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/475.1 Message Board Post: On 12/26/02 (3:59:47 PM MST), a posting by ????? ([email protected]) to the Nassau County Board was 'gatewayed' to [email protected]: "Looking for info on badges that belonged to my Grand Father." Incorporated in 1925 as the Village of Jamaica Square, the name of the municipality was changed to South Floral Park in 1931. The Village of South Floral Park encompasses (this may be too powerful a verb to be using here) an area of only 64 acres! According to my quick calculation, 64 acres = 0.1 square miles (yep, that's a 1/10th of a square mile). In other words, if the Village of South Floral Park was a perfect square, then each of its sides would be slightly less than 1/3rd of a mile (actually each side would be 0.316 miles and the perimeter of the village would be 1.265 miles). The Village of South Floral Park in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County is the smallest village in either Nassau or Suffolk counties in terms of acreage because it is also the smallest in New York State. (The Village of Dering Harbor in the Town of Shelter Island and the Village of Saltaire in the Town of Islip, both in Suffolk County, are the 1st and 2nd smallest in New York State in terms of population.) The pertinent geography: South Floral Park is a village (first incorporated in 1925 as the Village of Jamaica Square, but the name was changed to South Floral Park in 1931) in the northwest part of the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County. There are 36 hamlets (unincorporated areas) and 22 villages 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 South Floral Park in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north, east and west by the Village of Floral Park; and, on the south by the Hamlet of Elmont. And, as occurs in all but one of Nassau County's 136 communities (2 cities, 64 villages and 70 hamlets), the Village of South Floral Park has a different border than does the postal zone that services its area. In this case, there is no "South Floral Park, NY" postal zone. ................................................acres ....Village of South Floral Park.......64 ....South Floral Park, NY ?????...none All places within the Village of South Floral Park are in the "Floral Park, NY 11001" 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 Village of South Floral Park (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.