New Cassel, New York

History

New Cassel was one of the first free African American communities on Long Island. It was founded by a group of formerly enslaved African American farmers in the mid 1700s. About the time of the close of the American Revolutionary War, Hessian settlers, mostly from Hesse-Cassel in the Holy Roman Empire and who chose not to return Europe, and settled throughout the area, as well; this gave rise to New Cassel's name, which was chosen in honor of the part of Hesse from which most had come.

When the adjacent village of Westbury incorporated in 1932, New Cassel residents chose not to have the hamlet be absorbed by the new municipality, over fears that taxes would rise. As such, it would remain an unincorporated hamlet directly governed by the Town of North Hempstead in Manhasset.

After World War II, New Cassel became home to a great number of successful middle class families, including many Black and Latino veterans. By the second half of the 20th century, New Cassel had become home to a growing number of Haitian and Latino families.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.5 sqmi, all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,298 people, 2,972 households, and 2,448 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 9,072.8 PD/sqmi. There were 3,067 housing units at an average density of 2,092.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 31.64% White, 47.32% African American, 0.45% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 12.59% from other races, and 6.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.11% of the population.

There were 2,972 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.6% were non-families. 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.46 and the average family size was 4.40.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $71,270, and the median income for a family was $69,044. Males had a median income of $22,526 versus $28,193 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,673. About 10.5% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2010, the population was 14,019. The demographics were as follows:

• Hispanic - 7,577 (53.9%)
• Black alone - 5,225 (37.2%)
• White alone - 841 (6.0%)
• Two or more races - 187 (1.3%)
• Asian alone - 174 (1.2%)
• Other race alone - 44 (0.3%)
• American Indian alone - 10 (0.07%)
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone - 1 (0.01%)

Parks and recreation

The Town of North Hempstead operates two parks and recreational facilities in New Cassel:

• Martin "Bunky" Reid Park
• "Yes We Can" Community Center

Transportation

Road

Two state-maintained highways run through New Cassel: the Northern State Parkway and the Wantagh State Parkway.

Other major roads which travel through the hamlet include Brush Hollow Road, Grand Boulevard, Old Country Road, Prospect Avenue, and Urban Avenue.

Rail

Although the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line bisects New Cassel, there is no station located within it – although a station existed briefly during the 19th century. Additionally, the western portion of the community is within walking distance of the Westbury station.

Bus

The northern portion of New Cassel is served by the n22 and n22X bus routes along Prospect Avenue, while the southern portion is served by the N24 along Old Country Road. All of those routes are operated by Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) and travel between the Hicksville LIRR station and Jamaica, Queens.

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. . ["Black History on Long Island"](https://www.hofstra.edu/library/libspc/libspc_lisi_blackhistory.html). *Hofstra University*.
3. Fischler, Marcelle S.. (November 24, 2010). "A Hamlet on the Long Road to Renewal". The New York Times.
4. Allison, Mary Ann. (September 5, 2010). "Against Formidable Odds: Community Revitalization in New Cassel, New York". Hofstra University.
5. "The History of the Village of Westbury".
6. Panczyk (2007), p. 40
7. Winsche, Richard. (October 1, 1999). "The History of Nassau County Community Place-Names". Empire State Books.
8. "Long Island Index: Interactive Map".
9. (2011-02-12). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
11. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
12. "New Cassel, New York (NY 11590) profile: Population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders".
13. "Town of North Hempstead - Martin "Bunky" Reid Park".
14. "Town of North Hempstead - Yes We Can Community Center".
15. "Long Island Index: Interactive Map".
16. "Nassau County Road Jurisdiction Viewer".
17. Seyfried, Vincent F.. (1966). "The Long Island Rail Road, A Comprehensive History". Vincent F. Seyfried.