Suffolk County
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,419,369. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came. The county seat is Riverhead, though many county offices are in Hauppauge on the west side of the county where most of the population lives. There are also offices in Smithtown, for the legislature, Yaphank, and Farmingville.
Suffolk and Nassau counties together are generally referred to as "Long Island" by area residents — as distinct from the New York City boroughs of Queens (Queens County) and Brooklyn (Kings County), which geographically make up the island's western end.
In 2005, Forbes Magazine named Suffolk County, along with Nassau County, New York, as the safest region in the United States, with the lowest crime rate.
According to Forbes Magazine, Suffolk County is among the top 25 richest counties in America..
Suffolk County is the easternmost county in New York State and the New York Metropolitan Area.
History
Suffolk County was an original county of New York State, one of twelve created in 1683. Its boundaries were substantially the same as at present, with only minor changes in the boundary with its western neighbor, which was originally Queens County but since 1899 has been Nassau County.
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 dedicated farmers in this region."
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,373 square miles (6,146 km²), of which, 912 square miles (2,363 km²) of it is land and 1,461 square miles (3,784 km²) of it (61.56%) is water, making it the 2nd largest county by area in the state of New York.
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.Suffolk County occupies the easternmost portion of Long Island, in the southeastern portion of New York State. 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 and the Long Island Sound. The eastern end contains large bays. Suffolk County is divided into 10 towns: Babylon, Brookhaven, East Hampton, Huntington, Islip, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Smithtown, Southampton, and Southold. Also part of the county, but not considered parts of the above towns, are the Poospatuck and Shinnecock Indian reservations. Poospatuck is enclaved within Brookhaven in the Mastic CDP, and Shinnecock is enclaved within Southampton, adjacent to Southampton village, Tuckahoe, and Shinnecock Hills.
Major facilities include Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton and Plum Island Animal Disease Center on Plum Island. Several airports serve commuters and business travelers, most notably Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, Republic Airport in East Farmingdale and Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach.
Adjacent counties
- Nassau County, New York - west
- Fairfield County, Connecticut - northwest, water boundary only, across Long Island Sound
- New Haven County, Connecticut - north, water boundary only, across Long Island Sound
- Middlesex County, Connecticut - north, water boundary only, across Long Island Sound
- New London County, Connecticut - north, water boundary only, across Fishers Island Sound
- Washington County, Rhode Island - northeast, water boundary only, across Block Island Sound
National protected areas
- Amagansett National Wildlife Refuge
- Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge
- Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge
- Fire Island National Seashore
- Sayville National Wildlife Refuge
- Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge
- Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge
- Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge
Law and government
Suffolk County had long been a Republican bastion in New York. U.S. Congressman Rick Lazio, who opposed Hillary Clinton in the 2000 Senate race, was from Suffolk County. However, recent elections have turned the county more toward the Democrats. 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 in 1996 and continued the trend by giving Al Gore an 11-percent victory in the county in 2000. 2004 Democratic candidate John Kerry won by a much smaller margin of one percent, in 2008 Democratic candidate Barack Obama won by a slightly larger 5 percent margin, 52%-47%.
Suffolk County is represented by three congressional districts, the first, most of the second, and part of the third. The former two seats are held by Democrats. Tim Bishop, a Democrat, represents the once heavily Republican first district, which includes almost half of the county, from Smithtown to Montauk, including The Hamptons and Riverhead. The second district, which includes Huntington, Brentwood and Bay Shore, is represented by Steve Israel. A Democrat, Israel won the seat vacated by Rick Lazio in 2000 when he made his unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate. The third district, which is mainly in Nassau County, but includes some middle-class coastal areas of southwestern Suffolk County, is represented by Peter King, a Republican.
As a whole both Suffolk and Nassau counties are considered swing counties, though usually in presidential elections it doesn't matter since New York State is almost reliably blue.
Suffolk County Executives
* Appointed to compete Cohalan's term
Suffolk County Legislature
The county is divided into 18 legislative districts, each represented by a legislator. As of 2010, there are 8 Democrats, 7 Republicans, 2 members of the Independence Party of New York, and one legislator from the Working Families Party:
- Edward P. Romaine (R)
- Jay Schneiderman (I)
- Kate M. Browning (WF)
- Thomas Muratore (R)
- Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D)
- Daniel P. Losquadro (R)
- Jack Eddington (I)
- William J. Lindsay (D)
- Ricardo Montano (D)
- Tom Cilmi (R)
- Thomas F. Barraga (R)
- John M. Kennedy, Jr. (R)
- Lynne Nowick (R)
- Wayne R. Horsley (D)
- DuWayne Gregory (D)
- Steven H. Stern (D)
- Louis D'Amaro (D)
- Jon Cooper (D)
Republicans controlled the county legislature until a landmark election in November 2005 where three Republican seats switched to the Democrats, giving them control. William Lindsay is the current Presiding Officer of the legislature while Jon Cooper is the majority leader.
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 still remain in the minority for the 2010-2011 session.
Law enforcement
Police services in the five western towns (Babylon, Huntington, Islip, Smithtown and Brookhaven) are provided primarily by the Suffolk County Police Department. The five "East End" towns (Riverhead, Southold, Shelter Island, East Hampton, and Southampton), maintain their own police forces. Also, there are a number of villages, such as Amityville, 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, headquartered at Republic Airport. 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, which has jurisdiction over all rail lines in the count
Suffolk County, New York - Wikipedia, the free ...
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,419,369.
Suffolk County Government - Civil Service
want to get on our e-mailing list? thanks to the internet, anyone interested in receiving the civil service examination announcement summary by email may now do so.
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Suffolk County Dental Society
A component of the New York Sate Dental Association and the American Dental Association: 1727 Veterans Memorial Highway, Suite 200 Islandia, NY 11749
Suffolk County Government - Suffolk County Web Portal
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Welcome to Suffolk County Council
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When you've been hurt in an accident, work with a legal team you can trust. Contact Suffolk County Accident Lawyers.com by calling toll-free at 1-888-879-9752 for a free initial ...
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Keep up to date with news and happenings in Suffolk County Long Island. Newsday.com has all the top news, video, and picture galleries of Suffolk County.
Suffolk County Government - Suffolk County Web Portal
Official home page of Suffolk County.
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