Everything about Long Island New York totally explained
Long Island is an island located in southeastern
New York,
USA, where it stretches out to the northeast into the
Atlantic Ocean. It is comprised of four counties, two of which (
Queens and
Kings) are boroughs (
Queens and
Brooklyn) of
New York City, and two of which (
Nassau and
Suffolk) are
suburbs of that city. Long Island Sound runs between its northern border and Westchester, New York and Connecticut.
True to its name, Long Island is much longer than it's wide, extending 118 miles (190 km) from
New York Harbor, and varies in width between 12 to 23 miles (19 and 37 km) between
Long Island Sound and the southern
Atlantic coast. It is connected to the mainland by several bridges and tunnels through
New York City, and ferries to Connecticut from Suffolk County.
Long Island had a population of 7,448,618 as of the
2000 census,
Suffolk County has redeveloped North Fork potato fields into a burgeoning wine region. The South Fork is known for beach towns, including the world-renowned Hamptons, and for Montauk Point, home of
Montauk Point Lighthouse at the eastern tip of the island.
Long Island is also known for its strong middle class, accenting a dedication to hard work, suburban homeownership, investment in schools and education, and people who are strongly committed to family living and local community events. Many of these are descendants of second (or third) generation immigrant families who had originally come from Brooklyn and Queens, seeking the space and tranquility of the early suburbs. In particular, a strong Brooklyn orientation remains among many of these families.
It is local custom to say "on Long Island" rather than "in Long Island" when referring to locations in the region. This usage is consistently employed by local newspapers including
The New York Times and
Newsday.
Climate
Long Island has a climate similar to other coastal areas of the
Northeastern United States; it has warm, humid summers and cold winters. The Atlantic Ocean helps bring afternoon sea breezes that temper the heat in the warmer months and limit the frequency and severity of thunderstorms. Severe thunderstorms are not uncommon, especially when they approach the island from the mainland areas of the
Bronx,
Westchester County and
Connecticut in the northwest. Measurable snow falls every winter and in many winters one or more intense storms (called a
Nor'easter) produce blizzard conditions with snowfalls of 1–2 feet (30–60 cm) and near-
hurricane force winds.
Long Island temperatures vary from west to east, with the western part of the island warmer on most occasions than the east. This is due to two factors: the western part is closer to the mainland, and it's more densely developed, causing the "
urban heat island" effect. The eastern part is cooler on most occasions due to moderation of the Atlantic Ocean and the Long Island Sound, and its being less developed. On dry nights with no
clouds or wind, the
Pine Barrens in eastern Suffolk County can be almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius) cooler due to
radiational cooling.
Severe weather
Long Island is somewhat vulnerable to
hurricanes. Its northern location and relatively cool waters tend to weaken storms to below hurricane strength by the time they reach Long Island. Despite this, some storms have made landfall at Category 1 or greater strength, including two unnamed Category 3 storms in 1938 (
New England Hurricane of 1938) and 1944,
Hurricane Donna in 1960,
Hurricane Belle in 1976,
Hurricane Gloria in 1985,
Hurricane Bob in 1991 (brushed the eastern tip), and
Hurricane Floyd in 1999. (There is debate among
climatologists as to whether
Hurricane Floyd made landfall as a Category 1 or as a very strong "almost hurricane strength"
tropical storm. The official records note it as the latter.)
Many other storms crossed the island directly at
tropical storm strength, including
Hurricane Bertha in 1996 and
Hurricane Charley in 2004. In September 2006, the remnants of
Hurricane Ernesto swept through the area, causing several temporary power outages on parts of the island.
Some thunderstorms can be extremely severe and tornadoes, though very rare, are possible. In September 1998, a small tornado hit
Lynbrook; in August 1999, an F-2 tornado hit parts of
Mattituck, in August 2005, a small tornado hit
Glen Cove; one year later in August 2006, a small tornado hit
Massapequa in
Nassau County, and parts of
Amityville, which straddles Nassau and Suffolk counties but is officially located in Suffolk County. On
July 18,
2007, an F-1 tornado hit
Islip Terrace and on
September 27,
2006, a rare
waterspout was seen over the Long Island Sound near
Port Jefferson. In the wintertime, temperatures are warmer than areas further inland (especially in the night and early morning hours), sometimes causing a snowstorm further inland to fall as rain or mixed precipitation on the island.
Demography
Population trend>
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1790 |
37,108 |
| 1800 |
42,097 |
| 1810 |
48,752 |
| 1820 |
56,978 |
| 1830 |
69,775 |
| 1840 |
110,406 |
| 1850 |
212,637 |
| 1860 |
379,788 |
| 1870 |
540,648 |
| 1880 |
743,957 |
| 1890 |
1,029,097 |
|
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1900 |
1,452,611 |
| 1910 |
2,098,460 |
| 1920 |
2,723,764 |
| 1930 |
4,103,638 |
| 1940 |
4,600,022 |
| 1950 |
5,237,918 |
| 1960 |
6,403,852 |
| 1970 |
7,141,515 |
| 1980 |
6,728,074 |
| 1990 |
6,861,474 |
| 2000 |
7,448,618 |
|
Long Island is one of the most densely populated regions in the United States. As of the
United States 2000 Census, the total population of all four counties of Long Island was 7,448,618. New York City's portion of the census was 4,694,705, with Brooklyn's population at 2,465,326 and Queens having 2,229,379 residents.
The combined population of Nassau and Suffolk counties was 2,753,913 people; Suffolk County's share at 1,419,369 and Nassau County's at 1,334,544. Nassau County had a larger population for decades, but Suffolk County surpassed it in the 1990 census as growth and development continued to spread eastward As Suffolk County has over twice the land area of Nassau County, the latter still has a much higher population density. Combined, Long Island's population is greater than 38 of the 50 United States. If it were an independent nation, it would rank as the 96th
most populated nation, falling between
Switzerland and
Israel.
As of the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the island was 57.16%
White, 21.18%
African American, 0.36%
Native American, 9.06%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander, 8.17%
other races, and 4.01% from two or more races. 17.82% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau
Census 2000 (External Link
) show that non-whites are in the majority in the two urban counties of New York City, while whites are in the majority in the two suburban counties of Nassau and Suffolk:
- Kings County: 41.2% white, 36.4% black, 19.8% Hispanic/Latino, 7.5% Asian, and 0.4% American Indian/Native Alaskan.
- Queens County: 44.1% white, 25.0% Hispanic/Latino, 20.0% black, 17.6% Asian, and 0.1% American Indian/Native Alaskan.
- Nassau County: 79.3% white, 10.3% Hispanic/Latino, 10.1% black, 4.7% Asian, and 0.2% American Indian/Native Alaskan.
- Suffolk County: 84.6% white, 10.9% Hispanic/Latino, 6.9% black, 2.4% Asian, and 0.3% American Indian/Native Alaskan.
County
| Population
2000 census
|
%
Catholic
|
% not
affiliated
|
%
Jewish
|
%
Protestant
|
Estimate
of % not
reporting
|
| Kings |
2,465,326 |
37 |
4 |
15 |
8 |
33 |
| Queens |
2,229,379 |
29 |
37 |
11 |
5 |
15 |
| Nassau |
1,334,544 |
52 |
9 |
16 |
7 |
15 |
| Suffolk |
1,419,369 |
52 |
21 |
7 |
8 |
11 |
| Total |
7,448,618 |
40 |
18 |
12 |
7 |
20 |
History
The western portion of Long Island was settled by the Dutch, while the eastern region was settled by English
Puritans from
New Haven,
Connecticut, settling in Southold on
October 21,
1640. The entirety of Long Island came under English dominion in 1664 when the Dutch colony of
New Amsterdam was taken over by the English and renamed
New York. African Americans have been an integral part of Long Island history, most arriving first as slaves before the Revolution and working both at domestic and rural trades. During the
American Revolutionary War, the island was captured early by the British in the
Battle of Long Island. There was a notable
loyalist element, especially in
Hempstead. Yankees in northern and eastern parts were more inclined to Rebel sentiments. The island remained a British stronghold until the end of the war.
19th century Long Island was
rural and
agricultural, except in parts of Kings (Brooklyn) and Queens counties, which were consolidated into "The City of Greater New York" on
January 1,
1898. New York and Long Island kept slavery into the 19th century. Most freedpeople settled near where they'd been living and had connections. The easternmost 280 square miles (725 km²) of Queens County, which were not part of the consolidation plan,
separated in 1899 to form
Nassau County.
Many immigrants and African Americans moving from New York City have made comfortable lives on Long Island. The immigration waves of southern and eastern Europe, followed by more recent ones from Asia and Africa, have been pivotal in creating the diversity on Long Island that many other American regions lack. These immigrations are reflected in the large
Italian American,
Irish American and
Jewish American populations. Typically the immigrants lived in the more urban western parts of the island, and their descendants farther east. Late 20th century immigrants have often moved directly to Nassau County and other suburban areas.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Long Island began the transformation from backwoods and farms to the paradigm of the American
suburb. Railroads made possible commuting suburbs before construction of the Long Island Expressway and other major roadways.
Robert Moses created various parkway projects to span the island, along with state parks for the enjoyment of many.
Jones Beach on the Atlantic Ocean is the most famous, "the crown jewel in Moses' State Park System". Long Island quickly became New York City's retreat - with millions of people going to and from the city to the new state parks. Gradually development started to follow the parkways, with various communities springing up along the more traveled routes: (the
Southern State Parkway, the
Northern State Parkway, and, in the 1960s, the
Long Island Expressway). Many early developments had restrictive covenants on residents, but these changed after the Civil Rights Movement.
After
World War II, Long Island's population skyrocketed, mostly in
Nassau County and western
Suffolk County. People who worked and lived in
New York City moved out to Long Island in new developments built during the post-war boom. The most famous post-war development was the town of
Levittown. Positioned along the
Wantagh Parkway in the area formally known as Island Trees, the area became the first place to massively reproduce houses on a grand scale- providing great opportunity for GI's returning home to start a family. After the success of Levittown, other areas modeled what some people criticize as "suburban sprawl".
Nassau County became more densely populated than
Suffolk County because its residential areas were closer to jobs then concentrated in New York City.
Economy
Nassau and
Suffolk have many very affluent areas.
From about 1930 to about 1990, Long Island was considered one of the aviation centers of the United States, with companies such as
Grumman Aircraft having their headquarters and factories in the
Bethpage area.
Grumman was long the source of top warplanes for the
U.S. Navy and the
Marine Corps, as seen in the movie
Top Gun and numerous WW-II naval and Marine Corps aviation movies. Prominent WW-II Grumman aircraft included the
F4F Wildcat and
F6F Hellcat fighters, and the
TBF Avenger bomber, flown by hundreds of U.S. and Allied pilots, including former President
George H.W. Bush.
Long Island has played a prominent role in scientific research and in engineering. It is the home of the
Brookhaven National Laboratories in
nuclear physics and
Department of Energy research. In recent decades companies such as
Sperry Rand and
Computer Associates, headquartered in
Islandia, have made Long Island a center for the computer industry.
Gentiva Health Services, a national provider of home health and pharmacy services, also is headquartered in Long Island. Stonybrook University of the New York state system conducts far-ranging medical and technology research. Long Island is also home to the
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which was directed for 35 years by
James D. Watson (who co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA with
Francis Crick).
Tourism is a good part of the Long Island economy in certain regions. Tourism thrives primarily in the summer because of the natural beauty, parks and beaches in Long Island along with the warmer weather of summer. Regions of Long Island that are major tourist attractions include the North Fork on the east end of Suffolk County, known for fishing villages, quaint towns, ferries to Connecticut, and for world-famous wineries. The South Fork is known for similar features, including golf, equestrian, boating, surfing, and fine dining in the Hamptons and Montauk. The village of Patchogue has a fine theater, the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, which is the official home theater of the
Atlantic Wind Symphony.
The eastern end of the island is still partly agricultural. In the last 25 years, development of
vineyards on the North Fork became a major new industry, replacing potato fields. Pumpkin farms have been added to traditional
truck farming. Farms allow fresh fruit picking by Long Islanders for much of the year.
Fishing continues to be an important industry, especially at
Northport and
Montauk.
Long Island is home to the East Coast's largest industrial park, the Hauppauge Industrial Park. The park has over 1,300 companies employing more than 55,000 Long Islanders. Companies in the park and abroad are represented by the
Hauppauge Industrial Association.
Government and politics
Nassau County and
Suffolk County each have their own governments, with a
County Executive leading each. Each has a county legislature and countywide-elected officials, such as district attorney, county clerk and county comptroller. The towns in both counties have their own governments as well, with town supervisors and a town council.
Brooklyn and
Queens, on the other hand, don't have independent county governments. As
boroughs of New York City, both have
Borough Presidents, largely ceremonial offices with little political power. The shutdown of the city's
Board of Estimate due to a Supreme Court decision's declaring it unconstitutional, led to a reorganization of the city government.
Two
Indian reservations -
Poospatuck Reservation and
Shinnecock Reservation located in
Suffolk County are the home of Native Americans. Numerous island place names are Native American in origin.
Law enforcement and crime
In 2005,
Forbes magazine listed Long Island as having 2,042 crimes per 100,000 residents, less than half the US average
(External Link).
Long Island is patrolled by the
New York City Police Department,
Nassau County Police Department,
Suffolk County Police Department,
New York State Police and several dozen town and village police departments.
Both Nassau and Suffolk have a sheriff's office that handles civil process, evictions, warrant service and enforcement, prisoner transport, courthouse security and detention, and operation of the county jail. The
Nassau County Sheriff's Department employs about 1,000 correction officers and 100 deputy sheriffs and performs the above duties although deputy sheriffs have full police officer powers and can make arrests for any crime they come across. The
Suffolk County Sheriff's Office has approximately 900 correction officers and 260 deputy sheriffs and operates the two jail facilities in Suffolk County. The deputy sheriffs in Suffolk County have a full service patrol unit, including K9, Aviation, SWAT, and Marine divisions as well as a Criminal Investigation Division and various other special details and assignments.
Secession proposal
On March 28, 2008 Suffolk County, NY Comptroller Joseph Sawicki proposed a plan that would make Long Island the
51st state of the United States of America. Sawicki says that all the Long Island taxpayers' money would stay on Long Island and not all over the large state. The state of Long Island would include as many as 2.3 million people. If New York City and Westchester County were to be included in a new state together, the population would total over 9 million people, becoming the 10th most populated state in the US, ahead of Georgia and behind North Carolina.
Transportation
John F. Kennedy International Airport,
LaGuardia Airport, and
Long Island MacArthur Airport, multiple smaller airports, railroads, subways, and several major highways. There are historic and modern bridges,
recreational and commuter trails, and ferries as well.
The
Long Island Expressway,
Northern State Parkway, and
Southern State Parkway, all products of the automobile-centered planning of
Robert Moses, make east-west travel on the island straightforward, if not always quick. Indeed, locals refer to Long Island Expressway as "The World's Longest Parking Lot".
There are currently ten road crossings out of Long Island, all within
New York City limits at the extreme western end of the island. Plans for a
Long Island Crossing at various locations in Nassau and Suffolk Counties have been discussed for decades, but there are currently no firm plans to construct such a crossing.
Rail
April 24,
1834, it's also the oldest railroad still operating under its original name.
(External Link)
Education
Primary and secondary education
Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties are home to
125 public school districts containing a total of
656 public schools. Long Island is also home to a number of private and parochial schools.
Colleges and universities
Nassau and Suffolk counties are home to numerous colleges and universities, including:
Public
Branches of the State University of New York
Other
Private
Adelphi University
Briarcliffe College
Dowling College
Five Towns College
Hofstra University
Gibbs College, Melville
Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus
Molloy College
New York Institute of Technology
Polytechnic University of New York
Saint Francis College (Brooklyn)
Saint John's University
Saint Joseph's College (Suffolk Campus)
Touro Law Center
Watson School of Biological Sciences
Webb Institute
Leisure and recreation
Resort areas
Fire Island National Seashore, which is a long barrier island off Long Island's South Shore, is a hot spot for tourists, especially during the summer. The Village of Ocean Beach is the most populous community on Fire Island. There are restrictions on automobile use and the island isn't accessible by car (except for one small westerly portion), requiring passage by one of numerous ferries or other watercraft.
The Hamptons, in eastern Long Island's Suffolk County, is one of the area's most popular summer destinations. Parts of the Hamptons are well known for being a playground for the rich, and are frequented by residents of New York City during the summer months for weekend getaways. This has given rise to the terms "House in the Hamptons" or "Hamptons summer share."
The Garden City Hotel is near to several train stations, to the Roosevelt Field Mall, and to three golf courses. As well, Splish Splash, one of the world's leading water parks, can be found in Suffolk County.
Food
Both Nassau and Suffolk County are home to thousands of restaurants, many of them top quality. As New York is known as a melting pot, every kind of restaurant from Mexican to Hungarian to Indian to Bengali can be found. These specialty restaurants are often family owned.
Small family-owned pizzerias are ubiquitous. It isn't uncommon for a town on Long Island to have several different pizzerias, each with its own distinct flavor. The Long Island Pizza Festival & Bake-Off is annual competition where mom and pop pizzerias compete to be named best on Long Island.
Bagel stores and delis are also extremely common. Some bagel stores are Jewish owned and approved as kosher. Long Island bagels are considered some of the best in the world. Often more than one deli can be found in a town.
Diners also abound on Long Island and many depending on the business of the town are open all night, for late night patrons.
Athletics
Long Island is home to numerous famous athletes, including hall of famers Jim Brown, Julius Erving, John Mackey and Carl Yastrzemski. Others include Jumbo Elliott, Boomer Esiason, Vinny Testaverde, Craig Biggio, Frank Catalanotto, Greg Sacks, Rob Burnett, Steve Park, Frank Viola, and Speedy Claxton.
Ebbets Field, which stood in Brooklyn from 1913 to 1957, was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who decamped to California after the 1957 season to become the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers won several National League penants in the 1940s and 1950s, losing several times in the World Series—often called Subway Series—to their Bronx rivals, the New York Yankees. The Dodgers won their lone championship in Brooklyn in the 1955 World Series versus the Yankees. The Brooklyn Nets Arena is a proposed sports arena, business and residential complex to be built partly on a platform over the Atlantic Yards at Atlantic Avenue, and is intended to serve as a new home for the New Jersey Nets.
The New York Mets play at Shea Stadium in Flushing in Queens. Plans have been announced for a new stadium, Citi Field in Willets Point in the parking lot of the current stadium, to be completed for the 2009 baseball season. The new stadium is designed with an exterior facade and main entry rotunda inspired by Ebbets Field. The Brooklyn Cyclones are a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the New York Mets. The Cyclones play at KeySpan Park just off the boardwalk on Coney Island.
Nassau County is home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League and the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League, who both play at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale. Long Island has been a hot spot for outdoor lacrosse at the youth and college level, which made way for a Major League Lacrosse team in 2001, the Long Island Lizards. The Lizards play at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. The longest dirt Thoroughbred racecourse in the world is located in the Nassau County community of Elmont at Belmont Park.
Long Island is also home to the Long Island Ducks minor league baseball team of the Atlantic League. Their stadium, Citibank Park, is located in Central Islip. The American Basketball Association's Strong Island Sound play home games at Suffolk County Community College. The two main rugby teams are the Long Island RFC in East Meadow and the Suffolk Bull Moose in Stony Brook. It also has a professional soccer club, the Long Island Rough Riders, who play at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. The Rough Riders have won two national championships, in 1995 and 2002.
Another category of sporting events popular in this region are Firematic Racing events, involving many local Volunteer fire departments.
Music
Modern music has a long history on Long Island, as the island has long been part of US history and is near the most populous city in North America, yet is located in the suburbs and as such is strongly influenced by youth culture. Psychedelic rock was widely popular in the 1960s as flocks of disaffected youth travelled to NYC to participate in protest and the culture of the time. R & B also has a history in Long Island, especially in Nassau County, where population is denser and more closely influenced by New York City (Queens and Brooklyn).
Jones Beach State Park is a popular place to view summer concerts, with new as well as classic artists performing there during the summer months at its outdoor venue. It hosts a large Fourth of July fireworks show every year, and the stands are filled. People park cars along the highway leading to the show, and others watch from the nearby beaches.
Long Island is also known for its schools' music programs. Many schools in Suffolk County have distinguished music programs, with high numbers of students who are accepted into the state-wide All-State music groups, or even the National All-Eastern Coast music groups. Both the Suffolk County and Nassau County Music Educator's Associations are both recognized by MENC, and host numerous events, competitions, and other music-related activities.
Long Island in popular culture
Books:
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby takes place on the North Shore of Long Island.
Several books by Nelson DeMille, including Plum Island, The Gold Coast, The Charm School reference Long Island locations are take place on Long Island.
E.L. Doctorow's novel World's Fair was set at the 1939 fair in Queens.
Mary Gordon and Alice McDermott have written novels set in Irish-American Catholic culture of the urban and suburban areas of Long Island.
Chang Rae-Lee set his first novel Native Speaker (1995) in the Korean-American community in Queens. His third novel Aloft was set in suburban Long Island.
Fictional characters Joe & Frank Hardy, known as The Hardy Boys in the famous series of detective stories in both books and television, are from Bayport, Long Island.
The book Jaws originally took place in Long Island, with Amity being a town on it rather than its own island.
Film:
Animal Crackers, the Marx Brothers's second hit movie, was set in a Long Island mansion.
Sabrina, with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, had scenes filmed in Glen Cove and Nassau County.
The 2001 independent film L.I.E. (Long Island Expressway), starring Paul Dano and Brian Cox, dealt with an adolescent boy struggling in his life.
The 2004 movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet takes place on Long Island, specifically in Rockville Centre and Montauk.
The 2004 movie New York Minute, starring Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, has characters who attend Syosset High School.
The 1959 movie North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant, has scenes filmed in Glen Cove, Nassau County.
Comics:
Characters in the comic book Marvel Universe from Long Island include: » * At least three members of the superhero team the X-Men: Archangel (real name Warren Worthington and previously called Angel) is from Centerport; Iceman (real name Bobby Drake) from fictional Fort Washington (unrelated to real-world Port Washington); and Dazzler (real name Alison Blaire) from fictional Gardendale.
* Siblings Susan Storm Richards (the Invisible Woman) and Johnny Storm (the Human Torch) of the superhero team the Fantastic Four lived in a fictional Long Island town, Glenville, early in their careers.
In the DC Comics universe, the 1970s Teen Titans superhero team was headquartered in a Farmingdale club named Gabriel's Horn. The writer of the series, a Farmingdale native, based it upon an insurance building which he could see from his bedroom window as a boy.
Television and stage:
Fictional characters Ross and Monica Geller and Rachel Greene from Friends (NBC, 1994-2004), were from Long Island.
The fictional Seaver family e television show Growing Pains lived on Long Island.
The television series, Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS, 1996–2005) takes place in Lynbrook, Long Island.
In the Broadway musical "RENT", Maureen Johnson is said to be from Hicksville.
Music:
Billy Joel, a Long Island native, makes many references to places on the island, as well as the culture of New York City.Further Information
Get more info on 'Long Island New York'.
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