Lawrence, Nassau County, New York

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Lawrence, New York
settlement_type = Village
nickname =
motto =

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pushpin_label_position = none
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of New York
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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = U.S. Census Map


mapsize1 =
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New York
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Nassau
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 12.2
area_land_km2 = 10.0
area_water_km2 = 2.2
area_total_sq_mi = 4.7
area_land_sq_mi = 3.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0.8

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 6522
population_density_km2 = 654.3
population_density_sq_mi = 1694.6

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 6
elevation_ft = 20
latd = 40 |latm = 36 |lats = 34 |latNS = N
longd = 73 |longm = 43 |longs = 36 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 11559
area_code = 516
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 36-41553
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0955101
website =
footnotes =

Lawrence is a village in Nassau County, New York in the USA. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 6,522.

The Village of Lawrence is in the southwest corner of the Town of Hempstead, adjoining the border with the New York City borough of Queens to the west and near the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Lawrence is one of the "Five Towns", which consists of the villages of Lawrence and Cedarhurst, the hamlets (unincorporated areas) of Woodmere and Inwood, and "The Hewletts", which is made up of the hamlet of Hewlett together with the villages of Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Harbor and Hewlett Neck, along with Woodsburgh. [Barron, James. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502E1DD1439F933A25754C0A965948260&sec=&spon=&&scp=3&sq=%22five%20towns%22%20lawrence%20woodmere&st=cse "IF YOU'RE THINKING OF LIVING IN: FIVE TOWNS"] , "The New York Times", July 10, 1983. Accessed May 20, 2008. "The basic five are Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett and Inwood. But the area also includes some unincorporated communities and two tiny villages, Hewlett Bay Park and Woodsburgh, that are not added to the final total."]

Back Lawrence/Old Lawrence

Old Lawrence or Back Lawrence is a part of the Village of Lawrence, comprising many enormous mansions, beachside luxury villas and former plantations with very large property (and corresponding prices), some dating back to the time of the American Revolution. Huge golf courses, vast wetlands and nature preserves with historic battlefields enrich this beautiful area making it one of the most exclusive areas in all of Long Island.

Old Lawrence is commonly referred to by historians as the "First Hamptons." During the second half of the 19th century, it was a main vacation spot for the rich families of the highest social scale until the 1890s. A series of hurricanes and nor'easters altered the coastline considerably and destroyed a large beachfront hotel. Lawrence could no longer boast direct access to the sands along the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, Lawrence began to become more like a modern suburb, a village with schools, public facilities, better roads and a large town area that expanded into what is now today.

Lawrence, or most notably Old Lawrence, was formerly home to a large dominant upper class of White Anglo-Saxon Protestant families that lived there since the time of the American Revolution. While many blue-blood families still reside there, it has since become home to a large community of upper class Modern Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative Jewish families who have established a number of growing synagogues, particularly since the 1980s.

The Orthodox Jewish communities are close to the more Haredi nearby center of Far Rockaway which has more yeshivas for the children and younger members as well as a variety of kosher restaurants and communal organizations. Central Avenue in Lawrence (and its continuation in Cedarhurst) has a large and growing number of kosher restaurants and other business catering to the Orthodox community.

Geography

Lawrence is located at coor dms|40|36|34|N|73|43|36|W|city (40.609566, -73.726543)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.1 km²), of which, 3.8 square miles (10.0 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.2 km²) of it (17.91%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 6,522 people, 2,113 households, and 1,629 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,694.6 people per square mile (654.1/km²). There were 2,287 housing units at an average density of 594.2/sq mi (229.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.19% White, 1.13% African American, 0.02% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.42% of the population.

There were 2,113 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.7% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.62.

In the village the population was spread out with 32.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $104,845, and the median income for a family was $129,779. Males had a median income of $99,841 versus $41,094 for females. The per capita income for the village was $51,602. About 4.3% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Village of Lawrence is governed by an elected Mayor and Board of Trustees. The present Mayor is C. Simon Felder, elected in 2008. Members of the Board of Trustees are as follows:

*Michael A. Fragin
*Edward I. Klar
*Joel A. Mael
*Martin Oliner

Education

The Lawrence Public Schools, School District 15, serve the communities of Atlantic Beach, Cedarhurst, Inwood, Lawrence, and sections of Woodmere and North Woodmere.

The Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway, is a K-12 Modern Orthodox school where students study Jewish and secular subjects in a dual curriculum. The Pre-School, Kindergarten and Elementary schools are located on one campus on Frost Lane and Washington Avenue.

[http://www.thebrandeisschool.org/ The Brandeis School] is a conservative Jewish Day School located in Lawrence.

Lawrence is also home to the [http://www.shoryoshuv.org/ Shor Yoshuv Institute] , a Rabbinical College with several hundred students.

Transportation

The Lawrence station provides Long Island Rail Road service on the Far Rockaway Branch to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.

The N31 and N32 (Long Island bus) buses of MTA Long Island Bus (Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority) runs down Central Avenue extending southwest into Far Rockaway (with a connection to the NYCS|A Line of the New York City Subway) and northeast to the Hempstead Bus Terminal in central Nassau County with connections to other parts of Long Island.

A short drive (about 5 miles) up Rockaway Turnpike takes you to the Belt Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway, the Cross Island Parkway and the Southern State Parkway.

Lawrence is connected to Atlantic Beach to the south, across Reynolds Channel via the Atlantic Beach Bridge.

Emergency services

The Nassau County Police Department provides police services in Lawrence and most of Nassau County. Lawrence is part of the force's Fourth Preceinct. [ [http://www.police.co.nassau.ny.us/4th_pct.htm 4th Precinct] , Nassau County Police Department. Accessed August 20, 2007.]

Lawrence is served by the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department. The LCFD consists of 85 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians [ [http://www.firedepartments.net/NewYork/Lawrence/LawrenceCedarhurstFireDepartment.html Lawrence Cedarhurst Fire Department] , FireDepartments.net. Accessed March 9, 2008.] and provides fire protection to the villages of Lawrence and Cedarhurst, as well as the North Lawrence Fire District and East Lawrence Fire District. The LCFD also responds to alarms such as car accidents and aided cases on the Atlantic Beach Bridge.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Lawrence include:
* Benjamin Brafman, a prominent criminal defense attorney
* Karen Burstein, politician and former judge who was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for New York State Attorney General in 1994. [Fisher, Ian. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E4DD1E31F934A3575BC0A962958260&scp=4&sq=%22Karen+Burstein%22+lawrence&st=nyt "Burstein Brings an Edge to Attorney General's Race"] , "The New York Times", August 7, 1994. Accessed May 3, 2008.]
* Donna Karan (born 1948), fashion designer. [Van Gelder, Lawrence. [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F5081FFC3C5D10738DDDAF0994D8415B878BF1D3 "INTERVIEW; Her Winning Way With Fashion"] , "The New York Times", October 16, 1977. Accessed September 15, 2008. "And suddenly, at the age of 29, Donna Karan, who grew up in Woodmere, Who lied about her age to begin selling women's clothes at 14 in Cedarhurst, and who now lives in Lawrence, was at the top of her fashion world."]
* Peggy Lipton (born 1946), actress best known for her role in "The Mod Squad". [Berkvist, Robert. [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00913F83C59107A93CBA81788D85F468785F9 "'Bored? Creatively I'm Bored, But...'"] , "The New York Times", March 19, 1972. Accessed September 15, 2008. "The girl from uptight Lawrence, L. I., was now cool, worldly; Peggy Lipton had become, in the stone-age language of the sixties, a groovy chick, and "Mod Squad" had found its Julie."]
* Steve Madden (born 1958), shoe designer. [Dominguez, Robert. [http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/lifestyle/2006/10/19/2006-10-19_bringing_it_back_home__steve.html "BRINGING IT BACK HOME. Steve Madden's new ad campaign focuses on his fashion center - Queens"] , "Daily News (New York)", October 19, 2006. Accessed September 15, 2008. "He grew up in Lawrence, L.I., where he worked in shoe stores from his high-school days until he started his own business in 1990, at 33, with an investment of just $1,100."]
* Israel Singer, a Rabbi and professor who has held leadership posts in several international Jewish organizations
* Rob Weiss, director/producer "Amongst Friends", "Entourage". [Lyall, Sarah. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DC1438F93BA25754C0A965958260 "FILM; 'Amongst Friends' Tops Off a Journey Of Self-Discovery"] , "The New York Times", July 18, 1993. Accessed September 18, 2008. "Born in Baldwin, near the Five Towns, Mr. Weiss dropped out of the Parsons School of Design, where he studied fashion, then film. He found himself out of work and living goallessly back at his divorced father's house in Lawrence, smack in the Five Towns."]
* Leslie West (born 1945), of the hard rock group Mountain. [Fischler, Marcelle S. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE7DC1030F936A25753C1A9609C8B63 "Nascent Hall of Fame to Welcome First Honorees"] , "The New York Times" , October 15, 2006. Accessed November 26, 2007. "Dee Snider of Stony Brook, the shock-rocker from the 1980's heavy metal band Twisted Sister, known for his defiant metal anthem "We're Not Gonna Take It," and Leslie West of the band Mountain, who grew up in East Meadow, Lawrence and Forest Hills, are also being inducted..."]

References

External links

* [http://www.villageoflawrence.org/ Village of Lawrence website]
* [http://www.lawrence.org/ Lawrence Public Schools]
* [http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist001s,0,6982987.story?coll=ny-lihistory-navigation Lawrence: Always a Bastion of Quiet Elegance]