The area now consisting of the Village of Saddle Rock was, like the rest of the Great Neck Peninsula, originally inhabited by the MatinecockNative Americans.[2][3] The first European settlers arrived in the area during the 17th century. The Village of Saddle Rock is so named for an offshore boulder that gives the appearance of a saddle, first noted on a map in 1658, during these early years of European settlement.[2][3]
The village is also home to a historic mill. Officially known as the Saddle Rock Grist Mill, it was built circa 1700 and is located inside a small cove that opens onto Little Neck Bay off Long Island Sound.[4] The mill is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest continually operating tidal grist mill in the United States. The mill is now owned and operated by Nassau County as a working museum open to the public. The mill has been restored to its mid-19th-century appearance and is located on Grist Mill Lane.[5]
The first Mayor of Saddle Rock was Roswell Eldridge, who was appointed "Acting Mayor" after he had incorporated his own private estate as the Village of Saddle Rock in 1911.[6][7]
In 1926, Eldridge's wife, Louise Udall Skidmore Eldridge, officially became the first female Mayor of Saddle Rock, and reportedly the first female Mayor in the state of New York. Louise Eldridge served as Mayor from 1926 until her death in 1947.[6][8] She was also the last private individual to own the grist mill.
Geography
U.S. Census map of Saddle Rock.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), of which 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2), or 7.69%, is water.[9]
As of the 2020 census, there were 989 people residing in the village.[19]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 830 people residing in the village.[19]
Census 2000
As of the census[19] of 2000, there were 791 people, 265 households, and 236 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,239.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,250.9/km2). There were 275 housing units at an average density of 1,126.4 per square mile (434.9/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 90.39% White, 0.76% African American, 6.19% Asian, 1.01% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population.
Ancestries: Russian (10.5%), United States (9.7%), Arab (9.4%), Polish (5.8%), Hungarian (2.0%), Lithuanian (1.9%).[20]
There were 265 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.5% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.9% were non-families. 8.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 15.7% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $125,630, and the median income for a family was $137,962. Males had a median income of $92,073 versus $40,625 for females. The per capita income for the village was $63,242. About 3.4% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Village government
As of August 2023, the Mayor of Saddle Rock is Dan Levy, the Deputy Mayor is David H. Schwartz, and the Village Trustees are Manny Alani, Alex Kishinevsky, and Ronen Ben-Josef.[21] The mayor, deputy mayor, and trustee positions are all unpaid, volunteer positions.[22]
The following is a list of the Mayors of Saddle Rock', from 1911 to present:[3]
Mayors of Saddle Rock:
Mayor's name
Year(s) in office
Roswell Eldridge
1911–1926
Louise Udall Skidmore Eldridge
1926–1947
Henry E. Treadwell
1947–1950
Samuel Berger
1950–1951
George Wolf
1951–1952
Jacob W. Friedman
1952–1954
Harold I. Glasser
1954–1962
Jack I. Antokal
1962–1968
Emanuel R. Bachner
1968–1980
Leonard Eisenberg
1980–1985
Allen Michelson
1985–1991
J. Leonard Samansky
1991–2011
Dr. Dan Levy
2011–present
Representation in higher government
Town representation
Saddle Rock is located in the Town of North Hempstead's 5th council district, which as of August 2023 is represented on the North Hempstead Town Council by David A. Adhami (R–Great Neck).[23]
In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Saddle Rock voters voted for Donald Trump (R).[30]
Education
School district
Saddle Rock is located entirely within the boundaries of the Great Neck Union Free School District.[4][31] As such, all children who reside within the village and attend public schools go to Great Neck's schools.[4][31]
Library district
Saddle Rock is located within the boundaries of the Great Neck Library District, which is served by the Great Neck Public Library.[4]
The Village of Saddle Rock is located within the boundaries of the Water Authority of Great Neck North, which provides the entirety of the village with water.[4]
^"The Gold Coast of Long Island". Eldridge successfully lobbied the state legislature and the governor of New York to change the state law's minimum requirement to organize a village from 250 residents to 50. By including his family and his servants, Mr. Eldridge incorporated his estate and set a precedent that was emulated throughout the Gold Coast...the huge upsurge in the population in the twenties witnessed no less than twenty-one "golf club" village incorporations. Many of these "villages" were little more than three or four estate owners banding together to form a municipality.
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