Elmont

Lore & Background

In 1650, Christopher and Thomas Foster purchased a large plot of land on the Hempstead Plains, naming it 'Foster's Meadow.' By the mid-17th century, descendants of Sephardic Jews settled there for agriculture. Control shifted to England in 1664, and by 1683 Foster's Meadow was part of Queens County. The current boundaries were decided in 1898 when Nassau County was created.

In the mid-19th century, Roman Catholic and Ashkenazi Jewish farmers from Brooklyn and Middle Village arrived, largely of German and Italian descent. The Church of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ was built in 1852, re-dedicated as Saint Boniface Roman Catholic Parish in 1857. In 1882, Foster's Meadow was renamed Elmont. Belmont Park opened in 1905, leading to suburban development.

In 1910, it hosted the first air race in the United States. In 1918, Belmont Park was the New York terminal for the first inter-city Air Mail Service. In 1940 and 1943, the park held war relief events. After World War II, suburban tract homes were built.

In 2017, the New York Islanders' bid to redevelop part of Belmont Park was selected, leading to construction of UBS Arena, which opened in fall 2021. Belmont Park Village, an open-air luxury outlet center, opened in October 2024. Elmont has attempted to incorporate as a village multiple times (1931, 1940, 1949) but has been unable to do so.

Reader's Guide

Elmont is famous for Belmont Park, which hosts the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown. It is also home to UBS Arena, home of the NHL's New York Islanders. The CDP has a total area of all land. It is on the border between Nassau County and Queens, earning it the nickname 'The Gateway to Long Island.' Elmont is located within the Hook Creek Watershed. It has a humid subtropical climate, with average monthly temperatures ranging from 32.3°F in January to 75.3°F in July. According to the USDA, it is in hardiness zone 7b.