Nassau County, New York#Law and government

The name of Nassau County originated from an old name for Long Island, which was at one time named Nassau, after the Dutch family of King William III of England, the House of Nassau,{{cite web| url = https://www.britannica.com/place/Nassau-county-New-York| title = Encyclopaedia Britannica| date = June 2, 2023| access-date = April 9, 2021| archive-date = April 25, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210425065835/https://www.britannica.com/place/Nassau-county-New-York| url-status = live}} itself named after the German town of Nassau. The county colors (orange and blue) are also the colors of the House of Orange-Nassau.

Several alternate names had been considered for the county, including "Bryant", "Matinecock" (a village within the county currently has that name), "Norfolk" (presumably because of the proximity to Suffolk County), and "Sagamore".{{cite web | url=https://nassaulandtrust.org/about-nassau-county | title=About Nassau County | access-date=November 11, 2012 | archive-date=February 16, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216153022/https://nassaulandtrust.org/about-nassau-county | url-status=live }} However, "Nassau" had the historical advantage of having at one time been the name of Long Island itself,{{cite web | url=http://www.nextech.de/genealogy/purchase/e31.htm | title=Last will and testament of Thomas Powell Sen late of Bethpage now of Westbury in the limits of Hempstead in Queens County on Nassau Island in the Colony of New York | year=1719 | access-date=November 11, 2012 | archive-date=May 15, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515043943/http://www.nextech.de/genealogy/purchase/e31.htm | url-status=live }} and was the name most mentioned after the new county was proposed in 1875.{{cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1875/04/12/82028802.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127182425/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1875/04/12/82028802.pdf |archive-date=January 27, 2022 |url-status=live | title=Long Island | date=April 12, 1875 | newspaper=New York Times | access-date=November 11, 2012}}

{{cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1876/04/09/80328453.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130215755/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1876/04/09/80328453.pdf |archive-date=January 30, 2022 |url-status=live | title=Long Island | date=April 9, 1876 | newspaper=New York Times | access-date=November 11, 2012}}

{{cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1876/12/21/81701547.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501103851/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1876/12/21/81701547.pdf |archive-date=May 1, 2020 |url-status=live | title=Proposed Division of Queens County | date=December 21, 1876 | newspaper=New York Times | access-date=November 11, 2012}}

The area now designated as Nassau County was originally the eastern 70% of Queens County, one of the original twelve counties formed in 1683, and was then contained within two towns: Hempstead and Oyster Bay. In 1784, the Town of North Hempstead, was formed through secession by the northern portions of the Town of Hempstead. Nassau County was formed in 1899 by the division of Queens County, after the western portion of Queens had become a borough of New York City in 1898, as the three easternmost towns seceded from the county.

When the first European settlers arrived, among the Native Americans to occupy the present area of Nassau County were the Marsapeque, Matinecoc, and Sacatogue. Dutch settlers in New Netherland predominated in the western portion of Long Island, while English settlers from Connecticut occupied the eastern portion. Until 1664, Long Island was split, roughly at the present border between Nassau and Suffolk counties, between the Dutch in the west and Connecticut claiming the east. The Dutch did grant an English settlement in Hempstead (now in western Nassau), but drove settlers from the present-day eastern Nassau hamlet of Oyster Bay as part of a boundary dispute. In 1664, all of Long Island became part of the English Province of New York within the Shire of York. Present-day Queens and Nassau were then just part of a larger North Riding. In 1683, the colonial territory of Yorkshire was dissolved, Suffolk County and Queens County were established, and the local seat of government was moved west from Hempstead to Jamaica (now in New York City).{{cite web |url=http://www.hopefarm.com/5boros.htm |title=Early Five Borough's History |quote=When Queens County was created the courts were transferred from Hempstead to Jamaica Village and a County Court was erected. When the building became too small for its purposes and the stone meeting house had been erected, the courts were held for some years in that edifice. Later a new courthouse was erected and used until the seat of justice was removed to North Hempstead. |access-date=December 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021055612/http://hopefarm.com/5boros.htm |archive-date=October 21, 2010 |url-status=dead |website= Hope Farm Press}}

By 1700, virtually none of Long Island's area remained unpurchased from the Native Americans by the English colonists, and townships controlled whatever land had not already been distributed.{{cite web |url=http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/parks/wheretogo/museums/central_nass_museum/old_bethpage_rest.html |title=Old Bethpage Village Restoration |access-date=April 22, 2012 |archive-date=May 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527045851/http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/parks/wheretogo/museums/central_nass_museum/old_bethpage_rest.html |url-status=live |website=Nassau County, NY}} The courthouse in Jamaica was torn down by the British during the American Revolution to use the materials to build barracks.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Queens/history/civil1.html|title=Civil History of Queens County- Crimes and Penalties- the Court-house- Officials. |website=bklyn-genealogy-info.com |access-date=November 13, 2012|archive-date=February 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210092009/http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Queens/history/civil1.html|url-status=usurped}}

In 1784, following the American Revolutionary War, the Town of Hempstead was split in two, when Patriots in the northern part formed the new Town of North Hempstead, leaving Loyalist majorities in the Town of Hempstead. About 1787, a new Queens County Courthouse was erected (and later completed) in the new Town of North Hempstead, near present-day Mineola (now in Nassau County), known then as Clowesville.*{{cite web |url=http://www.queensbp.org/content_web/tourism/tourism_history.shtml |title=Historical Essay: A Thumbnail View |quote=From the final withdrawal of the British in November, 1783, until the 1830s, Queens continued as an essentially Long Island area of farms and villages. The location of the county government in Mineola (in present-day Nassau County) underscores the island orientation of that era. Population grew hardly at all, increasing only from 5,791 in 1800 to 7,806 in 1830, suggesting that many younger sons moved away, seeking fortunes where land was not yet so fully taken up for farming. |publisher=Official History Page of the Queens Borough President's Office |access-date=December 29, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218014547/http://www.queensbp.org/content_web/tourism/tourism_history.shtml |archive-date=December 18, 2007 }}

• {{cite book |title=A Research Guide to the History of the Borough of Queens and Its Neighborhood |editor=Jon A. Peterson and Vincent Seyfried |year=1983}}
• {{cite book |editor=Peterson, Jon A. |title=A Research Guide to the History of the Borough of Queens, New York City |location=New York |publisher=Queens College, City University of New York |year=1987}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.timevoyagers.com/bookstore/NewYork/counties/queens.htm |title=New York – Queens County |website=Time Voyagers |access-date=December 29, 2007 |archive-date=July 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720070246/http://www.timevoyagers.com/bookstore/NewYork/counties/queens.htm |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.mynewyorkgenealogy.com/ny_history.htm |title=New York State History |year=1999 |publisher=Genealogy Inc |quote=Under the Reorganization Act of March 7, 1788, New York was divided into 120 towns (not townships), many of which were already in existence. |access-date=December 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080108141441/http://www.mynewyorkgenealogy.com/ny_history.htm |archive-date=January 8, 2008 }}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lgss/pdfs/Handbook.pdf |title=State of New York; Local Government Handbook; 5th Edition |date=January 2000 |pages=Ch 4, p 13; Ch 5 p 2 |quote=The 1777 New York State Constitution, Article XXXVI, confirmed land grants and municipal charters granted by the English Crown prior to October 14, 1775. Chapter 64 of the Laws of 1788 organized the state into towns and cities...The basic composition of the counties was set in 1788 when the State Legislature divided all of the counties then existing into towns. Towns, of course, were of earlier origin, but in that year they acquired a new legal status as components of the counties. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215150221/http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lgss/pdfs/handbook.pdf |archive-date=February 15, 2010 }}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history_mysteries_hs221a,0,670882.story |title=History Mysteries: Shelter Island Ferry/Mineola Building |quote=The building shown below "is one of the most important buildings in the history of Mineola," wrote Jack Hehman, president of the Mineola Historical Society. Built in 1787 and known as the "old brig," it was the first Queens County courthouse and later a home for the mentally ill. The building was at Jericho Turnpike and Herricks Road until 1910, when it burned to the ground. |access-date=April 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706164332/http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history_mysteries_hs221a%2C0%2C670882.story |archive-date=July 6, 2008 }}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1882/08/29/archives/the-mineola-asylum-witnesses-who-testified-that-it-is-and-has-been.html |title=The Mineola Asylum; Witnesses who testified that it is and has been a model institution. |quote=The investigation of the charges made against the Superintendent and keepers of the Mineola Asylum for the Insane, which was begun last Tuesday, was continued yesterday by the standing Committee on Insane Asylums of the Queens County Board of Supervisors-- Messrs. Whitney, Brinckerhoff, and Powell. The committee were shown through the asylum, which is the old building of the Queens County Court-house over 100 years old |date=August 29, 1882 |work=New York Times |access-date=April 1, 2008 |archive-date=July 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725215229/https://www.nytimes.com/1882/08/29/archives/the-mineola-asylum-witnesses-who-testified-that-it-is-and-has-been.html |url-status=live }}*{{cite web |url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Civil/Nassau.P.O.html |title=Nassau County Post Offices 1794–1879 |author=David Roberts |access-date=April 1, 2008 |archive-date=July 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725014638/http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Civil/Nassau.P.O.html |url-status=dead |website=bklyn-genealogy-info.com }}
• {{cite book |title=New York Postal History: The Post Offices & First Postmasters from 1775 to 1980 |quote=There was only one post office established in present Nassau County when the Long Island post road to Sag Harbor was established September 25, 1794. It appears that the mail from New York went to Jamaica. This was the only post office in the present day Boroughs of Queens or Brooklyn before 1803. From Jamaica the mail went east along the Jericho Turnpike/Middle Country Road route and ended at Sag Harbor. The only post office on this route between Jamaica and Suffolk County was QUEENS established the same date as the others on this route 9/25/1794. This post office was officially Queens, but I have seen the area called "Queens Court House" and was located approximately in the Mineola-Westbury area. The courthouse was used until the 1870s when the county court was moved to Long Island City. Later it served as the Queens County Insane Asylum and still later as an early courthouse for the new Nassau County, during construction of the present "old" Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola. It was demolished shortly after 1900 ... after about 120 years of service of one type or the other. |author1=John L. Kay |author2=Chester M. Smith, Jr. |name-list-style=amp |publisher=American Philatelic Society |year=1982}}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1872/02/25/archives/the-queens-county-courthouse-question-a-new-building-to-be-erected.html |title=The Queens County Court-House Question A New Building to be Erected at Mineola. |date=February 25, 1872 |quote=For forty years the Supervisors of Queens County have been quarreling over a site for a Court-house. The incommodious building used |access-date=April 1, 2008 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=July 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723004448/https://www.nytimes.com/1872/02/25/archives/the-queens-county-courthouse-question-a-new-building-to-be-erected.html |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Map/No.Hemp.html |title=1873 map of North Hempstead |quote=bottom right by spur road off Jericho Tpk – location is now known as Garden City Park. Clowesville was the name of the nearest station on the LIRR, approximately at the location of the present Merillon Avenue station. The courthouse was north of the station. |access-date=December 31, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610033357/http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Map/No.Hemp.html |archive-date=June 10, 2007 }}{{refn|The former county courthouse was located northeast of the intersection of Jericho Turnpike (NY Route 25) and the aptly named County Courthouse Road in an unincorporated area of the Town of North Hempstead, variously referred to in the present day as Garden City Park or New Hyde Park. The site is now a shopping center anchored by a supermarket and is located in the New Hyde Park 11040 ZIP Code. A stone marker located on the north side of Jericho Turnpike (NY Route 25), between Marcus Avenue and Herricks Road, identifies the site.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1i9AnIpmtbAC&q=nassau+county+seat+mineola&pg=PA55 |title=Nassau County, Long Island, in early photographs, 1869–1940 |first1=Bette S. |last1=Weidman |first2=Linda B. |last2=Martin |publisher=Courier Dover |year=1981 |page=55 |isbn=9780486241364 |access-date=December 2, 2010 |archive-date=September 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930134401/https://books.google.com/books?id=1i9AnIpmtbAC&q=nassau+county+seat+mineola&pg=PA55#v=snippet&q=nassau%20county%20seat%20mineola&f=false |url-status=live }}}}

{{cite news |url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist002d,0,6131005.story?coll=ny_community_guide_lihistory_promo |title=Mineola: First Farmers, Then Lawyers |author=Rhoda Amon |newspaper=Newsday |quote=That was the year when the "Old Brig" courthouse was vacated after 90 years of housing lawbreakers. The county court moved from Mineola to Long Island City. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015160228/http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist002d%2C0%2C6131005.story?coll=ny_community_guide_lihistory_promo |archive-date=October 15, 2008 |access-date=November 11, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

File:MTA Announces Opening of Second Section of LIRR Main Line Third Track (52322579438).jpg of the Long Island Rail Road]]

The Long Island Rail Road reached as far east as Hicksville in 1837, but did not proceed to Farmingdale until 1841 due to the Panic of 1837. The 1850 census was the first in which the combined population of the three western towns (Flushing, Jamaica, and Newtown) exceeded that of the three eastern towns that are now part of Nassau County. Concerns were raised about the condition of the old courthouse and the inconvenience of travel and accommodations, with the three eastern and three western towns divided on the location for the construction of a new one.*{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1870/02/14/80255277.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130215809/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1870/02/14/80255277.pdf |archive-date=January 30, 2022 |url-status=live |title=Queen's County Court House |newspaper=New York Times |date=February 14, 1870 |access-date=November 11, 2012}}

• {{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1870/12/05/93250633.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501103851/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1870/12/05/93250633.pdf |archive-date=May 1, 2020 |url-status=live |title=Long Island |newspaper=New York Times |date=December 5, 1870 |access-date=November 11, 2012}}
• {{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1872/02/25/78777602.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308155222/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1872/02/25/78777602.pdf |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |url-status=live |title=The Queens County Court-House Question |newspaper=New York Times |date=February 25, 1872 |access-date=November 11, 2012}}

Around 1874, the seat of county government was moved to Long Island City from Mineola.*{{cite news |url=http://www.queenstribune.com/guides/2005_PatchworkOfCultures/pages/QueensTimeline.htm |title=A Queens Timeline |newspaper=The Queens Tribune |quote=1874 – Queens County Courthouse and seat of county government moved from Mineola (in present-day Nassau County) to Long Island City. |access-date=December 23, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109203348/http://queenstribune.com/guides/2005_PatchworkOfCultures/pages/QueensTimeline.htm |archive-date=November 9, 2007 }}

• {{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1874/02/09/79216521.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126075635/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1874/02/09/79216521.pdf |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |url-status=live |title=The New Queens County Court-House |newspaper=New York Times |date=February 9, 1874 |access-date=November 11, 2012}}

{{cite news |title=Nassau's Difficult Birth; Eastern factions of Queens win the fight to separate after six decades of wrangling |author=Geoffrey Mohan |newspaper=Newsday |url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs615a,0,7026626.story?page=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016012933/http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs615a%2C0%2C7026626.story?page=4 |year=2007 |quote=North Hempstead, Oyster Bay and the rest of Hempstead were excluded from the vote. |access-date=November 11, 2012 |archive-date=October 16, 2008 |url-status=dead }}

As early as 1875, representatives of the three eastern towns began advocating the separation of the three eastern towns from Queens, with some proposals also including the towns of Huntington and Babylon (in Suffolk County).

In 1898, the western portion of Queens County became a borough of the City of Greater New York, leaving the eastern portion a part of Queens County but not part of the Borough of Queens. As part of the city consolidation plan, all town, village, and city (other than NYC) governments within the borough were dissolved, as well as the county government with its seat in Jamaica. The areas excluded from the consolidation included all of the Town of North Hempstead, all of the Town of Oyster Bay, and most of the Town of Hempstead (excluding the Rockaway Peninsula, which was separated from the Town of Hempstead and became part of the city borough).

In 1899, following approval from the New York State Legislature, the three towns were separated from Queens County, and the new county of Nassau was constituted.

In preparation for the new county, in November 1898, voters had selected Mineola to become the county seat for the new county{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/11/10/archives/mineola-chosen-nassau-countys-seat.html |title=Mineola Chosen Nassau County's Seat |newspaper=New York Times |date=November 10, 1898 |access-date=June 6, 2010 |archive-date=July 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726170215/https://www.nytimes.com/1898/11/10/archives/mineola-chosen-nassau-countys-seat.html |url-status=live }} (before Mineola incorporated as a village in 1906 and set its boundaries almost entirely within the Town of North Hempstead), winning out over Hicksville and Hempstead.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/09/01/archives/county-of-nassau-elections.html?sq=mineola+%22county+seat%22&scp=3&st=p |title=County of Nassau Elections |newspaper=New York Times |date=September 1, 1898 |access-date=June 6, 2010 |archive-date=July 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726172206/https://www.nytimes.com/1898/09/01/archives/county-of-nassau-elections.html?sq=mineola+%22county+seat%22&scp=3&st=p |url-status=live }}

The Garden City Company (founded in 1893 by the heirs of Alexander Turney Stewart)

{{cite web |url=http://www.gardencityny.net/history1.htm |title=Incorporated Village of Garden City: History |publisher=Incorporated Village of Garden City |access-date=June 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719200958/http://www.gardencityny.net/history1.htm |archive-date=July 19, 2011 }}

donated four acres of land for the county buildings in the Town of Hempstead, just south of the Mineola train station and the present day village of Mineola.*{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/09/29/archives/sites-for-nassau-county-buildings.html?sq=nassau+%22county+seat%22+garden+city&scp=1&st=p |title=Sites for Nassau County Buildings |newspaper=New York Times |date=September 29, 1898 |access-date=June 6, 2010 |archive-date=July 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726174048/https://www.nytimes.com/1898/09/29/archives/sites-for-nassau-county-buildings.html?sq=nassau+%22county+seat%22+garden+city&scp=1&st=p |url-status=live }}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nynassa2/populationsurvey2.htm |title=The History of Nassau's County Seat |publisher=rootsweb |access-date=June 6, 2010 |archive-date=December 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224235342/http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nynassa2/populationsurvey2.htm |url-status=live }} The land and the buildings have a Mineola postal address, but are within the present day Village of Garden City,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/15/nyregion/an-immigrant-s-vision-created-garden-city.html?pagewanted=all |title=An Immigrant's Vision Created Garden City |first=Marcelle S |last=Fischler |date=November 15, 1998 |access-date=June 6, 2010 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524234826/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/15/nyregion/an-immigrant-s-vision-created-garden-city.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live }} which did not incorporate, nor set its boundaries, until 1919.

File:Int495eRoad-Exit41S-NY106sNY107s (31061511095).jpg at Hicksville, New York, home to a growing Little India]]

In 1917,{{cite web |url=http://www.nassaulibrary.org/glencove/History%20of%20Glen%20Cove.html |title=HISTORY OF GLEN COVE |author1=Antonia Petrash |author2=Carol Stern |author3=Carol McCrossen |name-list-style=amp |access-date=May 11, 2009 |archive-date=October 25, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025183106/http://www.nassaulibrary.org/glencove/History%20of%20Glen%20Cove.html |url-status=live }} the hamlet of Glen Cove was granted a city charter, making it independent from the Town of Oyster Bay. In 1918, the village of Long Beach was incorporated in the Town of Hempstead. In 1922, it became a city, making it independent of the town. These are the only two administrative divisions in Nassau County identified as cities.

From the early 1900s until the Depression and the early 1930s, many hilly farmlands on the North Shore were transformed into luxurious country estates for wealthy New Yorkers, with the area receiving the "Gold Coast" moniker and becoming the setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby. One summer resident of the Gold Coast was President Theodore Roosevelt, at Sagamore Hill. In 1908, William Kissam Vanderbilt constructed the Long Island Motor Parkway as a toll road through Nassau County. With overpasses and bridges to remove intersections, it was among the first limited access motor highways in the world, and was also used as a racecourse to test the capabilities of the fledgling automobile industry.

Nassau County, with its extensive flat land, was the site of many aviation firsts. Military aviators for both World Wars were trained on the Hempstead Plains at installations such as Mitchel Air Force Base, and a number of successful aircraft companies were established. Charles Lindberg took off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in 1927, completing the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight from the United States. Grumman (which in 1986 employed 23,000 people on Long Island{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E7D91F3AF93BA35750C0A962958260 |title=Long Islanders Shocked by Grumman's Merger |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 8, 1994 |access-date=November 17, 2012 |archive-date=September 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930134403/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/08/business/long-islanders-shocked-by-grumman-s-merger.html |url-status=live }}) built many planes for World War II, and later contributed the Apollo Lunar Module to the Space program.{{cite web |url=http://www.cradleofaviation.org/history/index.html |title=The Aviation History of Long Island |first=Joshua |last=Stoff |publisher=Cradle of Aviation Museum |access-date=November 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127012810/http://www.cradleofaviation.org/history/index.html |archive-date=November 27, 2012 }}

The United Nations Security Council was temporarily located in Nassau County, from 1946 till 1951. Council meetings were held at the Sperry Gyroscope headquarters in the village of Lake Success, near the border with Queens County. It was here that on June 27, 1950, the Security Council voted to back U.S. President Harry S Truman and send a coalition of forces to the Korean Peninsula, leading to the Korean War.

Until World War II, most of Nassau County was still farmland, particularly in the eastern portion. Following the war, the county saw an influx of people from the five boroughs of New York City, especially from Brooklyn and Queens, who left their urban dwellings for a more suburban setting. This led to a massive population boom in the county. In 1947, William Levitt built his first planned community in Nassau County, in the Island Trees section (later renamed Levittown; this should not be confused with the county's first planned community, which in general is Garden City). In the 1930s, Robert Moses had engineered curving parkways and parks such as Jones Beach State Park and Bethpage State Park for the enjoyment of city-dwellers; in the 1950s and 1960s the focus turned to alleviating commuter traffic.

In 1994, Federal Judge Arthur Spatt declared the Nassau County Board of Supervisors unconstitutional and directed that a 19-member legislature be formed.McQuiston, John T. [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/09/nyregion/judge-says-he-will-create-nassau-legislature-his-own-if-supervisors-fail-act.html "Judge Says He Will Create a Nassau Legislature on His Own if Supervisors Fail to Act"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726175515/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/09/nyregion/judge-says-he-will-create-nassau-legislature-his-own-if-supervisors-fail-act.html |date=July 26, 2018 }}, The New York Times, June 9, 1994. Retrieved December 11, 2007. Republicans won 13 seats in the election and chose Bruce Blakeman as the first Presiding Officer (Speaker).McQuiston, John T. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B03EEDF1239F930A35752C0A960958260 "Amid Pomp, Nassau County Inaugurates Its Legislature"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930134403/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/03/nyregion/amid-pomp-nassau-county-inaugurates-its-legislature.html |date=September 30, 2023 }}, The New York Times, January 13, 1996.

According to a Forbes magazine 2012 survey, residents of Nassau County have the 12th highest median household annual income in the country and the highest in the state. In the 1990s, however, Nassau County experienced substantial budget problems, forcing the county to near bankruptcy. Thus, the county government increased taxes to prevent a takeover by the state of New York, leading to the county having high property taxes. Nevertheless, on January 27, 2011, a State of New York oversight board seized control of Nassau County's finances, saying the wealthy and heavily taxed county had failed to balance its $2.6 billion budgets.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/nyregion/27nassau.html?hp |title=New York State Takes Control of Nassau's Finances |work=The New York Times |date=January 27, 2011 |access-date=January 27, 2011 |archive-date=October 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014205707/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/nyregion/27nassau.html?hp |url-status=live }}

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|453.2|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|284.7|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|168.5|sqmi}} (37%) is water.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_36.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 6, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519062322/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_36.txt|archive-date=May 19, 2014}}

Nassau County borders the Long Island Sound on the north and the open Atlantic Ocean on the south. The county occupies a portion of Long Island immediately east of the New York City borough of Queens. It is divided into two cities and three towns, the latter of which contain 64 villages and numerous hamlets. The county borders Connecticut across the Long Island Sound.

Between the 1990 U.S. census and the 2000 U.S. census, the Nassau County exchanged territory with Suffolk County and lost territory to Queens County.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-3-34.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040719104249/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-3-34.pdf |archive-date=July 19, 2004 |url-status=live |title=New York: 2000 Population and Housing Unit Counts |date=September 2003 |access-date=March 12, 2012 |page=III-9}}

Dozens of CDPs had boundaries changed, and 12 new CDPs were listed.

Nassau County NY night aerial from the west.jpg|Nighttime aerial view of much of the density of Nassau County, from the west-northwest; Hempstead is in the center, with roads projecting out in various directions; bridges to Jones Beach Island are at the upper right. The Grand Central Parkway–Cross Island Parkway interchange, barely visible at the lower left, is just outside the county, within Queens.

Hempstead, Manhasset, and Little Neck bays.jpg|Greenery of the North Shore of Nassau County, looking west. The Cow Neck Peninsula is visible as the first peninsula at the center, with Manhasset Bay immediately above it and Hempstead Harbor immediately below it.

{{Wide image|Baldwin Bay pano 01.jpg|1000px|3=

Nassau County has a climate similar to other coastal areas of the Northeastern United States; it has warm, humid summers and cool, wet winters. The county's climate is classified as humid subtropical (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification. According to the Trewartha climate classification the climate is oceanic (Do) since six to seven months average above 50″F (10″C). The Atlantic Ocean helps bring afternoon sea breezes that temper the heat in the warmer months and limit the frequency and severity of thunderstorms. Nassau County has a moderately sunny climate, averaging between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually.{{cite web|url=http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-annual-sunshine-map.htm|title=united states annual sunshine map|publisher=HowStuffWorks, Inc|access-date=December 18, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429042722/http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-annual-sunshine-map.htm|archive-date=April 29, 2011}} The hardiness zone is 7b.{{Cite web |title=NY300_HS |url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/system/files/NY300_HS.png |website=planthardiness.ars.usda.gov}}

Nassau County borders the following counties:[http://global.mapit.mysociety.org/area/969080/touches.html Areas touching Nassau County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320152339/http://global.mapit.mysociety.org/area/969080/touches.html |date=March 20, 2017 }}, MapIt. Accessed March 19, 2017.

• Fairfield County, Connecticut – north (maritime boundary)
• Queens County – west
• Suffolk County – east
• Westchester County – northwest (maritime boundary)
• Bronx County— northwest (maritime boundary)

In July 2017, the approval was granted by state legislators to the plan proposed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to add a third railroad track to the Long Island Rail Road corridor between the communities of Floral Park and Hicksville in Nassau County. The nearly US$2 billion transportation infrastructure enhancement project was expected to accommodate anticipated growth in rail ridership and facilitate commutes between New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island.{{cite web|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/07/12/lirr-third-track-approved/|title=New York Senate Republicans OK $1.9B In Funding For 3rd LIRR Track|author=Sophia Hall|publisher=CBS New York|date=July 12, 2017|access-date=July 15, 2017|archive-date=July 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712174243/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/07/12/lirr-third-track-approved/|url-status=live}}

The Long Island Expressway, Northern State Parkway, and Southern State Parkway are the primary east–west controlled-access highways in Nassau County. Northern Boulevard (New York State Route 25A), Hillside Avenue (New York State Route 25B), Jericho Turnpike (New York State Route 25), New York State Route 24, and Sunrise Highway (New York State Route 27) are also major east–west commercial thoroughfares across the county. The Meadowbrook State Parkway, Wantagh State Parkway, and Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (New York State Route 135) are the major north–south controlled-access highways traversing Nassau County.

Nassau County also has a public bus network known as NICE (Nassau Inter-County Express, formerly MTA Long Island Bus) that operates routes throughout the county into Queens and Suffolk counties. 24 hour service is provided on the n4, n6, and most recently the n40/41 lines.

• Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge
• Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
• Lido Beach Wildlife Management Area, a part of the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex{{Cite web|url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Lido_Beach/about.html|title=About the Refuge|website=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service|access-date=April 4, 2020|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804124716/https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Lido_Beach/about.html|url-status=live}}

{{US Census population

|1900= 55448

|1910= 83930

|1920= 126120

|1930= 303053

|1940= 406748

|1950= 672765

|1960= 1300171

|1970= 1428080

|1980= 1321582

|1990= 1287348

|2000= 1334544

|2010= 1339532

|2020= 1395774

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 6, 2015|archive-date=October 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003185009/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|url-status=live}}
1790–1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 6, 2015|archive-date=August 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|url-status=live}} 1900–1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ny190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 6, 2015|archive-date=February 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219161259/http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ny190090.txt|url-status=live}}
1990–2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 6, 2015}} 2010–2020

}}

At the 2019 American Community Survey, the population of Nassau County stood at 1,356,924, an increase of 17,392 since the 2010 census.{{Cite web|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Nassau%20County,%20New%20York%20population&g=0500000US36059&tid=PEPPOP2019.PEPANNRES&hidePreview=false|access-date=March 18, 2021|website=data.census.gov|archive-date=December 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205234412/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Nassau%20County,%20New%20York%20population&g=0500000US36059&tid=PEPPOP2019.PEPANNRES&hidePreview=false|url-status=live}} At the 2010 U.S. census, there were 1,339,532 people, 448,528 households, and 340,523 families residing in the county. The population of Nassau County was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to have increased by 2.2% to 1,369,514 in 2017, representing 6.9% of the census-estimated State of New York population of 19,849,399[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/kingscountybrooklynboroughnewyork,queenscountyqueensboroughnewyork,nassaucountynewyork,suffolkcountynewyork,NY/PST045217 Kings County (Brooklyn Borough), New York; Queens County (Queens Borough), New York; Nassau County, New York; Suffolk County, New York; New York QuickFacts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614194804/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/kingscountybrooklynboroughnewyork,queenscountyqueensboroughnewyork,nassaucountynewyork,suffolkcountynewyork,NY/PST045217 |date=June 14, 2018 }} Accessed March 30, 2018. and 17.4% of the census-estimated Long Island population of 7,869,820.{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36047.html|title=Kings County, New York QuickFacts|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=March 24, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217175357/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36047.html|archive-date=February 17, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36081.html|title=Queens County, New York QuickFacts|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=March 24, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808084246/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36081.html|archive-date=August 8, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36059.html|title=Nassau County, New York QuickFacts|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=March 24, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607014652/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36059.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36103.html|title=Suffolk County, New York QuickFacts|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=March 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110729124046/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36103.html|archive-date=July 29, 2011|url-status=dead}} At the 2000 United States census, there were 1,334,544 people, 447,387 households, and 347,172 families residing in the county.

In 2010, there were 340,523 family households. 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 60.0% were married couples living together. 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present. 24.1% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals. 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94. The average family size was 3.38.

In 2010, the population was 23.3% under the age of 18. 18.7% were 62 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. In 2019, there were 474,165 housing units and 446,977 family households.{{Cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Nassau County, New York|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/nassaucountynewyork/PST040219|access-date=March 18, 2021|website=www.census.gov|language=en|archive-date=September 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930134413/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/nassaucountynewyork/PST040219|url-status=live}} From 2015 to 2019, there was an average of 2.99 persons per household, and 21.4% of the population was under 18 years of age.

At the 2019 American Community Survey, Nassau had a median household income of $116,100. The per capita income was $51,422. About 5.6% of the population lived at or below the poverty line. The median income for a household in the county in 2010 was $72,030. and the median income for a family was $81,246. These figures had risen to $87,658 and $101,661 respectively according to a 2007 estimate.{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml?src=bkmk|date=2018|location=Nassau County, New York|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211181120/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US34035&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US34%7C05000US34035&_street=&_county=nassau&_cityTown=nassau&_state=04000US36&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null:null&_keyword=&_industry=|title=Community Facts|website=FactFinder.census.gov|archive-date=February 11, 2020}} Males had a median income of $52,340 versus $37,446 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,151. About 3.50% of families and 5.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.80% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.

The population density in 2010 was {{convert|4,700|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people}}. In 2000, the population density was {{convert|4,655|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. In the 2010 census, there were 468,346 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,598|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.

File:H mart Jericho during day (cropped).jpg in Jericho – one of the busiest H Mart stores on Long Island and one of the busiest Asian-grocery stores outside Asia]]

In 2010, the racial makeup of the county was 73.0% White (65.5% non-Hispanic white), 10.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 7.6% Asian (3.0% Indian, 1.8% Chinese, 1.0% Korean, 0.7% Filipino, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Vietnamese, 0.9% Other Asian), 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.6% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 15.6% of the population.{{cite web | url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US36059 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212102330/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US36059 | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 12, 2020 | title=2010 Census Profile for Nassau County}} In 2019, Nassau County's racial and ethnic makeup was 58.2% non-Hispanic white, 11.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 10.3% Asian, 0.7% some other race, and 1.9% two or more races. The Hispanic and Latin American population increased to 17.5% of the population.{{Cite web|title=Demographic and Housing Estimates, 2019|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Nassau%20County,%20New%20York%20population&g=0500000US36059&tid=ACSDP1Y2019.DP05&hidePreview=false|access-date=March 18, 2021|website=data.census.gov|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206004936/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Nassau%20County,%20New%20York%20population&g=0500000US36059&tid=ACSDP1Y2019.DP05&hidePreview=false|url-status=live}}

In 2011, there were about 230,000 Jewish people in Nassau County,{{cite web | url=http://www.jspace.com/news/articles/ny-jewish-population-on-the-rise-for-first-time-in-decades/9470 | title=NY Jewish Population on the Rise for First Time in Decades | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606181822/http://www.jspace.com/news/articles/ny-jewish-population-on-the-rise-for-first-time-in-decades/9470 | archive-date=June 6, 2013 | df=mdy-all }} representing 17.2% of the population, (as compared to 2% of the total U.S. population). Italian Americans also made up a large portion of Nassau's population. The five most reported ancestries were Italian (23%), Irish (14%), German (7%), Indian (5%), and Polish (4%). The county's population was highest at the 1970 U.S. census. More recently, a Little India community has emerged in Hicksville, Nassau County,{{cite news|url=http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/hicksville-li-s-little-india-1.606341|title=Hicksville: LI's LITTLE INDIA|author=Alan Krawitz|newspaper=Newsday|access-date=April 17, 2013|archive-date=July 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730034837/http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/hicksville-li-s-little-india-1.606341|url-status=live}} spreading eastward from the more established Little India enclaves in Queens. Rapidly growing Chinatowns have developed in Brooklyn and Queens,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hengshao/2014/04/10/chinese-real-estate-buyers-fan-out-to-long-islands-north-shore/|title=Join The Great Gatsby: Chinese Real Estate Buyers Fan Out To Long Island's North Shore|author=Heng Shao|magazine=Forbes|date=April 10, 2014|access-date=August 2, 2014|archive-date=August 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808052633/http://www.forbes.com/sites/hengshao/2014/04/10/chinese-real-estate-buyers-fan-out-to-long-islands-north-shore/|url-status=live}}{{cite journal |url=http://geographyplanning.buffalostate.edu/MSG%202002/13_McGlinn.pdf |title=BEYOND CHINATOWN: DUAL IMMIGRATION AND THE CHINESE POPULATION OF METROPOLITAN NEW YORK CITY, 2000 |author=Lawrence A. McGlinn, Department of Geography SUNY-New Paltz |publisher=Middle States Geographer |journal=Journal of the Middle States Division of the Association of American Geographers |year=2002 |volume=35 |pages=110–119 |access-date=April 7, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029075400/http://geographyplanning.buffalostate.edu/MSG%202002/13_McGlinn.pdf |archive-date=October 29, 2012 }} as did earlier European immigrants, such as the Irish and Italians.

File:Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore May 10, 2021.jpg in Plandome – one of many Jewish synagogues in Nassau County]]

As of 2019, the Asian population in Nassau County had grown by 39% since 2010, to an estimated 145,191 individuals. There were approximately 50,000 Indian Americans and 40,000 Chinese Americans. Nassau County has become the leading suburban destination in the U.S. for Chinese immigrants.{{Cite web|title=LI growing more racially and ethnically diverse, census data show|url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/population-growth-declines-census-1.46080630|access-date=March 18, 2021|website=Newsday|date=June 25, 2020|language=en|archive-date=April 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210404000107/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/population-growth-declines-census-1.46080630|url-status=live}} Likewise, the Long Island Koreatown originated in Flushing, Queens, and is expanding eastward along Northern Boulevard{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&q=fort+lee+koreatown+pyong+min&pg=PA237|title=Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min|publisher=Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc|year=2006|access-date=April 7, 2016|isbn=9781412905565|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331160120/https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&q=fort+lee+koreatown+pyong+min&pg=PA237|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/09/nyregion/new-york-citys-newest-immigrant-enclaves.html?pagewanted=all|title=City's Newest Immigrant Enclaves, From Little Guyana to Meokjagolmok|author=Kirk Semple|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 8, 2013|access-date=April 7, 2016|archive-date=September 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904050141/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/09/nyregion/new-york-citys-newest-immigrant-enclaves.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://queens.about.com/od/neighborhoods/p/flushing.htm|title=Flushing: Queens Neighborhood Profile|author=John Roleke|publisher=About.com|access-date=April 7, 2016|archive-date=April 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430161747/http://queens.about.com/od/neighborhoods/p/flushing.htm|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/628585|title=Koreatown Manhattan, or Koreatown Flushing?|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc|date=June 2009|access-date=April 7, 2016|archive-date=October 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017215441/http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/628585|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-murray-hill-queens-name-s-same-pace-slower.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|title=If You're Thinking of Living In/Murray Hill, Queens; The Name's the Same, the Pace is Slower|author=Joyce Cohen|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 23, 2003|access-date=April 7, 2016|archive-date=May 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516101720/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-murray-hill-queens-name-s-same-pace-slower.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|url-status=live}} and into Nassau County.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-27/one-percenters-drop-six-figures-at-long-island-mall.html|title=One Percenters Drop Six Figures at Long Island Mall|author=Carol Hymowitz|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|publisher=Bloomberg L.P|date=October 27, 2014|access-date=April 7, 2016|archive-date=October 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029024434/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-27/one-percenters-drop-six-figures-at-long-island-mall.html|url-status=live}} The New York Times cited a 2002 study by the non-profit group ERASE Racism, which determined that Nassau, and its neighboring county, Suffolk, as the most de facto racially segregated suburbs in the United States.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/05/nyregion/study-calls-li-most-segregated-suburb.html?pagewanted=1 | work=The New York Times | title=Study Calls L.I. Most Segregated Suburb | first=Bruce | last=Lambert | date=June 5, 2002 | access-date=May 11, 2010 | archive-date=May 16, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516111243/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/05/nyregion/study-calls-li-most-segregated-suburb.html?pagewanted=1 | url-status=live }}

{{Main|Nassau County Police Department}}

County police services are provided by the Nassau County Police Department. The cities of Glen Cove and Long Beach, as well as a number of villages, are not members of the county police district and maintain their own police forces. The following village police departments exist in Nassau County: Brookville (Brookville P.D. provides police protection for Brookville, Matinecock, Mill Neck and Cove Neck), Centre Island, Floral Park, Freeport, Garden City, Great Neck Estates, Hempstead, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Lynbrook, Malverne, Muttontown-Upper Brookville, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Oyster Bay Cove, Rockville Centre and Sands Point.

The Port Washington Police District is not a village department but is authorized by a special district, the only such district in the State of New York. These smaller forces make use of such specialized county police services as the police academy and the aviation unit. All homicides in the county are investigated by the county police, regardless of whether or not they occur within the police district.

In June 2011, the Muttontown Police Department commenced operations. The Old Brookville Police had formerly provided police services to the Village of Muttontown.

On June 1, 2022, the Old Brookville Police Department reverted to serving only the Village of Old Brookville and moved its headquarters to the grounds of the Old Brookville village hall. The Village of Brookville formed a new police department, established headquarters on the grounds of the Brookville Nature Park and assumed policing duties for the villages of Brookville, Matinecock, Mill Neck and Cove Neck, that were formerly served by the Old Brookville Police Department. The Village of Upper Brookville joined the Muttontown Police Department which was subsequently renamed the Muttontown-Upper Brookville (MUB) Police Department. The former Old Brookville Police headquarters is now the Upper Brookville village hall and also a substation for the Muttontown-Upper Brookville Police Department.

In 2006, village leaders in the county seat of Mineola expressed dissatisfaction with the level of police coverage provided by the county force and actively explored seceding from the police district and having the village form its own police force. A referendum in December 2006 decisively defeated the proposal.[http://www.antonnews.com/mineolaamerican/2006/12/15/news/referendum.html Residents Make Statement Against Village Police Department] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930013038/http://www.antonnews.com/mineolaamerican/2006/12/15/news/referendum.html |date=September 30, 2007 }}, Mineola American, December 15, 2006

Since the Long Island State Parkway Police was disbanded in 1980, all of Nassau County's state parkways have been patrolled by Troop L of the New York State Police. State parks in Nassau are patrolled by the New York State Park Police. In 1996, the Long Island Rail Road Police Department was consolidated into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police. The MTA Police patrol Long Island Rail Road tracks, stations and properties. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police provides enforcement of state environmental laws and regulations. The State University of New York Police provides enforcement for SUNY Old Westbury.

The Nassau County Police Department posts the mug shots of DWI offenders as press releases on their website. This practice has come under the scrutiny of residents, media, and those pictured in these press releases. This practice has been criticized as being able to cost potential employees, students, or public figures their positions.[http://dspace.sunyconnect.suny.edu/handle/1951/48384 Nassau County Should be Ashamed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930134500/https://dspace.sunyconnect.suny.edu/handle/1951/48384 |date=September 30, 2023 }}, The Statesman, October 20, 2008

County correctional services and enforcement of court orders are provided by the Nassau County Sheriff's Department. New York State Court Officers provide security for courthouses.

File:NCAP RMP.jpg

The Nassau County Auxiliary Police are a unit of the Nassau County Police Department. These volunteer police officers are assigned to 1 of 38 local community units and perform routine patrols of the neighborhood. They provide traffic control for local parades, races and other community events. Auxiliary Police officers are empowered to make arrests for crimes that occur in their presence.

Nassau County Auxiliary Police are required to complete a 42-week training course at the Nassau County Police Academy. Qualified officers are offered Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training. Auxiliary Police officers are certified and registered by the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services as full-time "peace officers". The City of Long Beach has an independent auxiliary police force which is part of its municipal police force. These officers are represented by the Auxiliary Police Benevolent Association of Long Island.

Nassau County is currently protected and served by 71 independent volunteer or combination paid/volunteer fire departments, organized into 9 battalions. The Nassau County Fire Commission also provides logistical support to all 71 departments.{{Cite web|title=Fire Commission {{!}} Nassau County, NY - Official Website|url=https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/401/Fire-Commission|access-date=April 25, 2021|website=www.nassaucountyny.gov|archive-date=February 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221024222/https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/401/Fire-Commission|url-status=live}}

File:Roslyn Highlands H&L jeh.jpg in 2012.]]

File:Hicksville Fire Department, New York.jpg Fire Department]]

{{Update|section|date=August 2024|reason=August 2024 mask ban}}

File:TR Exec & Leg Bldg 1550 Franklin Av straight hen.jpg]]

File:NC courthouse 262 OCR south face jeh.jpg]]

The head of the county's governmental structure is the county executive, a post created in Nassau County in 1938. The current county executive is Bruce Blakeman, a Republican who was elected in 2021. The chief deputy county executive is Republican Arthur Walsh. The district attorney is Republican Anne T. Donnelly, who was elected in 2021, replacing Acting District Attorney Joyce Smith. Smith succeeded Madeline Singas after she was nominated and confirmed as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals in June 2021.

The county comptroller is Elaine Phillips, a Republican who formerly served in the New York State Senate. The county clerk is Republican Maureen O'Connell. Former elected offices chairman of the County Board of Assessors, county treasurer, and county sheriff were made appointed and serve at the pleasure of the county executive (county assessor in 2008 via referendum, changing it from a six-year term to appointed).{{Cite web|url=http://thecommunityalliance.blogspot.com/2008/10/who-will-assess-next-assessor.html|title=Who Will Assess The Next Assessor?|first=The Community|last=Alliance|date=October 29, 2008|access-date=April 6, 2016|archive-date=October 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003152824/http://thecommunityalliance.blogspot.com/2008/10/who-will-assess-next-assessor.html|url-status=live}}

The current Nassau County executive is Bruce Blakeman, a Republican.

The chief deputy county executive{{Cite web|url=https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/2332/Deputy-County-Executives|title=Deputy County Executives {{!}} Nassau County, NY - Official Website|website=www.nassaucountyny.gov|language=en|access-date=January 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202070228/https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/2332/Deputy-County-Executives|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=dead}} is the highest appointed official in the Nassau County government, serving second-in-command under the auspice of the county executive. The Chief Deputy is responsible for managing the activities of all departments of the Nassau County government, which provides services to its 1.36 million residents. The chief deputy also officially serves as the acting county executive in the absence of, or disability of the County Executive. The current chief deputy county executive is Arthur T. Walsh, who was appointed by Executive Bruce Blakeman in 2022.

The comptroller of Nassau County is the chief fiscal officer and chief auditing officer of the County who presides over the Nassau County Comptroller's Office. The comptroller is elected countywide to a four-year term and has no term limit.

* George Maragos was originally elected as a Republican, but became a Democrat in September 2016.

{{Main|Nassau County Legislature}}

The county legislature has 19 members. There are twelve Republicans and seven Democrats.

{{Main|Politics of Long Island}}

{{PresHead|place=Nassau County, New York|source={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=October 23, 2018|archive-date=September 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190919054213/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|url-status=live}}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Republican|368,117|338,424|9,124|New York}}

{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|326,716|396,504|9,536|New York}}

{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|292,025|332,154|22,943|New York}}

{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|259,308|302,695|6,148|New York}}

{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|288,776|342,185|4,657|New York}}

{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|288,355|323,070|6,918|New York}}

{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|227,060|342,226|21,153|New York}}

{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|196,820|303,587|44,257|New York}}

{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|246,881|282,593|79,852|New York}}

{{PresRow|1988|Republican|337,430|250,130|4,858|New York}}

{{PresRow|1984|Republican|392,017|240,697|1,349|New York}}

{{PresRow|1980|Republican|333,567|207,602|54,851|New York}}

{{PresRow|1976|Republican|329,176|302,869|3,711|New York}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|438,723|252,831|1,473|New York}}

{{PresRow|1968|Republican|329,792|278,599|34,804|New York}}

{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|248,886|382,590|639|New York}}

{{PresRow|1960|Republican|324,255|263,303|761|New York}}

{{PresRow|1956|Republican|372,358|166,646|0|New York}}

{{PresRow|1952|Republican|305,900|130,267|1,669|New York}}

{{PresRow|1948|Republican|184,284|70,492|10,462|New York}}

{{PresRow|1944|Republican|159,713|78,512|576|New York}}

{{PresRow|1940|Republican|143,672|73,171|450|New York}}

{{PresRow|1936|Republican|94,968|74,232|3,579|New York}}

{{PresRow|1932|Republican|78,544|61,752|3,804|New York}}

{{PresRow|1928|Republican|71,015|40,079|2,046|New York}}

{{PresRow|1924|Republican|45,825|14,322|4,884|New York}}

{{PresRow|1920|Republican|33,099|8,595|1,637|New York}}

{{PresRow|1916|Republican|13,910|8,430|215|New York}}

{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|4,608|7,073|6,865|New York}}

{{PresRow|1908|Republican|9,787|4,883|855|New York}}

{{PresRow|1904|Republican|8,222|5,282|195|New York}}

{{PresRow|1900|Republican|6,994|4,325|141|New York}}

|}

For most of the twentieth century, residents of Nassau County and neighboring Suffolk County primarily supported the Republican Party in national elections. In presidential elections during the first half of the century, the Republican candidate often received more than twice as many votes as the Democratic candidate. Between the county's incorporation in 1899 and the 1980s, Democrats only won Nassau County in the elections of 1912 (where Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party split the Republican vote) and 1964 (where Lyndon B. Johnson won in a landslide).

The county began trending Democratic in the 1990s, like many of New York City's suburbs. Until 2024, it had voted for a Democrat in every presidential election since 1992. Bill Clinton carried the county in 1992 and 1996, as did Al Gore in 2000, the latter two times by margins of nearly 20 points. John Kerry's margin in Nassau County was considerably slimmer (5.6%) in 2004, as he won the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead but lost the town of Oyster Bay. The county went solidly for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, both times by around 8%. Hillary Clinton did marginally worse in 2016, winning by 6.2%. Joe Biden in 2020 fared better than Obama at 9.5%, but still not as well as Bill Clinton and Gore. Although the county leaned Democratic for the last 30 years on the national level, Democrats failed to win the county in the 2024 presidential election. Donald Trump earned 4.15% more of the county's votes, the first time Nassau was won by a Republican presidential candidate since 1988.{{Cite web |last=LaRocco |first=Paul |date=2024-11-12 |title=Map: How Long Island voted for president in Harris-Trump race |url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/elections/trump-harris-election-results-uuvmm1tu |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=Newsday |language=en}}

Democratic strength is chiefly concentrated in both the wealthier and lower income sections of the county. Liberal voters dominate many of the wealthy communities of the North Shore, particularly in the Town of North Hempstead where affluent villages such as Sands Point, Old Westbury, Roslyn, Kensington, Thomaston, Great Neck Plaza, and Great Neck Estates as well as the neighboring City of Glen Cove vote consistently Democratic. Democratic strongholds also include several low income municipalities in the central portion of the county, such as the Village of Hempstead, Roosevelt, Uniondale and New Cassel, as well as in a few waterfront communities on the South Shore, such as the City of Long Beach and the Village of Freeport.

Republican voters are primarily concentrated in the middle to upper middle class southeastern portion of the county, which developed during the "post-war boom era". Heavily Republican communities such as Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Seaford, Wantagh, Levittown, Bethpage, and Farmingdale are the political base of many county GOP officials such as former Congressman Peter T. King and former County Executive Edward P. Mangano. In the western portion of the county, wealthy Garden City is solidly Republican, as is the middle-class community of Floral Park. Additionally, some of the more rustic areas of the North Shore, particularly in the Town of Oyster Bay usually vote for the GOP.

Areas of the county containing large numbers of swing voters include East Meadow, Oceanside, and Rockville Centre on the South Shore and Mineola on the North Shore. Several areas have changed in partisan affiliation. Formerly Democratic strongholds such as the Five Towns and parts of Great Neck have trended to the GOP while previously Republican areas such as Elmont, Valley Stream and Baldwin have become Democratic bastions.

Education features strongly in Nassau County's culture. Nassau County has 58 public school districts,{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36059_nassau/DC20SD_C36059.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721193819/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36059_nassau/DC20SD_C36059.pdf|archive-date=July 21, 2022|url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Nassau County, NY|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=January 12, 2021|access-date=July 21, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36059_nassau/DC20SD_C36059_SD2MS.txt Text list] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721193916/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36059_nassau/DC20SD_C36059_SD2MS.txt |date=July 21, 2022 }} which like post office districts use the same names as a city, hamlet, or village within them, but each sets the boundaries independently.{{cite web | url=http://www.newyorkschools.com/counties/nassau.html | title=Public School Districts in Nassau County, NY | access-date=November 11, 2012 | archive-date=October 29, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029114424/http://www.newyorkschools.com/counties/nassau.html | url-status=live }} School district and community are not the same, and residences often have postal addresses that differ from the hamlet and/or school district in which they are located. Several of Nassau County's school districts are among the highest ranked public school systems in the country,{{Cite web |title=Best School Districts |url= https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-school-districts/ }} including the Jericho Union Free School District, Great Neck Public Schools, and the Syosset Central School District.

School districts include:

K-12:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Amityville Union Free School District
• Baldwin Union Free School District
• Bethpage Union Free School District
• Carle Place Union Free School District
• Cold Spring Harbor Central School District
• East Meadow Union Free School District
• East Rockaway Union Free School District
• East Williston Union Free School District
• Farmingdale Union Free School District
• Freeport Union Free School District
• Garden City Union Free School District
• Glen Cove City School District
• Great Neck Union Free School District
• Hempstead Union Free School District
• Herricks Union Free School District
• Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School District
• Hicksville Union Free School District
• Island Park Union Free School District
• Island Trees Union Free School District
• Jericho Union Free School District
• Lawrence Union Free School District
• Levittown Union Free School District
• Locust Valley Central School District
• Long Beach City School District
• Lynbrook Union Free School District
• Malverne Union Free School District
• Manhasset Union Free School District
• Massapequa Union Free School District
• Mineola Union Free School District
• North Shore Central School District
• Oceanside Union Free School District
• Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District
• Plainedge Union Free School District
• Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District
• Port Washington Union Free School District
• Rockville Centre Union Free School District
• Roosevelt Union Free School District
• Roslyn Union Free School District
• Seaford Union Free School District
• Syosset Central School District
• Uniondale Union Free School District
• Wantagh Union Free School District
• West Hempstead Union Free School District
• Westbury Union Free School District

{{div col end}}

Secondary:

• Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District
• Sewanhaka Central High School District
• Valley Stream Central High School District

Elementary:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Bellmore Union Free School District
• Elmont Union Free School District
• Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District
• Franklin Square Union Free School District
• Merrick Union Free School District
• New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Union Free School District
• North Bellmore Union Free School District
• North Merrick Union Free School District
• Valley Stream Union Free School District 13
• Valley Stream Union Free School District 24
• Valley Stream Union Free School District 30

{{div col end}}

File:US Merchant Marine Academy aerial.jpg

• United States Service Academy
• United States Merchant Marine Academy – Kings Point
• State University of New York
• Nassau Community College – Garden City
• SUNY Old Westbury – Old Westbury
• Private

File:NYIT Old Westbury Academic Quad.JPG's Old Westbury campus]]

• Adelphi University – Garden City
• Five Towns College – Dix Hills
• Hofstra University – Hempstead
• Zucker School of Medicine
• Maurice A. Deane School of Law
• LIU Post – Brookville
• Molloy University – Rockville Centre
• New York Institute of Technology – Old Westbury
• New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Webb Institute – Glen Cove

File:Bethpage Golf Course.jpg]]

File:Belmont8 1999-05.jpg]]

Nassau County is home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, who played at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale from their inception in 1972. However, the Islanders announced in 2012 that starting in the fall of 2015, the team would be moving to Brooklyn and would play at the Barclays Center. Due to issues with Barclays Center being unable to adequately support ice hockey and declining attendance, the Islanders announced that for the 2018–19 season they would split their home games between Barclays Center and the newly renovated Nassau Coliseum. In December 2017, the Islanders won a bid to build a new 18,000-seat arena near Belmont Park in Elmont, returning them to Nassau County; UBS Arena opened in 2021.

The Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association, then known as the New York Nets, formerly played their home games in Nassau County at the now-demolished Island Garden arena in West Hempstead from 1969 to 1972 and then at the Coliseum from 1972 to 1977, before the franchise moved to New Jersey—its original home for several years before coming to Long Island in the late 1960s – and eventually, to Brooklyn.

The New York Cosmos (1970–1985) of the former North American Soccer League (1968–1984) played for two seasons, 1972 and 1973, at Hofstra Stadium at Hofstra University in Hempstead. The team's name was revived in 2010 with the New York Cosmos (2010) of the new North American Soccer League to also play at Hofstra Stadium, which had been renamed James M. Shuart Stadium in 2002. Nassau County is also the home of the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse, who play at Shuart Stadium. The county also operates several sports events for student-athletes, such as the Nassau County Executive Cup College Showcase.

Belmont Park in Elmont is a major horse racing venue which annually hosts the Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of the prestigious Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing. The now-demolished Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury hosted auto racing and, from 1940 through 1988, was a popular harness racing track.

Nassau is home to some famous and historic golf courses. Rockaway Hunting Club, founded in 1878, is the oldest country club in the country.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rhcny.com/story|title=Our Story - Rockaway Hunting Club|website=www.rhcny.com|access-date=December 8, 2019|archive-date=December 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208183137/https://www.rhcny.com/story|url-status=live}} The U.S. Open has been held in Nassau five times, once each at Garden City Golf Club, Inwood Country Club, and Fresh Meadow Country Club, and twice at Bethpage Black Course, the first ever municipally owned course. Courses consistently ranked in the top 100 in the U.S. such as Bethpage Black, Garden City Golf Club, Piping Rock Club, and The Creek are located in the county. Nassau County hosted the 1984 Summer Paralympics, marking the first Paralympic Games to be held in the United States.

Nassau County was chosen by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to host eight cricket matches of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow during June 2024. The county will receive $2.7 million in direct revenue from the tournament, which will leave Eisenhower Park with a legacy of permanent improvements to host large cricket tournaments henceforth.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/india-pakistan-2024-cricket-world-cup-long-island-eisenhower-park/|title=Long Island park set to host Cricket World Cup match in June|author=Jennifer McLogan|publisher=CBS News|date=March 19, 2024|access-date=May 5, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://www.liherald.com/eastmeadow/stories/east-meadow-salisbury-residents-address-concerns-regarding-cricket-world-cup,207387|title=East Meadow, Salisbury residents address concerns regarding Cricket World Cup|author=Jordan Vallone|newspaper=Long Island Herald|date=April 25, 2024|access-date=May 5, 2024|quote=Nassau County will receive around US$2.7 million in direct revenue from the tournament.}}

The first case of COVID-19 was reported in March 2020.{{Cite web|date=December 13, 2021|title=COVID-19: First Omicron Cases Identified In Nassau County|url=https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/nassau/news/covid-19-first-omicron-cases-identified-in-nassau-county/821777/|access-date=January 18, 2022|website=Nassau Daily Voice|language=en|archive-date=January 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118045127/https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/nassau/news/covid-19-first-omicron-cases-identified-in-nassau-county/821777/|url-status=live}} As of January 12, 2021, there have been 104,078 cases, 3,044 deaths, 2,102,900 tests conducted, and a 4.9% positivity rate.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=New York State Department of Health COVID-19 Tracker|url=https://covid19tracker.health.ny.gov/views/NYS-COVID19-Tracker/NYSDOHCOVID-19Tracker-Map?:embed=yes&:toolbar=no&:tabs=n|access-date=January 12, 2021|website=New York State Department of Health COVID-19 Tracker|archive-date=January 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111204026/https://covid19tracker.health.ny.gov/views/NYS-COVID19-Tracker/NYSDOHCOVID-19Tracker-Map?%3Aembed=yes&%3Atoolbar=no&%3Atabs=n|url-status=live}} According to The New York Times' COVID-19 tracker, Nassau County's average daily case count is 1,567 (116 per capita), with 1 in 13 testing positive (the third-worst of any county in the state) and 1 in 545 dying.{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=April 2020|title=New York Coronavirus Map and Case Count|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/new-york-coronavirus-cases.html|access-date=January 12, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110160709/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/new-york-coronavirus-cases.html|url-status=live}}

In August 2024, Nassau County passed into law a ban on wearing face masks in public, making it a misdemeanor subject to a $1,000 fine and up to one year in prison to wear a facial covering in public, a move that was criticized by the New York Civil Liberties Union as a "dangerous misuse of the law to score political points."{{Cite news |last=Gabbatt |first=Adam |date=2024-08-14 |title=New York county signs first mask ban into US law, sparking controversy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/14/nassau-county-new-york-mask-ban |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240831063915/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/14/nassau-county-new-york-mask-ban |archive-date=2024-08-31 |access-date=2024-09-01 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}} The law does not apply to facial coverings "worn to protect the health or safety of the wearer," but does appear to ban wearing a mask in order to protect the health or safety of others, including persons with compromised immune systems.

Public hospitals:

• Nassau University Medical Center

Tertiary care hospitals:

• North Shore University Hospital
• NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island
• St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center

Community hospitals:

• Glen Cove Hospital
• Long Island Jewish Valley Stream
• Mercy Medical Center
• Mount Sinai South Nassau
• Plainview Hospital
• St. Joseph Hospital
• Syosset Hospital

{{multiple image

| align = right

| direction = vertical

| image1 = Nassau Coliseum 2021.jpg

| width1 = 220

| caption1 =

| alt1 =

| image2 = Belmont Park td (2021-12-19) 017 - UBS Arena.jpg

| width2 = 220

| caption2 = Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale (top), and UBS Arena in Elmont (below)

| alt2 = Two large arenas in Nassau County, New York

}}

{{further|List of municipalities on Long Island|List of places in Nassau County, New York}}

Figures in parentheses are 2019 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.{{cite web|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2010-2019|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html|access-date=April 18, 2021|website=Census.gov|archive-date=October 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019182931/https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2015/SUB-EST2015-3.html|url-status=live}}

• Glen Cove (27,166)
• Long Beach (33,454)

• Hempstead (766,980)
• North Hempstead (230,933)
• Oyster Bay (298,391)

{{div col}}

• Atlantic Beach (1,902)
• Baxter Estates (1,049)
• Bayville (6,732)
• Bellerose (1,162)
• Brookville (3,605)
• Cedarhurst (6,633)
• Centre Island (409)
• Cove Neck (301)
• East Hills (7,233)
• East Rockaway (9,814)
• East Williston (2,550)
• Farmingdale (9,002)
• Floral Park (15,844)
• Flower Hill (4,889)
• Freeport (42,956)
• Garden City (22,454)
• Great Neck (10,209)
• Great Neck Estates (2,879)
• Great Neck Plaza (7,027)
• Hempstead (55,113)
• Hewlett Bay Park (429)
• Hewlett Harbor (1,272)
• Hewlett Neck (472)
• Island Park (4,886)
• Kensington (1,189)
• Kings Point (5,292)
• Lake Success (3,144)
• Lattingtown (1,764)
• Laurel Hollow (2,033)
• Lawrence (6,556)
• Lynbrook (19,448)
• Malverne (8,485)
• Manorhaven (6,627)
• Massapequa Park (17,143)
• Matinecock (833)
• Mill Neck (967)
• Mineola (19,207)
• Munsey Park (2,710)
• Muttontown (3,668)
• New Hyde Park (9,807)
• North Hills (5,969)
• Old Brookville (2,187)
• Old Westbury (4,614)
• Oyster Bay Cove (2,254)
• Plandome (1,466)
• Plandome Heights (1,018)
• Plandome Manor (902)
• Port Washington North (3,199)
• Rockville Centre (24,550)
• Roslyn (2,902)
• Roslyn Estates (1,233)
• Roslyn Harbor (1,108)
• Russell Gardens (946)
• Saddle Rock (988)
• Sands Point (2,905)
• Sea Cliff (5,020)
• South Floral Park (1,760)
• Stewart Manor (1,956)
• Thomaston (2,613)
• Upper Brookville (1,744)
• Valley Stream (37,431)
• Westbury (15,351)
• Williston Park (7,253)
• Woodsburgh (780)

{{div col end}}

{{div col}}

• Albertson
• Baldwin
• Barnum Island
• Bay Park
• Bellerose Terrace
• Bellmore
• Bethpage
• Carle Place
• East Atlantic Beach
• East Massapequa
• East Meadow
• East Norwich
• Elmont
• Franklin Square
• Garden City Park
• Garden City South
• Glen Head
• Glenwood Landing
• Great Neck Gardens
• Greenvale
• Harbor Hills
• Harbor Isle
• Herricks
• Hewlett
• Hicksville
• Inwood
• Jericho
• Lakeview
• Levittown
• Lido Beach
• Locust Valley
• Malverne Park Oaks
• Manhasset
• Manhasset Hills
• Massapequa
• Merrick
• New Cassel
• North Bellmore
• North Lynbrook
• North Massapequa
• North Merrick
• North New Hyde Park
• North Valley Stream
• North Wantagh
• Oceanside
• Old Bethpage
• Oyster Bay
• Plainedge
• Plainview
• Point Lookout
• Port Washington
• Roosevelt
• Roslyn Heights
• Saddle Rock Estates
• Salisbury
• Seaford
• Searingtown
• South Farmingdale
• South Hempstead
• South Valley Stream
• Syosset
• Uniondale
• University Gardens
• Wantagh
• West Hempstead
• Woodbury
• Woodmere

{{div col end}}

{{div col}}

• Baldwin Harbor (now part of Baldwin)
• East Garden City (now part of Uniondale)
• Locust Grove (now part of Syosset){{div col end}}

• County bird: Osprey
• County flower: Birdsfoot Violet (Viola pedata)

{{div col}}

• Sean Hannity — conservative media host; grew up in Franklin Square, now lives in Centre Island
• Rupert Murdoch — lived in Centre Island
• MJF – professional Wrestler and current AEW World Champion, was born and lives in Plainview
• Matt Cardona – professional Wrestler, Lived in Nassau County
• Brian Myers – professional Wrestler, lived in Nassau County
• Jon Gabrus — lived in Nassau County, worked at Jones Beach State Park as a lifeguard
• Bob Keeshan — (Captain Kangaroo) was born in Lynbrook{{cite book|last1=Flocker|first1=Michael|title=Vermont: The Green Mountain State|date=2002|publisher=Gareth Stevens|page=41|isbn=9780836851465|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jaLwEg-PytsC&pg=PA41|access-date=July 3, 2014}}
• Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield – (of Ben & Jerry Ice Cream) both grew up in Merrick
• Kevin James – was born in Mineola
• Tatyana Ali – from North Bellmore
• Criss Angel – from East Meadow
• Carmelo Anthony – is said to have a home in Hewlett Harbor
• Marc Anthony – had a home in Brookville, with Jennifer Lopez
• Judd Apatow – raised in Syosset
• Fred Armisen – grew up in Valley Stream
• Ashanti (singer) – native of Glen Cove
• Dave Attell – raised in Rockville Centre
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg – lived in Rockville Centre after getting married
• John Barry (composer) – lived in Oyster Bay
• The Baldwin brothers-in age order: Alec Baldwin (b. 1958), Daniel Baldwin (b. 1960), William Baldwin (b. 1963), and Stephen Baldwin (b. 1966) – were raised in the Nassau Shores area of Massapequa
• Bruce Blakeman – first Presiding Officer, Port Authority Commissioner, Councilman, County Executive. From Valley Stream, now lives in Atlantic Beach.
• Nikki Blonsky – grew up in Great Neck
• Stephen Boyd (American football) – native of Valley Stream
• Lorraine Bracco – grew up in Hicksville
• Nicholas Braun – native of Bethpage
• Jim Breuer – grew up in Valley Stream
• Jim Brown – grew up in Manhasset
• Lenny Bruce – native of Mineola and Bellmore
• William Cullen Bryant – lived at Cedarmere in Roslyn Harbor
• Edward Burns – grew up in Valley Stream
• Steve Buscemi and Michael Buscemi– grew up in Valley Stream
• Cab Calloway – lived in Long Beach for a time
• Eddie Cantor – lived in Great Neck
• Theresa Caputo – lives in Hicksville
• William J. Casey – lived in Bellmore and Roslyn Harbor
• Vernon and Irene Castle – lived in Long Beach
• Elaine Chao – grew up in Syosset
• Harry Chapin – lived in Jericho
• Michael Cimino – grew up in Westbury
• Speedy Claxton – from Hempstead
• Billy Crystal – is from Long Beach
• Anthony Cumia – radio host, owns a home in Roslyn Heights
• Chuck D – grew up in Roosevelt
• Al D'Amato – US Senator, former Hempstead Supervisor, lived in Island Park and Lido Beach
• Michelle DaRosa – also known as Michelle Nolan, grew up in Rockville Centre
• Carson Daly – resides in Flower Hill
• Tony Danza – Native of Malverne
• Candy Darling – lived in Massapequa Park
• Taylor Dayne – grew up in Baldwin
• Dave DeBusschere – lived in Garden City
• Gary Dell'Abate – native of Uniondale
• Nelson DeMille – lives in Garden City
• Ted Demme – native of Rockville Centre
• Jonathan Demme – grew up in Baldwin
• Brian Dennehy – grew up in Mineola
• Tim Dillon – grew up in Island Park
• Mort Drucker – lived in Syosset
• Julius Erving – native of Roosevelt
• Everlast – grew up in Valley Stream
• Perry Farrell – grew up in Woodmere
• D'Brickashaw Ferguson – grew up in Freeport
• WC Fields – lived in Great Neck
• Flavor Flav – grew up in Freeport
• Whitey Ford – lived in Glen Cove
• Mike Francesa – radio host. Born in Long Beach, lives in Flower Hill
• Bev Francis – IFBB professional Australian female bodybuilder, powerlifter, and national shot put champion; lives in Syosset
• William Gaddis – grew up in Massapequa; later lived in East Hampton
• John R. Gambling – radio host; lifelong county resident
• Joe Gatto (comedian) – lives in Lynbrook
• Pamela Geller – blogger, author, political activist, and commentator
• Debbie Gibson – grew up in Merrick
• Danny Green – played high school basketball in Manhasset
• Ellie Greenwich – lived in Levittown
• Bill Griffith – raised in Levittown
• Steve Guttenberg – raised in North Massapequa
• Tobias Harris – basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers, lives in Syosset
• George "Gabby" Hayes – lived in Baldwin
• Joey Heatherton – grew up in Rockville Centre
• Ray Heatherton – lived in Rockville Centre
• Max Hechtman - lives in East Meadow{{Cite web|last=Dowd|first=Joe|title=East Meadow homecoming king's win part of documentary|url=https://www.newsday.com/news/east-meadow-homecoming-king-s-win-part-of-documentary-s53470|date=2014-11-02|access-date=2024-02-04|website=Newsday|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Weingrad|first=David|title=Rain doesn't dampen Jets' pride|url=https://www.liherald.com/stories/rain-doesnt-dampen-jets-pride,60414|date=2014-11-05|access-date=2024-03-05|website=Herald Community Newspapers|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Ebert|first=Michael R.|title=LI high school journalists celebrate Press Day 2015 at Adelphi University|url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-high-school-journalists-celebrate-press-day-2015-at-adelphi-university-b42517|date=2015-04-16|access-date=2024-02-04|website=Newsday|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=East Meadow filmmaker nominated for three awards at local festival|first=Brian|last=Stieglitz|url=https://www.liherald.com/eastmeadow/stories/east-meadow-filmmaker-nominated-for-three-awards-at-local-festival,127864|access-date=2020-10-12|website=Herald Community Newspapers|date=September 22, 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Satnick|first=Randi|title=The Real Deal: A look through the lens of a young Long Island filmmaker|url=https://issuu.com/yournewsmag/docs/yournewsmag_v6__5_kv_web__2_/s/127614|website=Your News Mag|access-date=2024-02-04|language=en}}
• William S. Hofstra – lived in Hempstead
• Red Holzman – lived in Cedarhurst
• Al Iaquinta – grew up in Valley Stream
• Dan Ingram – native of Oceanside
• Joan Jett – lives in Long Beach
• Billy Joel – grew up in Hicksville, and has a home in Centre Island
• Christine Jorgensen – lived in Massapequa Park
• JWoww – lived in Franklin Square
• Donna Karan – raised in Woodmere
• Andy Kaufman – raised in Great Neck and Westbury
• Charlie Kaufman – grew up in Massapequa
• Wendy Kaufman – lived in North Woodmere
• Doris Kearns Goodwin – lived in Rockville Centre
• Greg Kelly – native of Rockville Centre
• Alicia Keys – once had a home in Muttontown
• Jack Kirby – lived in Hewlett Harbor
• Aline Kominsky-Crumb – native of Long Beach
• Michael Kors – grew up in Merrick
• Sandy Koufax – lived in Rockville Centre
• Ron Kovic – from Massapequa
• Ed Kranepool – lives in Old Westbury
• Paul Krugman – grew up in Merrick
• Tim Kubart – of Postmodern Jukebox is from Farmingdale
• Jesse Lacey – native of Levittown
• Erik Larson (author) – lived in Freeport
• Cyndi Lauper – briefly lived in Valley Stream
• Adam Lazzara – lived in Bellmore
• Stan Lee – lived in Hewlett Harbor
• Carol Leifer – grew up in East Williston
• The Lemon Twigs – based out of Hicksville
• John Lennon – briefly lived in Laurel Hollow
• Alan Jay Lerner – lived in Centre Island
• Wendy Liebman – grew up in East Hills
• Scott Lipsky (born 1981) – tennis player, born in Hempstead
• Peggy Lipton – raised in Lawrence
• Lindsay Lohan – her family resides in North Merrick
• Guy Lombardo – lived in Freeport
• Jennifer Lopez – had a home in Brookville, with Marc Anthony
• Susan Lucci – soap opera star grew up and still has a residence in Garden City
• Chuck Lorre – native of Plainview
• Lori Loughlin – raised in Oceanside
• Elliot S. Maggin – DC Comics writer lived in Merrick
• The Marx Brothers – lived in Great Neck
• Jackie Martling – grew up in Mineola
• Christopher Masterson and Danny Masterson are from East Williston
• John McEnroe – lived in Cove Neck
• Michael McKean – raised in Sea Cliff
• Kate McKinnon of Saturday Night Live – grew up in Sea Cliff
• Anne Meara – raised in Rockville Centre
• John Melendez – Stuttering John from Howard Stern show – from Massapequa
• Idina Menzel – from Syosset
• Method Man – lived in Hempstead
• Steve Madden – grew up in Lawrence
• Larry Miller – grew up in Valley Stream
• Harvey Milk – native of Woodmere and Hewlett
• MF Doom – lived in Long Beach
• Eddie Money lived in Levittown
• Les Moonves – grew up in Valley Stream
• Rita Moreno – lived in North Valley Stream
• Errol Morris – grew up in Hewlett
• Sterling Morrison – native of East Meadow
• John Moschitta Jr. – native of Uniondale
• Charlie Murphy – grew up in Roosevelt
• Eddie Murphy – grew up in Roosevelt
• Elliott Murphy – from Rockville Centre
• Billy Murray (singer) – lived in Freeport
• John Nolan (musician) – grew up in Rockville Centre
• Ole Olsen (comedian) – lived for a time in Malverne
• Momina Mustehsan – Pakistani singer, engineer; lives part-time in Nassau County
• Bill O'Reilly – resides in Plandome; grew up in Westbury
• Daryl Palumbo – lived in Bellmore
• Adam Pascal – lived in Woodbury
• Slim Jim Phantom – grew up in Massapequa
• Natalie Portman – actress, grew up in Syosset
• Gary Portnoy – lived in North Woodmere
• C.W. Post and his daughter Marjorie Merriweather Post lived in Brookville. Her daughter, actress Dina Merrill spent time there too
• Thomas Pynchon – born in Glen Cove and grew up in Oyster Bay
• pH-1 — singer and rapper, grew up on Long Island
• Prodigy (rapper) – native of Hempstead
• Sheryl Lee Ralph — graduated from Uniondale High School
• Lee Ranaldo – native of Glen Cove
• Lou Reed – Grew up in Freeport
• Busta Rhymes – from Uniondale
• Joel Rifkin – lived in East Meadow
• Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US president, lived on Oyster Bay during his presidency. His estate, Sagamore Hill, is now a US National Historic Site
• Eleanor Roosevelt and her father Elliott Roosevelt lived in Salisbury
• Jeff Rosenstock – from Baldwin
• Lonny Ross – native of Wantagh
• Bob Rozakis and Laurie Rozakis live in the town of Oyster Bay
• Rick Rubin – grew up in Lido Beach
• Scott Rudin – from Baldwin
• Chris Russo – from Syosset
• Telly Savalas – native of Garden City
• Shaggy – lives in Valley Stream
• Jerry Seinfeld – grew up in Massapequa
• Brian Setzer – grew up in Massapequa
• Amy Schumer – from Oceanside
• Adrienne Shelly – grew up in Jericho
• Kevin Shinick – native of Merrick
• Jamie-Lynn Sigler – native of Jericho
• Helen Slater – from Bethpage
• Elinor Smith – lived in Freeport
• Greg Smith (American musician) – grew up in Valley Stream
• Dee Snider – native of Baldwin
• Lara Spencer – native of Garden City
• Frank Springer – grew up in Malverne
• Howard Stern – grew up in Roosevelt
• Jim Steinman – native of Hewlett
• Laura Stevenson – lived in Rockville Centre
• Brandon Tartikoff - raised in Freeport
• Taz (wrestler) – lived in Massapequa
• John Tesh – native of Garden City
• Vinny Testaverde – grew up in Elmont
• LaMarcus Adna Thompson – lived in Glen Cove
• Louis Comfort Tiffany – lived in Laurel Hollow
• Moe Tucker – grew up in Levittown
• Reginald VelJohnson – lives in Oceanside
• Frank Viola – native of East Meadow
• James Watson – lives in Laurel Hallow
• Chris Weidman – Mixed martial artist and former middleweight champion in the UFC (honored with 'Chris Weidman Day' on July 17 in Nassau County){{cite web |url=http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/countyexecutive/newsrelease/2013/07-17-2013a.html |title=Mangano Declares July 17, 2013 Chris Weidman Day in Honor of Hometown Hero and UFC Champion |access-date=April 13, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006073817/http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/countyexecutive/newsrelease/2013/07-17-2013a.html |archive-date=October 6, 2014 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.newsday.com/sports/mixed-martial-arts/chris-weidman-honored-by-nassau-executives-with-chris-weidman-day-1.5713634|title=Chris Weidman honored by Nassau executives with 'Chris Weidman Day'|author=Mark La Monica|work=Newsday|access-date=April 13, 2014|archive-date=April 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413151952/http://www.newsday.com/sports/mixed-martial-arts/chris-weidman-honored-by-nassau-executives-with-chris-weidman-day-1.5713634|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/7/16/4529136/nassau-county-to-proclaim-july-17-as-chris-weidman-day|title=Nassau County to proclaim July 17 as 'Chris Weidman Day'|author=Helwani, Ariel|website=MMA Fighting|date=July 16, 2013|access-date=April 13, 2014|archive-date=November 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102204827/http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/7/16/4529136/nassau-county-to-proclaim-july-17-as-chris-weidman-day|url-status=live}}
• Leslie West – grew up in East Meadow and Lawrence
• Walt Whitman – lived in Hempstead
• Robin Wilson (musician) – lives in Valley Stream
• Paul Zaloom – native of Garden City
• Alan Zweibel – lived in Woodmere and Wantagh
• Levar Stoney – mayor of Richmond, Virginia; was born in Nassau County

{{div col end}}

{{Portal|New York (state)}}

• List of counties in New York
• List of Long Islanders
• Nassau County International Cricket Stadium
• Nassau County Police Department
• Nassau Inter-County Express
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Nassau County, New York

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

{{Wikivoyage|Nassau County}}

• [http://www.nassaucountyny.gov Nassau County official website]
• [http://www.pbase.com/terryballard/nassau Nassau County Photo Gallery]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110823002601/http://nassau-cap.us/ Nassau Cadet Squadron 8 – Civil Air Patrol]
• [http://www.eraseracismny.org/downloads/maps/ER_maps_wealth_1999.pdf PDF map showing LI school district boundaries and wealth comparisons]
• [https://zipcodes.org/blog/best-places-to-live-in-nassau-county-new-york Best Places To Live in Nassau County, NY]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080704205702/http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/website/EN/facts_stats_maps/history_of_NC.html History of Nassau County] on county website

{{Geographic Location

|Centre = Nassau County, New York

|North = Fairfield County, Connecticut
Long Island Sound

|Northeast = New Haven County, Connecticut
Long Island Sound

|East = Suffolk County

|Southeast = Atlantic Ocean

|South = Atlantic Ocean

|Southwest = Atlantic Ocean
Monmouth County, New Jersey

|West = Queens County
(Queens)

|Northwest = Westchester County
Bronx County (The Bronx)
East River

}}

{{Long Island region}}

{{NassauCountyNY}}

{{New York}}

{{New York state public-benefit corporations}}

{{New York metropolitan area}}{{Authority control}}

{{coord|40|44|N|73|38|W|type:adm2nd_region:US-NY|display=title}}

Category:1899 establishments in New York (state)

Category:Counties in the New York metropolitan area

Category:Long Island Sound

Category:Populated places established in 1899

Category:William III of England