On 10/2/02 (9:14:29 AM MDT), Jack Frosty ([email protected]) asked, "Can anyone answer this question? Just by-the-bye, I would suppose that someone in this HICKS family must be the person for whom Hicksville NY (in Nassau County) is named. That could provide hints for further "local" research, and also of interest for anyone (like me) interested in visiting locales of ancestors. Alas, I don't think much--if any--of old Hicksville exists any longer." The Hamlet of Hicksville in the Town of Oyster Bay is named after Valentine Hicks of the Hamlet of Jericho in the Town of Oyster Bay. Valentine Hicks was the second president of the Long Island Rail Road and he brought the LIRR to 'Hicksville' in 1837. The pertinent geography: Hicksville -- once the potato capital of LI -- is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the center-west part of the Town of Oyster Bay (along the Oyster Bay/North Hempstead/Hempstead town line), Nassau County. There are 18 hamlets and 18 villages all or partly within the Town of Oyster Bay. 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 Hamlet of Hicksville in the Town of Oyster Bay is bordered on the north by the Hamlets of Jericho and Syosset; on the east by the Hamlets of Plainview and Bethpage; on the south by the Hamlet of Levittown in the Town of Hempstead (the Oyster Bay/Hempstead town lone); and, on the west by the Hamlet of Salisbury in the Town of Hempstead and the Hamlet of New Cassel in the Town of North Hempstead (Oyster Bay/Hempstead/North Hempstead town line). And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Hamlet of Hicksville has a different border than does the "Hicksville, NY 11801" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a Hicksville mailing address and not be in Hicksville and a place can be in Hicksville and have other than a Hicksville mailing address). .........................................acres ......Hamlet of Hicksville.......4,359 ......Hicksville, NY 11801.....4,233 Currently, there are places with a "Bethpage, NY 11714", "Jericho, NY 11753" and "Westbury, NY 11590" mailing address that are actually in the Hamlet of Hicksville. In the late 1940s, prior to the construction of Levittown (and the ensuing secession of the Hamlet of Levittown, mostly in the Town of Hempstead, but also partly in the Town of Oyster Bay) and the creation of the "Levittown, NY 11756" ZIP Code, that area was included in the "Hicksville, NY" postal zone. For those who have their copy of the 2001 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 Hicksville in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County on pages 5 & 11 (map) and 12 (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.