Ocean Beach is a village in the southern part of the Town of Islip, on Fire Island, within Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 153 at the time of the 2020 census. Known for its strict local ordinances, the village is nicknamed "The Land of No". It formed with the merger between the tract of land owned by John A. Wilbur and Stay-A-While Estates. It is the location of Fire Island's only elementary school, which first opened in 1918.

When artistic bohème of New York started frequenting Fire Island during the Jazz Age, Ocean Beach became the first gay village of the island. This caused tensions between the gay (often famous) tourists and locals, which peaked when Antoine de Paris built on his land an outdoor toilet with revealing saloon door right across the street from a Catholic church. The villagers arranged a provocation by choosing a teenage boy to "seduce" one of Antoine's guests, and after catching the guest in flagranti, they burned down Antoine's property.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 79 people residing in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 100% White, 0% African American, 0% Native American, 0% Asian, 0% from other races, and 0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 census there were 138 people, 61 households, and 35 families in the village.

, the Mayor of Ocean Beach is James S. Mallott, and the Village Trustees are Marco Arment, Dawn L. Hargraves, Ian Levine, and Jennifer Moritz.

The village is known for its strict local ordinances and is nicknamed "The Land of No".

Education

School district

Fire Island Union Free School District, which covers the village,<!--UNI 03720-->. operates Woodhull School (K-6) in Ocean Beach. Students who graduate from Woodhull can choose to go to either the Bay Shore Union Free School District or the Islip Union Free School District for secondary levels. The respective high schools are Bay Shore High School and Islip High School.

  • Keegan-Michael Key American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer

References

  • Ocean Beach official website
  • Ocean Beach Environmental Commission