Central Islip (also known locally by its initials as CI) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 34,450 at the 2010 census.

History and overview

Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the Secatogue tribe of Algonquin native-American people lived in the area now known as Central Islip. In 1842, the Long Island Rail Road's eastward expansion reached the area, and the Suffolk County Station was opened up. The Suffolk County Station, became the commercial center for housing. With that being done the name Central Islip was thus born, and applied to a new station built in 1873 further to the east. The modern Central Islip station is in a different location from all of its predecessors. In 1889, what became the Central Islip Psychiatric Center opened. By 1955, it housed over 10,000 patients. It closed in 1996. In the mid-1990s, Central Islip began a resurgence, with new housing developments, commercial properties, and government complexes. A new federal courthouse complex opened, claimed to be the second largest in the country. On part of the site of the former Central Islip Psychiatric Center's 788 acre campus. In 2000, the baseball stadium for Independent league team Long Island Ducks opened up. Housing developments in Central Islip include:

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 18.4 km2, all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 34,450 people, 8,792 households, and 6,813 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,398.2 PD/sqmi. There were 9,189 housing units at an average density of 1,264.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 43.6% White, 25.0% African American, 3.4% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.1% of the population. Foreign-born residents comprised 34.7% of the population. There were 8,792 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 8.0% were persons under the age of 5, 3.5% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.56 and the average family size was 3.87. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $55,504, and the median income for a family was $57,252. Males had a median income of $35,187 versus $27,842 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,910. About 8.3% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 census, there were 34,450 people, 9,365 households, and 6,928 families living in the CDP. The racial/ethnic breakdown was as follows: In addition, 52.1% was of Hispanic origin.

Schools

The Central Islip Union Free School District operates public schools. Central Islip was home to NYIT (the New York Institute of Technology) and Touro Law Center, located next to the local New York Supreme Court building. The only remaining Catholic school, Our Lady of Providence, was closed after the 2021-21 academic year and consolidated with another Suffolk County parish school to form Our Lady of Guadalupe at nearby Deer Park.

Churches

Transportation

Roads

Major roads within the hamlet of Islip are:

Airport

Islip Terrace is west of Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma.

Train

Central Islip Station is located along the Ronkonkoma Branch of the Long Island Rail Road.

Buses

There are many bus stops going through Central Islip along the 4, 6, 17, 52A and weekday-only 52B routes on Suffolk County Transit. Buses are operated and maintained by the local Suffolk Transportation Service, Inc.

Sports

Notable people