Long Island towns
Long Island runs from the Queens line out to Montauk: the North Fork wine country, the North Shore villages, the South Shore beach belt, the Nassau commuter belt along the LIRR, and Fire Island's ferry-only barrier-beach hamlets. (Hamptons has its own site.)
By sub-region
Browse towns by area
Each grouping pulls together the places that share a culture, a transit corridor, or an editorial register.
North Shore
South Shore
Nassau Commuter Belt
Fire Island
All places
Every town, alphabetical
The full towns index — every place we currently cover, in alphabetical order.
Babylon
South Shore
The LIRR-branch namesake village, a walkable South Shore downtown with bay-side marina access.
Bay Shore
South Shore
The largest Fire Island ferry port, a downtown revival and a seasonal surge that shapes the retail rhythm.
Cutchogue
North Fork
Farm-stand country on Route 25, a low-key North Fork stop for adults 21+.
Farmingdale
Nassau Commuter Belt
A walkable Main Street revival on the Nassau-Suffolk line, with the licensed shops just over the county line in East Farmingdale.
Fire Island
Fire Island
The car-free barrier island, ferry-only hamlets, and state-land rules on the sand.
Garden City
Nassau Commuter Belt
Nassau’s planned-village flagship, polished retail and a commuter clientele that treats cannabis as errand-stack.
Greenport
North Fork
The North Fork's walkable village on the water, a working harbor, oysters, and a slower pace than the South Fork.
Hicksville
Nassau Commuter Belt
Nassau’s transit hub, the Ronkonkoma-branch junction and a workhorse stop on the commuter-belt retail map.
Huntington
North Shore
The North Shore’s downtown anchor, a music-venue-and-restaurant village that runs later than most of Suffolk.
Jones Beach
Fire Island
The state-park barrier beach, a day-trip destination where state-land cannabis rules apply.
Long Beach
South Shore
The City by the Sea, a barrier-beach city with an LIRR stop and a year-round urban pulse.
Mattituck
North Fork
The fork’s agricultural midpoint, strawberry festival country and a reasonable base for a farm-country weekend.
Ocean Beach
Fire Island
Fire Island’s walkable center village, rental cottages on a car-free grid, and state-land rules on the sand.
Patchogue
South Shore
The South Shore’s downtown revival, a ferry port to Fire Island and a late-night restaurant row.
Port Jefferson
North Shore
The ferry-town harbor of the North Shore, a walkable village where Bridgeport passengers disembark for a day.
Riverhead
North Fork
Gateway to the North Fork, the retail-corridor base before the farmland begins.
Rockville Centre
Nassau Commuter Belt
Nassau’s dining-and-commuter village, a dense downtown an LIRR ride from Penn Station.
Sayville
South Shore
The ferry port to Cherry Grove and the Pines, a South Shore village with a tight walkable downtown.
Smithtown
North Shore
The bull-statue crossroads of central Suffolk, suburban scale with Long Island Sound a few miles north.
Southold
North Fork
The fork’s oldest settlement, a quiet North Fork base for farm-to-table weekends.
Stony Brook
North Shore
University village on the North Shore, a younger demographic and a reserved historic-district pace.