ISLIP (TOWN), NEW YORK

The Town of 'Islip' is located in southern Suffolk County, New York (USA) on the south shore of Long Island. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 322,612.

Contents

Geography and Climate

Demographics

History

'Mobro' garbage

Governance

Communities and locations

State Parks

Trivia

References

External links

Geography and Climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 422.5 km² (163.1 mi²). 272.7 km² (105.3 mi²) of it is land and 149.8 km² (57.8 mi²) of it (35.46%) is water.
The town includes part of Fire Island and the Great South Bay. Its southern boundary is the Atlantic Ocean.

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rec High °F	69	67	82	94	98	96	102	100	92	86	78	77
Norm High °F	39.1	40.5	48.5	58.1	68.9	77.4	83.2	81.7	74.9	64	53.7	43.9
Norm Low °F	22.6	24.3	31.1	40	49.4	59.6	65.9	64.5	56.6	44.6	36.1	27.5
Rec Low °F	-7	1	8	24	34	43	50	45	38	28	11	5
Precip (in)	4.27	3.33	4.76	4.13	3.9	3.71	2.93	4.48	3.39	3.63	3.86	4.13
''Source: USTravelWeather.com [1]''

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 322,612 people, 98,936 households, and 78,555 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,183.1/km² (3,064.5/mi²). There were 104,278 housing units at an average density of 382.4/km² (990.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.25% White, 9.02% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.17% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 8.32% from other races, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.16% of the population.
There were 98,936 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.6% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 3.55.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $65,359, and the median income for a family was $70,451. Males had a median income of $45,069 versus $31,660 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,699. About 4.4% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

'Mobro' garbage

In 1987 the City found that it had filled its landfill capacity. The city agreed to ship its garbage to Morehead City, North Carolina, where there were plans to convert it into methane. On March 22, 1987, the tugboat ''Break of Day'' towed the barge ''Mobro 4000'' and its cargo of over 3,100 tons of trash. While in transit, a rumor spread that the 16 bundles of trash that contained hospital gowns, syringes, and diapers was a contaminant that affected the entire load. In consequence, the state of North Carolina refused to accept the waste. After an 11-day delay, the ''Mobro'' made way to its home port in Louisiana, but that state, too, declined the waste. Similarly, Alabama , three other states, and the nations of Mexico, Belize, and the Bahamas refused the load before the operators abandoned the plan and returned to New York.
Lowell Harrelson, the owner of the garbage, tried to negotiate for the ''Mobro'' to dock near the Borough of Queens, whence the refuse would be carried back to Islip by trucks. Claire Shulman, the President of Queens, was not consulted, however; she obtained a temporary restraining order that forced the waste to stay at sea. The ''Mobro'' and its decaying cargo stayed off the shores of Brooklyn until July, when the vessel was granted a federal anchorage in New Jersey. The court hearings ran until October, when it was agreed that the cargo should be incinerated in Brooklyn. The 430 tons of ash that remained from this process was added to the landfill in Islip.
In response to the garbage barge incident, the town of Islip developed Keep Islip Clean, WRAP, and other environmentally friendly initiatives to help bolster the image of the town.

Governance

Phil Nolan was elected to the office of Islip Town Supervisor in November 2006. Nolan is the second Democratic Supervisor in the town’s history, and the first in 46 years. He defeated Pam Greene in November 2006 in a special election to fill the vacancy left by Peter J. McGowan.

Communities and locations

=== Villages (incorporated) ===

★ Brightwaters

★ Dunewood

★ Islandia

★ Ocean Beach

★ Saltaire
=== Hamlets (unincorporated) ===

★ Bay Shore

★ Bayport

★ Baywood

★ Bohemia

★ Brentwood

★ Central Islip

★ East Islip

★ Great River

★ Hauppauge '' (partially; shared with the Town of Smithtown, NY.)''

★ Holbrook ''(partially; shared with the Town of Brookhaven, NY.)''

★ Holtsville ''(partially; shared with the Town of Brookhaven, NY.)''

★ Islip

★ Islip Terrace

★ Oakdale

★ Ronkonkoma ''(partially; shared with the Town of Brookhaven.)''

★ Sayville

★ West Bay Shore

★ West Islip

★ West Sayville

State Parks

★ Connetquot River State Park Preserve (Website)

★ Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park (Website)

★ Heckscher State Park (Website)

Trivia

★ On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 crashed off the coast of Long Island near Islip

References

★ 'Garbage Barge Begins Lengthy Trek (March 22, 1987)', ''News of the Odd'' Retrieved May 21 2005

★ Katz, Jane. 'What a Waste' ''Regional Review'' (Boston: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston) Quarter 1, 2002

External links

★ Town of Islip, Economic Development Division

★ Keep Islip Clean