Few people know the history of the town of Merrick, located in Long Island. It was not always known as Merrick. In fact, when Europeans first arrived in the mid 1600’s, it was called “Meroke” and it included the entire South Shore of what is now Nassau County. Throughout the years, the inhabitants of Merrick included Puritans, Methodists and even Pirates. However, the major turning point for the town occurred in the late 1880’s, when the South Shore Railroad was built, which passed through Merrick. It began a period of development for the town. Today, that railroad still exists, but is now known as the Long Island Railroad.
Over the years I have become familiar with the Long Island Railroad, but more specifically, with Merrick Station. Taking the train has raised my awareness to some of the issues occurring in the town. For example, the N53 bus, which used to stop at the Merrick Station, was discontinued this summer. For local residents, this is a major issue. Many people feel that driving to the station has become almost impossible since, after 8am, the parking lot is full. Without the convenience of the bus, people are out of options. I think it would be interesting to explore how residents are getting around without the bus, or if any plans for expanding the station parking lots are in effect. I would also like to investigate if the cab company located at the train station has had an increase in business lately due to the discontinuation of the bus.
Another topic of interest among residents seems to be the weekend car shows held at the Merrick Station. This event is popular not only among local residents, but among people from other towns as well. It might be a good idea to compare the Merrick car shows to car shows from other towns on the island.