New York City islands Coney Island,
Plumb Beach,
Barren Island, several smaller islands in
Jamaica Bay, and parts of what is now the
Rockaway peninsula formerly comprised the westernmost Outer Barrier islands. Of these, Coney Island was the westernmost island. Most of these islands were either connected to mainland Long Island or combined with each other in the early 20th century.
Long Beach Barrier Island Long Beach Barrier Island lies off the
south shore of
Long Island. The island is shared by the hamlet of
Atlantic Beach to the west, the city of
Long Beach and the hamlet of
Lido Beach in the central part of the island, and the hamlet of
Point Lookout at the eastern end of the island. (The three hamlets — Atlantic Beach, Lido Beach, and Point Lookout — are part of the town of
Hempstead, New York.) Within its section of the barrier island, the city of Long Beach spans the entire north-south width of the island, fronting on both
Reynolds Channel to the north and the
Atlantic Ocean to the south. A
drawbridge, the
Long Beach Bridge, connects it to
Island Park, a small island which lies between Long Beach and the mainland of Long Island. To the west, the
Atlantic Beach Bridge connects the island to
Lawrence on Long Island. The
Loop Parkway, located to the east where
Lido Beach and
Point Lookout border one another, connects the island to
Jones Beach.
Jones Beach Island Jones Beach Island is a
barrier island off the southern coast of
Long Island in the
U.S. state of
New York. It is named for the father of historian
Thomas Jones. It is sometimes referred to as Oak Beach Island, and the former home of the infamous
Oak Beach Inn. It is separated from Long Island by
Great South Bay. The island straddles the county line between
Nassau and
Suffolk counties and includes the
census-designated places of
Gilgo,
Oak Beach, and
Captree. The southern side of the island is known for its beaches that face the open
Atlantic Ocean.
Jones Beach State Park, on the western tip of the island is a summer recreational destination for the
New York City area. It is accessible from Long Island on its western end by the
Meadowbrook Parkway to
Merrick, New York, the
Loop Parkway to
Long Beach, New York and the
Wantagh Parkway to
Wantagh, New York. Its eastern end is linked to
Babylon, New York as well as to
Fire Island, New York by the
Robert Moses Causeway via the
Great South Bay Bridge and the
State Boat Channel Bridge. The
Ocean Parkway connects all three
causeways and runs the length of the island, while The
Fire Island Inlet Bridge continues on the
Robert Moses Causeway finding its way to the New York's Fire Island on the
Atlantic Ocean.
Fire Island Fire Island is a
barrier island, approximately 31 miles (50 km) long and varying between approximately 0.1 mile (160 m) to 0.25 mile (400 m) wide. Fire Island passes through southern
Suffolk County, New York, and is southeast of
Long Island separated from the main land by the
Great South Bay in the
U.S. state of
New York, running approximately SW to NE. The land area is 8.687 sq. mi. (22.5 km2), and a permanent population of 491 people was reported as of the
2000 census. (There are hundreds of thousands of summertime residents, groupers and daytrippers.) The island is composed of three communities, as defined by the Census Bureau. The largest of these is
Fire Island (CDP), which is unincorporated and stretches through the southern portion of the towns of
Babylon,
Islip, and
Brookhaven. There are several ocean front communities such as,
Davis Park and
Watch Hill that are on the eastern side of the
Great south bay. Fire Island has a variety of ocean front communities that can be reached by private boat, or seasonal
ferry service from
Long Island's mainland.
Fire Island has a 2000 census population of 310 inhabitants. There are also two villages in the Islip section of the island,
Saltaire (pop. 43) and
Ocean Beach (pop. 138). In addition, a part of Fire Island CDP is not even on the island, but on a separate island adjacent to
West Hampton Dunes.
Fire Island Inlet is an inlet on the south shore of Long Island, New York. It connects the Great South Bay with the
Atlantic Ocean, passing between
Robert Moses State Park (the western end of Fire Island) on the south and Oak Beach and
Captree State Park (the eastern end of Jones Island) on the north. The stated land area and population figures result when this section is subtracted out. The inlet is directly south of West Islip, the nearest town on the main part of Long Island. The inlet has evolved over the years due to natural processes, especially
longshore drift. Jones Island and
Fire Island at one time were connected. The
Fire Island Light was at the mouth of the inlet when built in 1858, but is now six miles east of the inlet.
Westhampton Island Westhampton Island is the easternmost outer barrier island in the
Town of Southampton. The barrier island was part of
Fire Island until a
nor'easter in 1931 created
Moriches Inlet and made Fire Island a proper island. The
1938 New England hurricane created
Shinnecock Inlet and this Westhampton Island.
Cupsogue Beach County Park is located on the western end of the island.
Moriches Inlet is an
inlet connecting
Moriches Bay and the
Atlantic Ocean. The inlet created a geographic oddity whereby the
Town of Brookhaven actually has jurisdiction on land immediately west of the village of
West Hampton Dunes although Brookhaven land access to it involves a nearly 20 mile drive through Southampton.
Shinnecock Inlet is the easternmost of five major inlets connecting bays to the
Atlantic Ocean through the narrow 100-mile-long
barrier islands that stretch from
New York City to
Southampton, New York on the south shore of
Long Island. The inlet was formed by the
Great Hurricane of 1938 which killed several people when it permanently broke through the island in
Hampton Bays, New York. The inlet is almost directly lined up with the
Shinnecock Canal between Shinnecock Bay and the
Peconic Bay and saves miles for boaters going to the open Atlantic. Consequently, management has been geared to keep the inlet dredged and open. However, maintenance of the inlet has been controversial on grounds that it causes
beach erosion on Fire Island. ==See also==