Holtsville

History

The hamlet known today as Holtsville included only a few farmhouses in the late 18th century. In 1843, the Long Island Rail Road opened its Waverly station. Maps from that period label the area as Waverly, and a stagecoach line ran north–south along present day Waverly Avenue. As another post office named Waverly already existed in New York, the name of the hamlet was changed to Holtsville in 1860, in honor of U.S. Postmaster General Joseph Holt. As of 1874, Holtsville consisted of 15 houses, a school, and a general store. The train station retained the name "Waverly" for some time, but was eventually also changed to Holtsville, probably in the 1890s, after farmers complained about their shipments going upstate by mistake. In 1916, the Suffolk County Tuberculosis Sanatorium opened on land that was considered Holtsville at the time, but is now part of the hamlet of Selden. The site later became the location of the main campus of Suffolk County Community College. The Internal Revenue Service opened a large processing center on a site in the hamlet in 1972. Holtsville commuters were advised to use Medford and Ronkonkoma stations; more use Ronkonkoma because, except for a few peak-hour trains terminating in Mineola or Hicksville, boarding at Medford would require transfer to an electric train at Ronkonkoma anyway. As of 2016, the Internal Revenue Service in Holtsville has the lowest ZIP Code (00501) in use in the United States.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• LONGWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
  High · MIDDLE ISLAND · 2,977 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• CENTRAL ISLIP SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CENTRAL ISLIP · 2,576 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL
  High · MEDFORD · 2,443 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• SACHEM HIGH SCHOOL EAST
  High · FARMINGVILLE · 2,082 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• SACHEM HIGH SCHOOL NORTH
  High · LAKE RONKONKOMA · 1,923 students · 11.5:1 ratio
• CONNETQUOT HIGH SCHOOL
  High · BOHEMIA · 1,757 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• EASTERN SUFFOLK BOCES
  Other · PATCHOGUE · 1,721 students · 4.7:1 ratio
• NEWFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
  High · SELDEN · 1,559 students · 13.6:1 ratio