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Ronkonkoma, New York

Coordinates: 40°48′50″N 73°7′42″W / 40.81389°N 73.12833°W / 40.81389; -73.12833
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the hamlet within the Town of Islip. For the lake, see Lake Ronkonkoma (lake). For the community on the northern & eastern sides of the lake, see Lake Ronkonkoma, New York.

Ronkonkoma, New York
Raconkumake
Hamlet and census-designated place
The Ronkonkoma train station, located within Ronkonkoma
The Ronkonkoma train station, located within Ronkonkoma
U.S. Census map
U.S. Census map
Ronkonkoma is located in Long Island
Ronkonkoma
Ronkonkoma
Location on Long Island
Ronkonkoma is located in New York
Ronkonkoma
Ronkonkoma
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 40°48′50″N 73°7′42″W / 40.81389°N 73.12833°W / 40.81389; -73.12833
Country United States
State New York
CountySuffolk
TownIslip
Area
[1]
 • Total
8.44 sq mi (21.86 km2)
 • Land8.11 sq mi (21.00 km2)
 • Water0.33 sq mi (0.86 km2)
Elevation
112 ft (34 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
18,955
 • Density2,337.81/sq mi (902.63/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
11779
Area code(s)631, 934
FIPS code36-63473
GNIS feature ID0962854

Ronkonkoma (/rɒnˈkɒŋkəmə/ ron-KONG-kə-mə) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Town of Islip, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 18,955 at the time of the 2020 census.[2]

The Ronkonkoma post office has the ZIP Code 11779, and serves parts of several hamlets and CDPs adjacent to Ronkonkoma.

The hamlet is also home to Long Island MacArthur Airport, which is owned and operated by the Town of Islip. The New York Air Route Traffic Control Center is located at the airport.

History

[edit]

The name "Ronkonkoma" comes from the nearby Lake Ronkonkoma, which in turn comes from an Algonquian expression meaning "boundary fishing-lake", also earlier written as "Raconkumake" and "Raconkamuck."[3]

Since 1988, Ronkonkoma has been the end of electrification along the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line.[4] The track between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma is known as the Ronkonkoma Branch. In 2017, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the groundbreaking of a new $650 million development to create a Ronkonkoma Hub near the LIRR Line, similar to the hub in neighboring Brookhaven.[5]

Ronkonkoma was the terminus of the first road in the United States designed exclusively for automobiles, the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, constructed by a consortium of investors called the Long Island Motor Parkway, Inc. led by William Kissam Vanderbilt II.[6]

Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 8.1 square miles (21.1 km2), of which 0.35 square miles (0.9 km2), or 4.07%, is covered by water.[2]

The Lake Ronkonkoma kettle lake is located entirely within Ronkonkoma – not the neighboring, eponymous hamlet.[7]

Neighborhoods

[edit]

Lake Hills is north of the Long Island Expressway and south of Long Island Motor Parkway, roughly bounded by Rosevale Avenue and Ocean Avenue to the east, and Terry Road to the west.[7][8]

Lakeland is south of the Long Island Expressway and north of Veterans Memorial Highway, bounded on the west by Lakeland County Park & Connetquot River State Park Preserve, and on the east by Ronkonkoma Avenue & Lakeland Avenue.[7][9]

Lake Ronkonkoma in 1901

Economy

[edit]

Vitamin maker The Bountiful Company is based in Ronkonkoma.[10]

Northrop Grumman has a hypersonic test and manufacturing facility adjacent to the Long Island MacArthur Airport.[11]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
200020,029—
201019,082−4.7%
202018,955−0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,955 people and 6,150 households residing in the CDP. The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.7% White, 4.5% African American, 7.7% Asian, 5.1% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 20.9% of the population.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 6.1% under the age of five, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $114,216, while the per capita income for the CDP was $41,792. About 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line.[13]

Government

[edit]

Local government

[edit]

As an unincorporated area within the Town of Islip, Ronkonkoma is directly governed by the Islip Town Council, seated in Islip.[7][14]

Ronkonkoma is located within Islip's 4th council district, which as of April 2025 is represented in the Islip Town Council by John M. Lorenzo (R–West Sayville).[7][14][15]

Representation in higher government

[edit]

Suffolk County representation

[edit]

Ronkonkoma is primarily located within Suffolk County's 10th Legislative district, which as of April 2025 is represented in the Suffolk County Legislature by Trish Bergin (R–East Islip).[7][16][17][18]

New York State representation

[edit]
New York State Assembly
[edit]

Ronkonkoma is located within New York's 5th State Assembly district, which as of April 2025 is represented in the New York State Assembly by Douglas M. Smith (R–Holbrook).[7][16][19]

New York State Senate
[edit]

Ronkonkoma is located within the New York State Senate's 8th State Senate district, which as of April 2025 is represented in the New York State Senate by Alexis Weik (R–Sayville).[7][16][20]

Federal representation

[edit]
United States Congress
[edit]

Ronkonkoma is located within New York's 2nd congressional district, which as of April 2025 is represented in the United States Congress by Andrew Garbarino (R–Bayport).[7]

United States Senate

[edit]

Like the rest of New York, Ronkonkoma is represented in the United States Senate by Charles Schumer (D) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D).[21]

Politics

[edit]

In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Ronkonkoma voters voted for Donald J. Trump (R).[22][23]

Education

[edit]

Schools

[edit]

Almost all of Ronkonkoma CDP is located within the Connetquot Central School District.[7][24] Three public elementary schools are in Ronkonkoma, with one middle school, and high school students attend Connetquot High School in Bohemia.[7]

A portion of the CDP to the east is in the Sachem Central School District, while portions of its west end extend into Central Islip Union Free School District – although the latter portion is taken up entirely by portions of the Connetquot River State Park Preserve.[7][24][25] A small portion of the CDP's northwestern corner, furthermore, is located within the Hauppauge Union Free School District.[7][24][25]

Libraries

[edit]

Ronkonkoma is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Central Islip Library District, the Connetquot Library District, the Hauppauge Library District, and the Sachem Library District.[7] The boundaries of these districts roughly correspond to those of the school districts.[7]

Infrastructure

[edit]

Transportation

[edit]

Air

[edit]
Long Island MacArthur Airport in 2018

Long Island MacArthur Airport is located within Ronkonkoma.[7][26] The airport, owned by the Town of Islip and maintained by the Town of Islip Department of Aviation, is one of three commercial airports on Long Island – the other two being LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in the New York City borough of Queens – and, moreover, a primary commercial airport for Long Island.[7][26]

Road

[edit]

Two state-maintained highways pass through and serve Ronkonkoma:[7]

Other major roads within Ronkonkoma include Johnson Avenue, Lakeland/Ocean/Rosevale Avenues (CR 93), Lincoln Avenue, the Long Island Motor Parkway (CR 67), Pond Road, Railroad Avenue, Smithtown Avenue, and Terry Road.[7][27]

Rail

[edit]
The Ronkonkoma station in 2024

The Ronkonkoma station on the Long Island Rail Road's Ronkonkoma Branch – one of the busiest stations on the LIRR – is partially located within Ronkonkoma.[7]

In 2025, it was announced that Amtrak's Northeast Regional service will eventually begin serving the community, terminating at the Ronkonkoma station. Service is expected to commence in 2028.[28]

Bus

[edit]

Ronkonkoma is served by Suffolk County Transit bus routes 6, 51, 52A, and 52B.[7][29]

Utilities

[edit]

Natural gas

[edit]

National Grid USA provides natural gas to homes and businesses that are hooked up to natural gas lines in Ronkonkoma.[30][31]

Power

[edit]

PSEG Long Island provides power to all homes and businesses within Ronkonkoma.[30][32]

Sewage

[edit]

Ronkonkoma is primarily not connected to any sanitary sewers – spare for the Nob Hill development near the hamlet's northwestern corner. Accordingly, the overwhelming majority of Ronkonkoma relies on cesspools and septic systems.[33][34]

Water

[edit]

The water supply system in Ronkonkoma is operated by the Suffolk County Water Authority.[33]

Notable people

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[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Ronkonkoma CDP, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  3. ^ Bright, William (2007). Native American placenames of the United States. Bright University of Oklahoma Press. p. 411.
  4. ^ Cohen, Billie (January 31, 2008). "Long Island Rail Road From Penn Station to Ronkonkoma, N.Y". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  5. ^ "Governor Cuomo Announces Groundbreaking on First Phase of State-of-the-Art New Ronkonkoma Hub". New York State Pressroom. November 20, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017.
  6. ^ Goldstone, Lawrence (2016). Drive!. Ballantine Books. p. 269. ISBN 9780553394184.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Long Island Zoning Atlas". Long Island Index Maps. Long Island Index. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Lake Hills Ronkonkoma". nextdoor.com.
  9. ^ "Lakeland, Ronkonkoma". nextdoor.com.
  10. ^ "The Nature's Bounty Co – Profile". Dun & Bradstreet. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Purdue hypersonics receives boost from Northrop Grumman shock tunnel donation, Brian Huchel, Purdue University, 2020-10-15 accessed 2023-06-08
  12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  13. ^ "QuickFacts, Ronkonkoma CDP, New York". census.gov. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Councilmanic Districts". islipny.gov. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  15. ^ "John M. Lorenzo". Newsday. April 15, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c Tomanelli, John (December 19, 2019). "Boundaries Map". Newsday. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  17. ^ "About Trish | Suffolk County Legislature, NY". www.scnylegislature.us. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  18. ^ "Demographics - LD 10 | Suffolk County Legislature, NY". www.scnylegislature.us. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  19. ^ "Doug Smith - Assembly District 5 |Assembly Member Directory | New York State Assembly". www.nyassembly.gov. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  20. ^ "About Alexis Weik | NYSenate.gov". www.nysenate.gov. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  21. ^ "U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators". www.senate.gov. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  22. ^ Welch, Will (November 8, 2017). "How Long Island Voted". Newsday. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  23. ^ LaRocco, Paul (November 12, 2024). "Map: How Long Island voted for president in Harris-Trump race". Newsday. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c "2020 census - school district reference map: Suffolk County, NY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 4 (PDF p. 5/6). Retrieved October 24, 2024. - Text list
  25. ^ a b "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Ronkonkoma CDP, NY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 1 (PDF p. 1/2). Retrieved October 24, 2024. - Compare with the school district map.
  26. ^ a b "ISP airport at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. FAA data effective February 20, 2025.
  27. ^ "New York State Roadway Inventory System Viewer". gis.dot.ny.gov. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  28. ^ Crawford, Logan (January 10, 2025). "Suffolk County executive: Amtrak coming to Ronkonkoma LIRR station". News 12 Long Island. Retrieved January 19, 2025;White, Mike (January 15, 2025). "Massive plans inch forward in Ronkonkoma, and Amtrak on the way". Greater Long Island. Retrieved January 15, 2025;White, Mike (January 17, 2025). "Amtrak: Too soon to set date for 'potential' Ronkonkoma service". Greater Long Island. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  29. ^ "Nassau Inter-County Express - Maps and Schedules". nicebus.com. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  30. ^ a b "Long Island Utility Information – LIPA, Nat Grid, & Local Water Authorities". LongIsland.com. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  31. ^ "Natural Gas & Electricity | National Grid". www.nationalgridus.com. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  32. ^ "Home Page – PSEG Long Island". www.psegliny.com. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  33. ^ a b "Long Island Zoning Atlas". www.longislandindexmaps.org. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  34. ^ "Sewerage Map – Nassau County". County of Nassau, New York. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h i "People from Ronkonkoma, New York - FamousFix.com list". FamousFix.com. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  36. ^ "Keith Detelj - Soccer -". www.soccerway.com.
  37. ^ "Joe Grimaldi Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com.
  38. ^ "Moira Kelly | Actress, Director". IMDb. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  39. ^ Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions. Ed. J. Gordon Melton Vol. 1: United States. 9th ed. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2017.
  40. ^ James, Joe (January 30, 2024). "How Piping Rock Empowers Wellness With Quality Supplements". Medical Daily. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  41. ^ "Thorgy Thor Birthday". National Today. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  42. ^ "About Alexis Weik". New York State Senate. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  43. ^ a b c admin (January 8, 2019). "Oh, Hello On Broadway (2017) - Transcript". Scraps from the loft. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  44. ^ "Long Island jabs in 'How I Met Your Mother". Newsday. March 21, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  45. ^ "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 16, Episode 11 script | Subs like Script". subslikescript.com. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  46. ^ "Mike Doughty - Busting Up a Starbucks Lyrics | Lyrics.com". www.lyrics.com. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  47. ^ "Like a Luminous Girl Lyrics by Mike Doughty". Lyrics On Demand. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  48. ^ a b "Do It For Ronkonkoma". YouTube. March 6, 2009. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  49. ^ "SUNSHINE BOY AT 85". The New York Times. January 25, 1981. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  50. ^ Champlin, Charles (April 3, 1988). "The World's Youngest 92-Year-Old Man". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  51. ^ "All In The Family s02e23 Episode Script | SS". Springfield! Springfield!. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  52. ^ Nash, Collin (February 1, 1998). "When Consistency Is Key". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  53. ^ "The Best and Worst of the 2024-2025 NHL Schedule Announcements". Offside News. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  54. ^ "Only Murders in the Building: What is Project Ronkonkoma in Season 4? Fan Theories Explored". IMDb. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
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