Roughly 40 miles from New York City, Brentwood is situated in the direct center of Long Island. From its founding under the name Modern Times by the anarchists Josiah Warren and Steven Pearl Andrews in 1852 to its rapid and extensive growth as a suburban bedroom community in the 20th century, Brentwood has always been an area undergoing struggle, change, and development. In the first half of the 20th century, the Long Island Rail Road ushered in Irish, Italian, and Russian families that influenced the once utopian society; by the century's end, Brentwood would be home to a notable Hispanic diaspora community. The construction of St. Joseph's Convent, Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital, and the Brentwood School District brought jobs to the area and bolstered population growth.
