View source for Brightwaters, New York

{{Use American English|date=January 2026}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Brightwaters, New York
| official_name      = Incorporated Village of Brightwaters
| settlement_type    = [[Village (New York)|Village]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Brightwaters Village Hall; April 2019-3.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Brightwaters Village Hall in 2019
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->|
| pushpin_map        = USA New York Long Island##New York
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption = Location on Long Island##Location within the state of New York
| image_map          = Suffolk County, NY, towns and villages Brightwaters highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location within Suffolk County.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|New York}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = [[Municipal incorporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = November 30, 1916<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.villageofbrightwaters.com/about-brightwaters|title = About Brightwaters &#124; Brightwaters NY}}</ref>

<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 2.56
| area_land_km2      = 2.50
| area_water_km2     = 0.06
| area_total_sq_mi   = 0.99
| area_land_sq_mi    = 0.97
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.02

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 3181
| population_density_km2 = 1271.92
| population_density_sq_mi = 3292.96

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 7
| elevation_ft       = 23
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|43|17|N|73|15|57|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 11718
| area_code          = [[Area codes 631 and 934|631, 934]]
| area_code_type     = [[Area codes]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 36-08323
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0975774
| website            = {{nowrap|{{URL|www.villageofbrightwaters.com}}}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| subdivision_name3  = [[Islip (town), New York|Islip]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[List of towns in New York|Town]]
}}
'''Brightwaters''' is an incorporated [[Administrative divisions of New York#Village|village]] located within the southwestern part of the [[Islip, New York|Town of Islip]] in [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County]], on [[Long Island]], in [[New York (state)|New York]], United States. The population was 3,181 at the time of the 2020 census.

==History==
Brightwaters was developed in the early 20th Century by the [[T. B. Ackerson Company|T.B. Ackerson Company]], which was known for its work in [[Brooklyn]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=About Brightwaters {{!}} Brightwaters NY|url=https://www.villageofbrightwaters.com/about-brightwaters|access-date=July 25, 2021|website=www.villageofbrightwaters.com}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Mackay|first=Robert B.|title=Gardens of Eden: Long Island's Early Twentieth-Century Planned Communities|publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]]|year=2015|isbn=978-0393733211}}</ref>

By 1916, locals felt that their community – which, at the time, was still an unincorporated part of the Town of Islip – would be better off if they were to incorporate it as a village, citing concerns over how their community was being taxed, and how they had to pay for private subscriptions for services which they believed should have been provided to the area by Islip through their taxes.<ref name=":0" /> This prompted the locals to sign a petition to incorporate Brightwaters as a village. The petition was given to the Town of Islip on September 20, 1916, and Brightwaters officially became an incorporated village on November 30 of that year.<ref name=":0" />

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|2.6|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|2.5|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.1|km2|disp=flip|2}}, or 2.26%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web|title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Brightwaters village, New York|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3608323|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212190653/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3608323|archive-date=February 12, 2020|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder|accessdate=December 20, 2012}}</ref><ref name="GR1">{{cite web|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=April 23, 2011}}</ref>

It contains Wohseepee Park in northern Brightwaters, the Brightwaters Canal directly south of [[Montauk Highway]], and four lakes directly north of Montauk Highway: Cascades Lake, Mirror Lake, Lagoon Lake and Nosrekca Lake.<ref name=":0" /> The village's businesses are located at the intersection of Windsor Avenue and Orinoco Drive (referred to as Brightwaters Village). These geographic features make up the three districts of the village; the Canal District (southern Brightwaters, everything south of Montauk Highway), the Lakes District (central Brightwaters, everything north of the highway to Union Boulevard) and the Wohseepee Park District (northern Brightwaters, everything north of Union Boulevard to Seneca Drive).{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Brightwaters uses the 11718 ZIP code, which is distinct from the Bay Shore Postal District (11706).<ref name=":0" />

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=right
|1920= 250
|1930= 1061
|1940= 1562
|1950= 2336
|1960= 3193
|1970= 3808
|1980= 3286
|1990= 3265
|2000= 3248
|2010= 3103
|2020= 3181
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
}}

===2020 census===
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], Brightwaters had a population of 3,181. The median age was 43.4 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME,DP1_0021P,DP1_0024P,DP1_0025C,DP1_0049C,DP1_0045C,DP1_0069C,DP1_0073C,DP1_0125P,DP1_0126P,DP1_0129P,DP1_0133P,DP1_0137P,DP1_0138P,DP1_0139P,DP1_0141P,DP1_0142P,DP1_0143P,DP1_0145P,DP1_0146P,DP1_0147C,DP1_0148C,DP1_0149C,DP1_0156C,DP1_0157C,DP1_0158C,DP1_0159P,DP1_0160P&for=place%3A08323&in=state%3A36|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=April 29, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref><ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME,P1_001N,P1_003N,P1_004N,P1_005N,P1_006N,P1_007N,P1_008N,P1_009N,P2_001N,P2_002N,H1_001N,H1_002N&for=place%3A08323&in=state%3A36|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=April 29, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME,P2_002N,P2_003N&for=place%3A08323&in=state%3A36|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=April 29, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

There were 1,135 households in Brightwaters, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 65.7% were married-couple households, 11.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

There were 1,160 housing units, of which 2.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census<ref name="Census2020PL"/>
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| [[White Americans|White]] || 2,781 || 87.4%
|-
| [[African Americans|Black or African American]] || 84 || 2.6%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian and Alaska Native]] || 1 || 0.0%
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] || 49 || 1.5%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and [[Pacific Islander|Other Pacific Islander]] || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 47 || 1.5%
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]] || 219 || 6.9%
|-
| ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race)'' || 250 || 7.9%
|}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]] of 2010, there were 3,103 people residing in the village.<ref name="GR2" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Brightwaters, NY Population - Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts - CensusViewer|url=http://censusviewer.com/city/NY/Brightwaters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615070530/http://censusviewer.com/city/NY/Brightwaters|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 15, 2013|access-date=July 25, 2021|website=censusviewer.com}}</ref> The racial makeup of the village was 94.26% [[White (U.S. census)|White]], 1.51% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.61% [[Asian (U.S. census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.87% from [[Other races (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.71% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race composed 5.12% of the population.

===2000 census===
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,248 people, 1,127 households, and 912 families residing in the village.<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> The population density was {{convert|3,299.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,144 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,162.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the village was 95.23% White, 1.57% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.06% of the population.

Out of the 1,127 households, 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.0% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village in 2016 was $146,892, and the median income for a family was $121,569. About 0.8% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 0.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
==Parks and recreation==
Parks in Brightwaters include:<ref name=":0" />

* Gilbert Park
* Walker Beach
* Wohseepee Park

==Government==
As of July 2021, the Mayor of Brightwaters is John J. Valdini, and the Village Trustees are Mary Del Vecchio, Michael Dopsovic, Patrick Fawcett, and Thomas Zepf.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Board Of Trustees {{!}} Brightwaters NY|url=https://www.villageofbrightwaters.com/board-of-trustees|access-date=July 25, 2021|website=www.villageofbrightwaters.com}}</ref>

In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Brightwaters voters voted for [[Donald Trump]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]).<ref>{{cite web | title=Live election results: 2020 New York results | website=[[Politico]] | url=https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/new-york/ }}</ref>

==Education==

===School district===
Brightwaters is located entirely within the boundaries of – and is thus served by – the [[Bay Shore Union Free School District]].<ref name="CensusSDMap2020">{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36103_suffolk/DC20SD_C36103.pdf|title=2020 census - school district reference map: Suffolk County, NY|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|page=4 (PDF p. 5/6)|access-date=2024-10-18}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36103_suffolk/DC20SD_C36103_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>  Accordingly, all children who reside within Brightwaters and attend public schools go to Bay Shore's schools.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":122">{{Cite web|title=Long Island Index: Interactive Map|url=http://www.longislandindexmaps.org/|website=Long Island Index Maps|publisher=Long Island Index}}</ref>

===Library district===
Brightwaters is located wholly within the boundaries of the Bay Shore–Brightwaters Public Library District.<ref name=":122" />

==Notable person==
* [[Rick Lazio]] – [[United States House of Representatives|Congressman]], 2000 Senatorial candidate, and former gubernatorial candidate (R).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Profile of Rick Lazio|url=https://www.ontheissues.org/Profile_Rick_Lazio.htm|access-date=July 25, 2021|website=www.ontheissues.org}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[List of villages in New York (state)]]
* [[Fiske Terrace, Brooklyn]] – Another neighborhood developed by the [[T. B. Ackerson Company]].

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Brightwaters, New York}}
* [http://www.villageofbrightwaters.com Official website]

{{IslipNY}}
{{Suffolk County, New York}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Islip, New York]]
[[Category:Villages in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Villages in Suffolk County, New York]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:1916 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Populated places in the United States established in 1916]]