Point Lookout, New York

Point Lookout, New York
Hamlet and census-designated place
Seal
Location in Nassau County and the state of New York.
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Nassau
Area
• Total	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
• Land	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	3 ft (1 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,219
• Density	6,100/sq mi (2,400/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	11569
Area code(s)	516
FIPS code	36-58849
GNIS feature ID	0960827

Point Lookout is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York. The population was 1,219 at the time of the 2010 census.

Geography

U.S. Census Map

Point Lookout is located at the east end of Long Beach Barrier Island, an island that lies between Reynolds Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. It was originally formed by glacial deposits. It includes a variety of bays, dunes, ponds, marshes and ocean shoreline, which supports a complex ecosystem that includes a wide variety of flora and fauna. Jones Inlet separates it from Jones Beach Island. It is adjacent to Lido Beach and the City of Long Beach. Point Lookout covers a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²).

Demographics

At the time of the census of 2000, there were 1,472 people, 616 households, and 413 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 7,379.7 per square mile (2,841.7/km²). There were 792 housing units at an average density of 3,970.6/sq mi (1,529.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.42% White, 0.41% African American, 0.48% Asian, 0.88% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.11% of the population.

There were 616 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91.

The population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $69,821, and the median income for a family was $95,215. Males had a median income of $52,833 versus $37,143 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $39,953. About 4.6% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

History

The first known inhabitants were Merrick (Meroke) native Americans, a tribe of the Algonquin people. The first European settlers in Point Lookout were Dutch, who arrived in the 1640s, followed by the English, in the 1660s.

The barrier beach on which Point Lookout sits has been, in one incarnation or another, there for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The first mention of Point Lookout begins to appear in the mid 19th century, as a location for whalers, and as a dangerous spot for ships. A U.S. Life Saving Station was established at Point Lookout in 1872; ironically, it was due to the tragic wreck of the U.S.S. Mexico on January 2, 1837 that a U.S. Life Saving Service was created, and remained there until Farmers grew salt hay on the marshes that stretch behind.

Approaching Point Lookout from the northeast by water (2013).

A series of hotel and seasonal bungalows were built, as was a seasonal railroad connecting it to Long Beach but nearly all were destroyed over time by either winter storms or fire. During the summer months ferries from the Woodcleft Canal in Freeport brought hundreds of day-trippers to Point Lookout's beaches, and for those who lived in Point Lookout, or in the small community to the east called Nassau By the Sea, the barrier island was a paradise.

In 1906 Senator Reynolds of Brooklyn led a consortium that purchased the entire barrier island. In 1918 Nassau By the Sea was nearly wiped out by fire. In the 1920s Senator Reynolds established Point Lookout Inc, which brought in concrete streets and divided the community into small plots which were sold to families for approximately $2500 a parcel. Point Lookout was born as a community. Those bungalows that had not burned in Nassau By the Sea, as well as others from other marsh islands, were moved to Point Lookout and can be seen around the community today.

Places of worship

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, 75 Parkside Drive, Point Lookout, NY 11561

Point Lookout Community Church, 60 Freeport Avenue, Point Lookout, NY 11569

Fire Department

Point Lookout is served by the Point Lookout-Lido Fire Department, founded in 1931. It is located at 102 Lido Boulevard Point Lookout, NY 11569.

Postal services

The Point Lookout post office is located at 110 Lido Blvd, Point Lookout, NY 11569-9700. There are no mail delivery services in Point Lookout.

Celebrities

Charles Atlas, Marlene Dietrich, Burl Ives and numerous New York Jets had homes at Point Lookout. Oscar Wilde visited Point Lookout in 1882. Chris Burke, best known for his role as "Corky" from Life Goes On, was born in Pt. Lookout. Balaram Stack is a professional surfer from Point Lookout. Matt Gibson, a lacrosse player in the MLL, was born and raised in Point Lookout. Sidney Hillman also lived in Point Lookout. Harry Chapin lived and wrote songs in Point Lookout.

External links

• Point Lookout Civic Association
• Point Lookout Community Connector
• Point Lookout Chamber of Commerce