This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/lRB.2ACE/512.1 Message Board Post: On 2/26/03 (1:42:50 PM MST), in a posting to the Nassau County Board that was 'gatewayed' to [email protected], Marie Swartz ([email protected]) asked, "Looking for county of Orient, Long Island..marriage record for Andrew Wunder/MaryAnn Riley says this is the place of residence...trying to find them in 1880 census...thanks [email protected]" Orient is a hamlet in the Town of Southold, Suffolk County. The pertinent geography: Orient is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the eastern part -- Orient is at the extreme eastern end of the north fork -- of the Town of Southold, Suffolk County. There are 1 village and 10 hamlets in the Town of Southold. There are no cities and 10 towns in Suffolk County. There are 2 Indian reservations in Suffolk 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 the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Orient in the Town of Southold is bordered on the north and east by the Long Island Sound; on the south by Gardiner's Bay; and, on the west by Hamlet of East Marion. And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 31 villages and 126 hamlets), the Hamlet of Orient has a different border than does the "Orient, NY" postal zone. There are places in the Hamlet of Orient that have an East Marion, NY mailing address. For those who have their copy of the 2002 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 Hamlet of Orient in the Town of Southold, Suffolk County on pages 15 & 30 (map) and 31 (population estimate). I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. 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.