Long Island: Coastal Charm a Short Drive from the City

History of Long Island

Like the rest of New York City, Long Island had a storied past long before it (or part of it) became part of the city proper. In Native times, it was the land of more than nine Indigenous tribes, and later, it was a settlement for Europeans who colonized the land.

Settlers arrived in waves during the Civil War. The area remained mostly agricultural until the completion of the Long Island Rail Road in 1844 and the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883. These two additions brought Long Island into the fold of New York City, and the area became an idyllic suburban addition to those rapidly expanding blocks of shops, skyscrapers, and multi-family homes.

Long Island School Districts and Top Schools

There are more than 100 school districts and 600 public institutions on Long Island, which serve the island’s 400,000+ K-12 students. These districts are distinct from those in Queens and Brooklyn, which, although situated on Long Island, are managed by their own school districts.

Top public and private schools in Long Island include:

• Wheatley School, a high-performing public high school in a district ranked #1 in all of New York state
• Jericho Senior High School, considered among the top schools in Nassau County
• Village Elementary Schools, ranked among the top 35 public elementary schools in the country
• H.R. Thompson Middle School, known to exceed expectations in reading and math performance

Also on Long Island are more than 20 colleges and universities, including world-renowned institutions such as Stony Brook University, Hofstra University, and Adelphi University.