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Long IslandDriving east from Manhattan through the Midtown Tunnel, you enter Long Island in western Queens. For the next 118 miles of this road trip, until arriving at Montauk Point, you will experience much of the diversified treasure that is Long Island.
On the Long Island Expressway, which basically cuts the Island in half, motorists pass through the urbanity of Queens; the sprawling, cluttered suburbs of Nassau County; into the office building and corporate setting that is Melville and then Hauppauge in Suffolk County. After another ten miles or so a strange and warming scene appears along the sides of the road. . . open space. From central Suffolk heading east until Riverhead, the view of Long Island is filled with Pine Barrens, open fields and farms. Once you arrive in Riverhead, the busy and growing Suffolk County Seat, you have an impending choice: north or south fork? To get to Montauk you must head south. Once your vehicle hits Hampton Bays you are in another strange and wonderful world,  coastal and East End Long Island. You better roll down the windows now, as your eyes will squint to enjoy the sunshine, marvel at the water views, vineyards and large homes that dot the landscape; the trip becomes truly interactive, as the smell of salt air is abundant. For 2.8 million Long Islanders this wonderful, diversified community is home. From its first English settlement--Southold in 1640--to the first and now oldest American suburb Levittown built in 1947--Long Island is suburban America at its finest. Its people and places define a region steeped in tradition, rich with natural beauty and home to one of the strongest and most diversified workforces in the nation. That two-hour car ride does help sum up what Long Island looks like, but explaining Long Island’s history is a more complicated and involved story. So what exactly is this Long Island named in 1614 by Dutch explorer Adriaen Block? Well, as its name clearly indicates, Long Island is indeed an Island, 118 miles long and 20 miles wide at its thickest point. In fact, it’s the largest island adjoining the continental United States; including Brooklyn and Queens Long Island is 1,377 square miles. Large in land mass, Long Island is also recognized for its size in other ways. Today, about 2.8 million people live on Long Island; 1.45 million in Suffolk, 1.35 million in Nassau; making Suffolk (3rd) and Nassau (4th) two of the most populous counties in the nation. In fact, Long Island’s total population is larger than 19 states. According to the Long Island Index, “With an economy producing $111.9 billion, Long Island’s gross metropolitan product ranks among the top 20 in the nation. If Nassau-Suffolk were a nation, together they would rank 51st in the world.” Excerpted from "Long Island" Reflections on a Miracle."
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