Seaford is a census-designated place in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 15,251 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and 0.38% is water.
History
The original settlers of Seaford were the Marsapeaques, a Native American Indian tribe. They called the area "Great Water Land."
European settlement began with the arrival of Captain John Seaman, a native of Seaford, East Sussex, in England. After obtaining the patent for the area, Seaman oversaw the creation of Jerusalem South, the first European name given to the town which was to become Seaford. It was also widely referred to as Seaman's Neck.
During the 19th century, as villages across Long Island started to grow (due to the creation of the Long Island Rail Road), the town of Jerusalem South seemed to be unaffected. In 1868 the town was renamed to the current name of "Seaford", to honor Captain Seaman's hometown in England. During this time, Seaford remained an agriculturally developed area. Over time, the town gained a post office, a church, and a one-room school, established in what would many years later become the first fire house and today serves as the home of the Seaford Historical Museum. Although the town itself was practically unchanged, many New York City residents had discovered that the area was attractive as a summer retreat.
With the creation of Sunrise Highway in 1929, Seaford started to see a large influx of inhabitants. Before 1929, Seaford had approximately 1,200 citizens. Within 25 years, this number would triple.
The Powell Hotel was torn down in 1977 to make room for the Long Island Savings Bank. Missing historical documents that would have saved the building by proving landmark status were said to only have been discovered in an eave during actual demolition.
Economy
Cash crops such as corn and wheat were some of the earliest farmed within the Seaford area. Due to easy access to various waterfronts, the attempts to fish and recover oysters were widely seen. At first, this was a hard task considering the layers of land beneath the water. In the mid-19th century, baymen from the Seaford area created a type of small, round-bottomed boat called the "Seaford skiff" that was used for fishing and market gunning (commercial waterfowl hunting).
With the popularity of hunting and fishing came the development of two hotels along Merrick Road: the Sportsman's Hotel, where Verity Moving is now located along new Route 135, and the Powell Hotel at Jackson Avenue. Many celebrities came to these hotels to go duck hunting in South Oyster Bay, including New York Yankees Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, as well as brewery and longtime Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert. Local guides, including Nelson Verity and Sheriff Garner Paine (one of Long Island's first black officials), would take them to the bay for sport.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,791 people, 5,257 households, and 4,200 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 5,358 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 99.8% white, .15% African American, .06% Native American, .68% Asian, .02% Pacific Islander, .54% from other races, and .59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.71% of the population.
There were 5,257 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and older, there were 93 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $78,572, and the median income for a family was $85,751. Males had a median income of $60,092 versus $39,083 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $29,244. About 2.8% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.