Long Beach is an oceanfront
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in
Nassau County,
New York, United States. It takes up a central section of the
Long Beach Barrier Island, which is the westernmost of the
outer barrier islands off
Long Island's South Shore. As of the
2020 Census, the city's population was 35,029.
The City of Long Beach was incorporated in 1922,
and is nicknamed "The City by the Sea" (the
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
form, ''Civitas ad mare'', is the city's motto). The Long Beach Barrier Island is surrounded by
Reynolds Channel to the north, east and west, and the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
to the south.
In 2022, Long Beach was named one of the best
East Coast towns for a summer getaway by ''
Time Out'' magazine.
History
Pre-settlement
The city of Long Beach's first inhabitants were the
Algonquian-speaking
Lenape
The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada.
The Lenape's historica ...
, who sold the area to English
colonists
A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...
in 1643. From that time, while the barrier island was used by
baymen and farmers for fishing and harvesting
salt hay, no one lived there year-round for more than two centuries. The
barque ''Mexico'', carrying Irish immigrants to New York, ran aground on a sandbar 200 yards off of Long Beach on January 2, 1837; 115 of its passengers would freeze to death on the deck of the ship.
Austin Corbin, a builder from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, was the first to attempt to develop the island as a
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...
. He formed a partnership with the
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...
(LIRR) to finance the
New York and Long Beach Railroad Co., which laid track from
Lynbrook to Long Beach in 1880. That same year, Corbin opened Long Beach Hotel, a row of 27 cottages along a strip of beach, which he claimed was the world's largest hotel. In its first season, the railroad brought 300,000 visitors to Long Island. By the next spring, tracks had been laid the length of the island, but they were removed in 1894 after repeated washouts from winter storms.
20th century
In 1906,
William H. Reynolds, a 39-year-old real estate developer and former state senator, became involved in the area. Reynolds had already developed four Brooklyn neighborhoods (
Bedford–Stuyvesant,
Borough Park,
Bensonhurst, and
South Brownsville), as well as
Coney Island
Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
's
Dreamland, the world's largest amusement park at the time. Reynolds also owned a theatre and produced plays.
He gathered investors, and acquired the oceanfront from private owners and the rest of the island from the
Town of Hempstead in 1907; he planned to build a
boardwalk
A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to ...
, homes, and hotels. Reynolds had a herd of
elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
s marched in from Dreamland, ostensibly to help build the
Long Beach Boardwalk; he had created an effective
publicity stunt
In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utiliz ...
. Dredges created a channel wide on the north side of the island to provide access by large steamboats and seaplanes to transport more visitors; the new waterway was named
Reynolds Channel. To ensure that Long Beach lived up to his billing it "The
Riviera of the East", he required each building to be constructed in an "eclectic
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
style", with white
stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
walls and red-clay tile roofs. He built a theatre called Castles by the Sea, with the largest dance floor in the world, for dancers
Vernon and Irene Castle.
After Reynolds' corporation went bankrupt in 1918, the restrictions were lifted. The new town attracted wealthy business people and entertainers from New York and Hollywood.
On July 29, 1907, a fire broke out at the Long Beach Hotel and burned it to the ground. Of the 800 guests, eight were injured by jumping from windows, and one woman died. The fire was blamed on defective electric wiring. A church, several cottages, and the bathing pavilion were also destroyed. Trunks belonging to the guests, which had been piled on the sand to form "dressing rooms", were looted by thieves. A dozen waiters and others were apprehended by the police, who recovered $20,000 worth of jewelry and other stolen property.
The community became an
incorporated village in 1913 and a city in 1922.
In 1923, the
prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
agents known simply as
Izzy and Moe raided the Nassau Hotel and arrested three men for bootlegging. In 1930, five
Long Beach Police officers were charged with offering a bribe to a
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
officer to allow liquor to be landed. The police had another problem a year later in the summer of 1931, when a
beachcomber found the body of a young woman named
Starr Faithfull, who had drowned. She had left behind a suicide note, but others believed she had been murdered, and the circumstances of her death were never resolved. Corruption became rampant in Long Beach by then; in 1922, the state Legislature designated Long Beach a city, and William H. Reynolds was elected the first mayor. Soon afterward, Reynolds was indicted on charges of misappropriating funds. When he was found guilty, the clock in the tower at city hall was stopped in protest. When a judge released Reynolds from jail later that year on appeal, almost the entire population turned out to greet him, and the clock was turned back on.
On November 15, 1939, Mayor
Louis F. Edwards was fatally shot by a police officer in front of his home. Officer Alvin Dooley, a member of the police motorcycle squad and the mayor's own security detail, killed Edwards after losing his bid for
PBA president to a candidate the mayor supported. Jackson Boulevard was later renamed Edwards Boulevard in honor of the late mayor. After the murder, the city residents passed legislation to adopt a city manager system, which still exists to this day. The city manager is hired by and reports to the City Council.
In the 1940s,
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hi ...
,
Zero Mostel,
Mae West
Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...
, and other famous actors performed at local theaters.
John Barrymore,
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...
,
Clara Bow,
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...
,
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...
,
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926.
One of the most iconic athl ...
,
Lillian Roth,
Rudolph Valentino
Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...
, and
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He al ...
lived in Long Beach for decades.
By the 1940s and 1950s, with the advent of cheap air travel attracting tourists to more distant places, and air-conditioning to provide year-round comfort, Long Beach had become primarily a
bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
for commuters to New York City. It still attracted many summer visitors into the 1970s. The rundown boardwalk hotels were used for temporary housing for welfare recipients and the elderly until a scandal around 1970 led to many of the homes losing their licenses. At that time, government agencies were also "warehousing" in such hotels many patients released from larger mental hospitals. They were supposed to be cared for in small-scale community centers. The boardwalk had a small
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
at the foot of Edwards Boulevard until the 1980s. In the late 1960s, the boardwalk and amusement park area was a magnet for youth from around
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
, until a police crackdown on drug trafficking ended that. A few businesses remained on the boardwalk, attracting bicyclists, joggers, walkers, and people-watchers.
Beginning in the 1980s and accelerating in the 1990s, Long Beach began an urban renewal, with new housing, new businesses, and other improvements.
Today, the city is again a popular bedroom community, for people working in New York who want the quiet beach atmosphere. With summer come local youths and college students and young adults who rent
bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...
s on the West End; they frequent the local bars and clubs along West Beech Street. Just behind the boardwalk near the center of the city, however, vacant lots now occupy several blocks that once housed hotels, bathhouses, and the amusement park. Because attempts to attract development (including, at one time,
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...
-style
casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
s) to this potential "
superblock" have not yet borne fruit, the lots constitute the city's largest portion of unused land.
21st century
On October 29, 2012,
Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...
struck Long Beach. As a result of flooding, hundreds of vehicles were destroyed and houses suffered various levels of damage. The estimated cost of all the damage was over $250 million. The city was without power and running water for two weeks after the storm. The boardwalk was also destroyed during the storm. The city began rebuilding the boardwalk with grants from
FEMA and the State of New York. The first two-block section of the new Long Beach boardwalk reopened on July 26, 2013, and the entire boardwalk opened on October 25, 2013. The final costs of rebuilding the boardwalk were $44 million, of which ca. $39 million were FEMA grants and the final $4.4 million were reimbursed by the state.
Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of .
Of its total area, is land, and the rest is water.
Long Beach Barrier Island
The city is on a
barrier island
Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...
of the
South Shore of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
. It shares the island with
East Atlantic Beach,
Atlantic Beach to the west and
Lido Beach and
Point Lookout to the east.
Climate
Long Beach has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(Cfa) under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, with humid hot summers and cool winters. It is one of the northernmost locations in this climate zone, allowing for the growth of warmer climate plants like
Mimosa,
Crape Myrtle,
Southern Magnolia
''Magnolia grandiflora'', commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching in height, it is a ...
, and
Sweetgum
''Liquidambar'', commonly called sweetgum (star gum in the UK), gum, redgum, satin-walnut, styrax or American storax, is the only genus in the flowering plant family Altingiaceae and has 15 species. They were formerly often treated as a part of ...
. It is in plant hardiness zone 7b. Precipitation is evenly distributed year-round, mostly in the form of rain although snowfall occurs each winter. Long Beach is vulnerable to tropical cyclones. Its climate is tempered by the influence of the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
.
Cityscape

Unlike most communities near New York City, Long Beach is a high-density community. Fewer than 40% of the homes are detached houses, and the city ranks as the 35th-densest community in the United States – ahead of larger cities like Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia. The city is less than wide from ocean to bay and about long. The city is divided into the West End, home to many small
bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...
and some large houses, and the East End. West of New York Avenue, the barrier island is less than wide and West Beech Street is the main east/west commercial street.
East of New York Avenue, the island is wider between the bay and ocean and is home to larger more expansive family houses. There is the city's boardwalk, which begins at New York Avenue and ends at Neptune Boulevard. Along the boardwalk are many apartment buildings and condos. The main commercial strip is Park Avenue, which narrows into a small residential strip west of New York Avenue.
City divisions and districts

The city of Long Beach contains the following neighborhoods:
* Central District – The area between Magnolia Boulevard and Monroe Boulevard,Long Beach's City Hall is located in this area as well as the Martin Luther King Center and Emergency Department at Long Beach.
* The East End – The district between Monroe Boulevard and Maple Boulevard.
* The President Streets – The area comprising 9 north-south avenues of which 5 are named after former U.S. presidents, with the 4 exceptions of Atlantic, Belmont, and Mitchell Avenues, and Pacific Boulevard; Pacific Boulevard connects directly from Park Avenue to East Broadway, a parallel road to the south.
* The West End – The district between New York Avenue and East Atlantic Beach. This area is home to many small bungalows and large houses close to one other, along small narrow streets. These streets, named after U.S. states, run from the beach to the bay, until they meet
East Atlantic Beach at Westholme Ave.
Neighborhoods and enclaves
* The Walks – An area comprising extremely narrow sidewalks between houses. Each walk is named after a month.
* North Park – The area north of Park Avenue, between the LIRR Station and Monroe.
* The Canals – The area comprising several streets running north-south, with 4 parallel canals originating from Reynolds Channel. The canals begin on Forrester Street and end on Curley Street, each canal except for Bob Jones Canal is traversed by a short bridge carrying East Pine Street.
* Kennedy Plaza – An area in the Central District, at the intersection of National Boulevard and West Chester Street.
* Westholme – The neighborhood between New York Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard.
National Register of Historic Places
Multiple sites in Long Beach are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
, including:
*
Barkin House
*
Cobble Villa
*
Granada Towers
*
House at 226 West Penn Street
*
Pauline Felix House
*
Samuel Vaisberg House
*
United States Post Office
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...
Landmarks and historic districts
The city of Long Beach contains the following landmarks and historic district:
* 9/11 Memorial
*
Holocaust Memorial at Kennedy Plaza
* John F. Kennedy Memorial
* Red Brick District
Museums and community centers
*
House at 226 West Penn Street (also known as Long Beach Historical & Preservation Society Museum)
* Martin Luther King Community Center
Demographics
The
2010 U.S. census determined there were 33,275 people residing in the city, and the 2019
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
estimated the population increased to 33,454. At
census of 2000,
there were 35,462 people, 14,923 households, and 8,103 families residing in the city. The local population was spread out at as of 2010.
In 2000, the
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . Also in 2000, there were 16,128 housing units at an average density of . If only residential area is counted, the population density rises to 17,341 per square mile (44,913.19/km
2).
In 2019 there were an average of 2.31 persons per household, and the median household income was $97,022. Long Beach had a per capita income of $53,579 from 2015 to 2019 and 6.7% of its population lived at or below the poverty line. In 2000, there were 14,923 households, out of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.5% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $56,289, and the median income for a family was $68,222. Males had a median income of $50,995 versus $40,739 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $31,069. About 6.3% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Race and ethnicity
The racial and ethnic makeup of the city of Long Beach was 71.9%
non-Hispanic white
Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...
, 6.2%
Black or African American, 0.2%
American Indian or Alaska Native, 2.7%
Asian, 2.8%
two or more races, and 16.3%
Hispanic and Latin American of any race. Out of the total population, 52.2% were female and 13.4% of the total population was foreign-born from 2015 to 2019.
In 2000, the
racial makeup of the city was 84.20% White, 6.18% African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.32% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.75% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.80% of the population.
Religion
According to
Sperling's BestPlaces
Bertrand T. Sperling was born in 1950 in Brooklyn, New York. He is an author and researcher. His books and studies on quality of life in America have made him "an internationally recognized expert in cities."
Work Studies
Sperling is commissi ...
, 67.7% of the population of Long Beach were religious as of 2021. The majority of the religious population are
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
and the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
is the largest single denomination. The second largest Christian group is
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
and the single largest
Protestant denomination as of 2021 was
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
. The third largest religion practiced in the city is
Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
, followed by
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
.
Eastern faiths including
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
and
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
are also prevalent in the city, while the remainder of the population is
irreligious or
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
.
Crime
According to th
USA District Attourney's Office at Eastern New York gangs present a prevalent criminal threat within the city. In March 2016, sixteen members of the Latin Kings (gang), Latin Kings gang were arrested in connections with narcotics trafficking, in particular, cocaine, crack, "MDMA, molly", and illegal marijuan
In another instance, 5 men from Long Beach and Hempstead, New York, Hempstead were arrested in Westbury, New York, Westbury in a gang-related shootin
Government

The current City Manager (2024) is Dan Creighton. He was preceded by:
* 2023 – Ron Walsh, Acting (concurrently Long Beach Police Commissioner)
* 2020 – 2022 Donna Gayden
* 2019 – 2020 Rob Agostisi, Acting (former chief legal counsel)
* 2012 – 2018 Jack Schnirman
The Long Beach City Council consists of five elected members who are currently (2024):
* Brendan Finn, President (R)
* Chris Fiumara, Vice President (R)
* John D. Bendo (D)
* Roy Lester (D)
* Michael Reinhart (R)
Public safety and emergency services
The city has a comprehensive emergency services structure consisting of multiple organizations, including the Long Beach Police Department (New York), Long Beach Police Department, Long Beach Fire Department (New York), Long Beach Fire Department, Long Beach Lifeguards, Animal Control and Emergency Medical Services (LBFD), Long Beach Auxiliary Police Department.
City municipalities
The city of Long Beach has an extensive parks and recreation program led by Joseph Brand II. Within the offerings include, but are not limited to the Ice Arena, Summer Camps, Pool, Races and is most well known for its Ocean Beach Park. Long Beach's Ocean Beach Park (OBP) is managed under the supervision of Nichole Landry. All city parks and recreation programs are found online at longbeachny.gov.
Education
Public schools

The Long Beach City School District serves the city of Long Beach and parts of the Town of Hempstead,
[ ]
Text list
with Long Beach High School (New York), one primary high school, one middle school, one prekindergarten, and four elementary schools.
They also operate an "alternative" high school at the NIKE missile site on a campus shared with the district's transportation services.
The schools of Long Beach City School District are:
* Long Beach Pre-Kindergarten
* West Elementary School
* East Elementary School
* Lido Elementary School
* Lindell Elementary School
* Long Beach Middle School
* Long Beach High School (New York), Long Beach High School
* Harriet Eisman Community School
Private schools
* Long Beach Catholic Regional School
* Mesivta of Long Beach
Post-secondary education
* Rabbinical College of Long Island
Public libraries
The Long Beach, NY Public Library, Long Beach Public Library serves greater Long Beach with the main library downtown and two branch libraries at Point Lookout and the West End.
Transportation
Buses and trolleys
Long Beach Bus operates a 24-hour municipal bus service with five routes, including three routes serving the city, one overnight circulator route, and one route extending service to
Lido Beach and
Point Lookout. Long Beach Bus also operates two seasonal trolley routes, East Loop and West Loop.
Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) has two bus routes that originate in Long Beach.
The n15 and n33 travel to Roosevelt Field and Far Rockaway, Queens, Far Rockaway, via Rockville Centre, New York, Rockville Centre and
Atlantic Beach, respectively. The n33 does not provide service wholly within Long Beach.
Railroad

The
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...
operates Long Beach station (LIRR), a terminal station at Park Place and Park Avenue with service on the railroad's Long Beach Branch.
All other public transportation services in Long Beach converge at this terminal.
Most trains run to Penn Station (Manhattan) or Atlantic Terminal (Brooklyn).
Notable people
* Lil Peep (born Gustav Elijah Åhr, 1996-2017), rapper and singer, raised in Long Beach from 2001 to 2016.
* MF Doom (born Daniel Dumile, 1971-2020), hip-hop recording artist/producer, raised in Long Beach.
* Larry Brown (basketball), Larry Brown (born 1940), basketball star and coach, graduated from Long Beach High School.
* Maurice Mitchell (activist), Maurice Mitchell (born 1979), is an American activist and member of hardcore punk band, Cipher (band), Cipher.
* Loring Buzzell (1927–1959), music publisher and record label executive.
*
Vernon and Irene Castle, dance pioneers who introduced dances such as tango and foxtrot to the US in the 1910s; they lived in Long Beach and operated a nightclub called "Castles By the Sea".
* Alan Colmes (1950–2017), political analyst formerly on ''Hannity & Colmes'', resided in Long Beach
* Billy Crystal (born 1948), film and television actor who was raised in Long Beach
* Pete Johnson (American football, born 1954), Pete Johnson (born 1954), running back who played eight seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals
* Peter David, comics writer, novelist, and screenwriter, known as the co-creator of ''Spider-Man'' 2099, and for his influential 12-year run on ''The Incredible Hulk''.
* Amy Fisher (born 1974), also known as the "Long Island Lolita"
* Mike Francesa (born 1954), WFAN 660AM New York City radio host, was born and raised in Long Beach.
* Scottie Graham, James "Scottie" Graham (born 1969) former Ohio State and NFL player, grew up in Long Beach and graduated from the high school
* Smith Hart (1948-2017), professional wrestler, member of the Hart wrestling family.
* Eleanor Holm (1913–2004), Olympic swimmer, movie star, star of the Aquacade, grew up in Long Beach
* Derek Jeter (born 1974), former New York Yankees shortstop and former team captain, lived in Long Beach
* Joan Jett (born 1958), rock singer
* John Lannan (born 1984), pitcher for the New York Mets
* Allard K. Lowenstein (1929–1980), congressman, anti-Vietnam War leader, and liberal activist who represented it in Congress in the late 1960s
* Charlie McAvoy (born 1997), defenseman for the Boston Bruins
* Audrey Peppe (1917–1992), figure skater, member of three US Olympic teams, runner-up for the national championship.
[Acevedo, Kimberly]
"Recalling 'Our Town, Our Time'"
, ''Long Island Herald'', January 30, 2013. Accessed February 19, 2017. "Long Beach Junior High School student Audrey Peppe was only 13 when she made the United States Figure Skating team that same year."
* Rick Rubin (born 1963), American record producer, co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings (record label), American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records, born in Long Beach and graduated from the high school
References
External links
City of Long Beach, NYLong Beach NY Historical SocietyThe Long Beach Chamber of Commerce* c:File:Tara Hutchinson Surfs During the Long Beach Waterfront Warriors Beach Day.jpg, Long Beach Waterfront Warriors Beach Day
{{authority control
Long Beach, New York,
Cities in New York (state)
Populated coastal places in New York (state)
Cities in Nassau County, New York
Cities in the New York metropolitan area