What is a Hamlet?

A hamlet is a community. The Town of Babylon is comprised of ten hamlets and three incorporated villages.  The hamlets are: Copiague ● Deer Park ● East Farmingdale ● North Amityville ● North Babylon ● North Lindenhurst ● West Babylon ● Wheatley Heights ● Wyandanch ● And, the barrier beach communities of Captree Island, Gilgo Beach, Oak Beach, Oak Island and West Gilgo Beach.

Local governments in the state of New York include counties, cities, towns and villages. The communities within Town governments are known as “hamlets.” 

The term “hamlet” does not have a legal definition under NYS law, but is used to identify communities within Towns (such as the Town of Babylon) that are not part of incorporated villages, sometimes referred to as “unincorporated communities.” 

A hamlet does not have its own government and is under the jurisdiction of its Town for municipal services (e.g. garbage pick-up, building codes). Causing great confusion … hamlets have no official boundaries. (Outside of the state of New York, the term “hamlet” is rarely used.)

Generally, the hamlet of Wyandanch is bounded on the east by the Carll River, which runs through Geiger Lake, and on the north by Nicolls Road/Main Avenue. On the south, the delineation between Wyandanch and North Babylon is not clearly defined. Edison Avenue, Cumberbach Street – between Straight Path and Mount Avenue, and Wyandanch Avenue – east of Mount Avenue, approximate the southern boundary. From a historical perspective, regardless of zip code designations, and the western boundary is Wellwood Avenue, although the dominant existence of cemeteries can give an impression that Little East Neck Road is the western edge. 

The area bounded by Wellwood Avenue (west), Patton Avenue (north), Little East Neck Road (east) and Edison Avenue (south) was historically known as “Sheet 9.” The name came from the mapping of property owned by Abby and Thomas Wellwood and Charles Schleier, who developed the “City of Breslau,” the 1870 community that became Lindenhurst. 

The present Wheatley Heights community was previously considered part of Wyandanch. The two hamlets share the same base zip-code, 11798, but the establishment of the Post Office Sub-Station in 1974 established the Wheatley Heights community name.