Long Island

Long Island

JFK International Airport Wine country vineyards Stony Brook University Robert Moses State Park
Location of Long Island in New York state
Long Island Location of Long Island in the United States
Geography
Location	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	40°48′N 73°18′W / 40.8°N 73.3°W / 40.8; -73.3
Area	1,376.1 sq mi (3,564 km2)
Highest elevation	401 ft (122.2 m)
Highest point	Jayne's Hill
Administration
United States
State	New York
Largest settlement	Brooklyn, Pacific Islander

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Long Island is an island in southeastern New York state, constituting a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land area. The island extends from New York Harbor 118 miles (190 km) eastward into the North Atlantic Ocean with a maximum north–south width of 23 miles (37 km).^[2][3] With a land area of 1,401 square miles (3,630 km²), it is the largest island in the contiguous United States.^[4]

Long Island is divided among four counties, with Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, and Nassau occupying its western third and Suffolk its eastern two-thirds. As of 2020, most New York City residents (58.4%) live on Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens,^[5] although in common parlance, the term "Long Island", locally "the Island",^{[citation needed]} refers exclusively to the counties of Nassau and Suffolk.^[6] Conversely, locally, the term "the City" refers to Manhattan alone.^[7] The Nassau–Suffolk-only definition of Long Island is recognized as a region by the State of New York.^[8] Although geographically an island, the Supreme Court of the United States has held that given the island's extensive ties to the mainland, it should be treated legally as a peninsula, giving the state jurisdiction over its maritime boundaries.^[9]

Long Island may refer both to the main island and the surrounding

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The first nations of Long Island used

The government that these original settlers set up was a participatory democracy^{[citation needed]} and there was an alliance between the nations. Each nation had its own territory and chief that was respected by other tribes.^[22] Prior to European colonization, the Lenape people (named the Delaware by Europeans) inhabited the western end of Long Island and spoke the Munsee dialect of Lenape, part of the Algonquian language family. The Lenape practiced record keeping and used wooden tablets, trees, and stones to keep record.^{[original research?]} They also used wampum belts to write down important messages.^[23] They also used their wampum to trade with the Europeans.^[20] The Lenape people, in specific, were seen as peacemakers by other indigenous nations, although they would defend themselves if necessary. The Europeans admired their friendliness and their skills in mediation.^[24]

There is a common misconception that there were "thirteen tribes" which inhabited the island before the arrival of Europeans; this was erroneously taught in schools until as late as the mid-1990s.[25]

17th century

In 1609, the English navigator Henry Hudson explored the harbor and purportedly landed at the present-day Coney Island. Dutch explorer Adriaen Block followed in 1615 and is credited as the first European to determine that both Manhattan and Long Island are islands.

In 1636,

In 1640, English colonists attempted to settle Cow Bay in what is present-day Port Washington. After an alert by Native leader Penhawitz, the colonists were arrested by the Dutch but released after saying they were mistaken about the title.^[26]

Through Farret, who received

Despite these shifting claims to title and absentee land sales, European settlers continued to purchase land directly from indigenous people. In 1655, they split the acquired land amongst themselves and continued to search the island for more land for settlement. On June 10, 1664, other parts of indigenous land were bought, including present-day Brookhaven, Bellport, and South Haven, in exchange for four coats and 6 pounds 10 shilling - a value that, accounting for monetary inflation through 2017, is currently worth approximately $840.^[19]

The white settlers and indigenous people lived amicably together for a while. During King Philip's War in 1675, the English governor of New York ordered that all canoes east of Hell Gate be confiscated. This was done to prevent the indigenous people from helping their native allies on the mainland, who were attacking settlers there.^[28]

After the Dutch began to move into Manhattan, many indigenous people moved to Pennsylvania and Delaware. Many of those who stayed behind died from smallpox, which inflicted North American for the first time and resulted in large scale deaths due to lack of antibodies and natural resistance which Eurasian peoples had gained with their exposure to the disease.^[29]

Native American land deeds recorded by the Dutch from 1636 state that the Indians referred to Long Island as Sewanhaka. Sewanhacky and Sewanhacking were other spellings in the transliteration of the Lenape.^[30] Sewan was one of the terms for wampum, commemorative stringed shell beads, for a while also used as currency by colonists in trades with the Lenape, and is also translated as "loose" or "scattered", which may refer either to the wampum or to Long Island.^[30] The name "'t Lange Eylandt alias Matouwacs" appears in Dutch maps from the 1650s,^[31][32] with 't Lange Eylandt translating it to "Long Island" from Old Dutch. The English referred to Long Island as "Nassau Island",^[33] after the House of Nassau of the Dutch Prince William of Nassau, Prince of Orange (who later also ruled as King William III of England). It is unclear when the name "Nassau Island" was discontinued. Another indigenous name from colonial time, Paumanok, comes from the Native American name for Long Island and means "the island that pays tribute."^[34]

The very first European settlements on Long Island were by settlers from England and its colonies in present-day

The 1664 land patent granted to the Duke of York included all islands in Long Island Sound. The Duke of York held a grudge against Connecticut, as New Haven had hidden three of the judges (John Dixwell, Edward Whalley and William Goffe^[35]) who sentenced the Duke's father, King Charles I, to death in 1649. Settlers throughout Suffolk County pressed to stay part of Connecticut, but Governor Sir Edmund Andros threatened to eliminate the settlers' rights to land if they did not yield, which they did by 1676.^[36]

All of Long Island along with islands between Long Island and Connecticut became part of the Province of New York within the Shire of York. Present-day Suffolk County was designated as the East Riding (of Yorkshire), present-day Brooklyn was part of the West Riding, and present-day Queens and Nassau were part of the larger North Riding. In 1683, Yorkshire was dissolved and the three original counties on Long Island were established: Kings, Queens, and Suffolk.

18th century

William Floyd was born on Long Island on December 17, 1734. His family had emigrated to America in 1654 and by the time of his birth were well established and wealthy. He was a member of the Suffolk County Militia in the early conflict with Britain, attaining the rank of Major General. In 1774 he was chosen as a representative from New York to the First Continental Congress. His property was destroyed by British and Tory sympathizers. In 1789 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving until 1791. Francis Lewis from Brookhaven on Long Island was another signer of the Declaration that also had his home destroyed by the British, who then imprisoned his wife. George Washington managed her release by having the wives of two wealthy Philadelphia Tories arrested, then exchanging them for Mrs. Lewis.

Early in the American Revolutionary War, the island was captured by the British from General George Washington in the Battle of Long Island, a decisive battle after which Washington narrowly evacuated his troops from Brooklyn Heights under a dense fog. After the British victory on Long Island, many Patriots withdrew, leaving mostly Loyalists behind. The island was a British stronghold until the end of the war in 1783.^[37]

General Washington based his

Long Island's colonists served both Loyalist and Patriot causes, with many prominent families divided among both sides. During the occupation, British troops used a number of civilian structures for defense and demanded to be quartered in the homes of civilians. A number of structures from this era remain. Among these are Raynham Hall, the Oyster Bay home of patriot spy Robert Townsend, and the Caroline Church in Setauket, which contains bullet holes from a skirmish known as the Battle of Setauket. Also in existence is a reconstruction of Brooklyn's Old Stone House, on the site of the Maryland 400's celebrated last stand during the Battle of Long Island.^[38]

19th century

In the 19th century, Long Island was still mainly

Until the 1883 completion of the Brooklyn Bridge, the only means of travel between Long Island and the rest of the United States was by boat or ship. As other bridges and tunnels were constructed, areas of the island began to be developed as residential suburbs, first around the railroads that offered commuting into the city. On January 1, 1898, Kings County and portions of Queens County were consolidated into the "City of Greater New York", abolishing all cities and towns within them. The easternmost 280 square miles (730 km²) of Queens County, which were not part of the consolidation plan,^{[41][42][43][44][45][46]} separated from Queens in 1899 to form Nassau County.

At the close of the 19th century, wealthy

From the 1920s to the 1940s, Long Island began the transformation from backwoods and farms as developers created numerous suburbs. Numerous branches of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) already enabled commuting from the suburbs to Manhattan. Robert Moses engineered various automobile parkway projects to span the island, and developed beaches and state parks for the enjoyment of residents and visitors from the city. Gradually, development also followed these parkways, with various communities springing up along the more traveled routes.

After World War II, suburban development increased with incentives under the

The westernmost end of Long Island contains the New York City

In its easternmost sections, Suffolk County remains semi-rural, as in Greenport on the North Fork and some of the periphery of the area prominently known as The Hamptons, although summer tourism swells the population in those areas. The North Fork peninsula of Suffolk County's East End has developed a burgeoning wine region.^[55] In addition, the South Fork peninsula is known for beach communities, including the Hamptons, and for the Montauk Point Lighthouse at the eastern tip of the island. The Pine Barrens is a preserved pine forest encompassing much of eastern Suffolk County.

Geology

A detailed

The land to the south of this moraine to the South Shore is the outwash plain of the last glacier. One part of the outwash plain was known as the

Countyscapes

The Downtown Brooklyn skyline at the western end of Long Island with the Manhattan Bridge (far left) and the Brooklyn Bridge (near left) visible across the East River from Lower Manhattan at sunset in June 2013

Long Island City in Queens, one of New York City and Long Island's fastest-growing neighborhoods,^[58] with the East River (foreground) and the Queensboro Bridge (left), which connects Queens and Manhattan, at blue hour in March 2015 .

Climate

Under the

On August 13, 2014, flash flooding occurred in western-central Suffolk County after a record-setting rainfall deposited more than three months' worth of precipitation on the area within a few hours.^[62]

Long Island is somewhat vulnerable to

Several smaller islands, though geographically distinct, are in proximity to Long Island and are often grouped with it. These islands include

Environmental degradation

Long Island is a region affected by environmental degradation resulting from urban and suburban expansion beginning at the start of the 20th century. With the Long Island Sound to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east, Long Island is home to a diverse range of habitats including salt marshes, coastal grasslands, beaches, rocky intertidal zones, tidal flats, pine barrens, estuaries, deciduous forests and many more.^[77] Each of these habitats faces unique challenges in terms of environmental degradation but a few common issues can be found in each of them.

One of the most common forms of environmental degradation is eutrophication of lakes and ponds due nutrient pollution. Nearly all of the bodies of water on Long Island have been affected by nutrient pollution in the form of nitrogen and phosphorus.^[78] Fertilizer containing high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus is washed into nearby surface water, accelerating the process of eutrophication. Common signs of eutrophication include murky green water and foul odor.^[79] Nutrient pollution is also responsible for Harmful Algal Blooms which can be toxic to aquatic organisms, birds and mammals, including humans.

Chemical pollution is common on Long Island with it being home to 38 Superfund sites both closed and active. The four counties of Long Island have had chemical pollution, but Nassau County has the most out of the group with 18 superfund sites.^[80] Most famously from 1942 to 1996 Northrop Grumman and the United States Navy owned 600 acres where they manufactured military aircraft. Disposal practices of both parties resulted in a plume of VOCs or volatile organic compounds that contaminated groundwater in an area extending 4.3 miles north and south and 2.1 miles east and west. Restoration efforts have been on going since 2019 but concern over water quality still remains.^[81] Chemical pollution on Long Island often follows a similar pattern of negligence with hazardous chemicals that leak into groundwater and soil. Long Island drinking water is sourced from a large aquifer which is at risk of contamination if chemical pollution continues.

Long Island is one of the most developed areas in the United States with a majority of the high intensity development located closer to New York City and lower intensity development moving east across the island. High intensity development makes up 10% of the land cover on Long Island. Medium intensity development makes up 17%, and low intensity development makes up 17%. Developed open spaces account for 19% making the total percent of developed land around 63%.^[82] Most of the undeveloped land is found in Suffolk County which is made up of 46% undeveloped land.^[82] This level of development means most of the original habitats on Long Island have been destroyed or segmented by housing developments or roads. Tidal wetlands are the victims of the most habitat destruction due development of coastal land. New York has lost almost half of its tidal wetlands along the Long Island Sound.^[83] These tidal wetlands act as a natural barrier from flooding. As they are destroyed and developed the chances of flooding increase.

Climate change will affect Long Islanders in a number of ways in the future. It is estimated that at current rates by the year 2100 water levels will rise about four feet causing the relocation and destruction of neighborhoods along the coast of the island.^[84] As well as rising water levels, Long Islanders will have to deal with the effects of ever stronger hurricane seasons, and more catastrophic storms like Hurricane Sandy in 2012.^[84] Rising temperatures will also exacerbate the algal bloom problems, as algae tends to thrive in warmer waters.^[84] Restoration of coast lines and marsh habitats may provided some protection against flooding from large storms, but Long Island is largely unprepared for the increasing intensity of storms in the years to come.

Demographics

Long Island is the most populous island and one of the most densely populated regions in the United States. At the

Whites are the largest racial group in all four counties, and are in the majority in Nassau and Suffolk counties.[88] In 2002, The New York Times cited a study by the non-profit group ERASE Racism, which determined that Nassau and Suffolk counties constitute the most racially segregated suburbs in the United States.^[89]

In contrast, Queens is the most ethnically diverse county in the United States and the most diverse urban area in the world.^[90][91]

According to a 2000 report on religion, which asked congregations to respond, Catholics are the largest religious group on Long Island, with non-affiliated in second place. Catholics make up 52% of the population of Nassau and Suffolk, versus 22% for the country as a whole, with Jews at 16% and 7%, respectively, versus 1.7% nationwide.^[92] Only a small percentage of Protestants responded, 7% and 8% respectively, for Nassau and Suffolk counties. This is in contrast with 23% for the entire country on the same survey, and 50% on self-identification surveys.^[92]

A growing population of nearly half a million

A 2010 article in The New York Times stated that the expansion of the immigrant workforce on Long Island has not displaced any jobs from other Long Island residents. Half of the immigrants on Long Island hold white-collar positions.^[111]

The counties of Nassau and Suffolk have been long renowned for their

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Long Island has played a prominent role in

From about 1930 to about 1990, Long Island was considered one of the aerospace manufacturing centers of the United States, with companies such as Grumman, Republic, Fairchild, and Curtiss having their headquarters and factories on Long Island. These operations have largely been phased out or significantly diminished.

Government and politics

Nassau County and Suffolk County each have their own governments, with a

The secession of Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island from New York State was proposed as early as 1896, but talk was revived towards the latter part of the twentieth century.^[115] On March 28, 2008, Suffolk County Comptroller Joseph Sawicki proposed a plan that would make Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island the 51st state of the United States of America.^[116] Sawicki claimed all of Nassau and Suffolk taxpayers' money would remain locally, rather than the funds being dispersed all over the entire state of New York, with these counties sending to Albany over three billion dollars more than they receive.^[117] The state of Long Island would have included nearly 3 million people (a larger population than that of fifteen other states). Nassau County executive Ed Mangano came out in support of such a proposal in April 2010 and commissioned a study on it.^[118]

Education

Primary and secondary education

Many public and private high schools on Long Island are ranked among the best in the United States.

Long Island is home to a range of

Music

Music on Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk) is strongly influenced by the proximity to New York City and by the youth culture of the suburbs.

Long Island has historically been a center for fishing and

Of land-based produce, Long Island duck has a history of national recognition since the 19th century, with four duck farms continuing to produce 2 million ducks a year as of 2013^[update].^[125] Two symbols of Long Island's duck farming heritage are the Long Island Ducks minor-league baseball team and the Big Duck, a 1931 duck-shaped building that is a historic landmark and tourist attraction. In addition to Long Island's duck industry, Riverhead contains one of the largest buffalo farms on the East coast.^[126]

Long Island is well known for its production of alcoholic beverages. Eastern Long Island is a significant producer of

Major league sports

Ebbets Field, which stood in Brooklyn from 1913 until its demolition in 1960, was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, who moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 Major League Baseball season to become the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers won several National League pennants 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.

Despite this success during the latter part of the team's stay in Brooklyn, they were a second-division team with an unspectacular winning record for much of their history there – but nonetheless became legendary for the almost-fanatical devotion of the Brooklynites who packed the relatively small ballpark to vigorously root for the team they affectionately called, "Dem Bums". Loss of the Dodgers to California was locally considered a civic tragedy that negatively affected the community far more than the similar moves of other established teams to new cities in the 1950s, including the Dodgers' long-time arch-rival

Minor league and college sports

Long Island's professional soccer club, the New York Cosmos, play in the Division 2 North American Soccer League at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead.

Long Island has historically been a hotbed of

Long Island has a wide variety of

.

Notable sportspeople and teams

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Long Island is home to numerous famous athletes, including

Several NHL players were born and/or raised on Long Island, including Vancouver Canucks' Christopher Higgins and Matt Gilroy, Nashville Predators' Eric Nystrom, Toronto Maple Leafs' Mike Komisarek, Pittsburgh Penguins' Rob Scuderi, and New York Rangers' Keith Kinkaid. Both Komisarek and Higgins played on the same Suffolk County Hockey League team at an early age, and later played on the Montreal Canadiens together. Nick Drahos was an All Scholastic and All Long Island honoree at Lawrence High School, Nassau Co. in 1936 and 1937, and a two-time Unanimous National College All-American in 1939 and 1940 at Cornell University.

Transportation

Many major forms of transportation serve Long Island, including aviation via

There are eleven road crossings out of Long Island, all but one providing Brooklyn-Manhattan, Queens-Manhattan, and Queens-Bronx connections across the East River, with the

The

The MTA considers itself to be the largest regional public transportation provider in the Western Hemisphere. As of 2018[update], MTA agencies move about 8.6 million customers per day (translating to 2.65 billion rail and bus customers a year).^[132] The MTA's systems carry over 11 million passengers on an average weekday systemwide, and over 850,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday.^[133]

Rail

The

The

.

Major roads of Long Island

Direction	Route shield	Name
West-East		Nassau Expressway northern section
		Montauk Highway
		Sunrise Highway*
		Belt Parkway / Southern State Parkway
		Hempstead Turnpike
		Babylon–Farmingdale Turnpike
		Grand Central Parkway / Northern State Parkway
		Long Island Expressway
		Jericho Turnpike/Middle Country Road
		Northern Boulevard
South-North		Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
		Van Wyck Expressway
		Nassau Expressway southern section
		Clearview Expressway
		Cross Island Parkway
		Meadowbrook State Parkway
		Wantagh State Parkway
		Newbridge Road
		Cedar Swamp Road/Broadway/Hicksville Road
		Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway
		Broad Hollow Road
		Deer Park Avenue
		Robert Moses Causeway
		Sagtikos State Parkway
		Sunken Meadow State Parkway
		Islip Avenue
		Nicolls Road
		William Floyd Parkway
Roads in boldface are limited access roads. Sunrise Highway is only limited-access from western Suffolk County eastwards.

Ground transportation

Several hundred transportation companies service the Long Island and New York City areas. Winston Airport Shuttle, the oldest of these companies in business since 1973, was the first to introduce door-to-door shared-ride service to and from the major airports, which almost all transportation companies now use.[142]

See also

• Coastal Connecticut
• Geography of New York City
• Jersey Shore
• List of films shot on Long Island
• List of Long Islanders, famous residents of Nassau and Suffolk
• List of Long Island recreational facilities
• List of people from New York City, including notable residents of Brooklyn and Queens
• List of tallest buildings on Long Island
• Long Island (proposed state)
• Timeline of town creation in Downstate New York

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Long Island.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Long Island.

• Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Long Island" .
  The American Cyclopædia
  .

40°48′N 73°18′W / 40.8°N 73.3°W / 40.8; -73.3