In the mid 1800’s, it promoted the large resort and beach areas all along Long Island. Much of this success can be attributed to LIRR President Corbin. Before Corbin became the president of the LIRR in 1881, he had spent many years as a hotel and resort mogul here on Long Island. Initially he was one of the biggest names in the resort industry and owned the Manhattan Beach, Oriental, and the Argyle Hotels. In 1885, Corbin bought out the LIRR from Sharp, and added on the Long Beach Hotel to his growing list. Corbin saw that efficient transportation to his hotels would be both beneficial to him and to the Long Island expansion. When Corbin became president, he worked to expand the LIRR to new areas by securing land where stops could be created right next to large resorts. He thought that linking them together would create a great profit margin. Indeed this was the key to success as these new policies started to generate a profit for the LIRR as more and more vacationers came out to enjoy the beautiful beaches of the island. The LIRR effectively had a monopoly on transportation out to Long Island as the usage of personal vehicles was still not something the average American could …show more content…
It provided a way for people to travel. Personal transportation was not a huge success as of yet and only the richest could afford to own a car. When the LIRR first opened, there weren’t highways on Long Island anyway. The railroad provided a guaranteed way to get from Manhattan to the various towns out on the Island. Because of this, people saw Long Island as a place that they could go to and experience the nice quiet suburban life while still being able to experience the high society out in the Big Apple. Over the years, as more stations and lines were opened up, we also saw the dramatic increase in people moving out to Long Island. Just knowing that there was a guaranteed way to access the biggest economic hub in the US was a great attraction. Much of the truly wealthy New York elites were attracted to Long Island’s getaway paradise promises. The North Shore saw hundreds of mansions being constructed up through the 1930’s. The rich saw Long Island as a great new place to spend summers lounging about. Most of the wealthy families in America at the time had a summer home on Long Island. This included families like the Fords, Chryslers Morgans, Vanderbilts, Edisons and Roosevelts. The atmosphere along the Long Island Gold Coast was the inspiration for Fitzgeralds famous book The Great Gatsby, and his descriptions of lavish parties attended by celebrities and millionaires and was completely accurate. The