Wheatley Heights - the Name, the Zip Code, Etc.

The name “Wheatley Heights” appears to come from a real estate development company known as Wheatley Heights Estates Company, headed by William Geiger, president. Geiger was also president of the Allied Realty Corporation. Geiger Memorial Park, which straddles the border between Wyandanch and Deer Park, is named for William Geiger. 

Although property owned by the Wheatley Heights Estates Company was located in Deer Park and Wyandanch, the name Wheatley Heights was adopted by the Wheatley Heights Community Association in the 1950s. The community association, led by president Herman Griem led the drive to establish a post office substation for the northern area of Wyandanch, starting in the 1960s. Despite some calls for the new post office to be named “Half Hollow Hills,” Wyandanch Postmaster Thomas Brown approved the name Wheatley Heights, in 1974.

In 1963, the U.S. Postal Service introduced the basic 5-digit zip code, across the country. The Wyandanch Post Office was assigned 11798. The Wheatley Heights Post Office is a substation of the Wyandanch Post Office, so both communities use the same base zip-code. 

Not just in the Town of Babylon, but across Long Island, the assignment of zip codes can cause confusion about “where” things are located.  The zip code assigned to addresses is based on the post office assigned to deliver the mail, but can be confused with all of the other facilities associated with an address. Here is an example of address within the Wheatley Heights postal district.