Ocean Beach, New York

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Ocean Beach, New York
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 40°38′52″N 73°9′28″W / 40.64778, -73.15778
Country United States
State New York
County Suffolk
Area
 - Total 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
 - Land 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation 3 ft (1 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 138
 - Density 967.1/sq mi (373.4/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 11770
Area code(s) 631
FIPS code 36-54430
GNIS feature ID 0959211

The Village of Ocean Beach is in the south part of the Town of Islip.

Ocean Beach is the largest town on Fire Island and is frequently referred to as "O.B." by most of the locals. With a vibrant bay-side downtown area and a white sandy beach, this pedestrian-friendly, car-free community draws tourists from around the world. Ocean Beach's boisterous nightlife makes it a mecca for the twenty-something crowd and has helped cement its reputation on Fire Island as "a party town." There are numerous restaurants, bars and local shops. During the day and early evening many families and tourists crowd the downtown restaurants, t-shirt stores and local ice cream parlors. But it is later at night when bar scene really takes hold that throngs of partyers can be seen bar-hopping the downtown area. While this may lead to groups of generally happy drunks roving about, there is little worry of drunk driving since there are no cars allowed in the summer on Fire Island. For this reason, Ocean Beach is a popular spot for mainlanders from towns like Bay Shore and Islip who hop on the ferry and come over to Ocean Beach just to eat at a relaxed beach restaurant and then bar-hop the night away. There is still the danger of accidentally falling off the dock into the bay but generally very few major accidents occur.

The year-round population is small, and it is almost impossible for any new residents to obtain a car permit to drive anywhere on Fire Island. Other than emergency vehicles, the only people with cars are year-round residents who obtained permits years ago and pass them from generation to generation. Year-round children attend the Fire Island School District in Ocean Beach until grade 6, at which point they are bussed to Long Island for grades 7-12, usually to Bay Shore or Islip Middle School and High School, or to one of the many private and parochial schools on the mainland.

Ocean Beach is unique amongst the western Fire Island towns, in that it caters to tourists as well as families, as most of the other towns and villages, such as Fair Harbor and Saltaire, are quiet family communities with very few amenities.

Contents

[edit] Transportation

Most people get to Ocean Beach by boat. You can get there by taking your own boat, you can take a ferry or a water taxi. The ferry company operates out of the docks on Maple Ave. in Bay Shore, New York. You can also walk along the beach to Ocean Beach from Field 5 of Robert Moses State Park. It is a 4.5 mile walk each way in the sand.

When traveling via ferry, be forewarned that parking at the Maple Avenue Ferry terminal in Bay Shore is very hard to come by in summer, especially on the weekends when thousands of people flock to Fire Island. Your best bet is to take the Long Island Railroad and get off at the Bay Shore train station and take a taxi cab to the ferry terminal (less than 5 minutes). Otherwise try parking during the week, Monday-Thursday; you can still experience the Fire Island weekend vibrancy, and not have to worry about your car. Many residents have reserved parking spots at the terminal (they pay a fortune for those, so they are guaranteed a space), so the rest of the parking is first-come, first-served. The ferries themselves have plenty of space and they come and go throughout the day, so there is no problem getting back and forth. However, the ferries do not run in the middle of the night (midnight-6am), so if you miss the last ferry you are stuck on the Island, or you can pay a fortune for a water taxi (don't bother contemplating walking 5 miles west to Robert Moses because you can't leave your car there all night anyway, and the Island is very cold, windy and dark and sandy in the middle of the night).

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 138 people, 61 households, and 35 families residing in the village. The population density was 967.1 people per square mile (380.6/km²). There were 595 housing units at an average density of 4,169.6/sq mi (1,640.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.38% White and 1.45% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.17% of the population.

There were 61 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.6% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% 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 2.91.

In the village the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 126.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $48,125, and the median income for a family was $49,375. Males had a median income of $41,719 versus $28,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $28,782. There were 15.2% of families and 11.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including 21.6% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.

[edit] Unusual Laws

There are a number of unusual laws to the uninitiated in effect in Ocean Beach. This is why regular visitors and residents have affectionately dubbed OB the "land of No". Here are a few examples that may catch you off guard:

  • Bicycle riding, while no longer banned outright, is restricted in the summer season to the hours of 5am to 8pm Monday through Thursday and 5am to 7pm on Fridays. Bicycle riding is illegal on Saturday and Sunday.
  • All bicycles must be equipped with a bell and a flash light after dark. The law also applies during the off-season, when bike riding is allowed at any time but the bell and light are still required.
  • Bike riding in the commercial district, better known as "In Town", is not permitted at any time during the summer season.
  • Scooters, skateboards, and inline skates are restricted to the same area and time frame but are additionally only allowed by those 12 years old or older. Helmets are required regardless of age.
  • The ban on eating and drinking on the walks has been reduced as well. At one time you could not eat or drink anything on the walks anywhere in Ocean Beach. Now it is permitted in the commercial district only, the opposite of where biking is allowed. Glass drink containers and alcoholic beverages are not allowed though. Littering is also frowned upon and carries a hefty fine. Eating and drinking is also disallowed on the beach overpasses (wooden steps over the dunes to the ocean) and on the beach itself. However, the drinking of water is allowed on the beach if the water is clearly visible within a plastic container.
  • A permit is required to barbecue. Propane only, flameproof base required, and the area must be inspected before you can receive your permit, which must renewed every summer.
  • Topless laws are that women are not allowed topless anywhere, and men are only allowed to be shirtless on the beach in a swimsuit. However, off the beach (ocean front), such as the roads/ boardwalks or the downtaown area, even men must have a shirt on.
  • All trash put out for collection must be in bags which in turn must be in cans which in turn must have lids. Your cans also have to be removed from the walkway before 10am the next day.
  • Dogs must be on a leash in public at all times (you'll note the locals' dogs which are on leashes but on their own). You also must have a pooper scooper with you at all times when walking your dog (this law is common throughout mainland Long Island as well).
  • Dogs are not permitted on the beach between May 15 and Sept. 15
  • Frisbees, ball playing, kite flying, radios without headphones, disrobing, and unattended minors are not permitted on the beach.

[edit] Police Force Controversy

On March 27, 2007, the Suffolk County District Attorney announced the arrest and indictment of four Ocean Beach village police officers, including acting Chief of Police George Hesse, on charges related to the beating of a visitor to the town in August of 2005.

According to the indictment, Samuel Gilberd had been questioned by the police for throwing a beer glass from a local bar into the street, and was issued a summons for littering. Gilberd, who had later admitted to being intoxicated, kicked or slammed the door to the police station when he left. According to the District Attorney, Gilberd was then brought back into the station house and severely beaten, with the most serious injury being a ruptured bladder.

In addition to felony assault charge against Hesse, the indictment contained charges of offering a false instrument, hindering prosecution, issuing a false certificate, falsifying business records, and conspiracy, which centered around an attempted coverup of the beating by Hess and the other three officers.

Shortly before the indictment was issued, five former village police officers filed a federal lawsuit against the village and its police department, seeking $325 million dollars for unlawful termination of employment. They claimed that they were fired for complaining about and refusing to participate in rampant corruption, including but not limited to: attempting to convince a woman not to file domestic abuse charges against a friend of acting deputy chief Hesse, alcohol consumption by on-duty officers in the station and around town, claiming that Hesse designated preferred bands of beer to be confiscated from people on the beach, using on-duty officers to transport Hesse for visits to a friend of his described as a known drug dealer, as well as to sexual trysts.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

  • Ocean Beach Includes pictures, ferry schedule and marina information.
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Municipalities and communities of
Suffolk County, New York
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Town of Islip, New York
CountySuffolk County, New York
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