(The following letter was written by Billy Joel to a Hicksville resident explaining why he often refers to Levittown, and not Hicksville, as the place he grew up. The letter is being reprinted here with the author's permission.)

Thank you for your letter. I hope that I haven't caused any consternation or hard feelings by my recent remarks. I have never denied being from Hicksville and like you, feel pride for my hometown. Please understand that, for me, Hicksville and Levittown are inextricably bound in my memory and that I mean no disrespect by referring to one and not the other. However, even though I did live in Hicksville, I lived in a Levitt house, I went to Levittown pools, parks and elementary schools which were, in fact built by William Levitt, as were the "Village Green" shopping areas to which I so often refer.

Levittown was the prototype for the American suburban housing development and the first rung on the ladder of the post World War II American Dream. It was a cultural phenomenon and it had a profound and lasting influence on my life. When I speak to a national audience, I mention Levittown as it is more familiar than Hicksville because of its identity as a social experiment. Hicksville is, as we both know, the geographical location of a once very traditional Long Island small town, the downtown area of which has virtually disappeared. I mourn the loss of that place because it was my experience with small town America. Both Hicksville and Levittown have a distinct identity and in my life they are equally influential and inseparable. Hicksville was where I lived "on the map," Levittown was where I lived "on the block."