Valley Stream shows growth

The population has increased in Valley Stream in the past 10 years, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau, and the community has also become more diverse.

The village’s population based on the 2010 census is 37,511, an increase of about 1,100 residents since the 2000 census. North Valley Stream’s population went up by nearly 850 people, while South Valley Stream gained about 300 residents.

Vincent Ang, now retired, was village clerk of Valley Stream for the past two census periods. He said the recorded population has gone up during the past 20 years, but he said part of the reason is better record keeping. The 1990 census showed a population of about 33,000, which he estimated to be low and might not have included some streets in village.

In 2009, Ang and then-Mayor Ed Cahill met with a U.S. Census representative to go over data, and put together a list of known apartments and multiple-family dwellings in the village to get the most accurate count for the 2010 census. Even with the population clocking in at 37,000 plus, Ang said he wouldn’t be surprised if there were actually more than 40,000 people living in the village, as it was in the 1970s. There are always some people, he said, who won’t return their census form.

Ang said that despite what he believes is a more accurate count of the population in the 2010 census, Valley Stream has grown. “I see new families moving in,” he said. “That’s what you want to see. It’s a good trend for the village.”

And not only are new families moving in, he said, but larger extended families are now calling Valley Stream.

There are many factors that make Valley Stream a desirable place to live, Ang explained. It is close to New York City, yet still has a suburban feel. There are two train stations in the village, Valley Stream and Gibson, with a third, Westwood, just a stone’s throw away. And the Southern State Parkway is close making for an easy trip to the beach, Ang said.