Cow Neck Peninsula Explained

The Cow Neck Peninsula is a peninsula in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island.

Description

The Cow Neck Peninsula was named Cow Neck in the 17th century, in large part due to the fact that it served as a common pasture at the time.^[1] The Cow Neck Peninsula is famous for its affluence and historic communities, and was famous for its sand mines along Hempstead Harbor throughout the 20th century.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

It is believed that 90% of the concrete that built the foundations of New York City came from the Port Washington sand mines, and that over 100 million tons of sand were shipped to Manhattan.

The Cow Neck Peninsula is also known as Manhasset Neck or simply as Cow Neck.^[6]

Geography

On its west side, the Cow Neck Peninsula is bordered by Manhasset Bay.^[7] On its east side, it is bordered by Hempstead Harbor. To the north, it is bordered by the Long Island Sound.

Some places on the Cow Neck Peninsula – notably in Flower Hill and Manhasset – reach elevations high enough for the skyline of New York City to be seen from ground level.^[8]

List of communities

The following towns are located on the Cow Neck Peninsula – either in part or in whole:^[9]

• Baxter Estates
• Flower Hill
• Manhasset
• Manorhaven
• Plandome
• Plandome Heights
• Plandome Manor
• Port Washington
• Port Washington North
• Sands Point

The Cow Neck Peninsula is located entirely within the Town of North Hempstead.^[10]

Notes and References

1. News: Williams. George L.. March 30, 1987. Shifting Names Is a Tradition For LI Villages. Newsday. ProQuest.
2. News: Rather. John. 1996-11-17. Solid Comfort, in Distinct Enclaves (Published 1996). en-US. The New York Times. 2021-01-11. 0362-4331.
3. Web site: Sand Mining. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201001083204/https://www.cowneck.org/sand-mining . 2020-10-01 . 2021-01-11. Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society. en.
4. News: April 7, 1964. Tape Recaptures Life in Cow Neck. Newsday. ProQuest.
5. News: May 9, 1993. The Sand That Built New York City. The New York Times. ProQuest.
6. Book: Seyfried, Vincent F.. New York & North Shore Traction Company; Trolleys in: Whitestone, Flushing, Bayside, Roslyn, Pt. Washington, Mineola [and] Hicksville.]. F. E. Reifschneider. 1956. Orlando, Florida.
7. News: Palmer. Helen Camp. 1977-08-14. Cow Neck Peninsula Boasts No Cows and Only One 'Working' Farm to Link It With Historic Past (Published 1977). en-US. The New York Times. 2021-01-11. 0362-4331.
8. News: 1938-04-03. MANHASSET ESTATE DIVIDED FOR HOMES; Builders Planning 300 Houses on Former d'Oench Land at Flower Hill (Published 1938). en-US. The New York Times. 2020-12-17. 0362-4331.
9. News: May 17, 1992. A Place With Unique Qualities: Waterfront, parks make area special. Newsday. ProQuest.
10. 1873 Beers Map of North Hempstead.