Hauppauge, 'tis a Hilly Place

Long Island's communities have long been lumped into broad geographic groups of North and South Shores, and the East End. To leave our appreciation at that is to exclude a large swath of communities in the middle of the Island as well as those in between.

Hauppauge is neither geographically a part of the North or South Shores, but located at the origin of waterbodies which feed both, the Nissequogue and Connetquot Rivers. So in the spirit of the Lorax I speak for one of Hauppauge's most defining features, its hills!

The hills of the Ronkonkoma Moraine give Hauppauge a remarkable texture, just ask anyone who lives in the Pines, or off of Lincoln Boulevard. With elevations up to +200' above sea level Hauppauge has some of the tallest hills on the island, setting it apart from the flatter expanse to the south and north before reaching the newer Harbor Hills Moraine along the North Shore.

These hills provide dramatic landscape relief in our community and sweeping vistas. The most notable, and perhaps breathtaking is the "summit" of Mount Pleasant, which is best visible at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Route 454. Thanks to the clearing of the hill at the High School, one might see all the way to Port Jefferson and beyond from it. Does this make the drive down 454 a little more relaxing than other roadways?

I bring this up to encourage consideration of Hauppauge's identity. Are these hills important to us? What sort of experiences do we associate with them? Are they worth recognizing and making accessible for future generations to appreciate?

As an example of how we could appreciate our hills and scenic vistas; here is a link to Washington Rock State Park in Green Brook, NJ: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Rock_State_Park