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History · Islip Terrace

Islip Terrace’s post office opened in 1922, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 2000.

1922first post office
0on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: AITFFan1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Islip Terrace began

When was Islip Terrace founded?

1922

The Islip Terrace post office opened in 1922, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 5,641 in 20002020 census: 5,323104 years
Founding year: the first Islip Terrace post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Islip Terrace’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Islip Terrace are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19043 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1984. Watch Islip Terrace change.Old housesHalf of Islip Terrace’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Islip Terrace’s collection

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

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

Islip Terrace on the map, 1904 to 1984

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

Islip Terrace on the 1904 USGS mapIslip Terrace on the 1942 USGS mapIslip Terrace on the 1984 USGS map1904Islip sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Islip Terrace came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Islip Terrace.

Read it all →

In 1914, a New York City real estate agent developed houses in the woods between East Islip and Central Islip State Hospital. Many who worked in the hospital lived here. The hamlet was originally called Germantown to attract people of German origin, but was renamed Islip Terrace because of German involvement in World War I.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Islip Terrace, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Islip Terrace, NY on Approach to MacArthur Airport, June 3, 20182018Islip Terrace, NY on Approach to MacArthur Airport, J…
People over time

Islip Terrace, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,00020002020Peak: 5,641

Between 5,323 and 5,641 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

North Great River1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEast IslipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCentral IslipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Islip Terrace’s history

What year was Islip Terrace founded?

The Islip Terrace post office opened in 1922, 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 →
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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 (1), 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.