Lake Ronkonkoma, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake Ronkonkoma is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 19,701 at the 2000 census.
Lake Ronkonkoma is located in the Town of Brookhaven, with portions in the Town of Islip and Town of Smithtown.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Lake Ronkonkoma is located at (40.829709, -73.113015)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²), all land.
[edit] History
The actual lake, Lake Ronkonkoma, is situated in the town, and is the largest lake on Long Island. The land surrounding the lake itself is in the jurisdiction by three different townships - Islip, Brookhaven and Smithtown. When the Indians sold their land around the lake, they wanted to make sure that nobody had sole control of all the land.
As a result of the lake's existence, Lake Ronkonkoma was once a resort town, until the area experienced a population explosion in the mid-1900s. Remnants of old resorts and hotels can still be seen around the lake's shores.
The lake is the subject of a number of urban legends, mainly rooted in the area's rich Indian heritage. For example: 1. It's bottomless (and/or empties into the Long Island Sound or other waterways). In fact, the lake is relatively deep (approx. 70 feet) in the middle, and is what's known as a kettle hole lake; 2. Every year the lake sacrifices someone. Specifically, "The Lady of the Lake" calls young men out to the middle of the lake and drowns them. In all versions, the lady is an Indian princess who herself drowned in the lake, for reasons that vary depending on the story. Undoubtedly there are people who drown in the lake on occasion; 3. There is a mysterious rise and fall of the lake that doesn't have any noticeable relationship to local rainfall totals. This has not been sufficiently explained either way.
The most popular story is that every year two lovers from somewhere in the area are killed by the Indian princess. Usually it is in an automobile accident because of the angry Indian spirit.
The Indians in Suffolk County, as opposed to Nassau County got along well with the white English. In the Dutch west end of the Island there was bitter fighting between the Indians and the Dutch.
There is some kernel of truth in the story. The lake was considered the most sacred lake by the Indians and it was also the meeting point. The tribes controlled different parts of it. One thing is certain, the Indian princess could not have lived in what is now Ronkonkoma; a major point of the story is that the princess and her lover ran off from their own settlement to the lake. In addition the Indians did not live anywhere near the lake. They lived near the coasts of the Island.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 19,701 people, 6,700 households, and 5,011 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,549.2/km² (4,010.1/mi²). There were 6,949 housing units at an average density of 546.4/km² (1,414.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.53% White, 1.36% African American, 0.15% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.25% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.85% of the population.
There were 6,700 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,209, and the median income for a family was $67,375. Males had a median income of $50,715 versus $34,301 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $23,233. About 3.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
* Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society
| Town of Brookhaven, New York | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||
| Town of Islip, New York | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||
| Town of Smithtown, New York | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||
