Long Beach, New York

Long Beach is a city in Nassau County, New York. It takes up a central section of the Long Beach barrier island, which is the westernmost of the outer barrier islands off Long Island's South Shore. As of the 2010 United States census, the city population was 33,275, and 33,454 in 2019. It was incorporated in 1922, and is nicknamed "The City By the Sea" (the Latin form, Civitas ad mare, is the city's motto). The Long Beach Barrier Island is surrounded by Reynolds Channel to the north, east and west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

Pre-settlement
The city of Long Beach's first inhabitants were the Algonquian-speaking Rockaway Indians, who sold the area to English colonists in 1643. From that time, while the barrier island was used by baymen and farmers for fishing and harvesting salt hay, no one lived there year-round for more than two centuries. The bark Mexico, carrying Irish immigrants to New York, ran ashore on New Year's Day.

Austin Corbin, a builder from Brooklyn, was the first to attempt to develop the island as a resort. He formed a partnership with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to finance the New York and Long Beach Railroad Co., which laid track from Lynbrook to Long Beach in 1880. That same year, Corbin opened Long Beach Hotel, a row of 27 cottages along a 1100 ft strip of beach, which he claimed was the world's largest hotel. In its first season, the railroad brought 300,000 visitors to Long Island. By the next spring, tracks had been laid the length of the island, but they were removed in 1894 after repeated washouts from winter storms.

20th century
In 1906, William H. Reynolds, a 39-year-old real estate developer and former state senator, became involved in the area. Reynolds had already developed four Brooklyn neighborhoods (Bedford–Stuyvesant, Borough Park, Bensonhurst, and South Brownsville), as well as Coney Island's Dreamland, the world's largest amusement park at the time. Reynolds also owned a theatre and produced plays.

He gathered investors, and acquired the oceanfront from private owners and the rest of the island from the Town of Hempstead in 1907; he planned to build a boardwalk, homes, and hotels. Reynolds had a herd of elephants marched in from Dreamland, ostensibly to help build the Long Beach Boardwalk; he had created an effective publicity stunt. Dredges created a channel 1000 ft wide on the north side of the island to provide access by large steamboats and seaplanes to transport more visitors; the new waterway was named Reynolds Channel. To ensure that Long Beach lived up to his billing it "The Riviera of the East", he required each building to be constructed in an "eclectic Mediterranean style", with white stucco walls and red-clay tile roofs. He built a theatre called Castles by the Sea, with the largest dance floor in the world, for dancers Vernon and Irene Castle.

After Reynolds' corporation went bankrupt in 1918, the restrictions were lifted. The new town attracted wealthy businessmen and entertainers from New York and Hollywood.

On July 29, 1907, a fire broke out at the Long Beach Hotel and burned it to the ground. Of the 800 guests, eight were injured by jumping from windows, and one woman died. The fire was blamed on defective electric wiring. A church, several cottages, and the bathing pavilion were also destroyed. Trunks belonging to the guests, which had been piled on the sand to form "dressing rooms", were looted by thieves. A dozen waiters and others were apprehended by the police, who recovered $20,000 worth of jewelry and other stolen property.

The community became an incorporated village in 1913 and a city in 1922.

In 1923, the prohibition agents known simply as Izzy and Moe raided the Nassau Hotel and arrested three men for bootlegging. In 1930, five Long Beach Police officers were charged with offering a bribe to a United States Coast Guard officer to allow liquor to be landed. The police had another problem a year later in the summer of 1931, when a beachcomber found the body of a young woman named Starr Faithfull, who had drowned. She had left behind a suicide note, but others believed she had been murdered, and the circumstances of her death were never resolved. Corruption became rampant in Long Beach by then; in 1922, the state Legislature designated Long Beach a city, and William H. Reynolds was elected the first mayor. Soon afterward, Reynolds was indicted on charges of misappropriating funds. When he was found guilty, the clock in the tower at city hall was stopped in protest. When a judge released Reynolds from jail later that year on appeal, almost the entire population turned out to greet him, and the clock was turned back on.

On November 15, 1939, Mayor Louis F. Edwards was fatally shot by a police officer in front of his home. Officer Alvin Dooley, a member of the police motorcycle squad and the mayor's own security detail, killed Edwards after losing his bid for PBA president to a candidate the mayor supported. Jackson Boulevard was later renamed Edwards Boulevard in honor of the late mayor. After the murder, the city residents passed legislation to adopt a city manager system, which still exists to this day. The city manager is hired by and reports to the City Council.

In the 1940s, José Ferrer, Zero Mostel, Mae West, and other famous actors performed at local theaters. John Barrymore, Humphrey Bogart, Clara Bow, James Cagney, Cab Calloway, Jack Dempsey, Lillian Roth, Rudolph Valentino, and Florenz Ziegfeld lived in Long Beach for decades.

By the 1940s and 1950s, with the advent of cheap air travel attracting tourists to more distant places, and air-conditioning to provide year-round comfort, Long Beach had become primarily a bedroom community for commuters to New York City. It still attracted many summer visitors into the 1970s. The rundown boardwalk hotels were used for temporary housing for welfare recipients and the elderly until a scandal around 1970 led to many of the homes losing their licenses. At that time, government agencies were also "warehousing" in such hotels many patients released from larger mental hospitals. They were supposed to be cared for in small-scale community centers. The 2.2 mi boardwalk had a small amusement park at the foot of Edwards Boulevard until the 1980s. In the late 1960s, the boardwalk and amusement park area was a magnet for youth from around Long Island, until a police crackdown on drug trafficking ended that. A few businesses remained on the boardwalk, attracting bicyclists, joggers, walkers, and people-watchers.Beginning in the 1980s and accelerating in the 1990s, Long Beach began an urban renewal, with new housing, new businesses, and other improvements. Today, the city is again a popular bedroom community, for people working in New York who want the quiet beach atmosphere. With summer come local youths and college students and young adults who rent bungalows on the West End; they frequent the local bars and clubs along West Beech Street. Just behind the boardwalk near the center of the city, however, vacant lots now occupy several blocks that once housed hotels, bathhouses, and the amusement park. Because attempts to attract development (including, at one time, Atlantic City-style casinos) to this potential "superblock" have not yet borne fruit, the lots constitute the city's largest portion of unused land.

21st century
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck Long Beach. As a result of flooding, hundreds of vehicles were destroyed and houses suffered various levels of damage. The estimated cost of all the damage was over $250 million. The city was without power and running water for two weeks after the storm. The boardwalk was also destroyed during the storm. The city began rebuilding the boardwalk with grants from FEMA and the State of New York. The first two-block section of the new Long Beach boardwalk reopened on July 26, 2013, and the entire boardwalk opened on October 25, 2013. The boardwalk is 2.2 miles in length and was rebuilt from 2013-2014 after Sandy at a cost of $4.4 million.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.90 sqmi. Of its total area, 2.22 sqmi is land, and the rest is water.

Long Beach Barrier Island
The city is on a barrier island of the South Shore of Long Island. It shares the island with East Atlantic Beach, Atlantic Beach to the west and Lido Beach and Point Lookout to the east.

Within its section of the barrier island, the city takes up the entire north-south span, fronting on both Reynolds Channel to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. A drawbridge, the Long Beach Bridge, connects it to Island Park, a small island community between Long Beach and the mainland of Long Island. To the west, another drawbridge, the Atlantic Beach Bridge, connects the island to Lawrence on the mainland of Long Island. The Loop Parkway, to the east along the Lido Beach and Point Lookout borders, connects the island to nearby Jones Beach and, going in the opposite direction, to the rest of the expansive Long Island state parkway system by the Meadowbrook State Parkway.

The first inhabitants on the Long Beach barrier island were the Rockaway Indians; the Island was sold to the New Netherland colonists in 1643. Local Long Island baymen and farmers used the island for fishing and harvesting salt hay; no people lived on the Island year-round for more than two centuries. The United States Congress established a lifesaving station in 1849, a dozen years after 62 people died when the bark of Mexico carrying Irish immigrants to New York ran ashore on New Year's Day.

Development began on the island as a resort and was organized by Austin Corbin, a builder from Brooklyn, New York. Austin Corbin formed a partnership with the Long Island Rail Road to finance the New York and Long Beach Railroad Company which laid tracks from Lynbrook, New York to Long Beach in 1880. The company also opened the 1100 ft Long Beach Hotel, at the time the largest in the world. The railroad brought 300,000 visitors the first season. By the next spring, tracks had been laid almost the full length of the Long Beach Island, but after repeated winter storm washouts they were removed in 1894.

Climate
Long Beach has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen climate classification, with humid hot summers and cool winters. It is one of the northernmost locations in this climate zone, allowing for the growth of warmer climate plants like Mimosa, Crape Myrtle, Southern Magnolia, and Sweetgum often seen further south. It is in plant hardiness zone 7b, like coastal Maryland. Precipitation is evenly distributed year-round, mostly in the form of rain although snowfall occurs each winter. Long Beach is vulnerable to tropical cyclones. Its climate is tempered by the influence of the Atlantic Ocean.

Cityscape
Unlike most suburban communities near New York City, Long Beach is a high-density community. Fewer than 40% of the homes are detached houses, and the city ranks as the 35th-densest community in the United States. The city is less than a mile wide from ocean to bay and about three-and-a-half miles long. The city is divided into the West End, home to many small bungalow and some large houses, and the East End. West of New York Avenue, the barrier island is less than a half-mile wide and West Beech Street is the main east/west commercial street.

East of New York Avenue, the island is wider between the bay and ocean and is home to larger more expansive family houses. There is the city's boardwalk, which begins at New York Avenue and ends at Neptune Boulevard. Along the boardwalk are many apartment buildings and condos. The main commercial strip is Park Avenue, which narrows into a small residential strip west of New York Avenue.

Neighborhoods
The city of Long Beach contains the following neighborhoods:


 * Central District – The area between Magnolia Boulevard and Monroe Boulevard. Long Beach's City Hall is located in this area.
 * North Park – The area north of Park Avenue, between the LIRR Station and Long Beach Road. Home to the Long Beach Housing Authority.
 * The East End – The neighborhood between Monroe Boulevard, and Maple Boulevard or Curley Street.
 * The Canals – The area comprising several streets running north-south, with 4 parallel canals originating from Reynolds Channel. The canals begin on Forrester Street and end on Curley Street, each canal except for Bob Jone's Canal is traversed by a short bridge carrying East Pine Street.
 * The President Streets – The area comprising 9 north-south avenues of which 5 are named after former U.S. presidents, with the 4 exceptions of Atlantic, Belmont, and Mitchell Avenues, and Pacific Boulevard; Pacific Boulevard connects directly from Park Avenue to East Broadway, a parallel road to the south.
 * Kennedy Plaza – An area in the Central District, at the intersection of National Boulevard and West Chester Street.
 * The Walks – An area comprising extremely narrow sidewalks between houses. Each walk is named after a month.
 * The West End – This area is home to many small bungalows and large houses close to one other, along small narrow streets. These streets, named after U.S. states, run from the beach to the bay, until they meet East Atlantic Beach at Nevada Avenue.
 * Westholme – The neighborhood between New York Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard.

National Register of Historic Places
Multiple sites in Long Beach are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including:


 * Barkin House
 * Cobble Villa
 * Granada Towers
 * House at 226 West Penn Street
 * Pauline Felix House
 * Samuel Vaisberg House
 * United States Post Office

Landmarks and historic districts
The city of Long Beach contains the following landmarks and historic district:


 * 9/11 Memorial
 * Holocaust Memorial at Kennedy Plaza
 * John F. Kennedy Memorial
 * Red Brick District
 * Shine's Bar on the West End
 * House of Maguire

Museums and community centers

 * House at 226 West Penn Street (also known as Long Beach Historical & Preservation Society Museum)
 * Martin Luther King Community Center



Demographics
The 2010 U.S. census determined there were 33,275 people residing in the city, and the 2019 American Community Survey estimated the population increased to 33,454. The racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 73.2% non-Hispanic white, 7.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 3.6% Asian, 2.8% two or more races, and 13.9% Hispanic and Latin American of any race. Out of the total population, 52.2% were female and 13.4% of the total population was foreign-born from 2015-2019.

In 2019 there were an average of 2.31 persons per household, and the median household income was $97,022. Long Beach had a per capita income of $53,579 from 2015-2019 and 6.7% of its population lived at or below the poverty line. The local population was spread out at 15,022 people per square mile as of 2010.

At census of 2000, there were 35,462 people, 14,923 households, and 8,103 families residing in the city. The population density was 16,594.9 people per square mile (6,398.1/km2). There were 16,128 housing units at an average density of 7,547.3 per square mile (2,909.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.20% White, 6.18% African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.32% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.75% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.80% of the population.

There were 14,923 households, out of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.5% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $56,289, and the median income for a family was $68,222. Males had a median income of $50,995 versus $40,739 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,069. About 6.3% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Religion
According to Sperling's BestPlaces, 67.7% of the population of Long Beach were religious as of 2021. The majority of the religious population are Christian and the Catholic Church is the largest single denomination. The second largest Christian group is Protestantism and the single largest Protestant denominatio n as of 2021 was Lutheranism. The second largest religion practiced in the city is Judaism, followed by Islam. Eastern faiths including Hinduism and Buddhism are also prevalent in the city, while the remainder of the population is irreligious or atheist.

Government
Donna Gayden is the current city manager. The previous city manager was Jack Schnirman, who was elected to Nassau County Comptroller in 2018. Five members serve the city council, currently:


 * John Bendo (D), City Council President
 * Karen McInnis (D), City Council Vice President
 * Michael A. Delury
 * Scott J. Mandel (D)
 * Elizabeth M. Treston (D)

Public safety and emergency services
The city has a comprehensive emergency services structure consisting of multiple organizations, including the Long Beach Police Department, Long Beach Fire Department, Long Beach Lifeguards, Animal Control and Emergency Medical Services (LBFD).

Public schools
The Long Beach City School District serves the city of Long Beach and parts of the Town of Hempstead with one primary high school, one middle school, one prekindergarten, and four elementary schools. They also operate an "alternative" high school at the NIKE missile site on a campus shared with the district's transportation services.

The schools of Long Beach City School District are:


 * Long Beach Pre-Kindergarten
 * West Elementary School
 * East Elementary School
 * Lido Elementary School
 * Lindell Elementary School
 * Long Beach Middle School
 * Long Beach High School
 * Harriet Eisman Community School

Private schools

 * Hebrew Academy of Long Beach
 * Long Beach Catholic Regional School
 * Mesivta of Long Beach

Post-secondary education

 * Rabbinical College of Long Island

Public libraries
The Long Beach Public Library serves greater Long Beach with the main library downtown and two branch libraries at Point Lookout and the West End.

Transportation
A SoBi bicycle-sharing system operates in Long Beach.

Buses and trolleys
Long Beach Bus operates a 24-hour municipal bus service with five routes, including three routes serving the city, one overnight circulator route, and one route extending service to Lido Beach and Point Lookout. Long Beach Bus also operates two seasonal trolley routes, East Loop and West Loop.

Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) has two bus routes that originate in Long Beach. The n15 and n33 travel to Roosevelt Field and Far Rockaway, via Rockville Centre and Atlantic Beach, respectively. The n33 does not provide service wholly within Long Beach.

Railroad
The Long Island Rail Road operates a terminal station at Park Place and Park Avenue with service on the railroad's Long Beach Branch. All other public transportation services in Long Beach converge at this terminal. Most trains run to Penn Station (Manhattan) or Atlantic Terminal (Brooklyn).

Notable people

 * John Barrymore (1882–1942), actor on stage, screen and radio
 * Clara Bow (1905–1965), the actress who rose to stardom in silent film during the 1920s
 * Larry Brown (born 1940), basketball star and coach, graduated from Long Beach High School.
 * James Cagney (1899–1986), actor and dancer, both on stage and in film
 * Vernon and Irene Castle, dance pioneers who introduced dances such as tango and foxtrot to the US in the 1910s; they lived in Long Beach and operated a nightclub called "Castles By the Sea".
 * Chuck Close (born 1940), painter/artist and photographer
 * Alan Colmes (1950–2017), political analyst formerly on Hannity & Colmes, resided in Long Beach
 * Billy Crystal (born 1948), film and television actor who was raised in Long Beach
 * Jack Dempsey (1895–1983), professional boxer
 * MF Doom (born Daniel Dumile, 1971-2020), hip-hop recording artist/producer, raised in Long Beach.
 * Amy Fisher (born 1974), also known as the "Long Island Lolita"
 * Maurice Mitchell (born 1979), is an American activist and Musician
 * Jim Ford (born 1981), film and television actor / stuntman
 * Mike Francesa (born 1954), WFAN 660AM New York City radio host, was born and raised in Long Beach.
 * Larry Garrison, film and television producer, journalist
 * James "Scottie" Graham (born 1969) former Ohio State and NFL player, grew up in Long Beach and graduated from the high school
 * Rocky Graziano (1919–1990), boxer, lived in Long Beach for many years
 * Smith Hart (born 1948), professional wrestler, member of the Hart wrestling family.
 * Eleanor Holm (1913–2004), Olympic swimmer, movie star, star of the Aquacade, grew up in Long Beach
 * Juliet Huddy (born 1969), television news journalist
 * Richard Jaeckel (1926–1997), television and film actor who starred in The Dirty Dozen, was born in Long Beach
 * Derek Jeter (born 1974), former New York Yankees shortstop and team captain since 2003, lived in Long Beach
 * Joan Jett (born 1958), rock singer
 * Billy Joel (born 1949), singer/musician, lived in Long Beach
 * Pete Johnson (born 1954), running back who played eight seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals
 * Hal Kanter (1918–2011), TV writer
 * John Lannan (born 1984), pitcher for the New York Mets
 * Allard K. Lowenstein (1929–1980), congressman, anti-Vietnam War leader, and liberal activist who represented it in Congress in the late 1960s
 * Charlie McAvoy (born 1997), defenseman for the Boston Bruins
 * Jim McMullan (born 1936), television and film actor
 * Sean Monaghan, professional boxer fighting out of Long Beach.
 * Lil Peep (born Gustav Åhr, 1996–2017), rapper, grew up in Long Beach, attended Long Beach High School
 * Audrey Peppe (1917–1992), figure skater, member of three US Olympic teams, runner-up for the national championship.
 * Mike Portnoy (born 1967), founding member and drummer of the band Dream Theater, from 1987 to 2010. Has performed with countless famous musicians and has been a part of several "supergroups". Born and raised in Long Beach; Long Beach High school graduate, 1985
 * Ray Priore (born 1963), American football coach
 * Lillian Roth, actor, lived in Long Beach for decades
 * Arnold Rothstein – gangster; during Prohibition he maintained a weekend/summer house on the west side of Franklin Boulevard, at the boardwalk
 * Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin – music producer and record executive, attended Long Beach High School
 * Zack Ryder (Matthew Cardona) – professional wrestler, signed to the WWE SmackDown Live brand of World Wrestling Entertainment, resides in Long Beach
 * Edgar Scherick – film and television producer, ABC network executive, and creator of ABC's Wide World of Sports; was born and raised in Long Beach, and graduated from Long Beach High School
 * Floyd Skloot – author of 18 books
 * Will Skudin – professional surfer
 * Balaram Stack – professional surfer
 * Layla Taj - international belly dancer of the aristocracy, born in Long Beach and has the honorific " Dancing Queen."
 * Levern Tart – American basketball player
 * Rudolph Valentino – actor, lived in Long Beach for decades
 * Florenz Ziegfeld, producer and impresario, lived in Long Beach for decades