On 6/3/04 (5:45:09 PM MDT), in a posting to NYBROOKLYN-L@rootsweb.com, mary zatorski (mzatorsk@suffolk.lib.ny.us) asks, "Could someone tell me where to write for a death certificate for Valley Stream?" Well, I don't think that Valley Stream has died, yet. However, if you're looking for a death certificate fir a death that occurred in Valley Stream, if the death occurred in the Village of Valley Stream then you'd want to contact the Village Clerk for the Village of Valley Stream, but if the death occurred in the "Valley Stream, NY" postal zone outside of the Village of Valley Stream, then you'd want to contact the Town Clerk for the Town of Hempstead: Village Clerk Village of Valley Stream Village Hall 123 South Central Avenue Valley Stream, NY 11582 Tel: 516/825-4221 Fax: 516-825-8316 eMail: vsclerkdept1@valleystream.govoffice.com http://valleystream.govoffice.com/ Office of the Town Clerk Town of Hempstead Hempstead Town Hall One Washington Street Hempstead, NY 11550 Tel: 516/489-5000, X3046 Fax: 516/???-???? eMail: ????? http://www.townofhempstead.org./content/tc/menu_tc.html Valley Stream is one of those many communities on Long Island where many places with a "Valley Stream, NY" mailing address are NOT in Valley Stream. The pertinent geography: Valley Stream is a village (incorporated in 1925) in the western part of the Town of Hempstead, in the southwest part of Nassau County, along the Nassau County/New York City (County/Borough of Queens) line. There are 22 villages and 36 hamlets (unincorporated areas) all or partly within the Town of Hempstead. There are 2 cities and 3 towns in Nassau County. (I'm including after my name a NYS Geographic Glossary with the NYS definitions of county, city, town, village, hamlet and postal zone.) Beginning on its northern border and proceeding clockwise, the Village of Valley Stream in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of North Valley Stream; on the east by the Villages of Malverne and Lynbrook and the Hamlet of Hewlett; on the south by the Hamlets of Hewlett, Woodmere and South Valley Stream; and, on the west by the Hamlet of South Valley Stream and New York City (County/Borough of Queens). And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Village of Valley Stream has a different border than does the "Valley Stream, NY" postal zone. ......................................................acres .....Village of Valley Stream ..............2,258 .....Hamlet of North Valley Stream .....1,209 .....Hamlet of South Valley Stream .......566 .....Valley Stream, NY 11580 ............2,496 .....Valley Stream, NY 11581 ............1,813 ...................total .............................4,309 As indicated by the acreage numbers, the Village of Valley Stream is only about 52% of the "Valley Stream, NY" postal zone. Hence, there is about an equal chance that a place with a "Valley Stream, NY" mailing address is NOT in the Village of Valley Stream. For those who have their copy of the 2003 or earlier edition 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 Village of Valley Stream (incorporated in 1925) in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County on pages 5 & 8 (map) and 9 (population estimate). I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Regards, 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.