Editing West Hempstead, New York (section)

==History==

West Hempstead first appeared on maps as the name of a [[Long Island Railroad]] station in 1893.<ref>Woliver, Robbie "West Hempstead Asks: What's in a Name?" ''New York Times'' June 25, 2000</ref> There are three railroad stations within its borders: [[West Hempstead (LIRR station)|West Hempstead]], [[Hempstead Gardens (LIRR station)|Hempstead Gardens]], and [[Lakeview (LIRR station)|Lakeview]]. The line continues to [[Valley Stream (LIRR station)|Valley Stream]] where it joins the [[Babylon Branch]]. Halls Pond Park, the main park within West Hempstead, was dedicated by [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] in 1961. The smaller Echo Park contains a public indoor pool. Its name is derived from the community's first four little league teams: Eagles, Cardinals, Hawks, and Orioles. In 1962 they represented the east in the [[Senior League World Series (East Region)|Senior League world series]] beating a team from [[New London, Ohio|New London]], [[Ohio]] 3-2 to advance to the championship against [[La Habra, California|La Habra]], [[California]]. West Hempstead ended up beating them 8-2. In 1956, the West Hempstead Public Library was founded and chartered by the State in 1967.<ref>[http://tealcat.nyheritage.org/contributors/west-hempstead-public-library New York Heritage Digital Collections "West Hempstead Public Library"]</ref> Its present 28,000 square-foot facility was completed in 2007.<ref>[http://kgdarchitects.com/west-hempstead-public-library/ KG+D Architects "West Hempstead Public Library"]</ref>

In 2001, residents of West Hempstead held a nonbinding referendum on renaming the community. The vote followed a two-year effort by the West Hempstead Civic Association and the West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce to give the community a unique name, distancing itself from the neighboring crime ridden Hempstead.<ref>Wolver, Robbie "West Hempstead Asks: What's in a Name?" ''New York Times'' June 25, 2000</ref> By a 94-vote margin, West Hempstead retained its name over the proposed Mayfair Gardens.<ref>Woliver, Robbie "IN BRIEF; West Hempstead Votes To Keep Its Name" ''New York Times'' June 17, 2001</ref>

West Hempstead is easily accessed from the [[Southern State Parkway]] at Exit 17N.

The [[West Hempstead Union Free School District]] currently operates 4 schools; 1 kindergarten, 1 elementary, 1 intermediate school and 1 secondary school.

The West Hempstead Fire Department (also referred to as West Hempstead FD and abbreviated as WHFD) is the main provider of [[Fire protection|Fire Protection]] and [[Emergency medical services|Emergency Medical Services]] within West Hempstead.

West Hempstead's name reflects upon the fact that it is located immediately west of the [[Hempstead (village), New York|Village of Hempstead]].<ref name=":81">{{Cite book|last=Winsche|first=Richard|title=The History of Nassau County Community Place-Names|date=October 1, 1999|publisher=Empire State Books|isbn=978-1557871541|location=[[Interlaken, New York]]|pages=}}</ref>