Baldwin, Nassau County, New York

: "Baldwin is also a Town in Chemung County, New York".----Baldwin is a hamlet (and a census-designated place) located in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York. The population was 23,455 at the 2000 census. In 2007 CNN/Money Magazine ranked Baldwin as the 25th best place to live in the United States. [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2007/snapshots/PL3604143.html]

Baldwin is also a station on the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road.

History

Original inhabitants of the area between Parsonage Creek near Oceanside and Milburn Creek near Freeport were native americans known as Merokes or Merrick, an Algonquin tribe indigenous to most of the South Shore of Long Island, who lived in two villages along Milburn Creek. In 1643-1644 it became known as Hick's Neck after two of Hempstead's early settlers, John Spragg from England and John Hicks from Flushing, who extended Hempstead village south to the salt meadows. The grist mill built by John Pine in 1686 on Milburn Creek attracted more settlers who engaged in fishing, farming, marshing, raising longwood and sheep. Between the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, growing Hick's Neck came to be called the village of Milburn. The first churches were built in 1810 and 1872 and the first school in 1833. [ [http://bpl.mrpc.com/history.htm Baldwin History] at Baldwin Public Library] [ [http://www.baldwinfd.com/ourtown/history/index.htm Hick's Neck: The Story of Baldwin] at Baldwin Fire Department]

Baldwin was founded in 1855 (as Baldwinsville village) and named in honor of Thomas Baldwin (1795-1872), a 6th generation member of the Baldwin family of Hempstead and the leading merchant of Milburn at the time. Mr. Baldwin owned a hotel and general store called T. Baldwin and Son. In 1867 the South Side Rail Road began operating with a station in Baldwinsville. In 1871 the name of the village was changed to Baldwins so as not to confuse it with the Baldwinsville in upstate New York, and, by 1900's, to Baldwin. During the early 1900s, people were moving into "Beautiful Baldwin", as it was named by Charles Luerssen, a village realtor, for the village's fine boating, bathing and fishing facilities. By 1939, ten years after the opening of Sunrise Highway, Baldwin became the largest unincorporated village in New York State, the title lost to Levittown by 1960. [ [http://baldwin.org/contact.asp Baldwin Chamber of Commerce: History and Mission Statement] ] In 1990, the area south of Atlantic avenue was separated from Baldwin and designated as the hamlet of Baldwin Harbor, although it remains entirely in Baldwin zip code.

Demographics

There were 1200 people in the community of Baldwin (which included Baldwin Harbor) in 1882, 1,500 in 1890, 5,000 in 1920, 12,000 in 1930, 15,000 in 1940, 31,630 in 1980 [ [http://www.baldwinfd.com/ourtown/history/set03/index.html HICK'S NECK The Story of Baldwin INTO THE 1800's, part II] ] [ [http://www.baldwinfd.com/ourtown/history/set04/index.html HICK'S NECK The Story of Baldwin 1900 TO THE PRESENT] ] As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 23,455 people, 7,868 households, and 6,081 families residing in the village. The population density was 7,954.4 per square mile (3,069.8/km²). There were 7,999 housing units at an average density of 2,712.8/sq mi (1,046.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 60.3% White, 22.9% African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.1% Asian, .3% Pacific Islander, 4.60% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were approximately 11.6% of the population.

There were 7,868 households out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.40.

In the community the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the community was $71,456, and the median income for a family was $78,400. Males had a median income of $51,069 versus $40,496 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $28,114. About 3.3% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

chool System

Baldwin, together with Baldwin Harbor, has its own school district, officially named the Baldwin Union Free School District (formerly Union Free School District No. 10, Town of Hempstead). The boundaries of the Baldwin School District are not identical with those of Baldwin itself, also containing a significant portion of Freeport, up to Knollwood Road in Rockville Centre and a few blocks from other neighboring villages.

The Baldwin Public Schools consist of nine schools with a total enrollment of 5,441 students in the 2005-2006 school year. Baldwin Union Free School District There is one high school, Baldwin Senior High School, and one middle school, Baldwin Middle School. There are seven elementary schools spaced throughout the town: Brookside, Lenox, Meadow, Milburn, Plaza, Shubert, and Steele. (Three former elementary schools were closed in 1980: Prospect School was torn down, along with the former Baldwin Junior High School and former Baldwin Senior High School which were combined in one building many years ago, in the 1980s to make way for a housing complex; Coolidge School on Grand Avenue has been converted to condominiums; and Harbor Elementary School on Hastings Street is now the school district office building).

The high school is located near the north end of town, and the middle school near the south end. Buses are run to both of these schools. Most students are able to walk to their elementary schools. The elementary schools contain grades K-5. The middle school contains grades 6-8, but the sixth graders spend most of their time in a separate wing except for music, gym, lunch, arts, computers, technology, and language. The high school contains grades 9-12.

The District is governed by a five-member elected board of education. As of 2007, Dr. Thomas Caramore is serving asSuperintendent of Schools. Baldwin also has one Catholic school. St. Christopher's was established in 1925 as part of St. Christopher's parish. The school serves students from kindergarten to eighth grade located in Baldwin, Freeport, and surrounding areas. Although originally staffed by nuns, most of the school's faculty consists of lay people. Originally the school was one building that housed all classes, however it has been expanded twice. The school now consists of the "original building" (now housing classrooms, a gym, stage, computer lab, and music room), the "middle building" (housing the school and religious education offices, classrooms and an art room), and the "new building" (housing a cafeteria, library, and classrooms). Over the years the school has gained a highly regarded reputation in the Baldwin community. Students from the school participate in a wide variety of both Catholic and community events. For example students take religion classes from kindergarten to grade 8 as well as marching in the Baldwin Memorial Day Parade and helping out at Baldwin's Big Sweep (a community event in which volunteers clean up Grand Avenue).

The St. Christopher's School Mission statement:"Recognizing each student as unique, we strive to develop the whole person through a spiritual, academic, physical and aesthetic education. We employ creative, innovative and practical methods in our teaching. It is our belief that we must prepare our students to be critical-thinkers, responsible, loving, service-oriented citizens in preparation for the years to come and eternity. Thus we strive to fulfill Jesus' command, "to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Notables who have lived in and/or hailed from Baldwin, New York

* Chris Baker: New York Jets tight end
* John Basedow: fitness expert
* Robert "Flip" Bellinzoni: Pro Surfer Fact|date=August 2008
* Maurice Brown: musician,T.O.S.A
* Margaret Colin: actress
* The Crumbsuckers: Music group, led by Gary Meskil
* Taylor Dayne: pop singer
* Jonathan Demme: movie director
* Brandon De Wilde: actor
* Michael Fleischmann: musician in Vision of Disorder
* Jackie Gleason: ComedianFact|date=March 2008Summer house on a street off Lakeside Drive
* George 'Gabby' Hayes: actor
* Toby Knight: Notre Dame basketball star and New York Knicks player of the late 1970s
* Dave Lemanczyk: Major League baseball pitcher, 1970s, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays
* Peppi Marchello: musician in The Good Rats
* Brandon Moore: linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers
* Rob Moore: Former New York Jet and Arizona Cardinal wide receiver, Syracuse standout
* Russ Nelson: computer programmer
* John Nolan, Michelle Nolan, and Shaun Cooper: musicians in Straylight Run
* Matt Rubano: musician in Taking Back Sunday
* Scott Rudin: movie producer
* Al Severinsen: Major league baseball player, 1960s to 1970s, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres
* Nathan Schiff: filmmaker
* Bob Sheppard: public address announcer, since 1950, for the New York Yankees
* Glen Slater: radio announcer, WNAK, WYII, WPOR, WKIP; world-acclaimed bowling writer and expert, Newburgh Evening News (Newburgh, New York)
* Moneta Sleet Jr.: Pulitzer prize winning photojournalist
* Dee Snider: musician in Twisted Sister
* Jake Steinfeld: fitness expert, actor
* Whyteout: rapper
* Larry Weinberg: computer scientist
* Rob Weiss, director/producer "Amongst Friends", "Entourage". [Lyall, Sarah. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DC1438F93BA25754C0A965958260 "FILM; 'Amongst Friends' Tops Off a Journey Of Self-Discovery"] , "The New York Times", July 18, 1993. Accessed September 18, 2008. "Born in Baldwin, near the Five Towns, Mr. Weiss dropped out of the Parsons School of Design, where he studied fashion, then film. He found himself out of work and living goallessly back at his divorced father's house in Lawrence, smack in the Five Towns."]

Congressional Medal of Honor

Baldwin is the hometown of two soldiers who were awarded the CMOH posthumously.

First Lieutenant Bernard J. Ray deliberately gave his life to spare his men of Company F, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division on November 17, 1944 in the Hurtgen Forest.

Specialist Fifth Class John J. Kedenberg (BHS '64) was serving with a long range reconnaissance team of South Vietnamese irregular troops while a member of the U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). When his group came under attack and was encircled by a battalion-size North Vietnamese Army force, Sp5c Kedenberg conducted a rear-guard action which allowed his group to break out of their encirclement and move to a landing zone.While in the landing zone, Sp5c Kedenberg directed the defense of the L-Z and ultimately gave up the last chance of evacuation to one of his Vietnamese comrades.

Grumman

Baldwin was also the initial home of the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE5DF153CF935A35750C0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all LONG ISLAND OPINION; Grumman, We Need Leadership] ]

References

External links

** [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2007/snapshots/PL3604143.html] CNN/Money Magazine 2007 Ranking Baldwin the 25th best place to live in the US
* [http://www.baldwin.k12.ny.us] Baldwin Union Free School District
* [http://www.welovebaldwin.com] Baldwin Community Website