Living in areas that inspire staying active

Woodland trails and tennis courts, sandy shores and skating rinks -- whether you prefer man-made or natural terrain for getting your fit on, buying a home on Long Island ensures an abundance of options for staying active. That's especially true in the summer, says Richard Laskowski, a professor and the former dean of physical education and athletics at Stony Brook University.

"We are on an island, and that affords us an unusual amount of summer activities, more than in other places," says Laskowski. "Water sports, surfing, wind surfing, stand-up paddle surfing. . . . You can kayak almost anywhere on Long Island. You have miles and miles of pristine private and public beaches."

And it's not just about the water, he adds. Thanks to the island's parks, trails and tempting summer weather, "you can bike, you can hike, you can run, do horseback riding in a number of places," he says.

Although Long Island homeowners never have to travel far to find fitness activities, certain communities have exceptional offerings for the active. Here are Newsday's picks for the best places to live on Long Island if you want easy access to athletic activities -- and a sampling of what you can get for each county's median sale price (or as close to it as possible): $390,000 for Nassau and $315,000 for Suffolk as of May.