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Suffolk County, New York

January 21, 2023

For other uses, see Suffolk (disambiguation) § Places.

Suffolk County (/ˈsʌfək/) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state 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 county's population was 1,525,920 [1] 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. Its county seat is Riverhead,[2] though most county offices are in Hauppauge.[3] The county was named after the county of Suffolk in England, from where its earliest European settlers came.

Suffolk County
County
Montauk Point Light
Flag
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°56′N 72°41′W / 40.94°N 72.68°W / 40.94; -72.68
Country United States
State New York
Founded1683
Named forSuffolk, England
SeatRiverhead
Largest TownBrookhaven
Government
 • ExecutiveSteve Bellone (D)
Area
 • Total2,373 sq mi (6,150 km2)
 • Land912 sq mi (2,360 km2)
 • Water1,461 sq mi (3,780 km2)  62%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,525,920
 • Density1,637.0/sq mi (632.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts1st, 2nd
Websitewww.suffolkcountyny.gov
Population is the official 2020 census count
Interactive map of Suffolk County, New York

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, Suffolk measures 86 miles (138 km) in length and 26 miles (42 km) in width at its widest (including water).[4] Most of the island is near sea level, with over 1,000 miles of coastline.[5]

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 facilities in Suffolk County include Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 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

 
Sign referring to Suffolk County being founded in 1683

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. 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."[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2,373 square miles (6,150 km2), of which 912 square miles (2,360 km2) is land and 1,461 square miles (3,780 km2) (62%) is water.[7] 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 and Long Island Sound, with 980 miles (1,580 km) 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.[5]

Climate

Suffolk County sits at the convergence of climate zones including the humid continental (Dfa) and humid subtropical (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 31.0 °F (−0.6 °C) in January to 74.0 °F (23.3 °C) in July, and in the Riverhead town center they range from 30.1 °F (−1.1 °C) in January to 72.8 °F (22.7 °C) 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.[8]

Climate data for Montauk, New York (1981–2010 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 38.1
(3.4) 		40.1
(4.5) 		45.6
(7.6) 		54.5
(12.5) 		64.2
(17.9) 		73.3
(22.9) 		79.3
(26.3) 		78.9
(26.1) 		71.9
(22.2) 		62.6
(17.0) 		53.0
(11.7) 		43.6
(6.4) 		58.8
(14.9)
Daily mean °F (°C) 32.3
(0.2) 		33.7
(0.9) 		39.0
(3.9) 		47.5
(8.6) 		56.6
(13.7) 		66.4
(19.1) 		72.4
(22.4) 		72.2
(22.3) 		65.7
(18.7) 		56.4
(13.6) 		47.2
(8.4) 		37.9
(3.3) 		52.3
(11.3)
Average low °F (°C) 26.4
(−3.1) 		27.3
(−2.6) 		32.4
(0.2) 		40.4
(4.7) 		48.9
(9.4) 		59.5
(15.3) 		65.5
(18.6) 		65.5
(18.6) 		59.4
(15.2) 		50.3
(10.2) 		41.4
(5.2) 		32.3
(0.2) 		45.8
(7.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.87
(73) 		3.38
(86) 		4.75
(121) 		3.45
(88) 		2.21
(56) 		3.80
(97) 		3.81
(97) 		3.92
(100) 		3.93
(100) 		3.66
(93) 		4.22
(107) 		3.58
(91) 		43.58
(1,109)
Source: NOAA[9]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

 
View of western Fire Island from the top of Fire Island Lighthouse

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
179016,400—
180019,73520.3%
181021,1137.0%
182023,93613.4%
183026,78011.9%
184032,46921.2%
185036,92213.7%
186043,27517.2%
187046,9248.4%
188052,88812.7%
189062,49118.2%
190077,58224.1%
191096,13823.9%
1920110,24614.7%
1930161,05546.1%
1940197,35522.5%
1950276,12939.9%
1960666,784141.5%
19701,124,95068.7%
19801,284,23114.2%
19901,321,8642.9%
20001,419,3697.4%
20101,493,3505.2%
20201,525,9202.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2019[1]

According to the 2010 U.S. census[14] 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 19,745,289[15] and 19.0% of the census-estimated Long Island population of 7,869,820.[16][17][18][19] The population density in 2010 was 1,637 people per square mile (633/km2), with 569,985 households at an average density of 625 per square mile (241/km2). However, by 2012, with an estimated total population increasing moderately to 1,499,273 there were 569,359 housing units.[20] As of 2006, Suffolk County was the 21st-most populous county in the United States.[21]

By 2014, the county's racial makeup was estimated at 85.2% White, 8.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 4.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those identifying as Hispanic 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.[22] 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.[23] In 2007, Suffolk County's most common ethnicities were Italian (29.5%), Irish (24.0%), and German (17.6%).[24]

In 2002, The New York Times 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.[25]

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 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, the 11962 zip code encompassing Sagaponack, within Southampton, was listed as the most expensive in the U.S., with a median home sale price of $8.5 million.[26]

The median income for a household in the county was $84,767,[27] 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 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[22] 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.

Racial groups, ethnicity, and religious groups on Long Island
compared to state and nation
Place
 Population
2010
census
 %
white
 %
black
or
African
American
 %
Asian
 %
Other
 %
mixed
race
 %
Hispanic/
Latino
of any
race
 %
Catholic
 % not
affiliated
 %
Jewish
 %
Protestant
 Estimate
of % not
reporting
Race Ethnicity Religious groups
Nassau County 1,339,532 73.0 11.1 7.6 5.9 2.4 14.6 52 9 17 7 15
Suffolk County 1,493,350 80.8 7.4 3.4 5.9 2.4 16.5 52 21 7 8 11
Long Island Total
(including Brooklyn and Queens)		 7,568,304 54.7 20.4 12.3 9.3 3.2 20.5 40 18 15 7 20
NY State 19,378,102 65.7 15.9 7.3 8.0 3.0 17.6 42 20 9 10 16
USA 308,745,538 72.4 12.6 4.8 7.3 2.9 16.3 22 37 2 23 12
Source for Race and Ethnicity: 2010 Census[28]
American Indian, Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander make up just 0.5% of the population of Long Island, and have been included with "Other".
Source for religious groups: ARDA2000[29][30]

2020 Census

Suffolk County Racial Composition[31]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 967,330 63.4%
Black or African American (NH) 107,268 7.03%
Native American (NH) 3,102 0.2%
Asian (NH) 65,019 4.3%
Pacific Islander (NH) 241 0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH) 50,001 3.3%
Hispanic or Latino 332,959 22%

Law and government

United States presidential election results for Suffolk County, New York[32]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 381,253 49.30% 381,021 49.27% 11,013 1.42%
2016 350,570 51.46% 303,951 44.62% 26,733 3.92%
2012 282,131 47.48% 304,079 51.17% 8,056 1.36%
2008 307,021 46.53% 346,549 52.53% 6,209 0.94%
2004 309,949 48.53% 315,909 49.46% 12,854 2.01%
2000 240,992 41.99% 306,306 53.37% 26,646 4.64%
1996 182,510 36.13% 261,828 51.83% 60,875 12.05%
1992 229,467 40.40% 220,811 38.88% 117,677 20.72%
1988 311,242 60.51% 199,215 38.73% 3,893 0.76%
1984 335,485 66.03% 171,295 33.72% 1,276 0.25%
1980 256,294 57.00% 149,945 33.35% 43,416 9.66%
1976 248,908 54.10% 208,263 45.27% 2,877 0.63%
1972 316,452 70.34% 132,441 29.44% 1,005 0.22%
1968 218,027 58.18% 122,590 32.71% 34,150 9.11%
1964 144,350 44.37% 180,598 55.51% 385 0.12%
1960 166,644 59.32% 114,033 40.59% 268 0.10%
1956 167,805 77.64% 48,323 22.36% 0 0.00%
1952 115,570 74.58% 39,120 25.25% 262 0.17%
1948 75,519 69.75% 29,104 26.88% 3,642 3.36%
1944 65,650 67.59% 31,231 32.15% 253 0.26%
1940 63,712 65.12% 33,853 34.60% 270 0.28%
1936 48,970 58.07% 33,078 39.22% 2,287 2.71%
1932 40,247 55.49% 30,799 42.46% 1,482 2.04%
1928 41,199 65.07% 19,497 30.79% 2,619 4.14%
1924 31,456 69.20% 10,024 22.05% 3,975 8.74%
1920 26,737 73.10% 8,852 24.20% 985 2.69%
1916 12,742 59.20% 8,422 39.13% 358 1.66%
1912 5,595 28.47% 7,878 40.08% 6,182 31.45%
1908 10,689 60.29% 5,877 33.15% 1,164 6.57%
1904 9,937 57.19% 6,795 39.11% 642 3.70%
1900 9,584 60.24% 5,711 35.90% 615 3.87%
1896 9,388 66.60% 3,872 27.47% 837 5.94%
1892 7,001 49.29% 6,274 44.17% 928 6.53%
1888 7,167 50.23% 6,600 46.26% 500 3.50%
1884 5,876 45.85% 6,429 50.17% 510 3.98%

Suffolk County had long been a Republican bastion in the State of New York. U.S. Congressman Rick Lazio, who opposed Hillary Clinton 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 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 4.4 percent margin, 52%-47%.

In 2016, Republican candidate Donald Trump 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.[32] 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. In percentage terms, it was the closest county in the state, although Ontario County and 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 and Maricopa County, Arizona 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 represents the first district, which includes almost half of the county, from Smithtown to Montauk, including The Hamptons and Riverhead. The second district is represented by Republican Andrew Garbarino, 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. A Democrat, Suozzi won the seat vacated by Steve Israel in 2016 after Israel declined to seek re-election.[citation needed]

 
Map showing Long Island's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Congressional districts after redistricting in 2012. Portions in red are within Suffolk County.

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.[33]

County Officials
Position Name Party Term
  Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. Dem 2018–Present
  District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney Rep 2022–Present
  County Clerk Judith A. Pascale Rep 2006–Present
  Comptroller John M. Kennedy Jr. Rep 2015–Present

Suffolk County Executives

 
H. Lee Dennison County Executive Building in Hauppauge
Suffolk County Executives
Name Party Term
H. Lee Dennison Democratic 1961–1973
John V.N. Klein Republican 1973–1979
Peter F. Cohalan Republican 1979–1986
Michael A. LoGrande* Republican 1986–1987
Patrick G. Halpin Democratic 1987–1991
Robert J. Gaffney Republican 1992–2003
Steve Levy** Democratic 2004–2010
Steve Levy** Republican 2010–2011
Steve Bellone Democratic 2012–present

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

Historical composition of the Suffolk County Legislature

District 2022-2023 Legislature 2020-2021 Legislature 2017-2018 Legislature 2015-2016 Legislature 2014-2015 Legislature 2012-2013 Legislature 2010-2011 Legislature 2008-2009 Legislature 2006-2007 Legislature 2004-2005 Legislature
1 Al Krupski (D) Al Krupski (D) Al Krupski (D) Al Krupski (D) Al Krupski (D) Al Krupski (D) Edward P. Romaine (R) Edward P. Romaine (R) Edward P. Romaine (R) Michael J. Caracciolo (R)
2 Bridget Fleming (D) Bridget Fleming (D) Bridget Fleming (D) Bridget Fleming (D) Jay Schneiderman(DPO) (I) Jay Schneiderman(DPO) (I) Jay Schneiderman(DPO) (I) Jay Schneiderman (I) Jay Schneiderman (R) Jay Schneiderman (R)
3 James Mazzarella (R) Rudy A. Sunderman (R) / James Mazzarella (R) after May 25, 2021 Rudy A. Sunderman (R) Kate M. Browning (WF) Kate M. Browning (WF) Kate M. Browning (WF) Kate M. Browning (WF) Kate M. Browning (WF) Kate M. Browning (WF) Peter O'Leary (R)
4 Nicholas Caracappa (C) Thomas Muratore (R) / Nicholas Caracappa (C) after February 11, 2020 Thomas Muratore (R) Thomas Muratore (R) Thomas Muratore (R) Thomas Muratore (R) Thomas Muratore (R) Brian Beedenbender (D) Joseph T. Caracappa (R) Joseph T. Caracappa (R)
5 Kara Hahn (DPO)(D) Kara Hahn (DPO)(D) Kara Hahn (MajL) (D) Kara Hahn(MajL) (D) Kara Hahn (D) Kara Hahn (D) Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D) Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D) Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D) Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D)
6 Sarah Anker (D) Sarah Anker (D) Sarah Anker (D) Sarah Anker (D) Sarah Anker (D) Sarah Anker (D) Daniel P. Losquadro (R)(MinL) / Sarah Anker (D) for 2011 Daniel P. Losquadro(MinL) (R) Daniel P. Losquadro(MinL) (R) Daniel P. Losquadro(MinL) (R)
7 Dominick Thorne (R) Robert Calarco (PO) (D) Robert Calarco (DPO) (D) Robert Calarco(DPO) (D) Robert Calarco(MajL) (D) Robert Calarco(MajL) (D) Jack Eddington (I) Jack Eddington (I) Jack Eddington (D) Brian X. Foley (D)
8 Anthony Piccirillo (R) Anthony Piccirillo (R) William J. Lindsay III (D) William J. Lindsay III (D) William J. Lindsay III (D) William J. Lindsay(PO) (D) William J. Lindsay(PO) (D) William J. Lindsay(PO) (D) William J. Lindsay(PO) (D) William J. Lindsay(PO) (D)
9 Samuel Gonzalez (D) Samuel Gonzalez (D) Monica R. Martinez (D) Monica R. Martinez (D) Monica R. Martinez (D) Ricardo Montano (D) Ricardo Montano (D) Ricardo Montano (D) Ricardo Montano (D) Ricardo Montano (D)
10 Trish Bergin (R) Tom Cilmi (MinL for 2020) (R) Tom Cilmi (R) Tom Cilmi (R) Tom Cilmi (R) Tom Cilmi (R) Tom Cilmi (R) Cameron Alden (R) Cameron Alden (R) Cameron Alden (R)
11 Steven J. Flotteron (R) Steven J. Flotteron (R) Steven J. Flotteron (R) Thomas F. Barraga (R) Thomas F. Barraga (R) Thomas F. Barraga (R) Thomas F. Barraga (R) Thomas F. Barraga (R) Thomas F. Barraga (R) Angie Carpenter (R)
12 Leslie Kennedy (R) Leslie Kennedy (R) Leslie Kennedy (R) Leslie Kennedy (R) John M. Kennedy, Jr.(MinL) (R) / Leslie Kennedy (R) after March 30, 2015 John M. Kennedy, Jr.(MinL) (R) John M. Kennedy, Jr. (R) John M. Kennedy, Jr. (R) John M. Kennedy, Jr. (R) John M. Kennedy, Jr. (R)
13 Robert Trotta (R) Robert Trotta (R) Robert Trotta (R) Robert Trotta (R) Robert Trotta (R) Lynne C. Nowick (R) Lynne C. Nowick (R) Lynne C. Nowick (R) Lynne C. Nowick (R) Lynne C. Nowick (R)
14 Kevin J. McCaffrey (PO)(R) Kevin J. McCaffrey (MinL for 2021) (R) Kevin J. McCaffrey (MinL) (R) Kevin J. McCaffrey(MinL) (R) Kevin J. McCaffrey (R) Wayne R. Horsley(PO) (D) Wayne R. Horsley (D) Wayne R. Horsley (D) Wayne R. Horsley (D) David Bishop (D)
15 Jason Richberg (D) Jason Richberg (D) DuWayne Gregory (PO) (D) DuWayne Gregory(PO) (D) DuWayne Gregory(PO) (D) DuWayne Gregory (D) DuWayne Gregory (D) Elie Mystal (D) / DuWayne Gregory (D) since July 29, 2008 Elie Mystal (D) Elie Mystal (D)
16 Manuel Esteban (R) Susan A. Berland (MajL after Spencer arrest)(D) Susan A. Berland (D) Steven H. Stern (D) Steven H. Stern (D) Steven H. Stern (D) Steven H. Stern (D) Steven H. Stern (D) Steven H. Stern (D) Allan Binder (R)
17 Tom Donnelly (D) Tom Donnelly (D) Tom Donnelly (D) Louis D'Amaro (D) Louis D'Amaro (D) Louis D'Amaro (D) Louis D'Amaro (D) Louis D'Amaro (D) Louis D'Amaro (D) Paul J. Tonna (R)
18 Stephanie Bontempi (R) William R. Spencer (MajL Until Arrest)(D) William R. Spencer (D) William R. Spencer (D) William R. Spencer (D) William R. Spencer (D) Jon Cooper (D) Jon Cooper (D) Jon Cooper (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. 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.[34][35]

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.[36]

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 and other law enforcement agencies. 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 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 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 beaches and hundreds of square miles of waterways. The Suffolk Police Marine Bureau patrols the 500 square miles (1,000 km2) of navigable waterways within the police district, from the Connecticut and Rhode Island state line which bisects Long Island Sound[37] to the New York state line 3 miles (5 km) south of Fire Island in the Atlantic Ocean. 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.

This includes Fire Island and parts of Jones Island barrier beaches and the islands of the Great South Bay. 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) put forward a resolution to recover salary and benefits from James Burke, the county's former police chief.[38][39] 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.[39][38] Trotta said that the faithless servant doctrine in New York common law gave him the power to claw back the compensation.[39] The Suffolk County Legislature supported the suit unanimously.[40] 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 by the jail's doctors. Documents introduced in the trial indicate 11 other inmates were also denied treatment.[41]

Courts

 
Cohalan Court Complex, Central Islip

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;[42] 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.[43][44] 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.[45]

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.[46] 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.[47]
  • The Supreme Court also shares space in the Cohalan Court Complex in Central Islip[48] 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 Central Islip[48] 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

See also: Economy of Long Island

Education

Colleges and universities

School districts

School districts (all officially designated for grades K-12) include:[54]

Media

Newspapers

Radio stations

Television stations

Suffolk seashore

See also: Outer Barrier Islands

Fire Island Lighthouse 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.

The Fire Island Inlet 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 first causeway bridge, had only one northbound and one southbound lane, was opened to traffic in April 1954. The span of 2 miles (3 km) across Great South Bay to Captree Island features a main span of 600 feet (200 m), with a clearance for boats of 60 feet (20 m).

After crossing the State Boat Channel over its 665-foot (203 m)-long bascule bridge, 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.

The Fire Island Inlet Bridge 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 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

Main article: Peconic County, New York

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, Southampton 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[55]) examined the class roots of the secessionist movement in the Hamptons. In his review, Howard Zinn wrote that the book "[t]akes 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."[56] 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%[57]

Health

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic first affected the county. As of December 12, 2020, there are a total of 73,281 cases and 2,153 deaths.[58]

Communities

Main article: List of municipalities on Long Island
 
The Montauk Lighthouse is a landmark of Suffolk County, New York.
 
Municipalities of Suffolk County

In the State of New York, a town 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 or on an Indian reservation live in a town. A village is an incorporated area which is usually, but not always, within a single town. A village is a clearly defined municipality 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 is an informally defined populated area within a town that is not part of a village.

 
A map outlining the villages (grey), hamlets, and CDPs of Suffolk County.

Figures in parentheses are 2019 population estimates from the Census Bureau.[59]

Towns

Villages (incorporated)

Census-designated places (unincorporated)

Gardiners Island

 
Gardiners Island, Suffolk County, New York
Main article: Gardiners Island

Gardiners Island is an island off eastern Suffolk County. The Island is 6 miles (10 km) long, and 3 miles (5 km) wide and has 27 miles (43 km) 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

Main article: 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 435 acres (1.8 km2) 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:

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.[5] In 2019, the legislature required all new projects to account for future climate change caused sea level rise.[5]

Major highways

Airports

Commercial Airport:

General Aviation Airport:

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

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts - Suffolk County, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Suffolk County Government". Suffolk County, New York. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  4. ^ About Suffolk County on the county website May 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b c d "Suffolk to consider sea level rise in road projects". Newsday. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  6. ^ http://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/ May 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine "About Suffolk County"
  7. ^ . United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  8. ^ "Long Island's Snowiest Day Ever". Bellmore, NY Patch. January 21, 2020.
  9. ^ "Station Name: NY MONTAUK AP". ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  12. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  13. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  14. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  15. ^ Kings 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.
  16. ^ . U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  17. ^ . U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  18. ^ . U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  19. ^ . U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 29, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  20. ^ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36103.html July 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine U.S. Census, estimate for 2012, January 6, 2014
  21. ^ . Archived from the original on May 5, 2007.
  22. ^ a b . Archived from the original on July 29, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  23. ^ . Archived from the original on July 29, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  24. ^ "Suffolk County, New York, Selected Social Characteristics in the United States: 2007". Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  25. ^ Lambert, Bruce (June 5, 2002). "Study Calls L.I. Most Segregated Suburb". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
  26. ^ Raisa Bruner (March 7, 2016). "The 25 most expensive ZIP codes in America". Business Insider. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  27. ^ . Archived from the original on November 6, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  28. ^ "2010 Census brief" (PDF).
  29. ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), Year 2000 Report". Churches were asked for their membership numbers. ARDA estimates that most of the churches not reporting were black Protestant congregations.
  30. ^ . Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  31. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Suffolk County, New York".
  32. ^ a b Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  33. ^ "NYS Board of Elections Unofficial Election Night Results". nyenr.elections.ny.gov. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  34. ^ "GOP control both Suffolk, Nassau county legislatures".
  35. ^ Civiletti, Denise (November 3, 2021). "Suffolk's 'red wave': Republicans capture DA, and 12 of 18 legislative districts".
  36. ^ "NY Lawmaker Accused of Trading Drugs for Sex Slapped With More Felony Charges". www.nbcnewyork.com. WNBC. November 8, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  37. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps.
  38. ^ a b Walsh, Sara-Megan. "Motion to sue ex-Suffolk Police Chief Burke over $1.5M settlement tabled | TBR News Media".
  39. ^ a b c Shah, Jay (February 11, 2019). "Bill Would Enable Suffolk County To Recoup Salary From Ex-Police Chief". www.wshu.org.
  40. ^ "Lawmakers vote to sue to recoup Burke salary". Newsday.
  41. ^ Leland, John (February 15, 2019). "How a Trans Soldier Took On the Jail That Denied Her Medication, and Won". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  42. ^ ". Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2011.".
  43. ^ "10th Judicial District: Suffolk County".
  44. ^ "Structure & Jurisdiction of the Courts".
  45. ^ "Federal jurisdiction (United States)".
  46. ^ "The Suffolk County Supreme Court".
  47. ^ "Suffolk County Courthouse Gets New Name: Dedicated As The "Hon. Alan D. Oshrin Supreme Court Building" March 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine".
  48. ^ a b "Directions to the Suffolk County Courts"
  49. ^ "Campus Locations & Contact". The School of Health Sciences of Touro College. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  50. ^ "Adelphi University Suffolk Center". Adelphi University. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  51. ^ "Brentwood Long Island University". Long Island University. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  52. ^ "Riverhead Long Island University". Long Island University. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  53. ^ "Suffolk Center". Molloy University. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  54. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Suffolk County, NY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2022. - Text list
  55. ^ . NYU Press. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013.
  56. ^ . Archived from the original on May 27, 2010.
  57. ^ "Suffolk County Comptroller's Office".
  58. ^ "COVID-19 CASE UPDATE - December 12, 2020, 4:30 p.m." Suffolk County Government. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  59. ^ "City and Town Population Totals: 2010-2019". Census.gov. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  60. ^ "Interstate 495 New York". Interstate-Guide.com.

Bibliography

  • Portrait and Biological Record of Suffolk County (Long Island) New York – Containing Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County – Together With Biographies and Portraits of All the Presidents of the United States. Chapman Publishing Company. 1896. Retrieved October 10, 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) LCCN 01-14266; OCLC 35905707 (all editions).
    1. Via Google Books (New York Public Library).

External links

 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Suffolk County.

Coordinates: 40°56′N 72°41′W / 40.94°N 72.68°W / 40.94; -72.68

January 21, 2023
suffolk, county, york, other, uses, suffolk, disambiguation, places, suffolk, county, easternmost, county, state, york, mainly, located, eastern, long, island, also, includes, several, smaller, islands, according, 2020, united, states, census, county, populati. For other uses see Suffolk disambiguation Places Suffolk County ˈ s ʌ f e k is the easternmost county in the U S state 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 county s population was 1 525 920 1 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 Its county seat is Riverhead 2 though most county offices are in Hauppauge 3 The county was named after the county of Suffolk in England from where its earliest European settlers came Suffolk CountyCountyMontauk Point LightFlagSealLocation within the U S state of New YorkNew York s location within the U S Coordinates 40 56 N 72 41 W 40 94 N 72 68 W 40 94 72 68Country United StatesState New YorkFounded1683Named forSuffolk EnglandSeatRiverheadLargest TownBrookhavenGovernment ExecutiveSteve Bellone D Area Total2 373 sq mi 6 150 km2 Land912 sq mi 2 360 km2 Water1 461 sq mi 3 780 km2 62 Population 2020 Total1 525 920 Density1 637 0 sq mi 632 0 km2 Time zoneUTC 5 Eastern Summer DST UTC 4 EDT Congressional districts1st 2ndWebsitewww wbr suffolkcountyny wbr govPopulation is the official 2020 census countInteractive map of Suffolk County New York 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 Suffolk measures 86 miles 138 km in length and 26 miles 42 km in width at its widest including water 4 Most of the island is near sea level with over 1 000 miles of coastline 5 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 facilities in Suffolk County include Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 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 Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 2 2 Adjacent counties 2 3 National protected areas 3 Demographics 3 1 2020 Census 4 Law and government 4 1 Suffolk County Executives 4 2 Suffolk County Legislature 4 2 1 Historical composition of the Suffolk County Legislature 4 3 Law enforcement 4 4 Courts 4 4 1 Supreme Court 4 4 2 Other Superior Courts 4 4 3 Local courts 5 Economy 6 Education 6 1 Colleges and universities 6 2 School districts 7 Media 7 1 Newspapers 7 2 Radio stations 7 3 Television stations 8 Suffolk seashore 9 Secessionist movements 10 Finance and taxation 11 Health 12 Communities 12 1 Towns 12 2 Villages incorporated 12 3 Census designated places unincorporated 12 4 Gardiners Island 12 5 Robins Island 12 6 Indian reservations 13 Transportation 13 1 Major highways 13 2 Airports 13 3 Public transportation 14 Notable people 15 See also 16 References 17 Bibliography 18 External linksHistory Edit Sign referring to Suffolk County being founded in 1683 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 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 6 Geography Edit Shinnecock Canal According to the U S Census Bureau the county has an area of 2 373 square miles 6 150 km2 of which 912 square miles 2 360 km2 is land and 1 461 square miles 3 780 km2 62 is water 7 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 and Long Island Sound with 980 miles 1 580 km 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 5 Climate Edit Suffolk County sits at the convergence of climate zones including the humid continental Dfa and humid subtropical 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 31 0 F 0 6 C in January to 74 0 F 23 3 C in July and in the Riverhead town center they range from 30 1 F 1 1 C in January to 72 8 F 22 7 C 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 8 Climate data for Montauk New York 1981 2010 normals Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearAverage high F C 38 1 3 4 40 1 4 5 45 6 7 6 54 5 12 5 64 2 17 9 73 3 22 9 79 3 26 3 78 9 26 1 71 9 22 2 62 6 17 0 53 0 11 7 43 6 6 4 58 8 14 9 Daily mean F C 32 3 0 2 33 7 0 9 39 0 3 9 47 5 8 6 56 6 13 7 66 4 19 1 72 4 22 4 72 2 22 3 65 7 18 7 56 4 13 6 47 2 8 4 37 9 3 3 52 3 11 3 Average low F C 26 4 3 1 27 3 2 6 32 4 0 2 40 4 4 7 48 9 9 4 59 5 15 3 65 5 18 6 65 5 18 6 59 4 15 2 50 3 10 2 41 4 5 2 32 3 0 2 45 8 7 7 Average precipitation inches mm 2 87 73 3 38 86 4 75 121 3 45 88 2 21 56 3 80 97 3 81 97 3 92 100 3 93 100 3 66 93 4 22 107 3 58 91 43 58 1 109 Source NOAA 9 Adjacent counties Edit Nassau County west Fairfield County Connecticut northwest New Haven County Connecticut north Middlesex County Connecticut north New London County Connecticut north Washington County Rhode Island northeastNational protected areas Edit View of western Fire Island from the top of Fire Island Lighthouse 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 RefugeDemographics EditHistorical populationCensus Pop 179016 400 180019 73520 3 181021 1137 0 182023 93613 4 183026 78011 9 184032 46921 2 185036 92213 7 186043 27517 2 187046 9248 4 188052 88812 7 189062 49118 2 190077 58224 1 191096 13823 9 1920110 24614 7 1930161 05546 1 1940197 35522 5 1950276 12939 9 1960666 784141 5 19701 124 95068 7 19801 284 23114 2 19901 321 8642 9 20001 419 3697 4 20101 493 3505 2 20201 525 9202 2 U S Decennial Census 10 1790 1960 11 1900 1990 12 1990 2000 13 2010 2019 1 According to the 2010 U S census 14 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 19 745 289 15 and 19 0 of the census estimated Long Island population of 7 869 820 16 17 18 19 The population density in 2010 was 1 637 people per square mile 633 km2 with 569 985 households at an average density of 625 per square mile 241 km2 However by 2012 with an estimated total population increasing moderately to 1 499 273 there were 569 359 housing units 20 As of 2006 Suffolk County was the 21st most populous county in the United States 21 By 2014 the county s racial makeup was estimated at 85 2 White 8 3 African American 0 6 Native American 4 0 Asian 0 1 Pacific Islander and 1 8 from two or more races Those identifying as Hispanic 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 22 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 23 In 2007 Suffolk County s most common ethnicities were Italian 29 5 Irish 24 0 and German 17 6 24 In 2002 The New York Times 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 25 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 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 the 11962 zip code encompassing Sagaponack within Southampton was listed as the most expensive in the U S with a median home sale price of 8 5 million 26 The median income for a household in the county was 84 767 27 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 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 22 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 Racial groups ethnicity and religious groups on Long Islandcompared to state and nation Place Population2010census white blackorAfricanAmerican Asian Other mixedrace Hispanic Latinoof anyrace Catholic notaffiliated Jewish Protestant Estimateof notreportingRace Ethnicity Religious groupsNassau County 1 339 532 73 0 11 1 7 6 5 9 2 4 14 6 52 9 17 7 15Suffolk County 1 493 350 80 8 7 4 3 4 5 9 2 4 16 5 52 21 7 8 11Long Island Total including Brooklyn and Queens 7 568 304 54 7 20 4 12 3 9 3 3 2 20 5 40 18 15 7 20NY State 19 378 102 65 7 15 9 7 3 8 0 3 0 17 6 42 20 9 10 16USA 308 745 538 72 4 12 6 4 8 7 3 2 9 16 3 22 37 2 23 12Source for Race and Ethnicity 2010 Census 28 American Indian Native Alaskan Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander make up just 0 5 of the population of Long Island and have been included with Other Source for religious groups ARDA2000 29 30 2020 Census Edit Suffolk County Racial Composition 31 Race Num Perc White NH 967 330 63 4 Black or African American NH 107 268 7 03 Native American NH 3 102 0 2 Asian NH 65 019 4 3 Pacific Islander NH 241 0 01 Other Mixed NH 50 001 3 3 Hispanic or Latino 332 959 22 Law and government EditThis article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia s quality standards The specific problem is This is a pretty big mess of tables and images overlapping Please help improve this article if you can April 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message United States presidential election results for Suffolk County New York 32 Year Republican Democratic Third partyNo No No 2020 381 253 49 30 381 021 49 27 11 013 1 42 2016 350 570 51 46 303 951 44 62 26 733 3 92 2012 282 131 47 48 304 079 51 17 8 056 1 36 2008 307 021 46 53 346 549 52 53 6 209 0 94 2004 309 949 48 53 315 909 49 46 12 854 2 01 2000 240 992 41 99 306 306 53 37 26 646 4 64 1996 182 510 36 13 261 828 51 83 60 875 12 05 1992 229 467 40 40 220 811 38 88 117 677 20 72 1988 311 242 60 51 199 215 38 73 3 893 0 76 1984 335 485 66 03 171 295 33 72 1 276 0 25 1980 256 294 57 00 149 945 33 35 43 416 9 66 1976 248 908 54 10 208 263 45 27 2 877 0 63 1972 316 452 70 34 132 441 29 44 1 005 0 22 1968 218 027 58 18 122 590 32 71 34 150 9 11 1964 144 350 44 37 180 598 55 51 385 0 12 1960 166 644 59 32 114 033 40 59 268 0 10 1956 167 805 77 64 48 323 22 36 0 0 00 1952 115 570 74 58 39 120 25 25 262 0 17 1948 75 519 69 75 29 104 26 88 3 642 3 36 1944 65 650 67 59 31 231 32 15 253 0 26 1940 63 712 65 12 33 853 34 60 270 0 28 1936 48 970 58 07 33 078 39 22 2 287 2 71 1932 40 247 55 49 30 799 42 46 1 482 2 04 1928 41 199 65 07 19 497 30 79 2 619 4 14 1924 31 456 69 20 10 024 22 05 3 975 8 74 1920 26 737 73 10 8 852 24 20 985 2 69 1916 12 742 59 20 8 422 39 13 358 1 66 1912 5 595 28 47 7 878 40 08 6 182 31 45 1908 10 689 60 29 5 877 33 15 1 164 6 57 1904 9 937 57 19 6 795 39 11 642 3 70 1900 9 584 60 24 5 711 35 90 615 3 87 1896 9 388 66 60 3 872 27 47 837 5 94 1892 7 001 49 29 6 274 44 17 928 6 53 1888 7 167 50 23 6 600 46 26 500 3 50 1884 5 876 45 85 6 429 50 17 510 3 98 Suffolk County had long been a Republican bastion in the State of New York U S Congressman Rick Lazio who opposed Hillary Clinton 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 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 4 4 percent margin 52 47 In 2016 Republican candidate Donald Trump 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 32 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 In percentage terms it was the closest county in the state although Ontario County and 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 and Maricopa County Arizona 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 represents the first district which includes almost half of the county from Smithtown to Montauk including The Hamptons and Riverhead The second district is represented by Republican Andrew Garbarino 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 A Democrat Suozzi won the seat vacated by Steve Israel in 2016 after Israel declined to seek re election citation needed Map showing Long Island s 1st 2nd and 3rd Congressional districts after redistricting in 2012 Portions in red are within Suffolk County 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 33 County Officials Position Name Party Term Sheriff Errol D Toulon Jr Dem 2018 Present District Attorney Raymond A Tierney Rep 2022 Present County Clerk Judith A Pascale Rep 2006 Present Comptroller John M Kennedy Jr Rep 2015 PresentSuffolk County Executives Edit H Lee Dennison County Executive Building in Hauppauge Suffolk County Executives Name Party TermH Lee Dennison Democratic 1961 1973John V N Klein Republican 1973 1979Peter F Cohalan Republican 1979 1986Michael A LoGrande Republican 1986 1987Patrick G Halpin Democratic 1987 1991Robert J Gaffney Republican 1992 2003Steve Levy Democratic 2004 2010Steve Levy Republican 2010 2011Steve Bellone Democratic 2012 present Appointed to complete Cohalan s term Levy was originally elected as a Democrat but became a Republican in 2010 Suffolk County Legislature Edit The county has 18 legislative districts each represented by a legislator As of 2022 there were 10 Republicans 7 Democrats and 1 Conservative Historical composition of the Suffolk County Legislature Edit District 2022 2023 Legislature 2020 2021 Legislature 2017 2018 Legislature 2015 2016 Legislature 2014 2015 Legislature 2012 2013 Legislature 2010 2011 Legislature 2008 2009 Legislature 2006 2007 Legislature 2004 2005 Legislature1 Al Krupski D Al Krupski D Al Krupski D Al Krupski D Al Krupski D Al Krupski D Edward P Romaine R Edward P Romaine R Edward P Romaine R Michael J Caracciolo R 2 Bridget Fleming D Bridget Fleming D Bridget Fleming D Bridget Fleming D Jay Schneiderman DPO I Jay Schneiderman DPO I Jay Schneiderman DPO I Jay Schneiderman I Jay Schneiderman R Jay Schneiderman R 3 James Mazzarella R Rudy A Sunderman R James Mazzarella R after May 25 2021 Rudy A Sunderman R Kate M Browning WF Kate M Browning WF Kate M Browning WF Kate M Browning WF Kate M Browning WF Kate M Browning WF Peter O Leary R 4 Nicholas Caracappa C Thomas Muratore R Nicholas Caracappa C after February 11 2020 Thomas Muratore R Thomas Muratore R Thomas Muratore R Thomas Muratore R Thomas Muratore R Brian Beedenbender D Joseph T Caracappa R Joseph T Caracappa R 5 Kara Hahn DPO D Kara Hahn DPO D Kara Hahn MajL D Kara Hahn MajL D Kara Hahn D Kara Hahn D Vivian Viloria Fisher D Vivian Viloria Fisher D Vivian Viloria Fisher D Vivian Viloria Fisher D 6 Sarah Anker D Sarah Anker D Sarah Anker D Sarah Anker D Sarah Anker D Sarah Anker D Daniel P Losquadro R MinL Sarah Anker D for 2011 Daniel P Losquadro MinL R Daniel P Losquadro MinL R Daniel P Losquadro MinL R 7 Dominick Thorne R Robert Calarco PO D Robert Calarco DPO D Robert Calarco DPO D Robert Calarco MajL D Robert Calarco MajL D Jack Eddington I Jack Eddington I Jack Eddington D Brian X Foley D 8 Anthony Piccirillo R Anthony Piccirillo R William J Lindsay III D William J Lindsay III D William J Lindsay III D William J Lindsay PO D William J Lindsay PO D William J Lindsay PO D William J Lindsay PO D William J Lindsay PO D 9 Samuel Gonzalez D Samuel Gonzalez D Monica R Martinez D Monica R Martinez D Monica R Martinez D Ricardo Montano D Ricardo Montano D Ricardo Montano D Ricardo Montano D Ricardo Montano D 10 Trish Bergin R Tom Cilmi MinL for 2020 R Tom Cilmi R Tom Cilmi R Tom Cilmi R Tom Cilmi R Tom Cilmi R Cameron Alden R Cameron Alden R Cameron Alden R 11 Steven J Flotteron R Steven J Flotteron R Steven J Flotteron R Thomas F Barraga R Thomas F Barraga R Thomas F Barraga R Thomas F Barraga R Thomas F Barraga R Thomas F Barraga R Angie Carpenter R 12 Leslie Kennedy R Leslie Kennedy R Leslie Kennedy R Leslie Kennedy R John M Kennedy Jr MinL R Leslie Kennedy R after March 30 2015 John M Kennedy Jr MinL R John M Kennedy Jr R John M Kennedy Jr R John M Kennedy Jr R John M Kennedy Jr R 13 Robert Trotta R Robert Trotta R Robert Trotta R Robert Trotta R Robert Trotta R Lynne C Nowick R Lynne C Nowick R Lynne C Nowick R Lynne C Nowick R Lynne C Nowick R 14 Kevin J McCaffrey PO R Kevin J McCaffrey MinL for 2021 R Kevin J McCaffrey MinL R Kevin J McCaffrey MinL R Kevin J McCaffrey R Wayne R Horsley PO D Wayne R Horsley D Wayne R Horsley D Wayne R Horsley D David Bishop D 15 Jason Richberg D Jason Richberg D DuWayne Gregory PO D DuWayne Gregory PO D DuWayne Gregory PO D DuWayne Gregory D DuWayne Gregory D Elie Mystal D DuWayne Gregory D since July 29 2008 Elie Mystal D Elie Mystal D 16 Manuel Esteban R Susan A Berland MajL after Spencer arrest D Susan A Berland D Steven H Stern D Steven H Stern D Steven H Stern D Steven H Stern D Steven H Stern D Steven H Stern D Allan Binder R 17 Tom Donnelly D Tom Donnelly D Tom Donnelly D Louis D Amaro D Louis D Amaro D Louis D Amaro D Louis D Amaro D Louis D Amaro D Louis D Amaro D Paul J Tonna R 18 Stephanie Bontempi R William R Spencer MajL Until Arrest D William R Spencer D William R Spencer D William R Spencer D William R Spencer D Jon Cooper D Jon Cooper D Jon Cooper 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 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 34 35 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 36 Law enforcement Edit 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 and other law enforcement agencies 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 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 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 beaches and hundreds of square miles of waterways The Suffolk Police Marine Bureau patrols the 500 square miles 1 000 km2 of navigable waterways within the police district from the Connecticut and Rhode Island state line which bisects Long Island Sound 37 to the New York state line 3 miles 5 km south of Fire Island in the Atlantic Ocean 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 This includes Fire Island and parts of Jones Island barrier beaches and the islands of the Great South Bay 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 put forward a resolution to recover salary and benefits from James Burke the county s former police chief 38 39 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 39 38 Trotta said that the faithless servant doctrine in New York common law gave him the power to claw back the compensation 39 The Suffolk County Legislature supported the suit unanimously 40 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 by the jail s doctors Documents introduced in the trial indicate 11 other inmates were also denied treatment 41 Courts Edit Cohalan Court Complex Central Islip 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 42 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 43 44 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 45 Supreme Court Edit 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 46 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 47 The Supreme Court also shares space in the Cohalan Court Complex in Central Islip 48 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 Edit 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 amp Abuse Juvenile Delinquency Designated Felonies Persons in Need of Supervision Adoption Guardianship Foster Care Family Offense Order of Protection Custody amp Visitation Paternity Support Matters Child amp 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 Central Islip 48 and maintains a facility in Riverhead Case assignment is dependent upon the geographical location of the parties Local courts Edit 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 amp 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 EditSee also Economy of Long IslandEducation EditColleges and universities Edit Stony Brook University State University of New York Stony Brook University main campus in Stony Brook satellite campus in Southampton Farmingdale State College East Farmingdale Suffolk County Community College Campuses in Selden Riverhead and Brentwood satellite centers in Sayville and Riverhead St Joseph s University Private Five Towns College Dix Hills St Joseph s University Patchogue Touro University System The School of Health Sciences of Touro College Central Islip 49 Touro Law Center Central Islip Watson School of Biological Sciences Cold Spring Harbor Satellite and branch campuses Adelphi University Hauppauge Education and Conference Center in Hauppauge 50 Long Island University Brentwood 51 and Riverhead 52 on the campuses of Suffolk County Community College Molloy University Suffolk Center in Amityville 53 School districts Edit School districts all officially designated for grades K 12 include 54 Amagansett Union Free School District Amityville Union Free School District Babylon Union Free School District Bay Shore Union Free School District Bayport Blue Point Union Free School District Brentwood Union Free School District Bridgehampton Union Free School District Brookhaven Comsewogue Union Free School District Center Moriches Union Free School District Central Islip Union Free School District 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 East Hampton Union Free School District 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 Fire Island Union Free School District Only operates elementary school Fishers Island Union Free School District William Floyd Union Free School District Greenport Union Free School District Half Hollow Hills Central School District Hampton Bays Union Free School District 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 Longwood Central School District Mattituck Cutchogue Union Free School District Miller Place Union Free School District Montauk Union Free School District Mount Sinai Union Free School District New Suffolk Common School District North Babylon Union Free School District Northport East Northport Union Free School District Oysterponds Union Free School District 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 Rocky Point Union Free School District Sachem Central School District Sag Harbor Union Free School District Sagaponack Common School District Sayville Union Free School District Shelter Island Union Free School District Shoreham Wading River Central School District Smithtown Central School District South Country Central School District South Huntington Union Free School District Southampton Union Free School District Southold Union Free School District Springs Union Free School District Three Village Central School District Tuckahoe Common School District Wainscott Common School District West Babylon Union Free School District West Islip Union Free School District Westhampton Beach Union Free School District Wyandanch Union Free School DistrictMedia EditNewspapers Edit Amityville Record Bayport Blue Point Gazette Dan s Papers Fire Island News Newsday Sayville Gazette Shelter Island Reporter The Beacon The East Hampton Press The East Hampton Star 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 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 HeraldRadio stations Edit WALK FM Patchogue WAPP LP Westhampton WBAB Babylon WBAZ Bridgehampton WBEA Southold WBLI Patchogue WBON Westhampton WBWD Islip WBZO Bay Shore WEER Montauk WEGB Napeague WEGQ Quogue WEHM Manorville WEHN East Hampton WELJ Montauk WFRS Smithtown WFTU Riverhead WGSS Copiague WHFM Southampton WJJF Montauk WJVC Center Moriches WLID Patchogue WLIM Medford WLIR FM Hampton Bays WLIW FM Southampton WLIX LP Ridge WLNG Sag Harbor WNYG Patchogue WNYH Huntington WPTY Calverton Roanoke WRCN FM Riverhead WRIV Riverhead WRLI Southampton WSHR Lake Ronkonkoma WSUF Noyack WUSB Stony Brook WWSK Smithtown WXBA BrentwoodTelevision stations Edit WFTY DT Smithtown WLNY TV Riverhead WVVH CD SouthamptonSuffolk seashore EditSee also Outer Barrier Islands Fire Island Lighthouse 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 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 first causeway bridge had only one northbound and one southbound lane was opened to traffic in April 1954 The span of 2 miles 3 km across Great South Bay to Captree Island features a main span of 600 feet 200 m with a clearance for boats of 60 feet 20 m After crossing the State Boat Channel over its 665 foot 203 m long bascule bridge 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 Fire Island National Seashore The Fire Island Inlet Bridge 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 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 EditMain article Peconic County New York 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 Southampton 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 55 examined the class roots of the secessionist movement in the Hamptons In his review Howard Zinn wrote that the book t akes 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 56 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 EditSuffolk 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 57 Health EditIn March 2020 the COVID 19 pandemic first affected the county As of December 12 2020 there are a total of 73 281 cases and 2 153 deaths 58 Communities EditMain article List of municipalities on Long Island The Montauk Lighthouse is a landmark of Suffolk County New York Municipalities of Suffolk County In the State of New York a town 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 or on an Indian reservation live in a town A village is an incorporated area which is usually but not always within a single town A village is a clearly defined municipality 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 is an informally defined populated area within a town that is not part of a village A map outlining the villages grey hamlets and CDPs of Suffolk County Figures in parentheses are 2019 population estimates from the Census Bureau 59 Towns Edit Babylon 210 141 Brookhaven 480 763 East Hampton 22 047 Huntington 200 503 Islip 329 610 Riverhead 33 469 Shelter Island 2 417 Smithtown 116 022 Southampton 58 398 Southold 22 170 Villages incorporated Edit Amityville 9 399 Asharoken 646 Babylon 11 992 Belle Terre 786 Bellport 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 8 145 Quogue 1 014 Sag Harbor 2 283 Sagaponack 323 Saltaire 41 Shoreham 531 Southampton 3 307 Village of the Branch 1 793 Westhampton Beach 1 797 West Hampton Dunes 58 Census designated places unincorporated Edit Amagansett Aquebogue Baiting Hollow Bay Shore Bayport Baywood Blue Point Bohemia Brentwood Bridgehampton Brookhaven Calverton Captree Center Moriches Centereach Centerport Central Islip Cold Spring Harbor Commack Copiague Coram Cutchogue Deer Park Dix Hills East Farmingdale East Hampton North East Islip East Marion East Moriches East Northport East Patchogue East Quogue East Setauket East Shoreham Eastport Eatons Neck Elwood Farmingville Fire Island Fishers Island Flanders Fort Salonga Gilgo Gordon Heights Great River Greenlawn Greenport West Halesite Hampton Bays Hauppauge Holbrook Holtsville Huntington Huntington Station Islip Islip Terrace Jamesport Kings Park Lake Ronkonkoma Laurel Manorville Mastic Mastic Beach Mattituck Medford Melville Middle Island Miller Place Montauk Moriches Mount Sinai Napeague Nesconset New Suffolk North Amityville North Babylon North Bay Shore North Bellport North Great River North Lindenhurst North Patchogue North Sea Northampton Northville Northwest Harbor Noyack Oak Beach Oakdale Orient Peconic Port Jefferson Station Quiogue Remsenburg Speonk Ridge Riverhead Riverside Rocky Point Ronkonkoma Sayville Selden Setauket Shelter Island Shelter Island Heights Shinnecock Shirley Smithtown Sound Beach South Huntington Southold Springs St James Stony Brook Stony Brook University Terryville Tuckahoe Wading River Wainscott Water Mill West Babylon West Bay Shore West Hills West Islip West Sayville Westhampton Wheatley Heights Wyandanch Yaphank West Gilgo Beach New York Oak Beach Huntington Bay New York Riverhead New York Watermill New YorkGardiners Island Edit Gardiners Island Suffolk County New York Main article Gardiners Island Gardiners Island is an island off eastern Suffolk County The Island is 6 miles 10 km long and 3 miles 5 km wide and has 27 miles 43 km 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 Edit Main article 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 435 acres 1 8 km2 and presently undeveloped The island is privately owned and not accessible to the public Indian reservations Edit Two Indian reservations are within the borders of Suffolk County Shinnecock Reservation Poospatuck ReservationTransportation EditThe county includes a lot of roadways and other public transportation infrastructure The local Suffolk County Legislature oversees funding and regulations for the infrastructure 5 In 2019 the legislature required all new projects to account for future climate change caused sea level rise 5 Major highways Edit 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 60 New York State Route 27 crosses the county from the Nassau County line in the West to Montauk Point in the East which is also the easternmost point in the State of New York The road is limited access from West Babylon to Southampton Airports Edit 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 Edit 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 EditKevin James was raised in Stony Brook Mick Foley was raised in East Setauket Loudon Wainwright III resides here Carl Yastrzemski was raised in Southampton Craig Biggio was raised in Kings ParkSee also EditNational Register of Historic Places listings in Suffolk County New York Suffolk County Farmland Development Rights USS Suffolk County LST 1173 List of counties in New YorkReferences Edit a b State amp County QuickFacts Suffolk County New York United States Census Bureau Retrieved March 30 2018 Find a County National Association of Counties Retrieved June 7 2011 Suffolk County Government Suffolk County New York Retrieved April 22 2015 About Suffolk County on the county website Archived May 22 2008 at the Wayback Machine a b c d Suffolk to consider sea level rise in road projects Newsday Retrieved March 10 2021 http www co suffolk ny us Archived May 22 2008 at the Wayback Machine About Suffolk County 2010 Census Gazetteer Files United States Census Bureau August 22 2012 Archived from the original on May 19 2014 Retrieved January 7 2015 Long Island s Snowiest Day Ever Bellmore NY Patch January 21 2020 Station Name NY MONTAUK AP ftp ncdc noaa gov National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved June 27 2013 U S Decennial Census United States Census Bureau Retrieved January 7 2015 Historical Census Browser University of Virginia Library Retrieved January 7 2015 Population of Counties by Decennial Census 1900 to 1990 United States Census Bureau Retrieved January 7 2015 Census 2000 PHC T 4 Ranking Tables for Counties 1990 and 2000 PDF United States Census Bureau Retrieved January 7 2015 U S Census website United States Census Bureau Retrieved January 31 2008 Kings 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 Kings County New York QuickFacts U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 17 2016 Retrieved March 24 2016 Queens County New York QuickFacts U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on August 8 2014 Retrieved March 24 2016 Nassau County New York QuickFacts U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on June 7 2011 Retrieved March 24 2016 Suffolk County New York QuickFacts U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on July 29 2011 Retrieved March 24 2016 http quickfacts census gov qfd states 36 36103 html Archived July 29 2011 at the Wayback Machine U S Census estimate for 2012 January 6 2014 100 Largest Counties in the United States by 2006 Population Estimate Archived from the original on May 5 2007 a b Source U S Census Bureau State and County QuickFacts Data derived from Population Estimates American Community Survey Last Revised Wednesday October 14 2015 16 00 26 ED Archived from the original on July 29 2011 Retrieved June 15 2007 Suffolk County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau Archived from the original on July 29 2011 Retrieved June 15 2007 Suffolk County New York Selected Social Characteristics in the United States 2007 Archived from the original on February 10 2020 Retrieved March 28 2011 Lambert Bruce June 5 2002 Study Calls L I Most Segregated Suburb The New York Times Retrieved May 11 2010 Raisa Bruner March 7 2016 The 25 most expensive ZIP codes in America Business Insider Retrieved March 9 2016 America s Richest Counties Archived from the original on November 6 2011 Retrieved January 2 2012 2010 Census brief PDF The Association of Religion Data Archives ARDA Year 2000 Report Churches were asked for their membership numbers ARDA estimates that most of the churches not reporting were black Protestant congregations The Association of Religion Data Archives ARDA Year 2000 Report Archived from the original on December 11 2018 Retrieved December 5 2012 P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE 2020 DEC Redistricting Data PL 94 171 Suffolk County New York a b Leip David Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections uselectionatlas org Retrieved October 25 2018 NYS Board of Elections Unofficial Election Night Results nyenr elections ny gov Retrieved November 25 2022 GOP control both Suffolk Nassau county legislatures Civiletti Denise November 3 2021 Suffolk s red wave Republicans capture DA and 12 of 18 legislative districts NY Lawmaker Accused of Trading Drugs for Sex Slapped With More Felony Charges www nbcnewyork com WNBC November 8 2021 Retrieved May 23 2022 Google Maps Google Maps a b Walsh Sara Megan Motion to sue ex Suffolk Police Chief Burke over 1 5M settlement tabled TBR News Media a b c Shah Jay February 11 2019 Bill Would Enable Suffolk County To Recoup Salary From Ex Police Chief www wshu org Lawmakers vote to sue to recoup Burke salary Newsday Leland John February 15 2019 How a Trans Soldier Took On the Jail That Denied Her Medication and Won The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved October 31 2021 Court Locations Archived from the original on September 27 2011 Retrieved August 22 2011 10th Judicial District Suffolk County Structure amp Jurisdiction of the Courts Federal jurisdiction United States The Suffolk County Supreme Court Suffolk County Courthouse Gets New Name Dedicated As The Hon Alan D Oshrin Supreme Court Building Archived March 31 2012 at the Wayback Machine a b Directions to the Suffolk County Courts Campus Locations amp Contact The School of Health Sciences of Touro College Retrieved September 11 2022 Adelphi University Suffolk Center Adelphi University Retrieved November 9 2019 Brentwood Long Island University Long Island University Retrieved November 9 2019 Riverhead Long Island University Long Island University Retrieved November 9 2019 Suffolk Center Molloy University Retrieved September 11 2022 2020 CENSUS SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP Suffolk County NY PDF U S Census Bureau Retrieved July 21 2022 Text list Homepage NYU Press Archived from the original on January 20 2013 Progressive Writers Cooperative and Speakers Bureau Archived from the original on May 27 2010 Suffolk County Comptroller s Office COVID 19 CASE UPDATE December 12 2020 4 30 p m Suffolk County Government Retrieved December 13 2020 City and Town Population Totals 2010 2019 Census gov Retrieved April 18 2021 Interstate 495 New York Interstate Guide com Bibliography EditPortrait and Biological Record of Suffolk County Long Island New York Containing Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County Together With Biographies and Portraits of All the Presidents of the United States Chapman Publishing Company 1896 Retrieved October 10 2021 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint postscript link LCCN 01 14266 OCLC 35905707 all editions Via Google Books New York Public Library External links Edit Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Suffolk County Suffolk County at Curlie Long Island History Suffolk County Suffolk County Police Suffolk Historical Newspapers Map of Suffolk County CDPs in 2010 Map of Suffolk County CDPs in 2000 Coordinates 40 56 N 72 41 W 40 94 N 72 68 W 40 94 72 68 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Suffolk County New York amp oldid 1133420520, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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