We were on the ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island, Washington, and Flo struck up a conversation with the man on the motorcycle next to our car. "Do you know that you're going to the longest island in the United States?" Considering that I come from Long Island, that Long Island is about 110 miles long and that Whidbey Island is about 58 miles long, I must have exhibited some disbelief. "Well, Long Island is not an island. The Supreme Court said so. Therefore, Whidbey is the longest Island." Doing some research, I learned that the Supreme Court, in a 1985 case involving federal or state control of the Long Island Sound, ruled that, under the statute in question, Long Island is not an "island" (but, rather, a peninsula) because the East River was not navigable without man-made intervention. And so, people on Whidbey Island claim to be the longest island. Interesting what one can learn on a ferry.
Posted By : hydrajet