Town of Islip

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The heart of the town of Islip. 

The Town of Islip is located on the south shore of Long Island in Suffolk County, New York. This town has several marinas on the Great South Bay throughout its four villages and twenty-four hamlets. Multiple ferry services are available in the Town of Islip as transportation to Fire Island.  There is also a smaller, unincorporated hamlet in the town that is called Islip.

The Town of Islip is named for a town in Northamptonshire, England, where Matthias Nicoll, the father of the patentee of eastern Islip William Nicoll was born.  William Nicoll purchased the land from East Islip to Bayport from Winnequeheagh, Sachem (chief) of Connetquot in 1683. The American Revolution had a major impact in developing and expanding the town, in large part due to its water access and the need for shipping.

The Fire Island Light House was built in 1825 and a regular ferry service between the hamlet of Bay Shore in Islip and Fire Island was established in 1862.  Islip became a tourist destination with the advent of the Long Island Rail Road in 1867. Tourism was a major factor in developing the wealth of the town.  Following World War II, a housing shortage in the city, but a rebirth on Long Island in the Town of Islip turned Islip from a rural setting into a bustling suburban community.  In the twenty years between 1950 and 1970, the population of the town quadrupled. The 2010 census indicates the current population is 335, 543 throughout the 24 hamlets and four villages.

MacArthur Airport, built after the attack on Pearl Harbor to serve as a military airfield, is operated by the Town of Islip and serves approximately 2 million passengers annually. The Keep Islip Clean program, WRAP and other environmentally motivated programs within the town were implemented following a long court battle over how to dispose of 3,100 tons of waste from New York City.  The case involved several states, and ultimately the trash was incinerated and the ashes brought to the landfill in Islip.  Islip is now a leader among Long Island towns for its recycling programs.

Villages in the Town of Islip

• Brightwaters
• Islandia 
• Ocean Beach 
• Saltaire

Hamlets in the Town of Islip

Bay Shore Bayport Baywood Bohemia Brentwood  Central Islip East Islip Great River

Hauppauge Holbrook Holtsville Islip Islip Terrace Kistmit Lake Ronkonkoma Lonelyville

North Bay Shore North Great River Oakdale Ronkonkoma Sayville West Bay Shore West Islip West Sayville

Additional Resources

• Official Town of Islip Wesbite
• List of Towns in Suffolk County
• Long Island Towns Main