Hicksville, New York 2025

Hicksville is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population was 41,632 at the 2020 census.

Hicksville, residents are a mix of different cultures, ethnicities, and income levels. While retaining its diverse character, the community has shared numerous defining characteristics, including a strong work ethic, a love of family and community, and a deep desire for fair treatment. Many residents are direct descendants of the town's original German settlers. Hicksville has a strong Italian-American community.

Hicksville, home to many parks and recreational facilities, hosts various annual community festivals, including the Hicksville Sweet Potato Festival, is located in Nassau County, NY, US.

Hicksville celebrates its annual Sweet Potato Festival because one of the community's ancestors, Joseph W. Foster, helped popularize the sweet potato in the 19th century. He created a special plow that made it possible to cultivate sweet potatoes successfully. For that, Hicksville honors itself, Joseph W. Foster, and their favorite food every September.

The local cuisine mainly includes sweet potatoes. These are some sweet potato dishes in Hicksville; sweet potato pie, a southern favorite, twice-baked casserole, mashed sweet potato, biscuits with sweet potato butter, roasted sweet potato hash, roasted butternut squash and sweet potato.

Hicksville Public Schools serves the community. Hicksville High School, the district's only high school, has approximately 2,200 students in grades 9-12. The district built the school in 1955; graduates have the option to attend nursing programs, cosmetology programs, automotive programs, carpentry programs, culinary arts programs, computers, and various other vocational subjects.

Between 1837 and 1841, residents of the unincorporated community around the Hicksville train station collected signatures to form the community's first school district. The community met in the school house, now 115 years old, at Andrews Road and West John Street. They hired districts' first schoolteacher, Miss Amanda miscall, for $425 per year. Hicksville had "about 50 scholars," boys and girls ages 5 to 17.

Walter and Seely Decker, Hicksville brothers, built a sawmill near the LIRR tracks and Jericho Turnpike, marking the beginning of Hicksville's appearance in 1834. A year later, residents voted to name their community "Hicksville," named after Valentine Hicks, an LIRR station supervisor. Hicks was also a station agent, postmaster, and general store owner, hence the name Hicksville. In 1837, residents formed the community's first school district.

When the people petitioned for a new post office, they had to name their community, and in 1835, the community's name became Heights-ville because of the area's hilly terrain. However, Heightsville had already been assigned to another community. Therefore, the name was changed to Hicksville; the post office opened on May 11, 1837. On the other hand, Hicks named his school district and post office after his family's prominent Victorian home, built in 1852, Hick's Villa.

Hicksville's population grew from just over 100 residents in 1834 to 150 in 1850. Over 1,000 people lived in Hicksville in 1900. By 1920, that number had increased over 12 times to 5,238, and the town was officially incorporated.