Information AboutFire Island |
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Fire Island is a Barrier Island , approximately 30 mi (48 km) long and 0.5 mi. (1 km) wide, in Suffolk County on the southern side of Long Island in the U.S. State of New York . Fire Island is separated from Long Island by the five mi (eight km) wide Great South Bay , a natural harbor formed by the island. A small portion is accessible from Long Island by the Robert Moses Causeway on its western end and by William Floyd Parkway (NYSHighway 46 near its eastern end. The island and its resort towns are mainly accessible by the numerous Ferries that traverse Great South Bay or by private watercraft. Except for the western 5 mi. (8 km) of the island, the island is protected as part of Fire Island National Seashore . Robert Moses State Park on the western tip of the island is one of the popular recreational destinations in the New York City area. The Fire Island Lighthouse is a visible landmark just east of Robert Moses State Park. INHABITANTS OF FIRE ISLAND The incorporated villages of Ocean Beach and Saltaire within Fire Island National Seashore are Carfree during the summer tourist season ( Memorial Day through Labor Day ) and permit only pedestrian and bicycle traffic (during certain hours only in Ocean Beach). There are a limited number of driving permits for year-round residents and contractors for use during the Off-season. Fire Island also contains a number of unincorporated villages ( Hamlets ). Two of these hamlets, known as the Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove , have a reputation as being popular destinations for Gay vacationers. Beach erosion largely due to construction of jetties at the Moriches Inlet, opened naturally by a storm in 1931 and widened by the Labor Day Hurricane Of 1938 , is described in a report on the geological effects of the Hurricane of 1938 . The avant-garde American poet Frank O'Hara was accidentally killed on July 25 , 1966 , when he was tragically run over by a dune buggy while sleeping on the beach. COMMUNITIES AND LOCATIONS Communities
Parks
Inlets
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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