On 2/3/04 (5:30:56 AM MST), in a posting to li-rooters@listserv.genexchange.com, David Roberts (droberts@olg.com) asked, "What do you know about vital records from the Town of Islip?" I think the best route would be to ask the Town Clerk of the Town of Islip: Town Clerk Town of Islip Islip Town Hall 655 Main Street Islip, NY 11751-3651 Tel: 631/224-5490 Fax: 631/???-???? eMail: ????? http://www.???.???.??? Currently, there are 4 villages (incorporated municipalities) and 22 hamlets (unincorporated areas) all or partly in the Town of Islip. (I'm including after my name a NYS Geographic Glossary with the NYS definitions of county, city, town, village, hamlet and postal zone.) These 26 communities are (if a village, year of incorporation): Bayport Bay Shore Baywood Bohemia Brentwood Brightwaters (1916) Central Islip East Islip Fire Island (part) Great River Hauppauge (part) Holbrook (part) Holtsville (part) Islandia (1985) Islip Islip Terrace North Bay Shore North Great River Oakdale Ocean Beach (1921) Ronkonkoma Saltaire (1917) Sayville West Bay Shore West Islip West Sayville part = indicates a village or hamlet that straddles town boundaries. For those who have their copy of the 2002 or earlier editions of the LI Population Survey or have already downloaded the report from the Long Island Power Authority web site (eMail me directly if you need instructions on how to access and download the report), you'll find the Town of Islip and all the villages and hamlets within the Town of Islip, Suffolk County on pages 14 & 20 (map) and 21 (population estimate). I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Happy Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish Arbor Day celebrating the New Year for trees (begins Friday, February 6 at sunset), Walter Greenspan . Cities, Towns, Villages, Hamlets and Postal Zones in New York State New York State is divided into counties. County A county is a municipal corporation, a subdivision of the state, created to perform state functions; a "regional" government. All counties are divided into cities, towns and Indian reservations. City A city is a unique governmental entity with its own special charter. Cities are not sub-divided, except into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas. Town A town is a municipal corporation and encompasses all territory within the state except that within cities or Indian reservations. Towns can be sub-divided into villages and hamlets. Village A village is a general purpose municipal corporation formed voluntarily by the residents of an area in one or more towns to provide themselves with municipal services. The pattern of village organization is similar to those of a city. A village is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas. Hamlet A hamlet is an unincorporated area in one or more towns that is governed at-large by the town(s) it is in. A hamlet is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas. Postal Zone "City" and "Town" A postal zone "City" and "Town" is an administrative district established by the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the mail. Postal zone "City" and "Town" may not (but are encouraged to) conform to municipal or community borders. Thus, postal zone location does not always determine city, village or hamlet location. Please be aware: In many areas of New York State, the problem of non-conforming postal zones leads to a situation where the majority of places have a different community name in their mailing address than the community where that place is actually located.