Middle Island, NY

Middle Island is a central Suffolk County community in the town of Brookhaven, set away from Long Island's shoreline but close to large preserves and parks. Artist Lake, renamed after painter Alonzo Chappel settled nearby in 1869, is one of its older local landmarks. Cathedral Pines County Park and Prosser Pines Nature Preserve give the area a wooded, outdoorsy feel, while Longwood Central School District covers a large surrounding region. Middle Island is residential and spread out, with a quieter pace than denser western Suffolk suburbs.