RONKONKOMA, NY

Ronkonkoma is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on Long Island in the Town of Islip, New York, United States. Its population was 19,082 at the 2010 census. The Ronkonkoma post office has the ZIP Code 11779, and serves parts of several hamlets and CDPs adjacent to Ronkonkoma.

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

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

Ronkonkoma is also home to Long Island MacArthur Airport (sometimes referred to simply as Islip Airport), airport code ISP, which is owned and operated by the Town of Islip. The New York Air Route Traffic Control Center is located in Ronkonkoma.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 4.07%, is covered by water. The community is adjacent to Lake Ronkonkoma.

Neighborhoods

Demographics of the CDP

As of the census of 2020, 18,955 people were residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,436.1/sq mi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 72.5% White,13.6% Hispanic or Latino, 3.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 6.9% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander and 2.8% reported two or more races.

Of the 6,004 households, 59.2% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% were male householders and 24.3% were non family households. The average household size was 3.04, and the average family size was 3.52.

In the CDP, the age distribution was 20.1% under 18, 10% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $106,434, and for a family was $116,667. Males had a median income of $50,594 versus $35,013 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $39,902. About 4.22% of the population were below the poverty line.

Economy

Vitamin maker The Bountiful Company is based in Ronkonkoma.

Education

Prior to 1960, the CDP belonged to the Ronkonkoma School District. After a vote, the district merged with the Oakdale-Bohemia School District in the neighboring communities of Oakdale and Bohemia, New York, to create the Connetquot School District. Three public elementary schools are in Ronkonkoma, with one middle school, and high-school students attend Connetquot High School in Bohemia.

Notable people

Ronkonkoma in popular culture