Deer Park, New York
History
Deer Park is located in the pine barrens in the northeastern corner of the town of Babylon. It grew out of Jacob Conklin's 1610 settlement of the Half Way Hollow Hills, later known as Wheatley Heights. Charles Wilson started what is now Deer Park in 1853 about eleven years after the Long Island Rail Road arrived in 1842-when he established a large and productive farm. A post office was opened in 1851, closed in 1872 and re-opened on July 1, 1873. Deer Park had an elementary school in 1874. Prior to 1923, the Deer Park School District took in Deer Park and Wyandanch.
Farming was a staple of this small town for most of its history. Known as the "fruit basket" of New York state, the area was also famed for its dahlia cultivation. It was not until the effects of the post-World War II boom reached Deer Park that its economy ceased to be agricultural.
Deer Park had two industries before 1940: the Walker and Conklin firm baked red bricks in West Deer Park (now Wheatley Heights), and the Golden Pickle Works (1902) prepared pickles in Deer Park. Deer Park was the locale of the Edgewood State Hospital (1938–1969)-originally a tuberculosis sanatorium, and later an Army hospital during World War II. The Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation established a factory in Deer Park in 1956.
In 1946, the former Deer Park Airport opened. It operated until 1974; the land was subsequently redeveloped.
Deer Park is reputed to have been the favorite summer spot of President John Quincy Adams, as his preferred vacation destination from 1835 until his death. However, this "fact" has never been verified.
On October 22, 2008, the $300 million Tanger Outlets at the Arches shopping mall opened.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.0 km), all land.
Deer Park is located in the northeastern corner of the town of Babylon. It is bordered to the west by the Babylon hamlets of Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights, to the north by Dix Hills in the Town of Huntington, to the east by Brentwood and Baywood in the town of Islip, and to the south by the hamlet of North Babylon.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 28,837 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2021, Deer Park, NY had a population of 26.8k people with a median age of 42.9 and a median household income of $114,230. Between 2020 and 2021 the population of Deer Park, NY grew from 26,043 to 26,803, a 2.92% increase and its median household income grew from $106,111 to $114,230, a 7.65% increase.
The 5 largest ethnic groups in Deer Park, NY are White (Non-Hispanic) (58.9%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (10.4%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (9.82%), White (Hispanic) (9.05%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (4.05%).
None of the households in Deer Park, NY reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.
95.1% of the residents in Deer Park, NY are U.S. citizens.
In 2021, the median property value in Deer Park, NY was $411,900, and the homeownership rate was 85.3%.
2020 census
As of 2020, the population was 28,837. The demographics were as follows:
- White alone - 57.2%
- Hispanic - 17.2%
- Black alone - 11.1%
- Asian alone - 11.3%
- Two or more races - 8.9%
- Other race alone - 70 (0.3%)
- Native American alone - (0.1%)
Notable organizations
- The Long Island Board of Rabbis, an organization of Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, and Reconstructionist rabbis on Long Island, had its headquarters in Deer Park. It has since relocated to Rockville Centre.
Notable people
- Dan Barry, reporter, The New York Times
- Rodney Dangerfield, comedian
- Kathleen Herles, voice actor
- Linda Yaccarino, media executive