In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby lives in the fictional Long Island community of West Egg. F. Scott Fitzgerald places West Egg and its wealthier neighbor, East Egg, on opposite sides of a bay near New York City during the summer of 1922.
West Egg represents newly acquired wealth, or “new money,” while East Egg symbolizes inherited social status, or “old money.” Gatsby’s enormous mansion and extravagant parties belong to West Egg, even though he is obsessed with Daisy Buchanan, who lives across the water in East Egg with her husband, Tom.
The names are fictional, but Fitzgerald drew inspiration from real communities on Long Island’s North Shore. West Egg is commonly associated with Great Neck, while East Egg reflects areas around Port Washington. A frequent mix-up is reversing Gatsby’s location with Daisy’s: Gatsby lives in West Egg, whereas the Buchanans reside in East Egg.