Suffolk County () is the easternmost

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

of New York. It is mainly located on the eastern end of Long Island, but also includes several smaller islands. According to the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the county's population was 1,525,920 making it the fourth-most populous county in the State of New York, and the most populous excluding the five counties of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Riverhead, though most county offices are in Hauppauge. The county was named after the county of Suffolk in England, from where its earliest European settlers came. Suffolk County incorporates the easternmost extreme of the New York City metropolitan area. The geographically largest of Long Island's four counties and the second-largest of the 62 counties in the

State of New York New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...

, Suffolk measures in length and in width at its widest (including water). Most of the island is near sea level, with over 1,000 miles of coastline. Like other parts of Long Island, the high population density and relative closeness to New York City means that the economy has a mix of industry and science satellite to the city alongside more rural activities like agriculture, a fishery and tourism. Major

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...

facilities in Suffolk County include

Brookhaven National Laboratory Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Upton, Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base and Japanese internment c ...

in Upton,

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is a private, non-profit institution with research programs focusing on cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, and quantitative biology. It is one of 68 institutions supported by the Cancer Centers ...

in Huntington, and Plum Island Animal Disease Center on Plum Island. The county is also home to several major universities, including Stony Brook University and Farmingdale State College.

History

Suffolk County was part of the Connecticut Colony before becoming an original county of the Province of New York, one of twelve created in 1683. From 1664 until 1683 it had been the East Riding of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. Its boundaries were essentially the same as at present, with only minor changes in the boundary with its western neighbor, which was originally Queens County but has been Nassau County since the separation of Nassau from Queens in 1899. According to the Suffolk County website, the county is the leading agricultural county in the state of New York, saying that: "The weather is temperate, clean water is abundant, and the soil is so good that Suffolk is the leading agricultural county in New York State. That Suffolk is still number one in farming, even with the development that has taken place, is a tribute to thoughtful planning, along with the excellent soil, favorable weather conditions, and the work of the dedicated farmers in this region."

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (62%) is water. It is the second-largest county in New York by total area and occupies 66% of the land area of Long Island. Suffolk County occupies the central and eastern part of Long Island, in the extreme east of the State of New York. The eastern end of the county splits into two peninsulas, known as the North Fork and the South Fork. The county is surrounded by water on three sides, including the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and Long Island Sound, with of coastline. The eastern end contains large bays. The highest elevation in the county, and on Long Island as a whole, is Jayne's Hill in West Hills, at 401 feet (122 m) above sea level. This low lying-geography means that much of the county is vulnerable to

sea level rise Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cry ...

Climate

Suffolk County sits at the convergence of climate zones including the

humid continental A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(''Dfa'') and

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa''), bordering closely on an oceanic climate (Cfb). The majority of the county by land area is in the ''Dfa'' zone. Summers are cooler at the east end than in the western part of the county. The hardiness zone is 7a, except in Copiague Harbor, Lindenhurst, and Montauk, where it is 7b. Average monthly temperatures in Hauppauge range from in January to in July, and in the Riverhead town center they range from in January to in July, which includes both daytime and nighttime temperatures
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State U
On February 9, 2013, Suffolk County was besieged with 30 inches of snow, making it the largest day of snowfall on record in Suffolk.

Adjacent counties

* Nassau County, - west *

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

- northwest * New Haven County,

- north * Middlesex County,

- north * New London County,

- north * Washington County,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

- northeast

National protected areas

Amagansett National Wildlife Refuge The Amagansett National Wildlife Refuge, in Amagansett, New York, is located along the shore of the Atlantic Ocean on Long Island's south fork. The refuge is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Long Island Nationa ...

Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge The Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge was established July 20, 1971 as a land gift from Stanley Howard. The refuge is located in the hamlet of North Sea on the north shore of Long Island's south fork. The refuge protects grasslands, oak- ...

* Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge *

Fire Island National Seashore Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) is a United States National Seashore that protects a section of Fire Island, an approximately long and wide barrier island separated from Long Island by the Great South Bay. The island is part of New York S ...

Sayville National Wildlife Refuge The Sayville National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) located in West Sayville, New York about inland from the Great South Bay. Sayville NWR is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a sub-unit of Wertheim National ...

Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge is located in the hamlet of Islip, New York, on the south shore of Long Island. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The refuge consists ...

* Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge * Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

According to the

2010 U.S. census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

there were 1,493,350 people and 569,985 households residing in the county. The census estimated Suffolk County's population decreased slightly to 1,481,093 in 2018, representing 7.5% of the census-estimated New York State population of 19,745,289Kings County (Brooklyn Borough), New York; Queens County (Queens Borough), New York; Nassau County, New York; Suffolk County, New York; New York QuickFacts
Accessed February 12, 2020. and 19.0% of the census-estimated Long Island population of 7,869,820. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

in 2010 was 1,637 people per square mile (633/km²), with 569,985 households at an average density of . However, by 2012, with an estimated total population increasing moderately to 1,499,273 there were 569,359 housing units. As of 2006, Suffolk County was the 21st-most populous county in the United States. By 2014, the county's racial makeup was estimated at 85.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 8.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.6% Native American, 4.0% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those identifying as

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino, of any race, were 18.2% of the population. Those who identified as "white alone", not being of Hispanic or Latino origin, represented 69.3% of the population. In 2006, the county's racial or ethnic makeup was 83.6% White (75.4% White Non-Hispanic). African Americans were 7.4% of the population. Asians stood at 3.4% of the population. 5.4% were of other or mixed race. Latinos were 13.0% of the population. In 2007, Suffolk County's most common ethnicities were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

(29.5%),

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

(24.0%), and German (17.6%). In 2002, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' cited a study by the non-profit group ERASE Racism, which determined Suffolk and its neighboring county, Nassau, to be the most racially segregated suburbs in the United States. In 2006, there were 469,299 households, of which 37.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.00% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.20% were non-families. 18.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.36. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males. In 2008, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine released its American Community Survey and named Suffolk County number 4 in its list of the top 25 richest counties in America. In 2016, according to ''

Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German pub ...

'', the 11962 zip code encompassing Sagaponack, within

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, was listed as the most expensive in the U.S., with a median home sale price of $8.5 million. The median income for a household in the county was $84,767, and the median income for a family was $72,112. Males had a median income of $50,046 versus $33,281 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $26,577. Using a weighted average from 2009 to 2014 about 6.40% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

In earlier censuses, the population below the poverty line included 2.70% of those under age 18 and 2.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Law and government

Suffolk County had long been a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

bastion in the

. U.S. Congressman

Rick Lazio Enrico Anthony Lazio (; born March 13, 1958) is an American attorney and former four-term U.S. Representative from the State of New York. A Long Island native, Lazio became well-known during his bid for U.S. Senate in New York's 2000 Senate e ...

, who opposed

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

in the 2000 Senate race, was from Suffolk County. However, the county shifted more toward the Democrats starting in the 1990s. In 2003, Democrat Steve Levy was elected county executive, ending longtime Republican control. In 2001, Democrat Thomas Spota was elected District Attorney, and ran unopposed in 2005. Although Suffolk voters gave George H. W. Bush a victory here in 1992, the county voted for

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

in 1996 and continued the trend by giving

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

an 11-percent victory in the county in 2000. 2004 Democratic candidate

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

won by a much smaller margin of one percent, in 2008 Democratic candidate

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

won by a slightly larger 4.4 percent margin, 52%-47%. In 2016, Republican candidate

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

won Suffolk County by a 6.9 percent margin, becoming the first Republican to carry the county since 1992. It was the only large county (over 200,000 voters) in the State of New York that Donald Trump won. In 2020, Trump again won Suffolk County; this time, however, it was decided by just 232 votes out of nearly 800,000 votes cast, making it the closest county in the nation in terms of percentage margin, and representing nearly a seven-point swing towards the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Joe Biden and junior California senator

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

. In percentage terms, it was the closest county in the state, although Ontario County and

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

had narrower raw vote margins of just 33 and 57 votes, respectively. Suffolk was one of five counties in the state that Trump won by less than 500 votes. With

Tarrant County, Texas Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of ...

and

Maricopa County, Arizona Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and List of the most populous counties in the ...

flipping Democratic in 2020, Suffolk was the most populous county in the nation to vote for Trump. Suffolk County is represented by three New York congressional districts: the first, and parts of the second and third. The third is held by the Democratic Party, while the first and second are held by Republicans.

Lee Zeldin Lee Michael Zeldin (born January 30, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and officer in the United States Army Reserve. A Republican, he has represented New York's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives ...

represents the first district, which includes almost half of the county, from Smithtown to Montauk, including

The Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one o ...

and Riverhead. The second district is represented by Republican

Andrew Garbarino Andrew Reed Garbarino (born September 27, 1984) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 2nd congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the New York State A ...

, and includes parts of southern Suffolk and Nassau counties. The third district is largely split between Nassau County and Suffolk counties, and is represented by

Tom Suozzi Thomas Richard Suozzi (; born August 31, 1962) is an American politician, attorney and accountant who served as the U.S. Representative for from 2017 to 2023. His district included part of the North Shore of Long Island. A member of the Democr ...

. A Democrat, Suozzi won the seat vacated by

Steve Israel Steven J. Israel (born May 30, 1958) is an American political commentator, lobbyist, author, bookseller and former politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 2001 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was electe ...

in 2016 after Israel declined to seek re-election. As a whole both Suffolk and Nassau counties are considered swing counties. However, until 2016 they tended not to receive significant attention from presidential candidates, as the state of New York has turned reliably Democratic at the national level. In 2008 and 2012, Hofstra University in Nassau County hosted a presidential debate. Hofstra hosted the first debate of the 2016 presidential election season, on September 26, 2016, making Hofstra the first college or university in the United States to host a presidential debate in three consecutive elections. The presence on the 2016 ticket of Westchester County resident Hillary Clinton and Manhattan resident Donald Trump resulted in greater attention by the candidates to the concerns of Long Island. Trump visited Long Island voters and donors at least four times while Clinton made one stop for voters and one additional stop in the Hamptons for donors. After the 2022 midterm election results were counted, Suffolk appears to have moved further to the right. Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin won the county by more than 17 points over the Democrat candidate Kathy Hochul.

Suffolk County Executives

''* Appointed to complete Cohalan's term'' ''** Levy was originally elected as a Democrat, but became a Republican in 2010.''

Suffolk County Legislature

The county has 18

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

districts, each represented by a legislator. As of 2022, there were 10 Republicans, 7 Democrats, and 1

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Historical composition of the Suffolk County Legislature

Republicans controlled the county legislature until a landmark election in November 2005 where three Republican seats switched to the Democrats, giving them control. In November 2007, the Democratic Party once again retained control over the Suffolk County Legislature, picking up one seat in the process. In November 2009, the Republican Party regained the seat lost in 2007 but remained in the minority for the 2010-2011 session. In November 2011, the Democratic Party maintained control over the Suffolk County Legislature picking up one seat that had been held by an Independence Party member. In November 2013, the Republican Party gained the 14th district seat, but remained in the minority until 2021, when the GOP flipped the county legislature, picking up three seats with incumbents Robert Calarco (the sitting Presiding Officer) and Susan Berland (the sitting Majority Leader) losing their bids for re-election. During the 2020-2021 session, 7th district legislator Robert Calarco served as Presiding Officer, a position he was elected to in 2020, 5th district legislator Kara Hahn served as Deputy Presiding Officer. 18th district legislator William Spencer served as Majority Leader for the Democrats until his arrest for soliciting prostitution in a drugs for sex scandal.

Law enforcement

Police services in the five western towns ( Babylon, Huntington,

Islip Islip may refer to: Places England * Islip, Northamptonshire *Islip, Oxfordshire United States *Islip, New York, a town in Suffolk County ** Islip (hamlet), New York, located in the above town **Central Islip, New York, a hamlet and census-d ...

, Smithtown and Brookhaven) are provided primarily by the

Suffolk County Police Department The Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) provides police services to 5 of the 10 Towns in Suffolk County, New York. It is one of the largest police agencies in the United States, with approximately 2500 sworn officers. History Prior to 196 ...

. The five "East End" towns ( Riverhead, Southold, Shelter Island, East Hampton, and

), maintain their own police and other law enforcement agencies. Also, there are a number of villages, such as

Amityville Amityville () is a village near the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York. The population was 9,523 at the 2010 census. History Huntington settlers first visited the Amityville area in 1653 due ...

, Lloyd Harbor, Northport, and Westhampton Beach that maintain their own police forces. In an unusual move, the Village of Greenport in 1994 voted to abolish its police department and turn responsibility for law and order over to the Southold Town Police Department. After the Long Island State Parkway Police was disbanded in 1980, all state parkways in Suffolk County became the responsibility of Troop L of the

New York State Police The New York State Police (NYSP) is the state police of the state of New York in the United States. It is part of the New York State Executive Department, and employs over 5,000 sworn state troopers and 711 civilian members. History The Stat ...

, headquartered at

Republic Airport Republic Airport is a regional airport in East Farmingdale, New York, located one mile east of Farmingdale village limits. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation ''reliever airpo ...

. State parks, such as Robert Moses State Park, are the responsibility of the New York State Park Police, based at Belmont Lake State Park. In 1996, the Long Island Rail Road Police Department was consolidated into the

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTAPD) is the police agency of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority Officers of the MTAPD are fully empowered under the New York State Public Authorities Law and are com ...

, which has jurisdiction over all rail lines in the county. Since the New York state legislature created the New York State University Police in 1999, they are in charge of all law enforcement services for State University of New York property and campuses. The State University Police have jurisdiction in Suffolk County at Stony Brook University and Farmingdale State College. Suffolk County New York Police Boat on Fire Island

Suffolk County New York Police Boat on Fire Island

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is a separate agency. The sheriff, an elected official who serves a four-year term, operates the two Suffolk County correctional facilities (in Yaphank and Riverhead), provides county courthouse security and detention, service and enforcement of civil papers, evictions and warrants. The Sheriff's Office is also responsible for securing all county-owned property, such as county government office buildings, as well as the campuses of the Suffolk County Community College. As of 2008, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office employed 275 Deputy Sheriffs, 850 corrections officers, and about 200 civilian staff. Suffolk County has a long maritime history with several

outer barrier The Outer Barrier, also known as the Long Island and New York City barrier islands, refers to the string of barrier islands that divide the lagoons south of Long Island, New York from the Atlantic Ocean. These islands include Long Beach Barrier ...

beaches and hundreds of square miles of

waterways A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary ...

. The Suffolk Police Marine Bureau patrols the of navigable waterways within the police district, from the

and

state line which bisects Long Island Sound to the New York state line south of Fire Island in the

. Some Suffolk County towns (Islip, Brookhaven, Southampton, East Hampton, Babylon, Huntington, Smithtown) also employ various bay constables and other local marine patrol, which are sworn armed peace officers with full arrest powers, providing back up to the Suffolk Police Marine Bureau as well as the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

. This includes

Fire Island Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York. Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also Lo ...

and parts of Jones Island barrier beaches and the islands of the

Great South Bay The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about long and has an average depth of 4 feet 3 inches and is 20 feet at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire ...

. Marine units also respond to water and ice rescues on the inland lakes, ponds, and streams of the District. In February 2019, legislator Robert Trotta (R-

Fort Salonga Fort Salonga, also known as NYSDHP Unique Site No. A103-08-0036, is an archeological site in the vicinity of Fort Salonga, New York that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is the site of the Revolutionary War Britis ...

) put forward a resolution to recover salary and benefits from James Burke, the county's former police chief. Burke had pled guilty to beating a man while in police custody and attempting to conceal it, and the county had paid the victim $1.5 million in a settlement; it had also paid Burke more than $500,000 in benefits and salary while Burke was concealing his conduct. Trotta said that the faithless servant doctrine in New York common law gave him the power to claw back the compensation. The Suffolk County Legislature supported the suit unanimously. The following month Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone signed the bill. Also in February 2019, a court ruled against the Suffolk County jail in the case of a former inmate who was denied

hormone replacement therapy Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. These symptoms can include hot flashes, vaginal ...

by the jail's doctors. Documents introduced in the trial indicate 11 other inmates were also denied treatment.

Courts

Suffolk County is part of the 10th Judicial District of the New York State Unified Court System; is home to the Alfonse M. D'Amato Courthouse of the Federal U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York; and has various local municipal courts. The State Courts are divided into Supreme Court, which has general jurisdiction over all cases, and lower courts that either hear claims of a limited dollar amount, or of a specific nature. Similarly, the local courts hear claims of a limited dollar amount, or hear specific types of cases. The Federal Court has jurisdiction over Federal Claims, State Law claims that are joined with Federal claims, and claims where there is a diversity of citizenship.

Supreme Court

* The Suffolk County Supreme Court is a trial court of unlimited general original jurisdiction, but it generally only hears cases that are outside the subject-matter jurisdiction of other trial courts of more limited jurisdiction. The Suffolk County Clerk is the Clerk of the Court of the Supreme Court. * The main courthouse for the Supreme Court is in Riverhead, which has been the court's home since 1729. The original courthouse was replaced in 1855, and that courthouse was expanded in 1881. The courthouse was damaged by fire and rebuilt in 1929. In 1994, a new court building was added to the complex. This Courthouse was dedicated as the "Alan D. Oshrin Supreme Court Building" on August 1, 2011. * The Supreme Court also shares space in the Cohalan Court Complex in

Central Islip Central Islip is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 34,450 at the 2010 census. History and overview Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the S ...

Directions to the Suffolk County Courts
with several other courts and county agencies. Matrimonial actions are heard in the Supreme Court, and those matters are generally heard in the Supreme Court section of the Cohalan Court Complex.

Other Superior Courts

* The Suffolk County Court is a trial court of limited jurisdiction. It has jurisdiction over all of Suffolk County, and is authorized to handle criminal prosecutions of both felonies and lesser offenses committed within the county, although in practice most minor offenses are handled by the local courts. It is the trial court for felonies, or where a person is indicted by a Grand Jury in Suffolk County. The County Court also has limited jurisdiction in civil cases, generally involving amounts up to $25,000. The County Court is in the Cromarty Court Complex Criminal Courts Building in Riverhead. * The Suffolk County Surrogate's Court hears cases involving the affairs of decedents, including the probate of wills and the administration of estates, guardianships, and adoptions. The Surrogate's Court is in the County Center in Riverhead. * The Suffolk County Family Court has jurisdiction over all of Suffolk County in petitions filed for Neglect & Abuse, Juvenile Delinquency/Designated Felonies, Persons in Need of Supervision, Adoption, Guardianship, Foster Care, Family Offense (Order of Protection), Custody & Visitation, Paternity, Support Matters (Child & Spousal), Consent to Marry. The court also has a Juvenile Drug Court and Family Treatment Court. Individuals, attorneys, and agencies may initiate a proceeding in the Family Court with the filing of a petition. The Suffolk County Family Court is in the Cohalan Court Complex in

and maintains a facility in Riverhead. Case assignment is dependent upon the geographical location of the parties.

Local courts

The District Court and the Town and Village Courts are the local courts of Suffolk County. There are more than 30 local courts, each with limited criminal and civil subject matter and geographic jurisdictions. The local criminal courts have trial jurisdiction over misdemeanors, violations and infractions; preliminary jurisdiction over felonies; and traffic tickets charging a crime. The local civil courts calendar small claims, evictions, and civil actions. * Suffolk County District Court has geographic jurisdiction over the 5 western towns of Suffolk County (Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip & Smithtown). The Criminal division of the Suffolk District Court is in the Cohalan Court Complex, Central Islip, and includes Domestic Violence Courts, Drug Court, and a Mental Health Court. The Civil division is divided up in the 5 "outlying" courthouses in Lindenhurst, Huntington Station, Hauppauge, Ronkonkoma, and Patchogue. Civil actions may be filed up to $15,000, and small claims actions up to $5000. Actions are commenced by filing with the court. Summary proceedings under the RPAPL are filed in the district where the property is located. * The Town Courts of East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton, and Southold have geographic jurisdiction over the 5 eastern towns of Suffolk County. Each town maintains a courthouse where judges hear criminal cases (including a regional Drug Court) and civil actions. Civil actions are commenced by serving a summons and complaint for claims up to $3,000, and small claims actions are heard up to $3000. Summary proceedings under the RPAPL are filed in the town where the property is located. * The Village Courts of Amityville, Asharoken, Babylon, Belle Terre, Bellport, Brightwaters, Head of the Harbor, Huntington Bay, Islandia, Lake Grove, Lindenhurst, Lloyd Harbor, Nissequogue, Northport, Ocean Beach, Old Field, Patchogue, Poquott, Port Jefferson, Quogue, Sag Harbor, Saltaire, Shoreham, Southampton, Village of the Branch, West Hampton Dunes, and Westhampton Beach have geographic jurisdiction within each incorporated village. Criminal and civil subject matter jurisdiction varies in each court. Most non-criminal moving violation tickets issued in the 5 west towns are handled by the Traffic Violations Bureau, which is part of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, not the court system.

Economy

Education

Colleges and universities

* State University of New York ** Stony Brook University - main campus in Stony Brook,

satellite campus A satellite campus or branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or coun ...

** Farmingdale State College -

East Farmingdale East Farmingdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The population of the CDP was 6,484 at the 2010 census. Located in the Town of Babylon, the residents are served by the Farmingda ...

** Suffolk County Community College - Campuses in Selden, Riverhead, and Brentwood, satellite centers in Sayville and Riverhead St Joseph's College Patchogue Campus

* Private **

Five Towns College Five Towns College is a private college in Dix Hills, New York. The college's degree programs focus on music, media, and the performing arts. History Founded in 1972, Five Towns College holds an Absolute Charter issued by the New York State ...

Dix Hills Dix Hills is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on Long Island in the town of Huntington in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 26,892 at the 2010 census. In the past, Dix Hills and some of its neighbors have proposed ...

St. Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...

- Patchogue ** Touro University System *** The School of Health Sciences of Touro College -

***

Touro Law Center Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, commonly known as Touro Law Center, is an ABA accredited law school. It is located on Long Island, New York, in the hamlet of Central Islip. The Law Center is part of Touro University, a private ...

Watson School of Biological Sciences The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory School of Biological Sciences, formerly known as the Watson School of Biological Sciences (WSBS) until 2020, is a biological sciences graduate school at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The school was opened in 1999 ...

- Cold Spring Harbor * Satellite and branch campuses **

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

- Hauppauge Education and Conference Center in Hauppauge ** Long Island University - Brentwood and Riverhead, on the campuses of Suffolk County Community College **

Molloy University Molloy University is a private university, private Catholic Church, Roman Catholic university in Rockville Centre, New York. It provides more than 50 academic undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs for over 5,000 undergraduate, g ...

- Suffolk Center in

School districts

School districts (all officially designated for grades K-12) include: * Amagansett Union Free School District * Amityville Union Free School District * Babylon Union Free School District *

Bay Shore Union Free School District Bay Shore Union Free School District or Bay Shore Schools is a school district headquartered in Bay Shore, New York. In 2015 Joseph C. Bond became the interim superintendent; he previously was superintendent of the Brentwood Union Free School Di ...

* Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District * Brentwood Union Free School District *

Bridgehampton Union Free School District Bridgehampton Union Free School District is a public school district located in the Town of Southampton on Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is roughly co-extensive with the hamlet of Bridgehampton, but also serve ...

* Brookhaven-Comsewogue Union Free School District * Center Moriches Union Free School District *

Central Islip Union Free School District The Central Islip Union Free School District, also known as the Central Islip Public Schools, is a school district on Long Island, New York. Its headquarters are in Central Islip in the town of Islip. History In 1997 the voters approved the dis ...

* Cold Spring Harbor Central School District * Commack Union Free School District * Connetquot Central School District * Copiague Union Free School District *

Deer Park Union Free School District Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family (biology), family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, inclu ...

East Hampton Union Free School District East Hampton Union Free School District is a public school district located in the Town of East Hampton on Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It includes the village of East Hampton, the unincorporated area just north ...

* East Islip Union Free School District * East Moriches Union Free School District * East Quogue Union Free School District * Eastport-South Manor Central School District * Elwood Union Free School District *

Farmingdale Union Free School District Farmingdale is the name of several places in the United States of America: * Farmingdale, Illinois * Farmingdale, Maine ** Farmingdale (CDP), Maine * Farmingdale, New Jersey * Farmingdale, New York ** Farmingdale (LIRR station) * Farmingdale, Sout ...

Fire Island Union Free School District Fire Island Union Free School District No. 14 is a school district headquartered in the Town of Islip and on Fire Island, in New York. The school is adjacent to but not in Ocean Beach. The district includes, portions of Fire Island west of Oce ...

(Only operates elementary school) *

Fishers Island Union Free School District Fishers Island Union Free School District is a school district headquartered in Fishers Island, New York. It consists of a single K-12 school, Fishers Island School. It functions as a magnet school for out of state students. History The school po ...

* William Floyd Union Free School District *

Greenport Union Free School District Greenport Union Free School District is a public school district located on the North Fork of Long Island, in the Town of Southold, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It includes the village of Greenport, as well as the census-desi ...

Half Hollow Hills Central School District Half Hollow Hills Central School District (#5) is located in Dix Hills, New York, on Long Island, and primarily serves the hamlets of Dix Hills and Melville, while also serving parts of East Farmingdale, Deer Park, West Hills, East Northpo ...

Hampton Bays Union Free School District Hampton Bays Public Schools is a public school district in Hampton Bays, a hamlet in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The total enrollment for the 2007–2008 school year was 1783 students.Harborfields Central School District * Hauppauge Union Free School District * Huntington Union Free School District * Islip Union Free School District * Kings Park Central School District * Lindenhurst Union Free School District *

Middle Country Central School District The Middle Country Central School District (MCCSD) covers approximately in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is composed of the villages and hamlets of Centereach, Selden, parts of Lake Grove, Coram, Lak ...

* Longwood Central School District *

Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District is a public school district located on the North Fork, Suffolk County, New York, North Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States. I ...

* Miller Place Union Free School District *

Montauk Union Free School District Montauk derives from a place-name in the Mohegan-Montauk-Narragansett language. It can refer to: * Montaukett, an Algonquian-speaking Native American group native to the eastern end of Long Island, though some were later exiled to Missouri Montauk ...

* Mount Sinai Union Free School District * New Suffolk Common School District *

North Babylon Union Free School District North Babylon Union Free School District is a school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K– ...

Northport-East Northport Union Free School District Northport-East Northport Union Free School District is a school district in New York. History In 1922 the East Northport and Eatons Neck districts united with Northport, forming the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District, and in ...

Oysterponds Union Free School District Oysterponds Union Free School District is a public school district located in the Town of Southold Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is the easternmost school district on the North Fork of Long Island. The district includes the c ...

* Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District * Port Jefferson Union Free School District * Quogue Union Free School District * Remsenburg-Speonk Union Free School District *

Riverhead Central School District Riverhead Central School District is a public school district located in the eastern part of Suffolk County, New York, United States. It primarily serves the Town of Riverhead, as well as in the Town of Southampton and in the Town of Brookh ...

* Rocky Point Union Free School District * Sachem Central School District *

Sag Harbor Union Free School District Sag Harbor Union Free School District is a public school district located primarily in the Town of Southampton, with a small portion in the Town of East Hampton, on Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It services the vil ...

Sagaponack Common School District Sagaponack Common School District is a public school district located in Sagaponack on Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is roughly co-extensive with the village of Sagaponack, which is part of the town of Southampto ...

Sayville Union Free School District Sayville is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Located on the South Shore of Long Island in the Township of Islip, the population of the CDP was 16,853 at the time of the 2010 census. History The ear ...

Shelter Island Union Free School District Shelter is a small building giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger. Shelter may also refer to: Places * Port Shelter, Hong Kong * Shelter Bay (disambiguation), various locations * Shelter Cove (disambiguation), various locati ...

* Shoreham-Wading River Central School District * Smithtown Central School District *

South Country Central School District The South Country Central School District is a district of approximately located in southern Brookhaven Town, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It primarily serves the Village of Bellport Bellport is a village in the Town of Brook ...

* South Huntington Union Free School District *

Southampton Union Free School District Southampton Union Free School District is a public school district located in the Town of Southampton on Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The total enrollment for the 2018–2019 school year was 643 students. Until Apr ...

Southold Union Free School District Southold Union Free School District is a public school district located on the North Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It serves the central portion of the Town of Southold, including the majority of the census-d ...

Springs Union Free School District Springs Union Free School District is a public school district located in East Hampton on Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It educates students in the hamlet of Springs and the privately-owned Gardiners Island. The di ...

Three Village Central School District Three Village Central School District is a school district located on Long Island, New York. It serves Setauket, East Setauket, South Setauket, Stony Brook, Poquott, Head of the Harbor, Old Field, and small portions of Port Jefferson, Sa ...

* Tuckahoe Common School District *

Wainscott Common School District Wainscott may refer to: Places * Wainscott, Kent, England * Wainscott, New York, US People with the surname * G. L. Wainscott, the creator of Ale-8-One Ale-8-One, known colloquially as Ale-8, is a regional ginger- and citrus-flavored soft drink ...

West Babylon Union Free School District The West Babylon Union Free School District is a school district in Long Island, New York. It has its headquarters in West Babylon. History In July 1988 voters approved the spending of $297,606 ($ when adjusted for inflation) to buy eight sch ...

* West Islip Union Free School District * Westhampton Beach Union Free School District *

Wyandanch Union Free School District The Wyandanch Union Free School District (also known as Union Free School District No. 9 and often abbreviated as WUFSD) is a public school district headquartered in and serving the community of Wyandanch, in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York ...

Media

Newspapers

* ''Amityville Record'' * ''Bayport-Blue Point Gazette'' * ''

Dan's Papers ''Dan's Papers'' is a free weekly lifestyle publication in the Hamptons, Long Island, New York, USA, founded by Dan Rattiner.The first of the papers that would later collectively come to be known as ''Dan's Papers'' was the ''Montauk Pioneer'', ...

'' * ''Fire Island News'' * '' Newsday'' * ''Sayville Gazette'' * ''Shelter Island Reporter'' * ''The Beacon'' * ''The East Hampton Press'' * ''

The East Hampton Star ''The East Hampton Star'' is a weekly, privately owned newspaper published each Thursday in East Hampton, New York. It is one of the few independent, family-owned newspapers still existing in the United States. The owners live in East Hampton Tow ...

'' * ''The Islip Bulletin'' * ''The Long Island Advance'' * '' The Port Times Record'' * ''The Riverhead News-Review'' * ''The Shelter Island Reporter'' * ''The Southampton Press'' * ''The Suffolk County News'' * ''The Suffolk Times'' * ''The Tide of Moriches and Manorville'' * ''

The Times Beacon Record Times Beacon Record Newspapers is a community newspaper publisher, located in Setauket, NY, consisting of seven different weekly newspapers serving Suffolk County localities on the North Shore of Long Island spanning from the town of Huntingt ...

'' * '' The Times of Huntington'' * '' The Times of Middle Country'' * '' The Times of Northport and East Northport'' * '' The Times of Smithtown'' * '' The Village Beacon Record'' * '' The Village Times Herald''

Radio stations

WALK-FM WALK-FM (97.5 FM) is a hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to Patchogue, New York, and serving Long Island. The station is owned by Connoisseur Media, with studios and offices located at Airport Plaza in Farmingdale, New York and its t ...

, Patchogue * WAPP-LP, Westhampton *

WBAB WBAB (102.3 FM) is a classic rock radio station licensed to Babylon, New York and owned by Cox Radio. The station is also simulcast on WHFM (95.3 FM) licensed to Southampton, New York and serving eastern Long Island. History WBAB first wen ...

, Babylon * WBAZ, Bridgehampton * WBEA, Southold *

WBLI WBLI (106.1 FM) is a commercial radio station owned by Cox Radio and licensed to Patchogue, New York. It airs a top 40 (CHR) radio format. The station mainly serves Suffolk County, New York on Long Island. Its studios and offices are located o ...

, Patchogue * WBON, Westhampton * WBWD,

WBZO WBZO (103.1 FM) is a rock-leaning classic hits radio station owned by Connoisseur Media and licensed to Bay Shore, New York. The station's studios are located at Airport Plaza in Farmingdale, New York, and its transmitter is located on Freeman Av ...

, Bay Shore *

WEER Weer is a municipality in the district of Schwaz in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It lies in the east of the ''Weerbach''. Until World War II Weer was a farming village. After World War II, due to developing industrialisation in the peripherals ...

, Montauk * WEGB,

Napeague Napeague (, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) that roughly corresponds to the hamlet with the same name in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The CDP population was 200 at the 2010 census. Napeague is locate ...

* WEGQ, Quogue * WEHM, Manorville * WEHN, East Hampton * WELJ, Montauk *

WFRS WFRS (88.9 FM) is a non-commercial educational, religious-formatted radio station licensed to Smithtown, New York. The station is owned and operated by Family Radio, a Christian radio ministry based in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcasts the ...

, Smithtown * WFTU, Riverhead * WGSS,

Copiague Copiague ( ) is a hamlet on Long Island (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 23,429 at the 2020 census. Copiague is an unincorporated place within Babylon. Geography Copiague is located ...

WHFM WHFM (95.3 FM) is a classic rock radio station licensed to Southampton, New York, and serving eastern Long Island. It is owned by Cox Radio and simulcasts 102.3 WBAB. History The station began broadcasting as WWRJ on October 28, 1971, airing a ...

* WJJF, Montauk * WJVC,

Center Moriches Center Moriches ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 7,580 at the 2010 census. Center Moriches is in the town of Brookhaven. It is the location of the historic Masury Estate B ...

* WLID, Patchogue * WLIM, Medford *

WLIR-FM WLIR-FM (107.1 FM, ''Talkradio 107.1'') is a radio station licensed to Hampton Bays, New York, and serving eastern Long Island. The station's studios and offices are located on Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, with additional offices on ...

, Hampton Bays * WLIW-FM, Southampton * WLIX-LP, Ridge *

WLNG WLNG (92.1 FM) is an oldies/ adult hits radio station licensed to Sag Harbor, New York, and serving eastern Long Island. WLNG is owned and operated by Bark Out Loud Dogs Media, LLC, a company led by meteorologist Bill Evans and his wife Sandra ...

Sag Harbor Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the 2 ...

WNYG WNYG (1580 AM ''Radio Abundancia Divina'') is a radio station licensed to Patchogue, New York, broadcasting a Spanish language Christian radio format. Its transmitter site and former studios are located at 45 Pennsylvania Ave in Medford, New ...

, Patchogue *

WNYH WNYH (740 AM) is a radio station licensed to Huntington, New York, it serves the Long Island area and broadcasts brokered programming from The Overcomer Ministry. The station is owned by Win Radio Broadcasting Corporation. Since 740 AM is ...

, Huntington *

WPTY WPTY (105.3 FM broadcasting, FM, "Party 105") is a rhythmic contemporary, rhythmic hot adult contemporary, hot AC formatted station city of license, licensed to Calverton, New York, Calverton-Riverhead (town), New York#Other communities, Roanok ...

, Calverton- Roanoke * WRCN-FM, Riverhead *

WRIV WRIV (1390 AM) is a radio station licensed to Riverhead, New York and serves eastern Long Island. It broadcasts an adult standards format. The station, which has been owned since 1987 by Crystal Coast Communications, has daytime power of 1,00 ...

, Riverhead * WRLI, Southampton * WSHR, Lake Ronkonkoma * WSUF, Noyack * WUSB, Stony Brook *

WWSK WWSK (94.3 FM) is a mainstream rock formatted radio station, licensed to Smithtown, New York and owned by Connoisseur Media. The station's studios are located at Airport Plaza in Farmingdale, New York and its transmitter is located in Brentwood ...

, Smithtown * WXBA, Brentwood

Television stations

WFTY-DT WFTY-DT (channel 67) is a television station licensed to Smithtown, New York, United States, serving Long Island as an affiliate of the True Crime Network. It is owned by TelevisaUnivision alongside Newark, New Jersey–licensed UniMás co-flag ...

, Smithtown *

WLNY-TV WLNY-TV (channel 55) is an independent television station licensed to Riverhead, New York, United States, serving the New York City television market. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS flagship WCBS-TV (channel 2). ...

, Riverhead * WVVH-CD, Southampton

Suffolk seashore

Fire Island Lighthouse The Fire Island Lighthouse is a visible landmark on the Great South Bay, in southern Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York on the western end of Fire Island, New York, Fire Island, a barrier island off the southern c ...

was an important landmark for many trans-Atlantic ships coming into New York Harbor in the early 20th century. For many European immigrants, the Fire Island Light was their first sight of land upon arrival in America. Fire island lighthouse

The

Fire Island Inlet 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 Cap ...

span of the Robert Moses Causeway connects to Robert Moses State Park on the western tip of Fire Island. The

Great South Bay Bridge The Great South Bay Bridge is a bridge on the southwest side of Suffolk County, New York, on Long Island. It connects the Robert Moses Causeway from Long Island's mainland over the Great South Bay, connecting to Captree and Jones Beach islan ...

, the first causeway bridge, had only one northbound and one southbound lane, was opened to traffic in April 1954. The span of across Great South Bay to Captree Island features a main span of , with a clearance for boats of . After crossing the State Boat Channel over its -long

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

, the causeway meets the Ocean Parkway at a cloverleaf interchange. This interchange provides access to Captree State Park, Gilgo State Park and Jones Beach State Park. F I W SEASHORE

The

Fire Island Inlet Bridge The Fire Island Inlet Bridge, an integral part of the Robert Moses Causeway, is a two-lane, steel tied arch span with a concrete deck that carries the parkway over Fire Island Inlet. Construction of the Fire Island Bridge was completed in 1964 ...

continues the two-lane road, one lane in each direction, across Fire Island Inlet to its terminus at Robert Moses State Park and The Fire Island Lighthouse. Robert Moses Causeway opened in 1964. Suffolk County has the most

lighthouses A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

of any United States county, with 15 of its original 26 lighthouses still standing. Of these 15, eight are in Southold township alone, giving it more lighthouses than any other township in the United States.

Secessionist movements

At various times, there have been proposals for a division of Suffolk County into two counties. The western portion would be called Suffolk County, while the eastern portion of the current Suffolk County would comprise a new county to be called Peconic County. Peconic County would consist of the five easternmost towns of Suffolk County: East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island,

and Southold, plus the Shinnecock Indian Reservation. The proposed Peconic County flag showed the two forks at the east end of Long Island separated by Peconic Bay. The star on the north represents Southold. The stars on the South Fork represent Southampton and East Hampton. Riverhead is at the fork mouth and Shelter Island is between the forks. The secessionist movement has not been active since 1998. ''The End of the Hamptons: Scenes from the Class Struggle in America's Paradise'', by Corey Dolgon (New York University Press, 2005) examined the class roots of the secessionist movement in the Hamptons. In his review,

Howard Zinn Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922January 27, 2010) was an American historian, playwright, philosopher, socialist thinker and World War II veteran. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College, and a politica ...

wrote that the book " kes us beyond the much-romanticized beaches of Long Island to the rich entrepreneurs and their McMansions, the Latino workers, and the stubborn indigenous residents refusing to disappear. The book is important because it is in so many ways a microcosm of the nation." The book won the Association for Humanist Sociology's 2005 Book Prize and the American Sociological Association's Marxist Section Book Award in 2007. Matt DeSimone, a young adult from Southold, started a similar movement in the late 2010s. With partner Jake Dominy, also of Southold, they made hats promoting the secessionist movement. It went nowhere.

Finance and taxation

Suffolk County has an 8.625% sales tax, compared to an overall New York State sales tax of 4%, consisting of an additional 4.25% on top of the state and MTA assessment of .375%

Health

In March 2020, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

first affected the county. As of December 12, 2020, there are a total of 73,281 cases and 2,153 deaths.

Communities

In the

, a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

is the major subdivision of each county. Towns provide or arrange for most municipal services for residents of hamlets and selected services for residents of villages. All residents of New York who do not live in a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

or on an Indian reservation live in a town. A

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

is an

incorporated area The United States Census Bureau defines a place as a concentration of population which has a name, is locally recognized, and is not part of any other place. A place typically has a residential nucleus and a closely spaced street pattern, and it fr ...

which is usually, but not always, within a single town. A village is a clearly defined

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

that provides the services closest to the residents, such as garbage collection, street and highway maintenance, street lighting and building codes. Some villages provide their own police and other optional services. A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

is an informally defined populated area within a town that is not part of a village. Suffolk County Municipalities Map

Figures in parentheses are 2019 population estimates from the Census Bureau.

Towns

* Babylon (210,141) * Brookhaven (480,763) * East Hampton (22,047) * Huntington (200,503) *

(329,610) * Riverhead (33,469) * Shelter Island (2,417) * Smithtown (116,022) *

(58,398) * Southold (22,170)

Villages (incorporated)

(9,399) *

Asharoken Asharoken is a village in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island in New York. The population was 654 at the 2010 census. History Asharoken incorporated as a village in 1925, so as to have a greater ability ...

(646) * Babylon (11,992) * Belle Terre (786) *

Bellport Bellport is a village in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 2,084 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of Bellport is named after the Bell family, ...

(2,047) * Brightwaters (3,059) * Dering Harbor (11) * East Hampton (1,134) * Greenport (2,231) * Head of the Harbor (1,458) * Huntington Bay (1,437) * Islandia (3,309) * Lake Grove (11,056) * Lindenhurst (26,801) * Lloyd Harbor (3,658) * Nissequogue (1,732) * North Haven (892) * Northport (7,273) * Ocean Beach (83) * Old Field (909) * Patchogue (12,321) * Poquott (928) *

Port Jefferson Port Jefferson (informally known as "Port Jeff") is an incorporated village in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. Officially known as the Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson, the population ...

(8,145) * Quogue (1,014) *

(2,283) * Sagaponack (323) * Saltaire (41) * Shoreham (531) *

(3,307) * Village of the Branch (1,793) * Westhampton Beach (1,797) * West Hampton Dunes (58)

Census-designated places (unincorporated)

Amagansett Amagansett is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 United States Census, t ...

* Aquebogue * Baiting Hollow * Bay Shore * Bayport * Baywood * Blue Point * Bohemia * Brentwood * Bridgehampton * Brookhaven * Calverton * Captree *

Centereach Centereach () is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 31,578 at the 2010 census. History The hamlet of Centereach was first called West Middle Island, but primarily became known a ...

* Centerport *

* Cold Spring Harbor *

Commack Commack ( ) is a hamlet and census designated place (CDP) that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the towns of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The CDP's population was 36,124 at the 20 ...

* Coram * Cutchogue * Deer Park *

* East Hampton North * East Islip * East Marion * East Moriches *

East Northport East Northport is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Huntington, New York, Huntington in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 20,217 at th ...

* East Patchogue * East Quogue * East Setauket * East Shoreham * Eastport * Eatons Neck * Elwood * Farmingville *

Fishers Island Fishers Island (Pequot: ''Munnawtawkit'') is an island that is part of Southold, New York, United States at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, off the southeastern coast of Connecticut across Fishers Island Sound. About long and wide, it ...

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

* Gilgo * Gordon Heights * Great River * Greenlawn * Greenport West * Halesite * Hampton Bays * Hauppauge *

Holbrook Holbrook may refer to: Places England *Holbrook, Derbyshire, a village * Holbrook, Somerset, a hamlet in Charlton Musgrove * Holbrook, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a former mining village in Mosborough ward, now known as Halfway *Holbrook, Suffolk, ...

* Holtsville * Huntington * Huntington Station *

* Islip Terrace * Jamesport * Kings Park * Lake Ronkonkoma *

Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

* Manorville *

Mastic Mastic may refer to: Adhesives and pastes *Mastic (plant resin) *Mastic asphalt, or asphalt, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid * Mastic cold porcelain, or salt ceramic, is a traditional salt-based modeling clay. *Mastic, high-grade con ...

* Mastic Beach * Mattituck * Medford * Melville * Middle Island * Miller Place * Montauk * Moriches *

Mount Sinai Mount Sinai ( he , הר סיני ''Har Sinai''; Aramaic: ܛܘܪܐ ܕܣܝܢܝ ''Ṭūrāʾ Dsyny''), traditionally known as Jabal Musa ( ar, جَبَل مُوسَىٰ, translation: Mount Moses), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is ...

* Nesconset * New Suffolk * North Amityville * North Babylon * North Bay Shore * North Bellport * North Great River * North Lindenhurst * North Patchogue *

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

* Northampton * Northville * Northwest Harbor * Noyack *

Oak Beach Oak Beach is a small community and census-designated place located near the eastern end of Jones Beach Island, a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay of Long Island. The community is part of the village of Babylon in ...

* Oakdale * Orient * Peconic * Port Jefferson Station * Quiogue * Remsenburg-Speonk * Ridge * Riverhead * Riverside * Rocky Point * Ronkonkoma * Sayville * Selden * Setauket * Shelter Island *

Shelter Island Heights Shelter Island Heights is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of Shelter Island, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located on the north side of the island of Shelter Island, surrounding the village of Derin ...

* Shinnecock *

Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

* Smithtown * Sound Beach * South Huntington * Southold * Springs * St. James * Stony Brook * Stony Brook University * Terryville * Tuckahoe * Wading River * Wainscott *

Water Mill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production ...

West Babylon West Babylon is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 43,213 at the 2010 census. Geography West Babylon is located at (40.713399, -73.357106). West Babylon is bo ...

* West Bay Shore * West Hills * West Islip * West Sayville * Westhampton * Wheatley Heights * Wyandanch * Yaphank File:Oak-beach-regatta-1.jpg, West Gilgo Beach, New York -

File:Eatons Neck Light.JPG, Huntington Bay, New York File:Riverhead, New York.jpg, Riverhead, New York File:Watermill-convent.jpg, Watermill, New York

Gardiners Island

Gardiners Island is an island off eastern Suffolk County. The Island is long, and wide and has of coastline. The same family has owned the Island for nearly 400 years; one of the largest privately owned islands in America or the world. In addition, it is the only American real estate still intact as part of an original royal grant from the English Crown.

Robins Island

Robins Island is an Island in the Peconic Bay between the North and South folks of eastern Suffolk County. It is within the jurisdiction of Town of Southold in Suffolk County, New York. The Island is and presently undeveloped. The island is privately owned and not accessible to the public.

Indian reservations

Two Indian reservations are within the borders of Suffolk County: *

Shinnecock Reservation Shinnecock Reservation is a Native American reservation for members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in the town of Southampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is the furthermost east of the two Native American reservations in Suff ...

Poospatuck Reservation The Poospatuck Reservation is a Native American reservation of the Unkechaugi band in the community of Mastic, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is one of two Native American reservations in Suffolk County, the other being the Shinnec ...

Transportation

The county includes a lot of roadways and other public transportation infrastructure. The local Suffolk County Legislature oversees funding and regulations for the infrastructure. In 2019, the legislature required all new projects to account for future

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

caused

Major highways

* I-495 (Long Island Expressway) traverses the county from the Nassau County line in the West to Riverhead in the East. Original plans called for the Expressway to extend further past Riverhead and along the island's North Fork, possibly to Orient Point, where a crossing to Connecticut could be built. The expressway connects to Manhattan via the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. *

New York State Route 27 New York State Route 27 (NY 27) is a long state highway that runs east–west from Interstate 278 (I-278) in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York. Its two most prominent c ...

crosses the county from the Nassau County line in the West to

Montauk Point Montauk ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, on the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 4,318. The ...

in the East, which is also the easternmost point in the State of New York. The road is limited-access from

Airports

Commercial Airport: * Long Island MacArther Airport (ISP/KISP) General Aviation Airport: * Republic Airport (FRG/KFRG) * Brookhaven Calabro Airport (WSH/KHWV/HWV) * Francis S. Gabreski Airport (FOK/KFOK) * Town of East Hampton Airport (JPX/KJPX) * Elizabeth Field (Fisher's Island) (FID/0B8)

Public transportation

Suffolk County is served by Suffolk County Transit. Long Island Rail Road, the Hampton Jitney, and Hampton Luxury Liner connect Suffolk County to New York City.

Notable people

Kevin James Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), better known by his stage name Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. In television, James played Doug Heffernan on ''The King of Queens'' from 1998 to 2007, and receieved a Primetime Emmy ...

– was raised in Stony Brook *

Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador. Foley worked for m ...

– was raised in East Setauket *

Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...

resides here * Carl Yastrzemski – was raised in Southampton *

Craig Biggio Craig Alan Biggio (; born December 14, 1965) is an American former second baseman, outfielder and catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career from 1988 through 2007 for the Houston Astros. A seven-time National League (NL) All ...

– was raised in Kings Park

References

Bibliography

* ; .

External links

*
Long Island History: Suffolk County

Suffolk Historical Newspapers

Map of Suffolk County CDPs in 2010

Map of Suffolk County CDPs in 2000
{{Coord, 40.94, -72.68, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NY_source:UScensus1990 Counties in the New York metropolitan area Long Island Sound 1683 establishments in the Province of New York Populated places established in 1683