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/jUB.2ACI/676.2 Message Board Post: On 2/24/03 (9:52:59 PM MST), in a posting to the Suffolk County Board that was 'gatewayed' to [email protected], Sarah Cassi ([email protected]) asked, "long island continues to frustrate me with its bizarre divisions and sub-divisions. i know there are townships, villages, hamlets, etc. what i need to know is if i want to look at st. joseph convent in brentwood in the 1920 census, where will i look?" Brentwood is a hamlet (unincorporated area) in the northwestern section of the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, along the border with the Towns of Smithtown, Huntington and Babylon. There are 4 villages (incorporated municipalities) and 23 hamlets all or partly in the Town of Islip. 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 Brentwood in the Town of Islip is bordered on the north by Hamlets of Commack and Hauppauge in the Town of Smithtown (the Islip/Smithtown town line); on the east by the Hamlets of Central Islip and Islip; on the south by the Hamlets of Islip, North Bay Shore and Baywood; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Deer Park in the Town of Babylon (the Islip/Babylon town line) and the Hamlet of Dix Hills in the Town of Huntington (the Islip/Huntington town line). And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 31 villages and 126 hamlets), the Hamlet of Brentwood has a different border than does the "Brentwood, NY" postal zone. Hence, places, such as part of the Hamlet of Six Hills in the Town of Huntington, can have a "Brentwood, NY" mailing address and not be in Brentwood and places in Brentwood may have other than a "Brentwood, NY" mailing address. 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 Hamlet of Brentwood in 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. 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.