Mineola is an important part of New York history.  In 1900, Governor Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for the new County Seat to be built in Mineola. It was an honor to be chosen as the location of the County Seat and was cause for a huge celebration. In a few years, Mineola would become incorporated.

The history of Mineola dates back to the 16th century and it has changed names several times. Because of its location, it is a popular residential destination. For many years Mineola was the County-Seat of Queens. Mineola, New York was named after an Algonquin Indian Chef. The word Mineola means “Pleasant Place” in their language.

Many of the buildings in the area are historical and significant. The community takes pride in their history and you can read more about the town here.

Mineola has a railway station and Nassau Inter-County Express. This and the close proximity of New York City make Mineola a popular place. It is easy for residents to use the shops, and businesses in the neighboring cities and to travel with ease. This also means local shops are small and personable. The population is small compared to other cities and towns nearby. Many of the business in Mineola are mom & pop, family-owned businesses that people need on a day to day basis.

Below you will find a partial list of people who came from or grew up in Mineola. You can see the diversity in the community. There are many names here that made their marks on society, especially in the film industry.

Sports

Jimmy Hines – Professional golfer

B.J. LaMura – Professional Baseball, pitcher

Carlos Mendes – Major League Soccer

John Valentin – MLB Player

Chris Weidman – UFC Middleweight Champion

Jack Emmer – Champion, men’s college lacrosse

B.J. LaMura – Professional baseball

Carlos Mendes – Major League Soccer

Entertainers / Television

Lenny Bruce, Comedian

Emmy Clarke – Recurring actor for USA Network

Brian Dennehy – Actor

Kevin James – Actor

Jackie Martling – Comedian and screenwriter

Kim Richards – Child Actress

Lauren Scala – broadcaster and correspondent

Stephen Schwartz- Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning writer and composer

Elliot G. Jaspin – Pulitzer Prize winner, reporter

Robert B. Silvers – The New York Reviewer of books

Michael Burns – Actor on the show Wagon Train. Later went on to be a writer and a professor

J.D. Daniels – Actor, The Mighty Ducks

Sally Menke – Editor

Jackie Martling – Actor, Private Parts

Lennie Bruce – Writer

Justine Cotsonas – Actress, Sneaky Pete

Peter Walker, Actor – Somerset

Jenna Busch – Actress

Business

Kenneth Chenault – CEO American Express

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr- former Chairman of IBM and former Chairman of the Carlyle Group

Politics – Government

Bill Owens – Former Congressman for New York’s 23rd District

Frances Townsend – US Homeland Security Adviser under President George W. Bush

This is a very small portion of the famous people who came from or lived in Mineola. Not only does Mineola have bragging rights on its number of actors, actresses, writers, and broadcasters, it has a large population of behind the scenes super-stars. People who write, direct, edit, and produce television shows and movies also came from this area.