Oak Beach
Encyclopedia
Oak Beach is a small community located on the eastern end of Jones Beach Island
, a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean
and the Great South Bay
of Long Island
. The community is part of the Town of Babylon
in Suffolk County, New York
. The eastern part, the Oak Island Beach Association, is gated whereas the western part is not. The census
considers it part of Gilgo-Oak Beach-Captree, New York
.
Oak Beach has been inhabited since at least the early 1900s, when a U.S. Coast Guard lifesaving station was located there, though it could not be reached overland at that time. Prior to that, marsh bird hunters had kept shacks in the area. Ferry access from Babylon enabled cottages to be built, and made more accessible by car after construction of Ocean Parkway, it was largely a summer community until the completion of the Robert Moses Causeway
in 1951, which allowed much faster travel from the main part of Long Island. It has gradually evolved since then to where most residents live there year-round.
The land is not owned by the residents, but is on long-term lease
from the Town of Babylon. In the early 1990s, there was litigation by the state against extension of the lease. After much negotiation, including detailed environmental impact statement
s, the lease was renewed (currently through 2050), though with a ramp up in costs.
Although now entirely residential, Oak Beach was also the location of the popular but controversial Oak Beach Inn
, which was closed in 1999 and was torn down in 2003, along with a small general store ("The Store") and bait/tackle/surf shop that closed a decade earlier. There is now a public park at the site.
In April 2011, the community attracted much public attention as eight dead bodies were found, possibly the work of a serial killer. The investigation is ongoing. ABC News
says that the FBI is now officially on the case.
Jones Beach Island
Jones Beach Island is one of the outer barrier islands off the southern coast of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It is named for the father of Thomas Jones. It is sometimes referred to as Oak Beach Island, and the former home of the infamous Oak Beach Inn. It is separated from Long...
, a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and the Great South Bay
Great South Bay
Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is approximately long. It's protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire Island, a barrier island, as well as the eastern end of Jones Beach Island and Captree Island.Robert Moses Causeway adjoins...
of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. The community is part of the Town of Babylon
Babylon (town), New York
The Town of Babylon is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York . Located on Long Island, the town population was 211,792 as of the 2000 census. There is also a Village of Babylon located within the town. It borders Nassau County to the West, and the Atlantic Ocean to the South...
in Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
. The eastern part, the Oak Island Beach Association, is gated whereas the western part is not. The census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
considers it part of Gilgo-Oak Beach-Captree, New York
Gilgo-Oak Beach-Captree, New York
Gilgo-Oak Beach-Captree is a former census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York and the Town of Babylon. The population was 333 at the 2000 census. It contains several small beach communities on the barrier island along the southern edge of Long Island...
.
Oak Beach has been inhabited since at least the early 1900s, when a U.S. Coast Guard lifesaving station was located there, though it could not be reached overland at that time. Prior to that, marsh bird hunters had kept shacks in the area. Ferry access from Babylon enabled cottages to be built, and made more accessible by car after construction of Ocean Parkway, it was largely a summer community until the completion of the Robert Moses Causeway
Robert Moses Causeway
The Robert Moses Causeway is an long parkway in Suffolk County, New York. The parkway, originally known as the Captree Causeway, connects West Islip on Long Island to the barrier beach islands, such as Captree Island, Jones Beach Island, and the western tip of Fire Island, to the south. It is...
in 1951, which allowed much faster travel from the main part of Long Island. It has gradually evolved since then to where most residents live there year-round.
The land is not owned by the residents, but is on long-term lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
from the Town of Babylon. In the early 1990s, there was litigation by the state against extension of the lease. After much negotiation, including detailed environmental impact statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
s, the lease was renewed (currently through 2050), though with a ramp up in costs.
Although now entirely residential, Oak Beach was also the location of the popular but controversial Oak Beach Inn
Oak Beach Inn
The Oak Beach Inn, commonly referred to by the abbreviation OBI, was a Long Island nightclub located in Oak Beach, on Jones Beach Island in the Town of Babylon, Suffolk County, New York....
, which was closed in 1999 and was torn down in 2003, along with a small general store ("The Store") and bait/tackle/surf shop that closed a decade earlier. There is now a public park at the site.
In April 2011, the community attracted much public attention as eight dead bodies were found, possibly the work of a serial killer. The investigation is ongoing. ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
says that the FBI is now officially on the case.