Oak Beach, New York facts for kids
Oak Beach is a small community. It's on the eastern part of Jones Beach Island. This island is a barrier island. A barrier island is a long, narrow island. It protects the mainland from ocean waves. Oak Beach sits between the big Atlantic Ocean and the calmer Great South Bay of Long Island. It's part of the town of Babylon. This town is in Suffolk County, New York, USA. One part of Oak Beach is a private, gated area. The other part is open to everyone.
A Look at Oak Beach's History
People have lived in Oak Beach since the early 1900s. A U.S. Coast Guard station was there. It helped rescue people from the sea. Before that, hunters used to have small shacks in the area. They hunted marsh birds.
Getting to Oak Beach was hard at first. People used a Ferry from Babylon. This allowed small cottages to be built. Later, the Ocean Parkway was built. This made it easier to reach by car. For a long time, Oak Beach was mostly a summer spot. But in 1951, the Robert Moses Causeway opened. This bridge made travel much faster. Since then, more and more people live in Oak Beach all year.
Living in Oak Beach
The people who live in Oak Beach don't own their land. Instead, they lease it. This means they rent the land for a very long time. They rent it from the Town of Babylon. In the 1990s, there were talks about extending these leases. After many discussions, the leases were renewed. They are currently set to last until 2050. In 2012, the town agreed to extend them even further. They will now last until 2065.
The Oak Beach Park
Oak Beach is now a quiet place to live. But it used to have a famous spot. This was the Oak Beach Inn. It was a popular place, but it closed in 1999. It was torn down in 2003. A small store and a surf shop also closed earlier. Now, there is a public park where the inn used to be.
This park is a bit unusual. It doesn't have many things like playgrounds. It has a fishing dock and one portable toilet. The park is quite large. It has over nine acres of land. But it only has two trees! It also has almost 300 parking spots. On warm Sunday mornings, car and motorcycle fans meet there. They enjoy showing off their vehicles.
