Nassau County, New York

: There is also a Town of Nassau.

History

Nassau County was originally part of Queens County, when New York was divided into 12 counties in 1683. The area was originally contained in two towns: Hempstead and Oyster Bay. In the American Revolutionary War, the town of Hempstead was split into two, when pro-revolutionists in the northern part formed the new Town of North Hempstead, leaving royalist majorities in the Town of Hempstead. Following the 1898 formation of Greater New York, the part of Queens County that was not annexed to New York City, consisting of the two towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay and most of the town of Hempstead (excluded was the Rockaway Peninsula, which did join Greater New York), was constituted as the new Nassau County, but not until a year later in 1899. Several other names had been considered: Matinecock (note that a village in the county currently has that name), Norfolk, (presumably because of the proximity to Suffolk County), Bryant, and Sagamore, but Nassau had the historical advantage of having at one time been the name of Long Island itself.

Related Topics:
Queens County - 1683 - American Revolutionary War - 1898 - 1899

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In 1910 (some sources state 1918), The Village of Glen Cove, in the Town of Oyster Bay, became a city and seceded from the Town of Oyster Bay.

Related Topics:
1910 - 1918

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In 1918, the Village of Long Beach was incorporated in the Town of Hempstead. In 1922, it became a city and seceded from the Town of Hempstead.

Related Topics:
1918 - 1922

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The United Nations Security Council was temporarily located in Nassau County from 1946 to 1951 -- in the village of Lake Success near the border with Queens County. It was here on June 27, 1950 that the Security Council voted to back US President Harry S. Truman and send a coalition of forces to the Korean Peninsula, thus kicking off the Korean War.

Related Topics:
United Nations - Security Council - Lake Success - Queens County - June 27 - 1950 - Security Council - Harry S. Truman - Korean Peninsula - Korean War

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During the latter part of the 20th Century, Nassau County saw an influx of migrants from the five boroughs of New York City, especially Brooklyn and Queens, who left their urban dwellings for a more suburban setting. This led to a massive boom in population in the county, especially on the south shore. In the early 1950's, William Levitt built his first planned community in Nassau County, called Island Trees (later renamed Levittown). In later decades, communities such as Wantagh, East Meadow, Massapequa, Massapequa Park and Franklin Square began to grow. By the 1980's, Nassau County became the epitome of suburban life.

Related Topics:
New York City - Brooklyn - Queens - William Levitt - Planned community - Levittown - Wantagh - East Meadow - Massapequa - Massapequa Park - Franklin Square

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In the 1990's, Nassau County saw huge budget problems, forcing the county to near bankruptcy. The county government increased taxes to prevent a takeover by the state of New York. This has led to the county having notoriously high property taxes, leaving some migrants from New York City who are seeking suburban life to move to Suffolk County, Hudson Valley, New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

Related Topics:
New York - New York City - Suffolk County - Hudson Valley - New Jersey - Pennsylvania

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In recent years Nassau County has recovered from its economic malaise of the 1990's. Since 2000, housing prices in Long Island have been the highest in the country. The economy has been booming and according to the United States Census Bureau, residents of Nassau County have one of the highest per capita wealth in the country. Nassau County has also experienced heavy urbanization in many areas, such as Hempstead, Mineola, and Westbury, leading some to say that some parts of the county resemble the outer boroughs of New York City rather than a suburb of it.

Related Topics:
Hempstead - Mineola - Westbury - New York City

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