Strongs Neck is a peninsula

Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

 just south of Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...

 and hamlet in Suffolk County

Suffolk County, New York

Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, on the North Shore

North Shore (Long Island)

The North Shore of Long Island is the area along Long Island's northern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. The region has long been the most affluent on Long Island, as well as the most affluent in the New York metropolitan area, which has earned it the nickname "the Gold Coast." Though some...

 of Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

.

Strongs Neck is part of the Town of Brookhaven

Brookhaven, New York

The Town of Brookhaven is one of the ten towns into which Suffolk County, New York, United States, has been divided. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located in central Suffolk County and is the only town in the county that stretches from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long...

. Census data is included in Setauket-East Setauket, New York

Setauket-East Setauket, New York

Setauket-East Setauket is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island along the "Gold Coast." As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 15,931. It is one of the most affluent communities in the state and is among the wealthiest towns...

.

It was originally known as Little Neck. In the 17th century it was the home of William "Tangier" Smith who through purchases and land grants owned most of Brookhaven with property stretching from Shirley, New York

Shirley, New York

Shirley is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, Shirley population was 26,395....

 on the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest to Riverhead, New York in the northeast as well as all of Fire Island.

Smith's great-granddaughter Anna (who was part of the Setauket Spy Ring during the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

) married Selah Strong family and the neck was renamed Strong's Neck. Anna was to coordinate communication among the spies via the color of clothes hung on her clothes line

Clothes line

A clothes line or washing line is any type of rope, cord, or twine that has been stretched between two points , outside or indoors, above the level of the ground. Clothing that has recently been washed is hung along the line to dry, using clothes pegs or clothes pins...

 on Strongs Neck.

The Strong family still owns the site of the original Smith mansion and Smith and many of his progeny are buried there.

Long Island itself is nicknamed "Strong Island" and the name is used extensively including the Strong Island Sound

Strong Island Sound

The Strong Island Sound were an American Basketball Association team, that played their home games at Suffolk County Community College in Long Island, New York's Suffolk County...

 which is an American Basketball Association team that plays in Suffolk County, New York

Suffolk County, New York

Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

.