Rocky Point, New York
Encyclopedia
Rocky Point is a hamlet (and census-designated place
) in Suffolk County
, New York
on the North Shore
of Long Island
. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 10,185.
Rocky Point is a community in the town of Brookhaven
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 10.4 square miles (26.9 km²), all land.
of 2010, there were 10,739 people, 3,557 households, and 2,592 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 984.4 per square mile (379.9/km2). There were 3,949 housing units at an average density of 381.7/sq mi (147.3/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.4% White, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 3% Black African American, 0.16% Native American, 1% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.80% from other races
, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.02% of the population.
There were 3,557 households out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.45.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,463, and the median income for a family was $60,423. Males had a median income of $46,804 versus $35,205 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $22,050. About 6.7% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
once operated a very large transmitting and transmitter research facility, known as Radio Central. RCA began to transmit transatlantic radio messages from Radio Central after its opening on November 5, 1921. Early Radio Central transmissions were received by many European nations, including Britain
, Spain
, France
, Germany
, Italy
, Austria
, and Poland
.
On January 7, 1927, AT&T initiated the first transatlantic commercial telephone service; linking London and New York. AT&T's transmitter was at Radio Central and their receiver was in Houlton, Maine
. The radiotelephone signal from Radio Central was received by the British General Post Office's receiver facility in Cupar, Scotland
.
Radio Central was one of the many original operating and touring sites of Guglielmo Marconi
's radio shack, which now is displayed at Rocky Point's Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School.
The 5200 acres (21 km²) Rocky Point site was decommissioned and demolished in the 1970s and now consists of many concrete ruins and downed telephone poles and radio towers that is owned by the State of New York and is part of the Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area, which is in the Long Island Central Pine Barrens
. The site is an interesting insight into the 1920s, because—being in the middle of the forest—the footprints of the site remain largely untouched since its operational period. The 125 miles (201.2 km) long Paumanok Path
hiking trail western terminus is in the forest with the eastern terminus at the Montauk Point Light.
A secret project held in Radio Central's building #10 became the world's first color television.
Rocky Point, along with neighboring village Shoreham
, was also the home to inventor and scientist Nikola Tesla
's early research facilities.
As an additional point of interest, Rocky Point is the home of the only Paragliding site (as designated by the USHPA
) on Long Island.
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...
on the North Shore
North Shore (Long Island)
The North Shore of Long Island is the area along Long Island's northern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. The region has long been the most affluent on Long Island, as well as the most affluent in the New York metropolitan area, which has earned it the nickname "the Gold Coast." Though some...
of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 10,185.
Rocky Point is a community in 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...
.
Geography
The community is on the North Shore of Long Island.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 10.4 square miles (26.9 km²), all land.
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 2010, there were 10,739 people, 3,557 households, and 2,592 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 984.4 per square mile (379.9/km2). There were 3,949 housing units at an average density of 381.7/sq mi (147.3/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.4% White, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 3% Black African American, 0.16% Native American, 1% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.80% 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 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.02% of the population.
There were 3,557 households out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% 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, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.45.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,463, and the median income for a family was $60,423. Males had a median income of $46,804 versus $35,205 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 $22,050. About 6.7% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
Rocky Point is home to the site where American radio company RCARCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
once operated a very large transmitting and transmitter research facility, known as Radio Central. RCA began to transmit transatlantic radio messages from Radio Central after its opening on November 5, 1921. Early Radio Central transmissions were received by many European nations, including Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
On January 7, 1927, AT&T initiated the first transatlantic commercial telephone service; linking London and New York. AT&T's transmitter was at Radio Central and their receiver was in Houlton, Maine
Houlton, Maine
Houlton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, on the United States – Canada border, located at . As of the 2010 census, the town population was 6,123. It is perhaps best known as being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95 and for being the birthplace of Samantha Smith...
. The radiotelephone signal from Radio Central was received by the British General Post Office's receiver facility in Cupar, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Radio Central was one of the many original operating and touring sites of Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
's radio shack, which now is displayed at Rocky Point's Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School.
The 5200 acres (21 km²) Rocky Point site was decommissioned and demolished in the 1970s and now consists of many concrete ruins and downed telephone poles and radio towers that is owned by the State of New York and is part of the Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area, which is in the Long Island Central Pine Barrens
Long Island Central Pine Barrens
The Long Island Central Pine Barrens is a large area of publicly protected pine barrens in Suffolk County, New York, on Long Island, covering more than ....
. The site is an interesting insight into the 1920s, because—being in the middle of the forest—the footprints of the site remain largely untouched since its operational period. The 125 miles (201.2 km) long Paumanok Path
Paumanok Path
The Paumanok Path is a hiking trail from Rocky Point, New York to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York.It travels through five towns -- Brookhaven, New York, Riverhead, New York, Southampton , New York and East Hampton , New York....
hiking trail western terminus is in the forest with the eastern terminus at the Montauk Point Light.
A secret project held in Radio Central's building #10 became the world's first color television.
Rocky Point, along with neighboring village Shoreham
Shoreham, New York
Shoreham is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 417 at the 2000 census.The Incorporated Village of Shoreham is inside the Town of Brookhaven.-Geography:Shoreham is located at ....
, was also the home to inventor and scientist Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
's early research facilities.
As an additional point of interest, Rocky Point is the home of the only Paragliding site (as designated by the USHPA
USHPA
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association is a non-profit organization supporting foot-launched soaring flight in the United States. It began in 1971 as the Southern California Hang Gliding Association and became national in scope by the mid-1970s. When paragliding became popular...
) on Long Island.