Garden City, New York
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Garden City is an upscale, predominantly white, Christian village located in Nassau County, New York. In the 1860's, Scottish-born multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart bought the then relatively unpopulated Hempstead Plains, and in 1868 founded the Village of Garden City. The village was created to be an upscale community for those seeking respite from New York City. The main attraction of the community was its McKim, Meade and White designed Garden City Hotel (which exists to this day as Long Island's most exlusive hotel, albeit in a more modern form) as well as its many fine Victorian homes, which still exist in the village's Central Section. It is considered the first planned suburb in the United States.
After the death of Alexander Turney Stewart, his wife, Cornelia, continued to improve the village, founding the St. Paul's School and the gothic Cathedral of the Incarnation, which is to today the center of the Episcopal Diocese, as well as the final resting place of Alexander Turney and Cornelia Stewart.
The early village did well due to its proximity to Hempstead, at that time the commercial center of Long Island.
In 1915, the Village of Garden City merged with the Village of Garden City Estates to its west, to form the Incorporated Village of Garden City.
In the 1920's, the community continued to grow, with housing constructing mainly in the Colonial and Tudor styles occuring largely in Garden City Estates as well as the Eastern Section of Garden City (including the Mott Section, developed by the heirs to the Mott Apple Juice fortune), spurred by the relocation of Doubleday Press's headquarters to Garden City at this time, as well as easy access to the now defunct Long Island (Vanderbilt) Motor Parkway, one of the first expressways in the United States, which provided quick access between Jamaica and Lake Ronkonkoma. In 1929 Adelphi University moved its campus to its present 76 acre campus in Garden City. Also in 1929, Charles Lindbergh departed on his famous Transatlantic Flight from an airport that is now the site of the shopping mall Roosevelt Field in Garden City. Housing construction slowed after the 1929 stock market crash.
During World War II, the airfield of Mitchell Field in the far east of Garden City (and now the present site of a military base and Nassau Community College), was used by airforce.
After World War II, following a trend of urban flight to the suburbs, Garden City continued to grow. Post War construction filled out the present borders of Garden City with many split and ranch style homes, with construction occuring in the far eastern, northern and western sections of the town. The Waldorf School of Garden City was founded in 1947 (one of the first Waldorf Schools in the United States), originally as a part of Adelphi University. The village's public high school was also constructed around this time.
In the 1970's, the old Garden City Hotel declared bankruptcy, and subsequently closed. The hotel was later demolished, and unfortunately Garden City lost one of its grandest and most historical landmarks. A new Garden City Hotel was constructed in addition to some luxury condiminums on the previous site of the old Garden City Hotel.
In the 1980's, the St. Paul's School also closed and in 1993 was purchased by the Village of Garden City. To this day the building remains vacant until the Village decides what should be done with the site.
In the late 1990's and early 2000's, the village's downtown area on 7th Street and Franklin Avenue benefitted from a renewal campaign and some new construction.
As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 21,672.
The Village of Garden City is on the border of the Town of Hempstead and the Town of North Hempstead.
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Geography
Garden City is located at 40°43'37" North, 73°38'59" West (40.726885, -73.649720)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 13.8 km² (5.3 mi²). 13.8 km² (5.3 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 21,672 people, 7,386 households, and 5,857 families residing in the village. The population density is 1,567.0/km² (4,059.5/mi²). There are 7,555 housing units at an average density of 546.3/km² (1,415.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 94.21% White, 1.23% African American, 0.07% Native American, 3.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 2.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 7,386 households out of which 36.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% are married couples living together, 7.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.7% are non-families. 19.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.83 and the average family size is 3.27.
In the village the population is spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $104,176, and the median income for a family is $120,305. Males have a median income of $93,144 versus $49,954 for females. The per capita income for the village is $53,196. 2.3% of the population and 1.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.3% of those under the age of 18 and 2.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Notable Landmarks
- The Garden City Hotel
- Cathedral of the Incarnation
- St. Paul's School (NY)
- Adelphi University
- Roosevelt Field Mall
- Nassau Community College
Notable Residents
- Author Nelson DeMille
- Actress Elizabeth Taylor
- Actress Susan Lucci
- Musician John Tesh
External links
- The Garden City News Online (http://www.gcnews.com/)