Long Island is the largest island in the continental United States and the 17th most populous island in the world. Long Island has a population of over 7,400,000 living on over 1,377 square miles. Long Island gets its name from the fact that it is much longer than it is wide. The island measures 118 miles from tip to tip and only 20 miles at its widest point.
The New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens make up the western part of Long Island. In the minds of residents of Long Island only the Nassau and Suffolk counties count as being called Long Island.
Long Island is seperated from the mainland of New England by the Long Island Sound. Barrier Island such as Fire Island separate Long Island from the Atlantic Ocean. Towns along the north shore of Long Island resemble New England coastal towns while the south shore towns have the look and flavor of the coastal towns along the Mid-Atlantic coast.
The counties of Nassau and Suffolk have long been renowned for their affluence. Long Island is home to some of the most expensive houses in the country. Long Island is home to the luxury communities of the Hamptons, in Suffolk County and Garden City and Manhasset in Nassau County. Since World War II, Long Island has become increasingly suburban and, in some areas, fully urbanized. Levittown was only the first of many new suburbs, and businesses followed residential development eastward.
The Long Island Rail Road, Long Island Expressway, and Northern and Southern State Parkways make east-west travel on the island straightforward, if not always quick. The MTA Long Island Bus provides bus transportation throughout Nassau County and the western portions of Suffolk County
It is not surprising that Long Island has a great deal of beaches. Some of the best known are Coney Island (in Brooklyn), The Rockaways (in Queens), Jones Beach in Nassau County and Fire Island National Seashore, which is a long barrier island off Long Island's South Shore.
Both Nassau and Suffolk County enjoy many restaurants owned and operated by skilled chefs trained in New York City. Pizzerias are highly ubiquitous. It is not uncommon for a town/hamlet on Long Island to have more than a dozen of them, each with its own distinct flavors. Other regional eateries are very prevalent in most Long Island towns.
Nassau County is also home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, who play at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale. Belmont Park, whose main track is the longest dirt Thoroughbred racecourse in the world, is located in the Nassau County community of Elmont.
Long Island has become a destination for people who are in search of wineries and wine tours. The north shore of Long island has become a location that has earned a reputation for fine wines since 1975. The number of wineries continue to grow as the quality of wines produced continue to improve. The combination of sandy soils and ocean moderated climate makes the north shore of Long Island a great place for growing high quality grapes.