Editing Amityville, New York

{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Amityville, New York
| official_name      = Incorporated Village of Amityville
| settlement_type    = [[Village (New York)|Village]]
| image_blank_emblem = File:Amityville,_NY_Official_Seal_&_Letterhead.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Official seal and wordmark
| blank_emblem_size  = 200px
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = AmityvilleVillageHall.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Amityville Village Hall in December 2009.
| image_flag         = File:Amityville flag.png
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->|
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Location on Long Island##Location within the state of New York
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| image_map          = File:Suffolk County, NY, towns and villages Amityville highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location within [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County]] and the state of [[New York (state)|New York]].
| pushpin_map        = USA New York Long Island#New York
| pushpin_label      = Amityville, New York
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{Flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{Flag|New York}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Mayor (United States)|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Dennis M. Siry
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = [[Municipal incorporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = March 3, 1894
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 6.41
| area_land_km2      = 5.32
| area_water_km2     = 1.08
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.47
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.06
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.42

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 9500
| population_density_km2 = 1784.35
| population_density_sq_mi = 4620.62

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 6
| elevation_ft       = 20
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|40|18|N|73|24|54|W|region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code        = 11701, 11708
| area_code          = [[Area codes 631 and 934|631, 934]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 36-02044
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0942440
| website            = {{URL|amityville.com}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| subdivision_name3  = [[Babylon (town), New York|Babylon]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Town (New York)|Town]]
}}

'''Amityville''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|m|ɪ|t|i|v|ɪ|l}}) is a [[Political subdivisions of New York State#Village|village]] in the [[Babylon (town), New York|Town of Babylon]] in [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County]], on the [[South Shore (Long Island)|South Shore]] of [[Long Island]], in [[New York (state)|New York]], United States. The population was 9,500 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. The village maintains its own accredited law enforcement agency the [[Amityville Police Department (New York)|Amityville Police Department]].

==History==
[[Huntington (CDP), New York|Huntington]] settlers first visited the Amityville area in 1653 due to its location to a source of [[salt hay]] for use as animal fodder. [[Wyandanch (sachem)|Chief Wyandanch]] granted the first deed to land in Amityville in 1658.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.amityvillehistoricalsociety.org/Hist.Chronological.htm |title=History |website=Amityvillehistoricalsociety.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725195856/http://www.amityvillehistoricalsociety.org/Hist.Chronological.htm |archive-date=July 25, 2011 }}</ref> The area was originally called ''Huntington West Neck South'' (it is on the [[Great South Bay]] and [[Suffolk County, New York]] border in the southwest corner of what once called Huntington South), but is now the Town of Babylon. According to village lore, the name was changed in 1846 when residents were working to establish its new post office. The meeting turned into bedlam and one participant was to exclaim, "What this meeting needs is some amity." Another version says the name was first suggested by mill owner Samuel Ireland to name the town for his boat, the ''Amity''.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Newsday]]|url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist0043,0,3181838.story|title=Amityville: Al Capone Was in the Lineup|access-date=November 7, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041117233412/http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist0043,0,3181838.story|archive-date=November 17, 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Aero-view of Amityville, Suffolk County, Long Island, N.Y. 1925. LOC 75694744.jpg|thumb|[[Panoramic map]] of Amityville from 1925 with list of landmarks and images of several inset]]
The [[place name origins|place name]] is strictly speaking an incidental name, marking an amicable agreement on the choice of a place name.<ref>Room A. ''Placenames of the world: origins and meanings'', p. 6</ref> The village was formally incorporated on March 3, 1894. In the early 1900s, Amityville was a popular tourist destination with large hotels on the bay and large homes. [[Annie Oakley]] was said to be a frequent guest of vaudevillian [[Fred Stone]]. [[Will Rogers]] had a home across Clocks Boulevard from Stone. World-famous classical composer & pianist [[Benjamin Britten]] resided in the village during World War II. Gangster [[Al Capone]] also had a house in the community. Congregants began holding meeting for St. Mary's Church in 1886, building a Chapel in 1888 by Wesley Ketcham under Rev. James H Noble and the church was consecrated in 1889, pre-dating the town incorporation.<ref>St. Mary's Church Historical Marker (hmdb.org)</ref>

===''The Amityville Horror''===
[[Image:Amityville house.JPG|thumb|left|The Amityville Horror House in December 2005. The house's signature quarter moon windows on the top floor were replaced in 1990.|217x217px]]
{{Main|The Amityville Horror}}

Amityville is the setting of the book ''[[The Amityville Horror]]'' by [[Jay Anson]], which was published in 1977 and has been adapted into a series of films starting in 1979. The story of ''The Amityville Horror'' can be traced back to a real life murder case in Amityville in November 1974, when [[Ronald DeFeo Jr.]] shot all six members of his family at 112 Ocean Avenue. In December 1975 George and Kathy Lutz and Kathy's three children moved into the house, but left after twenty-eight days, claiming to have been terrorized by [[paranormal]] phenomena produced by the house. Jay Anson's novel is said to be based on these events but has been the subject of much controversy; the murder case actually happened, but there has been no evidence that the house is or was haunted.

The local residents and authorities in Amityville are unhappy with the attention that ''The Amityville Horror'' brings to the town, and tend to decline requests to discuss it publicly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amityvillerecord.com/news/2000/1026/Front_Page/11.html |title=Why Hollywood's version of DeFeo murders isn't Amityville's |publisher=Amityvillerecord.com |access-date=June 3, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Mayhew |first=Malcolm |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050508/news_1h08amityvlm.html |title=The reel horror |work=The San Diego Union-Tribune |date=May 8, 2005 |access-date=June 3, 2011}}</ref> The website of the Amityville Historical Society makes no mention of the murders in 1974 or the period that the Lutz family lived at the house. When the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]] made its documentary about ''The Amityville Horror'' in 2000, no member of the Historical Society would discuss the matter on camera.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amityvillehistoricalsociety.org/Hist.Chronological.htm |title=The Chronological History of Amityville |publisher=Amityvillehistoricalsociety.org |access-date=June 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725195856/http://www.amityvillehistoricalsociety.org/Hist.Chronological.htm |archive-date=July 25, 2011  }}</ref>

The house featured in the novel still exists but has been renovated and the address changed in order to discourage tourists from visiting it. The [[Dutch Colonial Revival architecture]] house built in 1927 was put on the market in May 2010 for $1.15 million and sold in September for $950,000 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|.95|2010|r=1|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref>{{cite web|first=Valerie|last=Kellogg |url=http://www.newsday.com/classifieds/real-estate/real-li-1.812034/amityville-horror-home-becomes-a-dream-house-1.2318995 |title='Amityville Horror' home becomes a 'dream house' |work=Newsday |date=September 27, 2010 |access-date=August 15, 2014}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|2.5|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|2.1|sqmi|km2}}  is land and {{convert|0.4|sqmi|km2}}  is water, comprising a total of 15.38% water.

The Village of Amityville is bordered to the west by [[East Massapequa]] (in [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]]), to the north by [[North Amityville]], to the east and the south by [[Copiague]], and to the south by the [[Great South Bay]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Long Island Index: Interactive Map |url=http://www.longislandindexmaps.org/ |access-date=July 15, 2022 |website=www.longislandindexmaps.org}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 204
|1870= 500
|1880= 1063
|1890= 2293
|1900= 2038
|1910= 2517
|1920= 3265
|1930= 4437
|1940= 5058
|1950= 6164
|1960= 8318
|1970= 9794
|1980= 9076
|1990= 9286
|2000= 9441
|2010= 9523
|2020= 9500
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|newspaper=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=City of Westbury, NY Census 2010|url=http://www.zip-codes.com/city/ny-new-cassel-2010-census.asp|access-date=August 15, 2014|website=Zip-codes.com}}</ref> of 2020, there were 9,500 people and 3,107 households in the village, with 2.61 persons per household. The [[population density]] was 4,506.9 people per square mile.

There were 3,997 housing units, of which 28.2% were in multi-unit structures. The homeownership rate was 71.8%. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $443,500. 3.6% of housing units were vacant and 20.7% of occupied housing units were occupied by renters.

The racial makeup of the village was 81.7% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 9.7% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.8% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 4.1% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.5% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 13.1% of the population. The village was 74.5% non-Hispanic White.

There were 3,107 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% had individuals over the age of 65, 47.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the village, the population was relatively old with 4.5% under the age of 5, 17.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 20 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.4 years.

78.7% of the population had lived in the same house 1 year & over. 14.9% of the entire population were foreign-born and 21.6% of residents at least 5 years old spoke a language other than English at home.

90.1% of residents at least 25 years old had graduated from high school, and 30.7% of residents at least 25 years old had a bachelor's degree or higher. The mean travel time to work for workers aged 16 and over was 27.8 minutes.

The median income for a household in the village was $74,366. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $35,411. 6.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]].

==Education==
All of the village is served by the Amityville Union Free School District, which also serves large portions of [[North Amityville]] and [[East Massapequa]] and a small portion of [[Copiague]] (however this part of Copiague is served by the Amityville Post Office and is probably thought to be part of Amityville).<ref name=":0" />

As of the 2010–2011 School Year, the Amityville Union Free School District had 2,780 students. The racial demographics were 0% American Indian or Alaska Native, 54% non-Hispanic black or African-American, 35% Hispanic or Latino, 1% Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, 8% non-Hispanic white, and 2% multiracial. 51% of students were eligible for free lunch, 10% for reduced-price lunch and 11% of students were Limited English Proficient. 16.5% of students were classified as "Special Ed".

The school district had a graduation rate of 79% and 2% of students did not complete school. 87% of graduates received a Regents Diploma and 31% received a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation. Of the 2011 completers, 35% planned to move on to 4-year College, 52% to 2-year College, 4% to Other Post-Secondary, 3% to the Military, 5% to Employment, 1% to Adult Services, 0% had other known post-secondary plans, and 1% had no known post-secondary plan.

The district has:<ref name=":0" />
* One Elementary School (Pre-K and Kindergarten): Northeast Elementary School
* One Elementary School (Grades 1–2): Northwest Elementary School
* One Elementary School (Grades 3–5): Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School
* One Junior High School (Grades 6–8): Edmund W. Miles Middle School
* One High School (Grades 9–12): [[Amityville Memorial High School]]

For the 2011–2012 School Year, the Accountability Status for Northeast and Northwest Elementary Schools and the high school was "In Good Standing", while Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School was "In Need of Correction Action (year 2) Focused" and the middle school was "In Need of Restructuring (year 1) Comprehensive". The Accountability Status for the district overall was "In Good Standing"

Up until recently, Amityville Memorial High School served grades 9–12, Edmund W. Miles Middle School served grades 6–8, Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School served grades 3–5, and Northwest Elementary School served grades 1–2. The first part of the change was implemented at the start of the 2009–2010 School Year when new 9th graders were kept at Edmund W. Miles Middle School and new 6th graders were kept at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School. At the start of the 2012–2013 school year, new 3rd graders were kept at Northwest Elementary School.

== Points of interest ==
[[File:St. Mary's Church Historic Marker.jpg|thumb|left|St. Mary's Church historic marker]]
[[File:Amityville Triangle; NY 110.jpg|thumb|The Triangle in downtown Amityville]]
* The Triangle – The fork of Broadway and Park Avenue, along with Ireland Place create a triangular plot of land at the center of the village. The Triangle building was built in 1892, the same year that Ireland Place opened. A gazebo was added to the north point of The Triangle prior to 1987. In 1994, The Triangle was officially designated "Memorial Triangle" in memory of all who have served the village.<ref name="ReferenceA" />
* The Lauder Museum is located at the corner of Broadway and Ireland Place, just south of The Triangle. The historic building was built for the Bank of Amityville in 1909. The Amityville Historical Society opened the Lauder Museum in 1972.<ref name="ReferenceA" />
* The Mike James Courts at Bolden Mack Park – not located in the village of Amityville, the Courts are located in the Hamlet of North Amityville which is an unincorporated section of the Town of Babylon. The hamlet is north of, and immediately adjacent to, the village of Amityville.
* The Amityville beach
* Sand Island – an island in the Great South Bay directly south of the Amityville beach and only accessible by boat.

==Transportation==
[[Amityville station|Amityville]] is served by the [[Babylon Branch]] of the [[Long Island Rail Road]].<ref name=":0" /> The station is a hub for both [[Nassau Inter-County Express|NICE]] and [[Suffolk County Transit]] buses in the area:<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|title=System Map|website=sctbus.org|url=https://sctbus.org/System-Map.pdf}}</ref>

* 1: Amityville LIRR to [[Halesite, New York|Halesite]] Fire Department
* 2: Amityville LIRR to [[Patchogue station|Patchogue LIRR]]
* 4: Amityville LIRR to [[Smith Haven Mall]]
* 10: Amityville LIRR to [[Babylon station|Babylon LIRR]]
* n54: Amityville LIRR to Hempstead
* n55: Amityville LIRR to Hempstead
* n71: Amityville LIRR to Farmingdale State College

==Notable people==
* [[Henry Austin (baseball)|Henry Austin]] – 19th-century baseball player, died in Amityville.
* [[Alec Baldwin]] – actor
* [[Gilbert Bayonne]] – soccer player<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gilbert Bayonne, Soccer Instructor |url=http://gowestsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gilbert.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501232140/http://gowestsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gilbert.pdf |archive-date=May 1, 2014 |access-date=January 10, 2025 |website=Winner's Edge Sports Training}}</ref>
* [[Christine Belford]] – actress
* [[Rob Carpenter (wide receiver)|Rob Carpenter]] (born 1968) – [[American football]] [[wide receiver]]
* [[Prince Paul (producer)|Prince Paul]] – Producer
* [[De La Soul]] – [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]] trio.
* [[Benjamin Britten]] – British classical composer lived intermittently in Amityville from 1939 to 1942.<ref>{{Cite news |last=N.s |date=March 30, 1941 |title=Britten 'Sinfonia' Heard |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/03/30/archives/britten-sinfonia-heard.html |access-date=July 14, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=December 5, 1976 |title=Benjamin Britten,63, is Dead in England |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/12/05/archives/benjamin-britten-63-is-dead-in-england-beniamin-britten-composer-is.html |access-date=July 15, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Resided at the home of Dr. William Mayer and his wife [[Elizabeth Mayer]].<ref name=":1" />
*[[Rik Fox]] – Bass guitarist.
* [[Tony Graffanino]] – [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] player
* [[Mike Gribbon]] – retired soccer player
* [[Mike James (basketball, born 1975)|Mike James]] – [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player
* [[Kevin R. Kregel|Kevin Kregel]] – astronaut
* [[Ronald DeFeo Jr.]] – mass murderer
* [[Ja'net Dubois]] - actress from the TV show [["Good Times"]]
* [[Kene Holliday]] - actor from the TV show [["Matlock"]]
* [[Tre Mason]] – NFL running back for [[Los Angeles Rams]]
* [[Donnie McClurkin]] – gospel singer
* [[Bill McDermott]] – CEO of [[ServiceNow]] and former CEO of [[SAP]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jane-von-bergen/20141215_SAP_CEO_is_telling_a_winner_s_story.html | title=SAP's CEO is telling a winner's story | work=Philly.com | date=December 15, 2014 | access-date=April 30, 2017 | last=Von Bergen | first=Jane M.}}</ref>
* [[John Niland (American football)|John Niland]] – NFL player
* [[Peter Pears]] – Tenor and Benjamin Britten's romantic partner.<ref name=":1" /> Resided at the home of William Meyers and his wife.<ref name=":1" />
* [[Robert Phillips (guitarist)|Robert Phillips]] – classical guitarist
* [[A. J. Price]] – [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player
* [[George Ross (baseball)|George Ross]] – baseball player
* [[David Torn]] – composer, guitarist, and music producer
* [[Ken Webb]] - popular New York disc jockey
* [[Dave Weldon]] – U.S. Congressman
* [[Darrel Young]] – NFL player

== Sister city ==
Amityville has been [[town twinning|a sister city]] with [[Le Bourget]], [[France]] since 1979.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

== See also ==

* [[List of villages in New York]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}{{Wikivoyage|Amityville}}

* {{Official website|http://www.amityville.com/}}
* [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-nyami.html Flag of Amityville, New York (Flags of the World)]

{{BabylonNY}}
{{Suffolk County, New York}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Babylon (town), New York]]
[[Category:Villages in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Villages in Suffolk County, New York]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:The Amityville Horror]]