Calverton, New York
Encyclopedia
Calverton is a hamlet
(and census-designated place
) in Suffolk County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 5,704 at the 2000 census.
The community is on the border of the Town of Riverhead
and the Town of Brookhaven
.
.
The Navy purchased 6000 acres (24.3 km²) around Calverton from a local farmer named Harry Edwards in 1953 including, the mansion of a grandson of F.W. Woolworth so that Grumman could test and finish jets. A 10000 feet (3,048 m) runway was built and most of Grumman's F-14 Tomcat
and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft were to pass through the plant.
In 1965 Nelson Rockefeller
proposed using the base as the fourth major airport for the New York metropolitan area
. Grumman and local opposition ended the quest.
In 1978 more than 1000 acres (4 km²) of the base was used to create Calverton National Cemetery
which is the largest area and busiest (in terms of burials per day) United States National Cemetery
.
In 1995 after Northrop
acquired Grumman, the new Northrop Grumman
pulled out of the base and Navy began liquidating the land.
In 1996 before the base could be turned over the Town of Riverhead, the base was used to reassemble the wreckage of TWA Flight 800
which had crashed about 20 miles (32.2 km) south.
In 2000 Skydive Long Island (formerly located at East Moriches) moved to the airport, and to this day continues to generate the majority of the current air traffic as a key destination for New York based skydivers.
Through 2007, debates raged whether to turn the base into a mega complex around a NASCAR
track called EPCAL Centre or a giant ski
resort based construction of an artificial 350 feet (106.7 m) high indoor ski mountain.
In January 2008 the Riverhead Town Board with newly elected officers signed a deal to sell the airport for $155 million to Riverhead Resorts to build the ski mountain and tear up the airport runway and replace it with a lake overruling a December vote to give the NASCAR track the go ahead.
It will take up to three years to get the necessary environmental permits and the proposed opening date of the project is 2012.
On November 12, 2010, the town of riverhead voted 4 - 1 to cancel all plans for the indoor ski resort/water park.
A portion of the base is also being developed as an industrial/office park.
Calverton was first referred to as "Baiting Hollow
Station" when the Long Island Railroad arrived in 1844. The station closed in 1958, but the sheltered shed for the station remained standing as of 2007. Its native American Name Conungum or Kanungum, meaning a ``fixed line or ``boundary.
In 1868 its post office opened and was named for Bernard J. Calvert.
It remained a small farming community specializing in cranberries
which grew in swampy areas along the Peconic River
until the Navy purchase.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 28.5 square miles (73.8 km²), of which, 28 square miles (72.5 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.82%) is water.
The former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant became the Calverton Executive Airpark (IATA code "CTO") in the late 20th century.
of 2000, there were 5,704 people, 2,539 households, and 1,518 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 203.7 per square mile (78.7/km²). There were 2,735 housing units at an average density of 97.7/sq mi (37.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.61% White, 7.66% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.03% from other races
, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.07% of the population.
There were 2,539 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples
living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,544, and the median income for a family was $44,342. Males had a median income of $40,184 versus $33,047 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $26,609. About 6.5% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
(and census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
) in Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,704 at the 2000 census.
The community is on the border of the Town of Riverhead
Riverhead (town), New York
The town of Riverhead is in Suffolk County, New York, on the north shore of Long Island. The population was 33,506 at the 2010 census. The name signifies that the mouth of the Peconic River is in this town...
and the Town of Brookhaven
Brookhaven, New York
The Town of Brookhaven is one of the ten towns into which Suffolk County, New York, United States, has been divided. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located in central Suffolk County and is the only town in the county that stretches from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long...
.
History
Calverton's history is tied closely to the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve PlantCalverton Executive Airpark
Calverton Executive Airpark is a public-owned private-use airport located three miles west of the central business district of the Calverton hamlet, in the Town of Riverhead, Suffolk County, New York, United States...
.
The Navy purchased 6000 acres (24.3 km²) around Calverton from a local farmer named Harry Edwards in 1953 including, the mansion of a grandson of F.W. Woolworth so that Grumman could test and finish jets. A 10000 feet (3,048 m) runway was built and most of Grumman's F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft were to pass through the plant.
In 1965 Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
proposed using the base as the fourth major airport for the New York metropolitan area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
. Grumman and local opposition ended the quest.
In 1978 more than 1000 acres (4 km²) of the base was used to create Calverton National Cemetery
Calverton National Cemetery
Calverton National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in eastern Long Island, the hamlet of Wading River, the Town of Riverhead in Suffolk County, New York...
which is the largest area and busiest (in terms of burials per day) United States National Cemetery
United States National Cemetery
"United States National Cemetery" is a designation for 146 nationally important cemeteries in the United States. A National Cemetery is generally a military cemetery containing the graves of U.S. military personnel, veterans and their spouses but not exclusively so...
.
In 1995 after Northrop
Northrop Corporation
Northrop Corporation was a leading United States aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman in 1994. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, although only a few of these have entered service.-History:Jack...
acquired Grumman, the new Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
pulled out of the base and Navy began liquidating the land.
In 1996 before the base could be turned over the Town of Riverhead, the base was used to reassemble the wreckage of TWA Flight 800
TWA Flight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 , a Boeing 747-131, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 20:31 EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff, killing all 230 persons on board. At the time, it was the second-deadliest U.S...
which had crashed about 20 miles (32.2 km) south.
In 2000 Skydive Long Island (formerly located at East Moriches) moved to the airport, and to this day continues to generate the majority of the current air traffic as a key destination for New York based skydivers.
Through 2007, debates raged whether to turn the base into a mega complex around a NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
track called EPCAL Centre or a giant ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
resort based construction of an artificial 350 feet (106.7 m) high indoor ski mountain.
In January 2008 the Riverhead Town Board with newly elected officers signed a deal to sell the airport for $155 million to Riverhead Resorts to build the ski mountain and tear up the airport runway and replace it with a lake overruling a December vote to give the NASCAR track the go ahead.
It will take up to three years to get the necessary environmental permits and the proposed opening date of the project is 2012.
On November 12, 2010, the town of riverhead voted 4 - 1 to cancel all plans for the indoor ski resort/water park.
A portion of the base is also being developed as an industrial/office park.
Calverton was first referred to as "Baiting Hollow
Baiting Hollow, New York
Baiting Hollow is a census-designated place roughly corresponding to the hamlet by the same name in the town of Riverhead in Suffolk County, New York, United States...
Station" when the Long Island Railroad arrived in 1844. The station closed in 1958, but the sheltered shed for the station remained standing as of 2007. Its native American Name Conungum or Kanungum, meaning a ``fixed line or ``boundary.
In 1868 its post office opened and was named for Bernard J. Calvert.
It remained a small farming community specializing in cranberries
Cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
which grew in swampy areas along the Peconic River
Peconic River
The Peconic River is a river in Long Island's Suffolk County, New York in the United States. The river is located in the eastern end of Long Island...
until the Navy purchase.
Geography
Calverton is located at 40°55′14"N 72°44′11"W (40.920535, -72.736285).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 28.5 square miles (73.8 km²), of which, 28 square miles (72.5 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.82%) is water.
The former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant became the Calverton Executive Airpark (IATA code "CTO") in the late 20th century.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,704 people, 2,539 households, and 1,518 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 203.7 per square mile (78.7/km²). There were 2,735 housing units at an average density of 97.7/sq mi (37.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.61% White, 7.66% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.03% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.07% of the population.
There were 2,539 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,544, and the median income for a family was $44,342. Males had a median income of $40,184 versus $33,047 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $26,609. About 6.5% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.