See also L.I. -- County Histories
See also L.I. -- Villages -- Suffolk County, NY, A-K
See also L.I. -- Villages -- Suffolk County, NY, L-Z
See also L.I. -- Villages -- Nassau County
See also Nassau County History
See also Outer Islands (of L.I.)
See also Queens County History
See also Suffolk County History
- Long Island Towns -- Your Long Island Neighborhood Guide (Long Island.com)
Towns, in New York State, are large geographic and administrative divisions of counties. They constitute a level of government (and geography) between counties and municipalities (cities and incorporated villages).
In Nassau and Suffolk Counties -- together usually considered "Long Island proper" -- towns include many incorporated and unincorporated villages. Unincorporated villages have no government of their own. Nassau County also includes two cities, Glen Cove and Long Beach.
Nassau County consists of 3 towns: Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay. These were part of eastern Queens County, from the 17th century until 1899. In 1900 they joined to form Nassau County.
Suffolk County, also created in the 17th century, is basically the eastern half of Long Island, with some additions. It consists of 10 towns: Babylon, Brookhaven, East Hampton, Huntington, Islip, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Smithtown, Southampton, and Southold.
Unincorporated villages, are customarily, if inaccurately, referred to as "hamlets". Whether is it better to court "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" by referring to them as unincorporated villages or hamlets, is left to you.