Editing Centereach, New York (section)

== History ==
The [[Hamlet (New York)|hamlet]] of Centereach was first called '''West Middle Island''', but primarily became known as '''New Village''' until the early 20th century.  When it was discovered that another village shared the same name, the name was changed to Centereach in 1916. The name Centereach reflects the centrality of the hamlet's location on [[Long Island]], literally meaning "center reached".<ref name="centereachnewsday">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist004d,0,6393151.story|title=Newsday: Centereach, Legendary Gold Solidified a Family|access-date=2009-08-05}}</ref>

Over the years Centereach has progressed from a small hamlet to a primarily suburban community. The population in 1940 was only 628, but the area had grown to nearly 20,000 residents by 1970.<ref name="centereachnewsday"/>

The two earliest suburban developments, which began in the early 1950s, were Dawn Estates and Eastwood Village.<ref name="Overton1993">[http://www.sachemlibrary.org/pages/adult_overton.aspx WLIW, David Overton, Brookhaven Town Historian on Centereach] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727230447/http://www.sachemlibrary.org/pages/adult_overton.aspx |date=2011-07-27 }}, October 7, 1993</ref><ref name="nytimes98">{{cite news | url= https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/18/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-centereach-li-backwater-blooms-half-century.html?pagewanted=1 | title= If You're Thinking of Living In/Centereach, L.I.; A Backwater Blooms in a Half Century | author= Vivien Kellerman | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date= January 18, 1998}}</ref>

In 1998, the first [[single-point urban interchange]] in New York State was opened in Centereach, at [[New York State Route 25|Middle Country Road]] and [[County Route 97 (Suffolk County, New York)|Nicolls Road]].<ref>[http://www.nycroads.com/roads/CR-97/ Nicoll's Road @ NYCROADS.com]</ref>

Centereach, historically a working-class area, has experienced a construction boom in the past decade. As of 2009, the median home price was $335,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009/snapshots/PL3613376.html|title= CNNMoney: Centereach|access-date=2009-08-05}}</ref> New construction in the Centereach area has resulted in an influx of residents with a higher [[median income]].