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History · Centereach

Centereach’s post office opened in 1916

Most of Centereach was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1970. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1960.

1916first post office
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Centereach began

When was Centereach founded?

1916

The Centereach post office opened in 1916, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 8,524 in 19602020 census: 30,980110 years
Founding year: the first Centereach post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Centereach’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19025 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1967. Watch Centereach change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Centereach’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Centereach’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Centereach on the map, 1902 to 1967

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Centereach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Centereach on the 1902 USGS mapCentereach on the 1919 USGS mapCentereach on the 1947 USGS mapCentereach on the 1956 USGS mapCentereach on the 1967 USGS map1902Setauket sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Centereach.

The story

How Centereach came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Centereach.

Read it all →

The hamlet of Centereach was first called West Middle Island, but primarily became known as New Village until the early 20th century. When it was discovered that another village shared the same name, the name was changed to Centereach in 1916. The name Centereach reflects the centrality of the hamlet's location on Long Island, literally meaning "center reached".

Over the years Centereach has progressed from a small hamlet to a primarily suburban community. The population in 1940 was only 628, but the area had grown to nearly 20,000 residents by 1970.

The two earliest suburban developments, which began in the early 1950s, were Dawn Estates and Eastwood Village.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Centereach, 1873 to 1966

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873In the archivePart of Brookhaven, Sufffolk Co. L.I
  3. 20th century
  4. 1902In the archiveSuffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 5 (Map bounded by Coram, Coram Hill, West Yap…
  5. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1915In the archiveIndex Map No. 2 of a part of Suffolk County. North Side - Sound Shore, Long Island. Brook…
  7. 1965Born hereBert Heffernan is born here
  8. 1966Born hereTracey Fuchs is born here
By decade

Centereach, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s–1910s3 items
Part of Brookhaven, Sufffolk Co. L.I1873Part of Brookhaven, Sufffolk Co. L.IMapSuffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 5 (Map bounded by Coram, Coram Hill, West Yaphank, Plain Field, Medford, Ho…1902Suffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 5 (Map bo…MapIndex Map No. 2 of a part of Suffolk County. North Side - Sound Shore, Long Island. Brookhaven. Published by E. Belcher…1915Index Map No. 2 of a part of Suffolk County. North Si…Map
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
Capital One; Old Suffolk Co Federal; Centereach, NY-12017Capital One; Old Suffolk Co Federal; Centereach, NY-1Suffolk County Route 97 (Nicolls Road) - New York2010Suffolk County Route 97 (Nicolls Road) - New YorkCentereach-ny-map2007Centereach-ny-mapMap
People over time

Centereach, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,0001960198020002020Peak: 31,578

Between 8,524 and 31,578 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Centereach’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Centereach

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
T
Tracey FuchsAmerican field hockey player · b. 1966
Bert HeffernanAmerican baseball player · b. 1965
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

SeldenIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake Grove1 historic placeCLake RonkonkomaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFarmingville1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTerryvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHoltsvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Centereach’s history

What year was Centereach founded?

The Centereach post office opened in 1916, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.