South Shore (Long Island)

The South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York, is the area along Long Island's Atlantic Ocean shoreline. Though some consider the South Shore to include parts of Queens, particularly the beach communities in the Rockaways such as Belle Harbor, the term is generally used to refer to the Long Island coastline in Nassau County and Suffolk County. It is often used as a generic name for the entire southern half of Long Island rather than just the area immediately adjacent to the coastline.

In contrast to the North Shore's reputation of "old money" and nobility, the South Shore is perceived as middle class and ethnic, with the few pockets of material wealth and high real estate values coming from "new money." Although the South Shore's money is commonly thought as of nouveau riche, the towns listed have old money residents. Many of these towns have estates belonging to aristocratic families from Europe and some towns are newly developed areas where old money has migrated too along with new money. An example is Babylon beging home to the Duke of Argyle and have had new money (celebrities) become residents nowadays.

Due to the more diverse ethnic mix, people from the South Shore have a much higher tendency to speak with the iconic New York accent than those from the North Shore. Despite the thought that the North Shore is the wealthiest part of the island with exception of the Hamptons, the most affluent town is located on the South Shore; Hewlett Bay Park is the richest place in New York State, a tiny village of 484 residents located in the Five Towns, which ranks number 18 on the list of highest-income places in the United States, based upon per capita income.

Though the western stretch of the North Shore is considered by most locals to be the more fashionable of Long Island's coasts, once the island splits into two forks at its east end, the South Fork and its tony Hamptons is much more affluent and contains some of the most expensive properties in the world.

South Shore communities

*Amityville
*Atlantic Beach
*Babylon
*Baldwin
*Bay Shore
*Bayport
*Bellmore
*Bellport
*Blue Point
*Bohemia
*Brentwood
*Brightwaters
*Center Moriches
*Central Islip
*Copiague
*Copiague Harbor
*Deer Park
*Five Towns
*East Islip
*East Meadow
*East Moriches
*East Patchogue
*East Rockaway
*East Quogue
*Eastport
*Freeport
*Great River
*Gilgo Beach
*Holbrook
*Island Park
*Islip
*Islip Terrace
*Kismet
*Levittown
*Lido Beach
*Lindenhurst
*Long Beach
*Lynbrook
*Malverne
*Massapequa
*Massapequa Park
*Mastic
*Mastic Beach
*Medford
*Merrick
*Moriches
*North Amityville
*North Babylon
*North Bellmore
*North Bellport
*North Lindenhurst
*North Massapequa
*North Merrick
*North Valley Stream
*Oak Beach
*Oakdale
*Oceanside
*Patchogue
*Point Lookout
*Rockville Centre
*Roosevelt
*Sayville
*Seaford
*Shirley
*Valley Stream
*Wantagh
*West Babylon
*West Gilgo Beach
*West Islip
*West Sayville
*Wyandanch

Affluent South Shore communities

*Atlantic Beach
*Babylon Village
*Bayberry Point
*Bayport
*Bellport
*Brightwaters
*Copiague Harbor
*East Islip
*Great River
*Hewlett Bay Park
*Hewlett Harbor
*Hewlett Neck
*The Hamptons
*Islip
*Old Lawrence
*Lido Beach
*Merrick
*Sayville
*The Moorings
*Oakdale
*West Islip

Beaches

In approximate west to east order:
*Atlantic Beach
*Lido Beach
*Long Beach
*Jones Beach State Park
*Tobay Beach
*Gilgo State Park
*Robert Moses State Park
*Fire Island
*Smith Point County Park
*West Hampton Dunes
*Quogue
*Southampton
*East Hampton
*Montauk Point State Park

With its waterfront location, beaches can be found along the entire South Shore, offering a mix of beaches open to the public and others that offer limited public access, requiring beach passes or limited parking availability. The sands of the South Shore beaches are exceptionally pristine, with finer, white sand and somewhat clearer waters than those of the North Shore beaches. Beaches on the North Shore tend to be extremely rocky and met with murky water.