East Northport, New York

Founding

Soon after the establishment of a village in the Huntington area, English settlers sought to further expand their territory. On July 30, 1656, land was purchased from Chief Asharoken, head of the Matinecocks Native American tribe, part of which consisted of the land that is today known as East Northport.

Larkfield and Clay Pitts

Two distinct communities formed in the area now known as East Northport. The more populous settlement known as Larkfield was located on the northern side, near Vernon Valley (now part of Northport). Larkfield originally developed near the location of Genola Cemetery, just north of the modern-day junction of Larkfield Road, Vernon Valley Road, and Laurel Road. A second community located on the southern side was known as Clay Pitts, named for its vast deposits of red clay. This clay which had been used by Native Americans to form pottery was used by the Europeans to form bricks for construction. The land between Larkfield and Clay Pitts was well suited for agriculture, and the region prospered in the late 18th century as a thriving farming community by supplying produce to markets in New York City and Brooklyn.

East Northport

In 1868 the Long Island Rail Road opened a station within the village of Northport. However, just a few years later the LIRR decided to move the Northport station to a new location in Larkfield to facilitate further railway extension to Port Jefferson. The new railway station located at Larkfield Road and Bellerose Avenue opened on January 13, 1873. Although the station retained the name of Northport, train conductors would refer to it as "East of Northport", because the station was located east of the railway junction which used to direct trains north to the old station located in the village of Northport. Despite the fact that East Northport is primarily south of Northport, the area became known thereafter as East Northport. The Larkfield Post Office formally changed its name to East Northport in 1910. The East Northport, New York post office building was renamed the Jerome Anthony Ambro, Jr. Post Office Building in 1998.

Suburban growth

As Americans returned home from World War II, Long Island experienced a dramatic population shift from large cities to suburban areas. East Northport's population exploded as a housing boom transformed the rural farmland into modern suburbs. Today East Northport is the largest community in the town of Huntington, by land area, and third in population behind Huntington Station and Dix Hills.

Geography

East Northport is located at 40°52′45″N 73°19′27″W (40.879248, -73.324133).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.4 km²), all land.

Demographics for the CDP

As of the census of 2010, there were 20,217 people, 7,114 households, and 5,467 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,887.9 per square mile (1,508.7/km²). There were 7,288 housing units at an average density of 1401.5/sq mi (543.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.1% White, 0.8% African American, 0.05% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.7% some other race, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.7% of the population.

There were 7,114 households, out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were headed by married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84, and the average family size was 3.22.

In the CDP, the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.8 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

For the period 2009-2011 the annual median income for a household in the CDP was an estimated $101,058. Males had a median income of $81,472 versus $55,403 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $39,766. About 1.5% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Students residing in East Northport attend the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District. East Northport USPS serves both parts of Commack and Elwood, leading some individuals to erroneously believe they are East Northport residents. Commack residents with East Northport postal addresses attend Commack School District and Elwood residents with East Northport postal addresses attend Elwood School District. The following schools are located within East Northport or have an East Northport mailing address:

Public schools

Private/religious schools

Notable people