Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York of the United States of America. It is just east of Manhattan. It Stretches northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs (Queens and Brooklyn) of New York City, and two of which (Nassau and Suffolk) are mainly suburban. In General,the term Long Island refers only to Nassau and Suffolk counties in order to differentiate them from New York City. However Queens and Brooklyn are part of Long Island .The westernmost end of Long Island contains the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn or Kings County and Queens County. The central and eastern portions contain the suburban Nassau and Suffolk counties
The North Shore of Nassau County is commonly refered to as The Gold Coast. The South Shore communities are not the "Gold Coast" but are built along beaches fronting on the Atlantic Ocean. Owing to economic growth and the suburbanization of the metropolitan region after World War II, Nassau was the fastest growing county in the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s. Suffolk County remains less congested despite substantial growth in high technology and light manufacturing sectors since 1990. In its far east sections, Suffolk remains small-town rural, as in Greenport on the North Fork and some of the outward areas of The Hamptons, although summer tourism swells the population in those areas.
Long Island is geographically part of the Mid Atlantic, however many towns and hamlets along the island's gold coast and in eastern Suffolk County, such as Oyster Bay Cove, Port Jefferson and Rocky Point seem to resemble New England towns, while many of the towns and hamlets along the south shore, such as Lido Beach, Oceanside, and North Babylon seem to resemble Mid-Atlantic coastal communities, especially Virginia.
Long Island is known for its affluence and high quality of life. According to Forbes Magazine, as of March, 2010, Nassau and Suffolk Counties are among the top 25 richest counties in America. Additionally, Nassau County is the third richest county per capita in New York State, and the 30th richest in the nation. Long Island's Nassau County has the second highest property taxes in the United States. Suffolk County has redeveloped North Fork potato fields into a burgeoning wine region. The South Fork is known for beach towns, including the world-renowned Hamptons, and for Montauk Point, home of Montauk Point Lighthouse at the eastern tip of the island.
The economy is made up of over 90,000 businesses which appear to have escaped the worst of the economic downturn that has affected many other areas in our nation in recent times Nassau County boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates in the a nation with a vast number of employment opportunities in the fields of electronics, biotechnology, medical and health care systems, computer technology and food service. The consumers are continuing to spend, home prices are rising at double-digit rates and Long Island’s office market remains in good shape. *2007 Homes prices have begun leveling off as of this year.
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