Long Island's Fastest Growing Group: Latinos

In the Town of Hempstead, boarded up downtown storefronts are reopening as bodegas, hair salons and ethnic restaurants.

It’s a scene being played out throughout Long Island. As younger Long Islanders flee for what they perceive to be a better way of life, Latino entrepreneurs are lifting an otherwise stagnant regional economy.

From 2000 to 2006, Latinos have been the fastest growing demographic on Long Island. According to the Long Island Index, the Latino population on Long Island grew 25 percent, from comprising 10.3 percent of the total population in 2000 to 12.6 percent in 2006. There are now about 450,000 Latino immigrants living on Long Island.

LIBN: The changing face of Long Island

Queens Democrats Endorse Hiram Monserrate for State Senate - District 13

Queens Democratic Party officials endorsed City Councilman Hiram Monserrate for the State Senate from the 13th District (Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst and Woodside).

In choosing Monserrate, party leaders issued a "no confidence" vote incumbent State Senator John D. Sabini, a former party chairman and 6 year incumbent. Two years agao, Monserrate came within 250 votes of beating Sabitini for the nomination.

Eight years ago, the population of the district was about 56% Latino, 20% Asian, 12% White/NonLatino and 9% African American. The district's Latino population has since grown much larger.

If elected Monserrate becomes NYS Senate's 1st Latino Queens County member. Long Island's only Latino State Senator is Brooklyn's Martin Malave.

Queens Democrats Won’t Endorse Senator for Re-election
Queens Dems Dump Sabini, Officially

Visitors to Latino Long Island -- An Update

As of May 27, 2008, 3242 persons from across the globe have visited Latino Long Island.

Here are the numbers:

- 3242 visitors from 72 countries/territories
- 2914 US visitors from 47 states
- 2053 visitors from New York State from 170 cities, towns, villages and hamlets, including:

1. Albany
2. Albertson
3. Amityville
4. Astoria
5. Babylon
6. Bay Shore
7. Bayport
8. Bayside
9. Bellport
10. Bethpage
11. Binghamton
12. Blue Point
13. Bohemia
14. Brentwood
15. Briarcliff Manor
16. Bridgehampton
17. Bronx
18. Bronxville
19. Brookhaven
20. Brooklyn
21. Buffalo
22. Calverton
23. Carle Place
24. Centereach
25. Central Islip
26. Clifton Park
27. Cohoes
28. Cold Spring Harbor
29. College Point
30. Commack
31. Cooperstown
32. Corning
33. Corona
34. Cortland
35. Dansville
36. Deer Park
37. Depew
38. Dobbs Ferry
39. East Elmhurst
40. East Hampton
41. East Meadow
42. East Northport
43. East Norwich
44. East Quogue
45. East Rochester
46. Elmhurst
47. Elmont
48. Elmsford
49. Fairport
50. Farmingdale
51. Farmingville
52. Fayetteville
53. Floral Park
54. Flushing
55. Forest Hills
56. Franklin Square
57. Garden City
58. Getzville
59. Glenwood Landing
60. Great Neck
61. Greenlawn
62. Greenvale
63. Harrison
64. Hauppauge
65. Hempstead
66. Hicksville
67. Highland
68. Highland Falls
69. Holbrook
70. Holtsville
71. Horseheads
72. Huntington
73. Huntington Station
74. Islandia
75. Islip Terrace
76. Ithaca
77. Jackson Heights
78. Jamaica
79. Jamesville
80. Jericho
81. Kew Gardens
82. Lake Grove
83. Larchmont
84. Latham
85. Levittown
86. Long Island City
87. Malverne
88. Mamaroneck
89. Manhasset
90. Manorville
91. Marathon
92. Maspeth
93. Massapequa
94. Mastic
95. Mattituck
96. Medford
97. Melville
98. Middle Island
99. Miller Place
100. Mineola
101. Mount Vernon
102. Nassau
103. Nesconset
104. New Hartford
105. New Hyde Park
106. New Rochelle
107. New York
108. Newtonville
109. North Babylon
110. Northport
111. Oakdale
112. Old Bethpage
113. Old Westbury
114. Ozone Park
115. Painted Post
116. Palisades
117. Patchogue
118. Plainview
119. Port Byron
120. Port Chester
121. Port Jefferson Station
122. Purchase
123. Queens Village
124. Queensbury
125. Rego Park
126. Ridge
127. Riverhead
128. Rochester
129. Rockville Centre
130. Rocky Point
131. Rome
132. Ronkonkoma
133. Roosevelt
134. Rosedale
135. Roslyn
136. Roslyn Heights
137. Sayville
138. Scarsdale
139. Selden
140. Shirley
141. Smithtown
142. Southampton
143. St James
144. Staten Island
145. Stony Brook
146. Sunnyside
147. Syosset
148. Syracuse
149. Tarrytown
150. Uniondale
151. Upton
152. Valhalla
153. Valley Stream
154. Wantagh
155. Wappingers Falls
156. Water Mill
157. Webster
158. West Babylon
159. West Harrison
160. West Hempstead
161. West Islip
162. Westbury
163. Westhampton
164. Whitestone
165. Williston Park
166. Woodbury
167. Woodside
168. Wyandanch
169. Yaphank
170. Yorktown Heights

Latino K-12 Enrollment: Suffolk County

According the the New York State Education Department's School District Reports (05-06), Latino student enrollment in Suffolk County public schools is growing rapidly.

For example, over two-thirds (68%) of students in the Brentwood Union Free School District were of Latino heritage. Fifty-five percent (55%) of Central Islip Union Free School District's students were Latino. And the Springs Union Free School District's Latinos comprised 37% of the student enrollment.

The following is a ranking of Suffolk County's public school districts by Latino enrollment, including percentage of enrollment and number of persons (as per NYSED’s School District Reports 05/06):

68% - Brentwood (12018)
55% - Central Islip (3383)
37% - Springs (201)36% - Copiague (1709)
33% - Hampton Bays (590)
32% - Bridgehampton (46)
30% - Montauk (105)
30% - Tuckahoe (96)
28% - East Hampton (564)
26% - Amityville (705)
26% - Bayshore (1502)
23% - Huntington (991)
22% - New Suffolk (2)
21% - South Country (957)
20% - Greenport (132)
19% - Wyandanch (391)
18% - Little Flower (17)
18% - Patchogue-Medford (1531)
17% - South Huntington (1026)
17% - Southampton (272)
15% - Riverhead (725)
15% - William Floyd (1507)
14% - Brookhaven-Comsewogue (557)
14% - Wainscott (2)
13% - Longwood (1204)
12% - Amaganset (10)
12% - North Babylon (590)
11% - Deer Park (459)
10% - Lindenhurst (749)
9% - Middle Country (976)
9% - West Babylon (419)
8% - East Quogue (38)
8% - Elwood (203)
8% - Islip (281)
8% - Remsenburg-Speonk (16)
8% - Westhampton (140)
7% - Center Moriches (102)
7% - Oysterponds (7)
6% - Babylon (119)
5% - Connetquot (357)
5% - East Islip (255)
5% - Hauppauge (189)
5% - Southold (54)
5% - Quogue (5)
4% - East Moriches (32)
4% - Eastport-South Manor (138)
4% - Half Hollow Hills (398)
4% - Harborfields (135)
4% - Rocky Point (135)
3% - Bayport-Bluepoint (70)
3% - Commack (205)
3% - Fishers Island (2)
3% - Kings Park (111)
3% - Northport-East Northport (203)
3% - Miller Place (85)
3% - Port Jefferson (40)
3% - Smithtown (286)
3% - Three Village (241)
2% - Fire Island (1)
2% - Mattituck-Cutchogue (37)
2% - Mount Sinai (48)
2% - Shoreham Wading River (57)
2% - West Islip (97)
1% - Cold Spring Harbor (13)
1% - Shelter Island (2)

Source: School Districts in SUFFOLK County

Long Island Home Prices Up; Affordability Gap Widens

Long Island median home closing prices ticked up a bit from $409,000 in March to $415,000* in April. By comparison, the median closing price a year ago was $440,000.

However, home affordability is still a major issue on Long Island. Using the Homes for Working Families' home affordability price to income ratio of 3.46:1**, the median priced home on Long Island is 42% ($129,000) too expensive for the average family ($84,378*** median household income).

Is the uptick in median closing prices indicate an end to the price slide? Or is it a temporary blip in a continuing downward price correction? Unclear. What is certain is that in terms of affordability prices have a longer way to go to align with the income levels of the island's working families.

Here are the median closing prices changes for the counties included in the Long Island Multiple Listing Service:

______________4/07_______3/08___________4/08
Nassau________473,000_____445,000_______447,000
Suffolk________400,000_____365,000_______370,000
Queens________466,400_____420,000_______439,900
LI/Queens_____440,000_____409,000_______415,000

* Median home closing prices for April, 2008
**Statement by Beverly Barnes, Executive Director of Homes for Working Families, on Q1 2008 Significant Home Price Declines Reported by the National Association of Realtors Today
***LONG ISLAND INDEX: Working Together in New Ways for Long Island’s Future - pg.5

Latino K-12 Enrollment: Nassau County

According the the New York State Education Department's School District Reports (05-06), Latino student enrollment in Nassau County public schools is growing rapidly.

For example, over half (53%) of the Westbury Union Free School District students in 2005/06 were of Latino heritage. Forty Nine (49%) of the Freeport Union Free School District students were Latino. And the Hempstead Union Free School District's Latinos comprised 46% of its student enrollment.

The following is a ranking of Nassau County's 57 public school districts by Latino enrollment, including percentage of enrollment and number of persons (as per NYSED’s School District Reports 05/06):

53% - Westbury (2018)
49% - Freeport (3191)
46% - Hempstead (2793)
37% - Glen Cove (1106)
32% - Uniondale* (1997)
29% - Lawrence (979)
27% - Valley Stream 24 (286)
27% - Valley Stream 30 (389)
23% - West Hempstead (540)
22% - Island Park (164)
21% - Long Beach (875)
21% - Roosevelt* (588)
20% - Elmont (777)
20% - Valley Stream HSD (893)
18% - Hicksville (972)
17% - Baldwin (921)
17% - Mineola (437)
16% - Valley Stream 13 (342)
15% - Malverne (245)
14% - Port Washington (689)
13% - Sewanhaka (1126)
13% - Oyster Bay-East Norwich (206)
12% - East Meadow (918)
11% - Farmingdale (709)
11% - New Hyde Park (194)
10% - Carle Place (151)
10% - Rockville Centre (370)
10% - Roslyn (148)
9% - Floral Park-Bellerose (137)
9% - Franklin Square (168)
9% - Island Trees (260)
8% - Hewlett-Woodmere (247)
8% - Levittown (605)
8% - Locust Valley (194)
8% - Lynbrook (253)
7% - East Rockaway (88)
7% - Great Neck (433)
7% - Oceanside (434)
6% - North Merrick (84)
5% - Bethpage (157)
4% - Herricks (187)
4% - Merrick (76)
4% - North Bellmore (102)
4% - North Shore (120)
3% - Bellmore-Merrick (180)
3% - Bellmore (40)
3% - East Williston (58)
3% - Manhasset (86)
3% - Plainedge (126)
3% - Wantagh (102)
2% - Garden City (69)
2% - Massapequa (155)
2% - Plainview-Old Bethpage (99)
2% - Seaford (63)
2% - Syosset (117)
1% - Jericho (45)

* NYS District Report 2004-05

Source: School Districts in NASSAU County

Gov. David Paterson's Hempstead Homecoming

Governor David Paterson had a homecoming yesterday when he visited the community of Hempstead.

He offered words of encouragement to students at his alma mater Hempstead High School. Check out the beaming faces of the students.

At a separate venue, Paterson was celebrated by 800 residents at the Antioch Baptist Church. He asked the area's political leaders to put aside their differences and to work for the uplift of the Hempstead community.

Link

Newsday Photo: Governor David Paterson at his alma mater Hempstead High School. (Audrey C. Tiernan - 5.5.08)

LI Festival of Races Update: Latinos Excel in Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K

Latino runners performed well in this weekend's Long Island Festival of Races.

Carlos Sauce (02:36:23) finished 2nd and Julio Sauce (02:42:03) finished 4th in the Long Island Festival of Races's Marathon; both are from Brooklyn. Jaime Palacios of Fresh Meadows, Queens finished 7th (06:45:00).

In the half marathon, Felipe Garcia (01:11:48) of Brooklyn took 1st place; Franklin Diaz (01:13:11) of South Farmingdale came in 2nd; and Angel Confesor (01:15:45) of Brooklyn finished 4th.

In the 10K, Maria Morales (00:37:56) of Brentwood finished 2nd; while Mauricio Duarte (00:39:16) of Mineola finished 3rd. Nassau Legislator (D-Farmingdale) David Mejias finished a respectable 201st (out of 700 runners) with a time of 00:56:29.

Franklin Diaz w0n the 5K race with a time of 16:09:00.

(Newsday Photo 1 - Carlos Sauce; Photo 2 - David Mejias)

South Farmingdale's Franklin Diaz Wins LI Festival of Races 5K

This weekend is the Long Island Festival of Races. Upwards of 8,000 runners are expected to compete in a four separate races: 5K, 10K, Half Marathon (13.1 miles)and Marathon (26.2 miles). The Marathon is Sunday, May 4th, starting on Charles Lindbergh Blvd. in Nassau County's Hub district and finishing in Eisenhower Park.

The newly added 5K race was run today . The runner was the best time was South Farmingdale's Franklin Diaz, 24 years, with a completion time of 16:09:00. New York City's Edwin Acosta clocked the 4th best time at 18:48:00. And Jaime Orellana St.James ranked 12th at 21:04:00.

The photo is of Franklin Diaz receiving the 2007 Greater Long Island Running Club Award.

Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja @ Brentwood's Spring Arts Festival

The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce and Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja are hosting athe 1st Annual Spring Arts Festival on Sunday, May 18th, Noon to 5:00PM, Ross Memorial Park, Brentwood Road, Brentwood.

Musical theater, story time, games and family fun.

Free admission.

Founded in 2004, Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja's encourages understanding among people of different cultural backgrounds while providing opportunities for emerging artists.

The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce represents small businesses in the hamlet of Brentwood, Town of Islip.