"Coopers Beach in Southampton, NY Ranked Among Top 10 Best Beaches in the US by Dr. Beach"

NEW YORK — Beaches in the Tri-State area will soon be open to the public for an unofficial welcome back to the summer season over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

And for those who wonder which is the best beach to visit in our region, the answer was given on Thursday by the well-known university professor as Dr. Beach, who released the list of the 10 best beaches in the country, and one in New York is among the favorites. Stephen Leatherman, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida International University, has shared the list for 33 years after evaluating some 650 public beaches in the United States.

This is Coopers Beach in Southampton, Long Island, which ranked third. According to the play page websitea, “Visitors can enjoy the white-sand shores against the backdrop of nature and historic mansions.”

The beach is located Dune Rd, on the south shore of Long Island, sheltered from the cold currents of Labrador in the beautiful town of Southampton. As the country’s first “Gold Coast,” Coopers Beach is hundreds of feet wide and made of grainy white quartz sand. The beach is backed by large sand dunes covered in American beach grass interspersed with large, extravagant mansions. Some of the best beach access in the Hamptons exists at Coopers Beach, and a snack bar serving lunch and drinks can also be found here. It has a parking fee of $40 per day, full facilities including concession, bathhouse, chair and umbrella rental.

For its part, first place was taken by St. George Island State Park, in Florida, a 9-mile (14-kilometer) stretch of white sand in a pristine natural setting along the Gulf of Mexico. St. George Island is frequently on the list. But this year what sets it apart from others is its natural beauty, lack of development, abundant activities including fishing, swimming, kayaking, biking, camping and an unparalleled view of the night sky for stargazers, Leatherman said.

The park covers approximately 2,000 acres (810 hectares) on the eastern end of the island, which is connected by bridge to the mainland through Apalachicola Bay, famous for its oysters. The other sections of the island contain a small town, restaurants, rental houses, and motels, but not much else.

Leatherman uses 50 criteria to assess beaches, including type of sand, wave action, presence of lifeguards, presence of wildlife, level of development and overcrowding, and many other factors. Additional credit is given to beaches that prohibit cigarette smoking, primarily due to the need to avoid discarding cigarette butts. Neither was seen during a recent visit to St. George Island, he said.