Long Island New York is the largest island in the continental US. It is also by far the most populated with about 7.5 million residents in 2005. 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. It was the first census in which the population of the larger, less densely populated Suffolk County (1,419,369) surpassed that of Nassau County (1,334,544). With all these people there are still many rural parts in eastern Long Island . In many areas there is 1 acre zoning with beautiful tree lined streets. After World War II, there was a huge growth on Long Island with many GI’s wanting to live in the suburbs. Towns like Levittown sprang up over-night with affordable ranches and capes.
Long Island earns is name from being disproportionably long at 118 miles, and only between 12 and 20 miles wide. Long Island is home to many beautiful beaches, with the Long Island Sound to the North, and the Atlantic Ocean to the South. To the western most portion of Long Island are Queens, and Kings County also know as Brooklyn . Most people consider Long Island to only include Nassau and Suffolk Counties .
Nassau and Suffolk counties are very desirable places to live with high per capita incomes, good schools and the according to the FBI the second lowest crime rate in the country. Another great benefit for Long Island residents is its’ close proximity to Manhattan , you can be on Broadway, The Met, MOMA or Yankee stadium with relative ease. There is always something to do. Long Island is home to many golf courses for the avid golfer or the weekend duffer. To Find a home on a golf course visit www.LongIslandGolfProperties.com .
For the gourmet in you there are unlimited choices to find some of the best cuisine in the world. You can find the foods of every nationality, every style and price range. In any mall you can get great pizza or Chinese food. There are so many small family owned restaurants making mouth watering dishes on the island and everybody has a favorite.
The growing demand for new homes on Long Island has lead to many new developments being built. They range in size from 1 or two home subdivisions to large scale communities of 200 homes or more. To find new construction on Long Island visit; www.LongIslandNewConstruction.com . There are several 55 and over communities being built for the Island ’s growing senior population. These communities offer many amenities including pools, gyms, spas, tennis courts and more to accommodate the active lifestyle of today’s seniors.
If you want to leave the Island you have three airports to chose close by. These are the John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport , both in Queens, and the MacArthur Airport . To travel by car there are a few ferries that can take you from Long Island to Connecticut with out facing the traffic on some of the local bridges or tunnels. To get ferry information visit; www.longislandferry.com or www.bpjferry.com/ or www.vikingfleet.com . The main roadway on Long Island going from West to East is the Long Island Expressway. It enters the island from Manhattan via the Mid Town Tunnel and goes all the way out to Riverhead. From Riverhead out to Montauk you continue on Route 25. This road out east was home to many farms and farm stands, there are still several left, but now they have Home Depots and Strip Malls as neighbors. If you are out East on the Island and like wine, there are many excellent vineyards to vist with tasting at most of them. By train you have the Long Island Railroad to take you almost anywhere on the Island . Thousands of commuters take the train each day from Long Island to Manhattan . To see local train schedules visit; www.mta.info/lirr/ .
The economy on Long Island is tied to Manhattan . This was never more apparent then after the September 11 th attacks on the world trade center. Many professionals who work in Manhattan chose to live on Long Island . The Gold Coast of Long Island’s North Shore is a favorite to many of the most successful of them. Long Island also has a high tech business community with companies like Computer Associates calling Long Island Home. To learn more visit www.longislandassociation.org or www.lieconomy.com . To find employment opportunities visit www.LiJobs.com or www.LiWork.com .
If you want to continue your education there are many options for you with several local, community, state and private colleges and universities to chose from. To see a list visit; www.LongIslandColleges.com .
Long Island has a climate that is very similar to other coastal areas of the Northeastern United States; it has warm, humid summers and cold winters, but the Atlantic Ocean helps bring afternoon sea breezes that temper the heat in the warmer months and limit the frequency and severity of thunderstorms. 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 on the island. However, measurable snow falls every winter, and in many winters one or more intense storms called Nor'easters produce blizzard conditions with snowfalls of 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) and near-hurricane force winds. Long Island temperatures also 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; one because the western part is closer to the mainland and the other is the western part is more developed causing what is known as the "urban heat island" effect. The eastern part is cooler on most occasions due to the ocean and sound and it being less developed.
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