northport has been known by at least seven different names: Opcathontyche, Great Cow Harbor, Red Hook, Bryant's Landing, Vernon Valley, Crab Meadow, and Northport.^[3] Today, the name "Crab Meadow" unofficially refers to an area of Northport immediately northeast of the village proper, containing a residential neighborhood, salt marsh, Crab Meadow Town Beach, and Crab Meadow Golf Course.

• In 1894 Northport became the first incorporated village in the Huntington Township.^[1]

• "Cow Harbor Day" is an annual festival in the village consisting of a parade, live music, numerous street vendors, and demonstrations by the U.S. Coast Guard, among other attractions. Each year an appearance is made by the Regimental Band of the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. Since 1977, there has also been a popular 10 kilometer footrace, the Great Cow Harbor 10K, which takes place every September.

• The LIRR's Northport Train Station is actually located in East Northport.

• Steer’s Pit, known simply as "The Pit" to locals, is a large land depression carved into the cliffs adjacent to Northport Harbor, north of James Street, West of Ocean Avenue, and just south of the enormous LILCo smokestacks . This unusual geographic feature is the result of sand mining operations by the Steers and Steers Company. Mining began in 1923 and commenced in the 1950s.^[7] The area has since been utilized for home and condo developments.

• In 1997 the motion picture In & Out was filmed in Northport. The diner in the movie was then known as Otto's Shipwreck Diner, now known as Tim's Shipwreck Diner. Main Street was made up to play the role of the fictional small town of Greenleaf, Indiana. To maintain the illusion, camera crews were careful to always shoot away from the harbor at the end of Main Street.

• In 1984 Northport garnered nationwide attention as the sight of a gruesome satanic murder by high school dropout Ricky Kasso. The village of Northport suffered an undeserved negative reputation for satanism.

• The adjacent small towns of Asharoken, Eatons Neck, and Fort Salonga are often mistaken for being part of Northport since they are all served by the Northport Post Office and share the same zip code of 11768. However Asharoken, Eatons Neck, and Fort Salonga are each independent villages and hamlets of New York.

• The Northport Trolley which had ceased operations in 1924 enjoyed a revival in the 1970s and 1980's, transporting weekend tourists along the Main Street section of tracks.

 Famous Residents

Theater

• Patti Lupone - Broadway and television actress. Won a Tony Award in 1980 for her role as Eva Peron in Evita.
• Edie Falco - Broadway, movie, and television actress best known for her role as Carmela Soprano on the The Sopranos.
• Elizabeth Hendrickson - Television actress best known for her role as twin sisters Frankie and Maggie Stone on All My Children.
• Gretchen Rau - Set decorator. Won an Academy Award for her work on Memoirs of a Geisha and was also nominated for The Last Samurai and The Good Shepherd.
• Charles Ludlam - Actor and playwright.
• Danny Masterson, best known for his role as Steven Hyde on "That '70s Show". Grew up in Northport.

 Musicians

• Billy Joel - Rock and Roll singer, songwriter and pianist. Joel lived in "The Pit" during the early 1980s.
• Paul Pesco - Session and stage guitarist who has performed with stars such as Madonna, Cindi Lauper, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and many more.
• Paul Zunno - Lead guitarist for rock and roll singer Wilson Pickett up until Pickett's death in 2006.
• Vance Brescia - Lead vocals and guitar for the rock and roll band The Mosquitos, currently playing in Peter Noone's version of Herman's Hermits.
• Wendy Wild - Lead vocalist in the 1980s for several New York-based bands, including Mad Violets, Wild Hyaenas, and Das Furlines. Also a performance artist who regularly performed at the Pyramid Club and at the annual Wigstock festival.
• Mariah Carey - Singer and songwriter. Lived in Northport for a short time when she was young.
• Aesop Rock - Hip-Hop, Rap artist. Graduated from Northport High School in 1994.

Writers

• Jack Kerouac - Novelist and writer commonly credited as the catalyst for the 1960s counterculture movement.
• Greg Fox - Comic strip artist/writer, most famous for his nationally syndicated comic strip Kyle's Bed & Breakfast, which takes place in Northport.
• Edwin G. Burrows - History writer. Won a Pullitzer Prize for Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898.

Architecture

• Andrew Geller- Renowned architect, best known as the designer of "House of the Future" which sparked the infamous cold war Kitchen Debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on July 24, 1959. This model home eventually led to the creation of Leisurama Homes, entire ready-to-move-in homes you could purchase at Macy's in the 1960s.

Sports

• Darius Kasparaitis - Former NHL ice hockey player for the New York Rangers. Kasparaitis lived in "The Pit" until 2005.

See also

• Eatons Neck, New York
• Asharoken, New York
• East Northport, New York

External links

• Northport Village Community Web Site
• Northport Chamber of Commerce
• Northport Historical Society
• Maps and aerial photos for 40°54′10″N 73°20′39″W / 40.902803, -73.344069Coordinates: 40°54′10″N 73°20′39″W / 40.902803, -73.344069
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Bleyer, Bill. Northport: A Harbor of Transformations. Long Island, Our History. Newsday. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
2. ^ About Northport. Northport Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Little, Bob. The Many Names of Northport. Northport History. Northport Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
4. ^ PRR Chronology, 1868 (PDF). The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society (June 2004). Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
5. ^ PRR Chronology, 1873 (PDF). The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society (February 2005). Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
6. ^ East Northport Town History. East Northport Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
7. ^ Bennington, J Bret (2002-11-03). Glacial Features of the Huntington and Northport Area, Long Island. Department of Geology. Hofstra University. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.

• Ruther, Frederick (1909). Long Island To-Day. New York: The Essex Press.