Long Island

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Regions Nassau County Suffolk County (Brooklyn, Queens) North Shore · South Shore North Fork · South Fork Long Island Sound
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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 is 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.^[1] Long Island has an area of 1,401 square miles (3,629 km²), making it the largest island in the continental United States and the 149th largest island in the world.^[1] 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,^[1] with the population estimated at 7,559,372 as of July 1, 2006, making it the most populated island in any U.S. state or territory. It is also the 17th most populous island in the world, ahead of Ireland, Jamaica and the Japanese island of Hokkaidō. Its population density is 5,470 people per square mile (2,110 per km²).

Contents 1 Overview 2 Climate 2.1 Severe weather 3 Demography 4 History 5 Economy 6 Government and politics 6.1 Law enforcement and crime 6.2 Secession proposal 7 Transportation 7.1 Rail 8 Education 8.1 Primary and secondary education 8.2 Colleges and universities 9 Leisure and recreation 9.1 Resort areas 9.2 Food 9.3 Athletics 9.4 Music 10 Long Island in popular culture 11 Famous Residents 12 See also 13 Footnotes 14 External links

[edit] Overview

The Native American name for Long Island is Paumanok, meaning "The Island that Pays Tribute". More powerful tribes in the surrounding areas forced the relatively peaceful Long Islanders to give tributes and payment to avoid attacks.

The westernmost end of Long Island contains the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn (Kings County) and Queens (Queens County). The central and eastern portions contain the suburban Nassau and Suffolk counties. However, colloquial usage of the term "Long Island" or "the Island" refers only to Nassau and Suffolk counties; the more dense and urban Brooklyn and Queens are not usually thought of as being part of Long Island, as they are politically part of New York City.

Nassau County is more urbanized and congested than Suffolk County, with pockets of rural affluence in the cliffs of the Gold Coast of the North Shore overlooking the Long Island Sound. South Shore communities are built along protected wetlands and white sand beaches fronting on the Atlantic Ocean, which bring additional pockets of rare rural affluence to Long Island. Old money from the time of the Revolutionary War populated some of the island and still does to this day. Nouveau riches in the Roaring Twenties established large estates on the North Shore. Some have been donated to the public domain and become parks or museums; others have been redeveloped as conference or academic centers.

Owing to economic growth and the suburbanization of the metropolitan region after World War II, Nassau was the fastest growing county in the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s. Suffolk County remains less congested despite substantial growth in high technology and light manufacturing sectors since 1990. In its far east sections, Suffolk remains small town rural, as in Greenport on the North Fork and some of the outward look of The Hamptons, although it is overrun with summer tourists.

Long Island is known for its affluence and high quality of life. According to the 2000 Census, Nassau County is the third richest county per capita in New York State, and the 10th richest in the nation. Long Island's Nassau County has the second highest property taxes in the United States.^[2] 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.

[edit] 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 is 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.

[edit] Severe weather

Long Island is somewhat vulnerable to hurricanes.^[3] 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.

[edit] 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 [2] 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.

Religious groups on Long Island

Source: ARDA^[4]

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

[edit] History

Main article: History of Long Island

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 had been living and had connections. The easternmost 280 square miles (725 km²) of Queens County, which were not part of the consolidation plan,^{[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]} 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.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of Long Island

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The counties of 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.

[edit] Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Long Island

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, do not 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.

[edit] Law enforcement and crime

See also: List of Long Island law enforcement agencies

In 2005, Forbes magazine listed Long Island as having 2,042 crimes per 100,000 residents, less than half the US average [3].

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.

[edit] Secession proposal

For more information, see New York City secession.

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. ^[12]

[edit] Transportation

Main article: Transporation on Long Island

Every major form of transportation serves Long Island, including 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.

Major roads of Long Island
West-East Roads Merrick Road / Montauk Highway Sunrise Highway* Belt Parkway / Southern State Parkway Hempstead Turnpike Grand Central Parkway / Northern State Parkway Long Island Expressway Jericho Turnpike/Middle Country Road Northern Boulevard	South-North Roads Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Van Wyck Expressway Cross Island Parkway Meadowbrook State Parkway Wantagh State Parkway Newbridge Road Cedar Swamp Road/Broadway 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.

[edit] Rail

Main article: Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road is the busiest commuter railroad system in North America, carrying an average of 282,400 customers each weekday on 728 daily trains. Chartered on April 24, 1834, it is also the oldest railroad still operating under its original name.[4]

[edit] Education

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[edit] 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.

[edit] Colleges and universities

Nassau and Suffolk counties are home to numerous colleges and universities, including:

Public

• Branches of the State University of New York
  • Stony Brook University, including Stony Brook Southampton campus
  • SUNY College at Old Westbury
  • Farmingdale State College
  • Nassau Community College
  • Suffolk County Community College

• Other
  • United States Merchant Marine Academy

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^[13]
• Saint Joseph's College (Suffolk Campus)
• Touro Law Center
• Watson School of Biological Sciences
• Webb Institute

[edit] Leisure and recreation

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[edit] Resort areas

See also: List of Long Island recreational facilities

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 is not 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.

[edit] 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 is not 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, many are Greek and German owned, and many depending on the business of the town are open all night, for late night patrons.

[edit] Athletics

Long Island is home to numerous famous athletes, including hall of famers Jim Brown, Julius Erving, John Mackey and Carl Yastrzemski. Others include Gold Medalist Sarah Hughes, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Jumbo Elliott, Matt Serra, Boomer Esiason, Vinny Testaverde, Craig Biggio, Frank Catalanotto, Greg Sacks, Rob Burnett, Steve Park, Frank Viola, and Speedy Claxton.

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue
Long Island Rough Riders	Soccer	1994	United Soccer Leagues	Mitchel Athletic Complex
New York Islanders	Hockey	1972	National Hockey League	Nassau Coliseum
Long Island Lizards	Lacrosse	2001	Major League Lacrosse	Mitchel Athletic Complex
New York Titans	Indoor lacrosse	2007	National Lacrosse League	Nassau Coliseum/MSG
New York Dragons	Arena Football	1995	Arena Football League	Nassau Coliseum
Long Island Ducks	Baseball	2000	Atlantic League	Citibank Park
Strong Island Sound	Basketball	2005	American Basketball Association	Suffolk County Community College
New York Mets	Baseball	1962	Major League Baseball	Shea Stadium
Brooklyn Cyclones	Baseball	1999	New York-Penn League	KeySpan Park

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.

[edit] Music

Main article: Music and Long Island

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.

The Long Island music scene has been around for ages. Three generations of post-Elvis Presley teenagers have come of age in this world of crumbled Dunkin' Donuts dreams. Heroes of the Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk County) music scene include; Billy Joel, Pat Benatar, forefather of American Indie-Rock Lou Reed, Paul Simon, Johnny Ramone, Debbie Gibson, Eddie Money, new-age king John Tesh, Public Enemy, Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, Shaggy, folk singer Oscar Brand, Brooklyn Bridge, Ashanti, John Nolan, Dee Snider, Lindsay Lohan, Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Rakim, Blue Oyster Cult, Vanilla Fudge, emo rockers Taking Back Sunday, Straylight Run, and Brand New.

Artists from the counties of Kings and Queens are far too many to even begin naming, given the regions dominance in almost every genre of music. A handful of artists who call Queens or Kings their home include Jay Z, Nas, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Mobb Deep, LL Cool J, Q-Tip, Fugees, Mos Def, Foxy Brown, Fabolous, Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C., A Tribe Called Quest, Art Garfunkel.

In the beginning of the 21st century, Long Island became one of the premiere centers for independent rock music and the "emo" genre. Popular acts such as Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Straylight Run, and Envy on the Coast all consider Long Island their home. Today, "Long Island Emo" is considered it's own genre; reminiscent of "Seattle Grunge," "Orange County Hardcore," or "Detroit Techno."

[edit] Long Island in popular culture

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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.
• In the 2008 movie, What Happens in Vegas, Joy (played by Cameron Diaz) retreats to Fire Island.

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.
• Growing Up Gotti (2004-2005) on A&E.

Music:

• Billy Joel, a Long Island native, makes many references to places on the island, as well as the culture of New York City.

[edit] Famous Residents

• Walt Whitman
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Bill O'Reilly
• Eddie Murphy
• LL Cool J
• Lindsay Lohan - Merrick, NY: Singer, Actress
• Billy Joel
• Rosie O'Donnell
• Ashanti
• Isabella Rossellini
• Boomer Esiason
• Mick Foley
• Andy Kaufman
• Vinny Testaverde
• Shaggy
• Tony Danza from Malverne
• Steve Buscemi
• Jim Breuer
• Judd Apatow, director of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, from Syosset
• Jesse Lacey
• Alec Baldwin, Stephen Baldwin, William Baldwin, Daniel Baldwin
• Mariah Carey
• Meg Whitman
• Jim Brown
• Ben Cohen
• Natalie Portman
• Howard Stern
• Matt Serra
• Natalie Portman

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Long Island Convention's and Visitors Bureau
• Geology of Long Island
• Life On Long Island
• Long Island Exchange
• LongIsland.info
• LongIsland.com
• Long Island Economy
• Odd & Rare Historical facts of LI
• Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island (VanderbiltCupRaces.com)
• News Long Island

• Long Island travel guide from Wikitravel

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