Long Island, New York is a place for everyone. No matter where you're from, you can make a home on the island. So many things separate us from the rest, aside from literal geographics. Here are just a few reasons to love Long Island:
1. We are surrounded by beaches.
No matter where you are on the island, you're never more than a 30-minute drive from a beach. The beauty of being on a skinny island that's rather fish-shaped is that it only takes about an hour, maybe less, to get from the North Shore to the South Shore. That means that if you somehow get sick of the Barrier Islands and their beaches (Jones, Robert Moses, Fire Island, etc.), then you don't have to go too far before you find the bay areas and the Long Island Sound. Each beach has a different view, too, and each field at the big beaches, so your view will never be boring.
2. We're right next to the city.
A hop, skip, and an LIRR ride away from the Big Apple. A big city packed into a small island filled with different cultures on every street corner. Almost every type of food you can imagine, art, theatre, music, television, film, shopping, parks, and every other touristy thing you can possibly imagine. The city is constantly changing. There's always something new to do. New York City is a giant melting pot of people from around the world. It's exciting and fast paced. Its bright lights are always shining.
3. We're not the city.
NYC isn't for everybody, but it's there for the convenience on the off-chance you might want to go. Long Island is a mix of complete rural farm and vineyard areas and full urban-suburban areas. The more east you go, the more spread out and small-town-y everything gets (except for the Hamptons). Chances are if you're specific about a specific type of town or setting, we've most likely got it. From thick woods to open fields to beaches, we've got it all.
4. We have a lot of history
Some of the oldest towns on Long Island are closing in on 400 years old. We have museums of our own from the Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport, the Whaling Museum and Oheka Castle in Cold Spring Harbor, and basically, any lighthouse on the island counts as a museum, too. A lot of towns on the island were named after the Native American tribes that lived there first.
5. We have the best pizza, bagels, and egg sandwiches.
Source: YouTube
Ask anyone from Long Island, and they'll tell you the same. If you know someone from Long Island who no longer lives on the island, they'll probably tell you how terrible the pizza and the bagels and egg sandwiches are where they live now compared to their island equivalents. Not to mention all the other great food we have here, these just continue to stand out as Long Island staples.
6. We actually have seasons.
If you go to upstate New York, the Autumn starts mid-August. Goodness knows when Spring actually starts. Long Island seasons are pretty even. A solid three months for each season matches up pretty well to the actual weather. If you're one of those people who just hates the Summer, you don't have to wait too long for Autumn to come around, and the same goes for all seasons. We actually experience Noreasters and intense heat waves and everything in between. Long Island weather can literally go from 0-100 (degrees, that is).
7. We have some of the best natural beauty your eyes will ever see.
If you happen to catch a Long Island sunset at some point in your life, consider yourself lucky. Each sunset is entirely different and very unpredictable. One of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen was after a day of storms. The best way to fully understand the beauty of the island is to actually be here. Our state parks, beaches, forests, and more are stunning.
I'm lucky enough to call the island my home. Now living at college for a bit has really made me realize how lucky I was to be in a place as beautiful as here my entire life. No matter where I go, the island will always be my home. My heart will always be on Long Island.
