Community Corner
Fire Island Association: An Island Of Off-The-Grid Homes, Just 50 Miles From Times Square
On Oak Island, where "doing it yourself" is basically the only option, residents have their own version of Brigadoon.
2021-10-12
On Oak Island, where “doing it yourself” is basically the only option, residents have their own version of Brigadoon.
Find out what's happening in Fire Islandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
By Stacey StoweOct. 5, 2021
When
evening comes, it is fatigue that pulls the blanket of darkness over
the homes of Oak Island. Most lights wink out by 10 p.m. The habit is a
holdover from the days of candles and kerosene lamps, before solar
panels and lithium batteries lighted this mile-long island on Long
Island’s southern shore, near Fire Island.
Find out what's happening in Fire Islandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Self-sufficiency is tiring. There is no public electricity on Oak Island, no public water, no trash collection, no postal or emergency services. There is not a single store or restaurant. A boardwalk connects the houses. Step off it and you might trudge through briers and poison ivy.
This press release was produced by Fire Island Association. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
