It derives its name from Peconic Bay which is the dividing body of water separating the North and South forks of Long Island.[1] The big drive for the county was a difference in character between western Suffolk County which is predominantly a New York City bedroom community while the east end (or "East End") is dominated by home owners who want to preserve the area's more rural and upscale character.East End newspapers speculated that the Assembly was afraid that it would encourage a wave of secessions in the state including Staten Island seceding from New York City[2] and perhaps even causing the division of upstate and downstate New York.[3] If the proposed secession were to occur, the surviving Suffolk County would have a land area of 1,462.001 km2 (564.482 mi2) and an adjusted 2020 census population of 1,356,575 inhabitants.As can be seen, the western part of Suffolk has more than five times the population density of its eastern neighbor.
A map showing the proposed location of Peconic County.