There’s No Ducking What Curbed Long Island Farms

The agricultural history of the gentrified East End of Long Island is preserved in spots today through pricey row crops and vineyards that were not part of the early 20th century action. Back then, the big harvest was potatoes and there were plenty of local dairies and duck farms. This week’s edition of Dan’s PapersContinue reading “There’s No Ducking What Curbed Long Island Farms”

A Top College for Long Island–Two Cheers

The New York Times at year end caught up with a significant academic story in its backyard, the emergence of Stony Brook University on Long Island as a prestige state research institution. But, being today’s Times, it had to worry whether this “will come at the cost of equity.” As a newly minted flagship ofContinue reading “A Top College for Long Island–Two Cheers”

When Suffolk County Got Its Foothold on Open Space

A big contributor to the preservation of open space on eastern Long Island during the critical early boom years of luxury development—1967 to 1999—was the Suffolk County, N.Y., parks department. It was no coincidence that this happened then: the parks authority had only recently been created.  It is a reflection of the era that wasContinue reading “When Suffolk County Got Its Foothold on Open Space”