Population
Long Island is home to about 2.8 million people, according to the 2004 census. Nassau County has about 1.33 million people, compared to the 1.47 million people in Suffolk. The median age in Nassau is 38.6 and 35.54 in Suffolk. About 31.6 percent of the populace is over 50 in Nassau, versus 25.8 in Suffolk (2005 data).

Education
Long Island is home to 125 public schools districts, 416, 093 students and 29,901 teachers. There are also 233 private schools, with 53,629 students and 4,873 teachers. The area is also comprised of 17 four-year colleges, eight two-to-three year colleges and five professional institutions. About 88.4 percent of high school students on Long Island go on to enter post-secondary education. The Nassau County library system services 54 libraries and four branches. The Suffolk Cooperative Library System includes 54 libraries and seven branches.

Transportation on Long Island
Traveling by road, Long Islanders use three main arteries into New York City: The Long Island Expressway, the Northern State Parkway and the Southern State Parkway. The Long Island Railroad, the nation’s largest commuter railroad, operates 741 trains each weekday, with 1,120 passenger cars and 134 stations. By air, Long Island has five airports. MacArthur Airport, the largest in passenger traffic, has six scheduled carriers, 95 daily flights and 1.04 million passengers annually. Other airports include Republic in East Farmingdale, Brookhaven Calabro in Shirley, Francis S. Gabreski in Westhampton Beach and East Hampton in East Hampton. And by sea, there are five ferries that run to Fire Island, two to Shelter Island, one to Block Island, four to Connecticut. Two ferries are also available for charter.

Climate
Temperatures in Nassau and Suffolk are similar. The winter average for Nassau is 33.7 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to a summer average of 72.7 degrees. In Suffolk, the winter average is 32.4 and summer average is 71.9 degrees. The Nassau area receives about 45 inches of rain, compared to 42 inches for Suffolk. Snow falls at about 26.9 inches per year in Nassau and 30 inches for Suffolk.

Places for fun
More than 100 museums profile the maritime, colonial, Native American and local histories that make up Long Island. The New York Islanders call The Nassau Memorial Coliseum home. There are four state parks in Nassau, 11 in Suffolk, as well as 16 Nassau County parks and 10 Suffolk County parks. Nature preserves total 37 on Long Island, in addition to several botanic gardens, 92 beaches, 46 golf courses, and 33 tennis clubs. Thoroughbred racing is available at Aqueduct and Belmont Park Tracks, in addition to the prestigious Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton.

Places to stay
For temporary stopovers, Long Island is home to 338 hotels/motels with 15,151 rooms.
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In terms of permanent dwellings, Long Island has about 881,000. This is divided between 436,972 in Nassau and 444,028 in Suffolk. Nassau and Suffolk together comprise the 19th largest housing market in the nation.