Shirley is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Shirley was 27,854. Shirley is notable as the western terminus of Atlantic Crossing 1, a major submarine telecommunications cable linking the United States with the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. Soon, the Emerald Express transatlantic communications cable will provide data connectivity between Europe and North America, landing in Shirley.Shirley is a community in the Town of Brookhaven, on the South Shore of Long Island. It is named for developer Walter T. Shirley, who had the vision in the 1950s to turn the area on Mastic Bay into an affordable enclave. Shirley's company priced its 4,000 four-room homes starting at $4,700, and lots were priced at $295.Shirley is served by the Mastic–Shirley Long Island Rail Road station. The Smith Point Bridge is the second of only two bridge crossings from the "mainland" of Long Island and Fire Island.