19 Fun Facts About Long Island You Should Know!
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Islands are considered to be very important and unique in Mother Nature's abundant features.
Islands provide a home to many rare species, laying the foundation for coral reefs. Coral reefs are an ecosystem on Earth that are very biologically diverse.
Islands provide people with an abundance of food resources, one reason why some of the islands in the world are densely populated. Long Island is one among them, having 2,160.3 inhabitants per sq km.
With cold winters, hot and humid summers, and mild weather in spring and fall, Long Island facilitates a lot of fun and entertainment with its museums, botanical gardens, parks, amusement parks, and wineries in addition to its vast and beautiful beaches.
The History Of Long Island
Stories about the past have always been a curious and fascinating topic for humankind. The recorded history of Long Island starts from the 17th century.
Munsee dialect-speaking Lenape people lived in the western end of Long Island. Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian who serviced Francis I of France, was the one who encountered these people in 1524 when he landed at the western end, now known as New York Bay.
He was the first to make records about the Lenape people who lived there. Mohegan-Montauk-Narragansett language-speaking people were inhabiting the eastern end having ties with the aboriginal people who lived then in the current Connecticut and Rhode Island areas.
Silas Wood, the anthropologist, claimed that there were many homogeneous tribes in Long Island. However, modern scholars believe that there were only two different cultural identities and linguistic groups on Long Island. Three American Indian groups, having ties with aboriginal inhabitants, known as Shinnecock, Montaukett and Unkechaug, still live on Long Island.
Long Island also had Dutch and English settlements in the 1600s. John Underhill, Wyandanch, William 'Tangier' Smith, Lion Gardiner, and Captain William Kidd were some of the early colonial settlers in Long Island. Long Island's history also records several witch hunts made by its residents. One such hunt also included Lion Gardiner's daughter.
Long Island also witnessed the most significant Revolutionary War, known as the Battle of Long Island. The Revolutionary War's last battle was, supposedly, the one of December 1782, referred to as the 'Boat Fight.'
Many developments took place in Long Island in the 19th century. Modest suburbanization started as the steam ferry services connected Wall Street to Brooklyn Heights.
Introduction of streetcar lines, trolleys/trams, and railroads connected Long Island to various other parts of New York City. The population of Long Island started increasing with the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883, followed by many other bridges and tunnels, and Long Island changed into a suburban area.
The consolidation of Kings County along with parts of Queens County into Greater New York City occurred in 1898. This consolidation abolished many cities and towns in that part of Long Island.
Parts of Queens County consisting of 725 square km at the easternmost side, which were not consolidated into the Greater New York City, formed a new county, named 'Nassau' county.
Farmers in Long Island used to own five or six slaves per household. Abolition of slavery laws of Long Island were passed in 1799, gradually freeing the last slaves by 1827.
The 20th century witnessed the next round of changes on Long Island. With elevated subways and seven more bridges built across the East River smoothing the commutation, many people migrated from New York City to Long Island.
After World War II, the population increased manifold, mainly in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Long Island also boasts a very proud aviation history with many historic airports and aerospace companies.
The September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Centre, and the recession in 2008-2009 badly affected the residents of Long Island, and its economy. Many of them died in the attack, several others lost their jobs, and there was also a massive drop in the housing market, to the tune of 18%.
The Long Island Population
Long Island houses 40% of New York's population. As per the 2020 census, 8.06 million people live on Long Island.
Kings County tops the list with 2.73 million inhabitants, followed by Queens with 2.4 million, while Suffolk County ranks third with 1.52 million. The last on the list is Nassau county accommodating 1.39 million people. Long Island's population in 2020 increased by 6.5% as compared to 2010.
The Long Island community comprises 0.49% Native American, 54.7% Whites, 20.4% Blacks, 0.5% Pacific Islanders, 20.5% Hispanics or Latinos and 12.3% Asians, 3.2% mixed-race, and 8.8% of other races. More than 50% of its population is female.
Description Of Long Island
Long Island, earlier known as Nassau Island, is situated in the Atlantic Ocean on the southeastern side of the US state of New York. It is almost parallel to the southern shore of Connecticut, and Long Island Sound separates it in the north.
The Harbor of New York City marks the western end of Long Island. It comprises four counties, Kings County in the west and Suffolk County in the east; Queens County and Nassau County lie between Kings and Suffolk counties.
Queens is adjacent to Kings and Nassau shares a border with Suffolk county. Kings County is also known as the New York City borough of Brooklyn.
Long Island is 118 m (190 km) long and 12-20 m (19-32 km) wide, covering an area of 3629 sq km. Did you know that Long Island also goes by the nickname, Strong Island?
The north shore of Long Island includes bays of Manhasset, Flushing, Cold Spring Harbor, Little Neck, Huntington, Port Jefferson Harbor, and Smithtown. Long Island's southern shore is lined with sandbars and sandpits, creating several bays. Jamaica and Great South bays are such embayments.
Long Island Expressway connects Nassau and Suffolk counties. Directly off that, on the east coast lies the largest industrial park in the US, known as Hauppauge Industrial Park.
Brooklyn Bridge connects Long Island with mainland USA. Long Island is also known for its exclusive vacationing spots, large mansions, architecture, sports, and entertainment venues. Long Island is also known for its rocky beaches on its north shore and clear, crispy sandy beaches on the southern shore.
Long Island is the hub of commercial aviation. It is home to the three busiest airports, including JFK International Airport.
Brooklyn and Queens are well connected with the other three boroughs of New York City, with 13 tunnels and nine bridges.
Suffolk County and the state of Connecticut are connected with ferries through Long Island Sound.
Long Island also houses various educational institutes and research facilities like New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York Institute of Technology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Stony Brook University, the City University of New York, Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and Plum Island Animal Disease Center.
Famous Food Of Long Island
Long Islanders are food passionate. Long Islanders widely enjoy Asian, Italian, Jewish, and Latin American cuisines. One of the famous foods of Long Island is the bagel. Some other foods that top the list of Long Islanders' favorites are pizza, buttered Kaiser roll, and BEC (bacon, egg and cheese).
The historical legacy of Long Island in the world of food is centered around seafood. The Blue Point oyster, the favorite oyster of Queen Victoria, tops the list among them. Manhattan clam chowder is believed to have originated on Long Island.
Another heritage of Long Island is its nationally recognized duck farming. Riverhead in Suffolk county claims to have one of the largest buffalo farms on the east coast, adding to the glory of land-based produce of Long Island.
Long Island is also famous for its alcoholic beverages. Eastern Long Island is famous for its wine production, with 38 vineyards at North Fork. The globally acclaimed Long Island signature cocktail, Long Island Iced Tea, is another drink that can be added to its credit.
How many islands does Long Island have?
Distinct from each other geographically, there are several small islands and outer barrier islands in the proximity of Long Island. These small islands are considered part of Long Island.
They include Fire Island, Long Beach Barrier Island, Robins Island, Fishers Island, Gardiners Island, Jones Beach Island, Shelter Island, Little Gull Island, and Great Gull Island. They lie parallel to Long Island on the southern shore, Fire Island in the center. These small islands are also famous for their beautiful beaches, like Rockaway Beach, Long Beach, and Jones Beach.
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