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Islip, New York

Islip is a town in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the South Shore of Long Island. The population was 335,543 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous city or town in the New York metropolitan area.

The Town of Islip also contains a smaller, unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place named Islip.

History
Matthias Nicoll relocated to New York from Islip, Northamptonshire, England, in 1664. His son, William Nicoll, became a royal patentee of the east end of what is now the Town of Islip, and his domain reached from East Islip to Bayport and included Sayville, West Sayville, Oakdale, Great River, Islip Terrace, Central Islip, Hauppauge, Holbrook, Bohemia, Brentwood, Holtsville and a portion of Ronkonkoma. All of this land was bought from Winne-quaheagh, Sachem (chief) of Connetquot in 1683. The yearly fee paid to Governor Thomas Dongan of New York was five bushels of quality winter wheat or 25 shillings. Other early land patentees were Andrew Gibb (Islip Hamlet), John Mowbray (Bay Shore, originally Awixa), Stephan Van Cortlandt (Sagtikos Manor), and Thomas Willets (West Islip).

By 1710, the colonial government passed an act to enable the precinct of Islip in the County of Suffolk to elect two assessors, a collector, a constable and a supervisor. The people had a voice. Growth, however, remained at a standstill until the Revolutionary War ended when, in the 17 years that followed, there was more progress than in the 50 years preceding. This activity was partly due to the impact of American shipping.

By 1825, it was necessary to install a Fire Island light across the Great South Bay and regular ferry service between Bay Shore and Fire Island began in 1862. In 1867[?] the Long Island Rail Road came to Islip and the first depot was built. People were discovering Islip and the tourist trade soon took hold.

Tourism brought much wealth into the area and business sprung up to service the hotels that began to dot the landscape. Some of those tourists stayed on and built summer homes, thus the vacationers and the town seemed to enjoy a mutual prosperity. But the old guard was changing. Early in the 20th century, diesel-powered ferries replaced the whale boats while housing developments and small manufacturing firms sprang up on the sites of old farms. Like the rest of the country, Islip and all of Long Island suffered during the Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression. When the veterans returned home from World War II, there was a housing shortage in New York City, but a rebirth on Long Island. Within a decade following the end of the war, Islip began to turn from a bucolic farming community into a bustling suburb, becoming what was once described as a "bedroom" of New York City. The influx of people was tremendous - from 71,000 in 1950 to 280,000 in 1970. Then, as growth continued eastward on Long Island, the pace in Islip slowed.

In 1987, the 430 tons of ash that resulted from incineration of the cargo of the Mobro 4000 "Garbage Barge" was added to the landfill in Islip. In response to the garbage barge incident, the Town of Islip developed Keep Islip Clean, WRAP, and other environmentally friendly initiatives to help bolster its image. These acts resulted in one of the first comprehensive recycling programs in the United States.

Demographics
At the 2000 census, there were 322,612 people, 98,936 households and 78,555 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,064.5 PD/sqmi. There were 104,278 housing units at an average density of 990.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 77.25% White, 9.02% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.17% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 8.32% from other races, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.16% of the population.

There were 98,936 households, of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.6% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 3.55.

27.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

According to a 2006 estimate, the median household income was $78,991, and the median family income was $86,190. Males had a median income of $49,069 versus $33,660 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,699. About 4.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Geography
Islip is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the south, Babylon to the west (at approximately Route 231), Smithtown to the north (at approximately the Long Island Expressway), and Brookhaven to the east (at approximately Nicolls Road). It also shares a small border with Huntington to the northwest.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 162.8 sqmi, of which 103.2 sqmi is land and 59.6 sqmi (36.61%) is water.

The town includes part of Fire Island, Jones Beach Island, and Captree Island, which are separated from Long Island by the Great South Bay.

Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, Islip has a humid continental climate (Dfa), with some maritime influence, or under the -3 °C threshold a humid subtropical climate (Cfa); it is part of USDA hardiness zone 7a. The normal average monthly temperature ranges from 31.9 °F in January to 75.0 °F in July; on average, there are 16.3 afternoons where the temperature remains at or below freezing and 8.3 afternoons with a high at or above 90 °F annually; the last year to not reach the latter mark was 2014. Temperatures below -5 °F or above 100 °F are rare, and were last seen respectively on January 7, 2018, at -5 °F and July 22, 2011, at 100 °F. The record low is −14 °F, set on February 13, 1967, while the record high is 104 °F, set on July 3, 1966.

Precipitation averages 45.99 in annually, and is somewhat evenly distributed throughout the year, though March and April are the wettest months in terms of total precipitation. Snowfall averages 31.8 in per year, falling almost entirely from November to April.

On August 12 and 13, 2014, a new 24-hour precipitation record for the state of New York was set at 13.57 in, including 1.08 in in 9 minutes during the morning of August 12. This caused flooding on the Southern State Parkway, Sunrise Highway and other area thoroughfares.

Government and politics
Islip is governed by a Town Supervisor, a position which is similar to that of a Mayor, and four council members. The council is elected on an at-large basis. Additionally, a Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes are both duly elected. All of the elected officials serve staggered four year terms. Elections are held on odd years, except when special elections are held pursuant to state law. The current supervisor is Angie Carpenter, a Republican, who was formerly the Suffolk County Treasurer. Carpenter succeeded Tom Croci after he was elected to the New York State Senate in 2015.

The town board has jurisdiction over governmental affairs within the town's boundaries, excluding incorporated villages which have their own local governments. Such things include passing a budget and enacting new laws.

The town had a long history of control by the Republican Party; punctuated by two years in 1967. In 1969, the Republicans returned to local power for another 38 years until the 2007 elections gave the Democrats control of the town board. In 2006, Republican Supervisor Peter McGowan resigned due to charges of misuse of campaign funds. In the ensuing special election Phil Nolan, a Democrat, won the supervisor seat. The next year in 2007 Supervisor Nolan ran for his first full term in office with running mates John Edwards and Gene Parrington. All three were elected town-wide and the three Democrats took control of the Town Board for the first time since 1967.

In 2009, new voter registration skewed slightly towards the Democratic Party for the first time in the history of the Town of Islip.

In the 2009 elections, Islip Republicans gained one seat with the election of former News 12 personality Trish Bergin, and the re-election of Councilman Steven Flotteron; leaving the Democrats with a one-seat majority.

The 2011 election witnessed the continued comeback of the Republican Party in Islip. Tom Croci, a veteran running in his first election, led an energized campaign that upset incumbent Supervisor Nolan. In addition, the rest of the Republican ticket was swept into office. Anthony Senft Jr. and John Cochrane Jr. became councilmen, replacing Gene Parrington and John Edwards. Olga Murray became Town Clerk, and Alexis Weik became Receiver of Taxes.

In 2018, four residents sued the town for violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by maintaining a discriminatory at-large council system. One-third of Islip's population is Hispanic, but only one person of color has ever been elected to a town seat. As part of the settlement reached in 2020, the at-large system will be abolished and replaced by four council districts by 2023.

Economy
CA Technologies is based in Islandia. NBTY is based in Ronkonkoma. Sigma Corporation is based in Ronkonkoma.

Communities and locations
Note: ✝ Denotes area is on Fire Island

Villages (incorporated)

 * Brightwaters
 * Islandia
 * Ocean Beach ✝
 * Saltaire ✝

Hamlets (unincorporated)

 * Bay Shore
 * Bayport
 * Baywood
 * Bohemia
 * Brentwood
 * Central Islip
 * East Islip
 * Great River
 * Hauppauge  (partially; with the Town of Smithtown)
 * Holbrook (partially; with the Town of Brookhaven)
 * Holtsville (partially; with the Town of Brookhaven)
 * Islip
 * Islip Terrace
 * Kismet ✝
 * Lake Ronkonkoma (partially; with the Towns of Brookhaven and Smithtown)
 * Lonelyville ✝
 * North Bay Shore
 * North Great River
 * Oakdale
 * Ronkonkoma (partially; with the Town of Brookhaven)
 * Sayville
 * West Bay Shore
 * West Islip
 * West Sayville

Other communities

 * Atlantique ✝
 * Captree
 * Corneille Estates ✝
 * Dunewood ✝
 * East Fire Island (Middle Island)
 * Edgewood (Brentwood ZIP code)
 * Fair Harbor ✝
 * Lakeland (Ronkonkoma ZIP code)
 * Robbins Rest ✝
 * Seaview ✝
 * Sexton Island
 * West Fire Island (Thompson's Island)

State parks

 * Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park
 * Brentwood State Park
 * Connetquot River State Park Preserve
 * Heckscher State Park
 * Robert Moses State Park

Airports
Long Island MacArthur Airport and the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), located in the Town of Islip, are both in the hamlet of Ronkonkoma. MacArthur Airport is owned by the Town of Islip and maintained through the Town of Islip Department of Aviation.

A smaller rural airport known as Bayport Aerodrome also exists within the town used for antique aircraft. It is also owned by the Town of Islip.

Railroad lines
The Long Island Rail Road's Montauk Branch is one of two lines running through the town spanning between the Village of Babylon and the Hamlet of Blue Point in the Town of Brookhaven, with stations from Bay Shore through Sayville. The other line is the Main Line which runs through the northern part of the town with stations in Brentwood, Central Islip and Ronkonkoma, which not only serves as a major transportation hub, but is also located on the Islip-Brookhaven Town Line.

Bus service
The Town of Islip is served entirely by Suffolk County Transit bus routes.

Major roads

 * [[Image:I-495.svg|24px]] Interstate 495 is the Long Island Expressway, and the sole interstate highway in the Town of Islip. It runs along the northern portion of the town between Exit 53 in Brentwood and east of Exit 59 in Ronkonkoma.
 * Southern Pkwy Shield.svg Southern State Parkway enters the Town of Islip from the Town of Babylon, and has interchanges at Robert Moses Causeway (Exit 40), Suffolk CR 57 (Exit 41 W-E), and Sagtikos State Parkway (Exit 41A). Trucks are forbidden from using the parkway, as with most parkways on Long Island.
 * Heckscher Pkwy Shield.svg Heckscher State Parkway is a continuation of Southern State Parkway leading west to east then curving south to Heckscher State Park in Great River.
 * Sagtikos Pkwy Shield.svg Sagtikos State Parkway is the main south-to-north parkway leading from Southern State and Heckscher Parkways in West Islip through the Long Island Expressway where it crosses the Islip-Smithtown Town Line.
 * Robert Moses Cswy Shield.svg Robert Moses Causeway is a south-to-north parkway leading from Robert Moses State Park to Southern State Parkway.
 * Ocean Pkwy Shield.svg Ocean Parkway runs across Jones Beach Island and terminates at Captree State Park.
 * NY-27.svg New York State Route 27 is Sunrise Highway, the other limited-access highway in the town that does not forbid trucks.
 * NY-27A.svg New York State Route 27A is Montauk Highway west of Connetquot River State Park.
 * Suffolk County 67.svg County Route 67, the remaining drivable portion of the Long Island Motor Parkway
 * Suffolk County 85.svg County Route 85 is Montauk Highway east of Connetquot River State Park.
 * Suffolk County 93.svg County Route 93 (Suffolk County, New York) is a four-lane south-north highway running from the northwestern edge of Sayville to the south and west side of Lake Ronkonkoma.
 * Suffolk County 97.svg County Route 97 is a partially limited-access highway in southeastern Islip.
 * NY-111.svg New York State Route 111 is the south-to-north state route that runs from the Hamlet of Islip through Hauppauge into the Town of Smithtown.
 * NY-231.svg New York State Route 231 runs along the Babylon-Islip town line as the unfinished Babylon-Northport Expressway before curving to the northwest and entering the Town of Babylon entirely.
 * NY-454.svg New York State Route 454 is a west-east divided highway known as the Veterans' Memorial Highway, which runs northwest to southeast from Commack to NY 27 west of Suffolk CR 97 in Holbrook. Within the town it runs from NY 347 at the Islip-Smithtown Town Line and serves as the address for Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Ferries
Passenger ferries depart to Fire Island from Bay Shore and Sayville, which lead to communities both in the Towns of Islip and Brookhaven. Bay Shore has terminals for Fire Island ferries, serving Atlantique, Dunewood, Fair Harbor, Kismet, Ocean Bay Park, Ocean Beach, Saltaire, and Seaview, and smaller hamlets. They are located at the southernmost end of Maple Avenue. Some daily ferries to Atlantique also make a stop at the Bay Shore Marina, which is across the canal from the Maple Avenue ferries.

Sayville's ferry terminals lead to the communities of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines, both popular vacation communities for LGBT New Yorkers, as well as to Sailors Haven, which is located within the Sunken Forest Visitor's Center.

title: Islip, New York


text:
Riverhead (CDP), New York

Riverhead is a census-designated place (CDP) roughly corresponding to the hamlet by the same name located in the Town of Riverhead in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The CDP's population was 13,299 at the 2010 census.

Situated at the mouth of the Peconic River, which empties into Peconic Bay where the North and South Forks of Long Island split, the town of Riverhead (of which the CDP is a part) is the official county seat of Suffolk County. In the 1960s, most of the county offices moved to the CDP of Hauppauge in the towns of Islip and Smithtown in the more populous western half of the county—a move which still spurs attempts for the town of Riverhead to lead the way for the secession of eastern Long Island towns to form Peconic County.

History
The hamlet began with the Suffolk County Court House, a 1727 structure built to serve both the North and South Forks. Since that year, Riverhead has served as the seat of Suffolk County, and still contains the primary courts of the region.

Riverhead's downtown area formed as an active commercial hub during the 19th century. In the beginning of the 20th century, the community saw an influx of Polish immigrants, as did the rest of the town. This led to the creation of Polish Town, where the popular Polish Town Fair is held annually. The downtown experienced urban blight during the mid-20th century, but recovered as of the beginning of the 21st century.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 15.4 sqmi, of which 15.1 sqmi is land and 0.4 sqmi, or 2.33%, is water.

The hamlet contains the principal downtown area in the Town of Riverhead and one of the largest in Suffolk County. Outside of this downtown area are rural sections which contain both active farms and residential developments.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 13,299 people. The racial makeup of the CDP was 74.6% White, (55.9% Not Hispanic or Latino), 18.5% African American/Black, 23.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 1.4% Asian American, and 1.2% Two or More Races.

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,513 people, 3,878 households, and 2,547 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 696.5 PD/sqmi. There were 4,167 housing units at an average density of 276.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.98% white, 02.82% black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 2.15% from other races, and 2.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.03% of the population.

There were 3,878 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $35,330, and the median income for a family was $39,672. Males had a median income of $35,707 versus $28,021 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,746. About 9.2% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Media
The Riverhead newspaper Riverhead News-Review, dates back to 1950, when the Harry Lee Publishing Co. Inc, publishers of The County Review (1903–1950), purchased The Riverhead News (1868–1950) and consolidated the two newspapers as The News-Review. Times/Review Newspapers Corp. purchased The News-Review and  The Suffolk Times, based in Greenport, in 1977.

The news website RiverheadLOCAL began publication in 2010. It is owned by East End Local Media Corp., an independent company based in Riverhead.

Radio stations WFTU, WRCN-FM, WRIV and W215BT are licensed to Riverhead. Independent television station WLNY-TV (channel 55) is also licensed to Riverhead and owned by CBS News and Stations, with most operations being run from the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan with WCBS-TV.

Schools

 * Riverhead Central School District
 * Suffolk County Community College Eastern campus

Transportation
The Long Island Rail Road's Main Line (or Greenport Branch) provides limited service at the Riverhead station, offering service from the hamlet to Ronkonkoma to the west and Greenport to the east. At Ronkonkoma, passengers can connect to New York City-bound electric trains.

The hamlet is also served by Hampton Jitney's North Fork route.

In addition, Riverhead is served by the following Suffolk County Transit routes:

 * 58: Brentwood LIRR station - Riverhead via New York State Route 25
 * 62: Smith Haven Mall - Riverhead LIRR station
 * 66: Patchogue LIRR station - Riverhead
 * 80: Riverhead Tanger Outlets - Riverhead LIRR station
 * 92: Orient Point - East Hampton LIRR station

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Riverhead (CDP), New York


text:
Riverhead, New York

Riverhead is a town in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the north shore of Long Island. Since 1727, Riverhead has been the county seat of Suffolk County, though most county offices are in Hauppauge. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,902. The town rests on the mouth of the Peconic River, from which it derives its name. The smaller hamlet of Riverhead lies within it, and is the town's principal economic center. The town is 166 miles (267 km) southwest of Boston via the Orient Point-New London Ferry, and is 76 miles (123 km) northeast of New York City.

In the beginning of the 20th century, the town saw an influx of Polish immigrants. This led to the creation of Polish Town, a section of the Town and County seat where the popular Polish Town Fair is held annually.

Riverhead is the agricultural apex of Long Island, with 20,000 of the 35,000 acres of the island's farmland located within the town. The town is also home to four separate beaches which are open year round. Iron Pier, Wading River, and Reeves Beach each offer boating access for residents and visitors alike.

History
European colonists purchased the "Southold land" from the local Algonquian-speaking Native Americans and Shinnecock Indian Nation in 1649. An additional portion was purchased from Col. William Smith and divided among settlers in 1742.

The town of Riverhead was created in 1792 as part of new jurisdictions after the American Revolution. The New York State Legislature divided it from the town of Southold, New York, which lies to the north and east. Riverhead was separated at the behest of its inhabitants, who "represented to the Legislature that their town is so long that it is very inconvenient for them [people of western regions of Southold] to attend at [sic] town meetings, and also to transact the other necessary business of the said town, and have prayed that the same may be divided into two towns". The poor western sections of Southold, with no harbor and little commerce, were thus divided. On March 13, 1792, the Legislature passed a bill splitting off this section under the name River Head. The new enclave's first town meeting was scheduled to be held April 3, 1792.

River Head was named the county seat of Suffolk County (called a "county town" at the time), and its name was later combined as Riverhead.

By 1902, its approximate population was 2,500.

Geography
Riverhead is bounded by Long Island Sound to the north, Southold to the east, Southampton to the southeast, and Brookhaven to the southwest and west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 201.3 sqmi, of which 67.4 sqmi is land and 133.9 sqmi (66.53%) is water.

The town is partly on the North Fork of the county. The eastern terminus of the Long Island Expressway is in Riverhead.

Climate
Long Island has one of the northernmost humid subtropical climates (Köppen Cfa) in the United States. The National Weather Service numbers are from the Research Farm near Long Island Sound.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 13,506 people and 15,424 households residing in the town. The population density was 497.1 PD/sqmi.

As of the census of 2000, There were 10,749 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01.

As of the census of 2010, in the town the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 2.2% from 18 to 20, 6.1% from 20 to 24, 10.5% from 25 to 34, 20.6% from 35 to 49, 21.8% from 49 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males.

As of the census of 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $52,195, and the median income for a family was $60,939. Males had a median income of $40,855 versus $32,288 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,647. About 15.8% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Danny Burawa (born 1988), major league baseball pitcher.
 * Joseph McCrum Belford (August 5, 1852 - May 3, 1917) - Born in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania. Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York- 1st. District, 1897 - 1899
 * Ed Danowski (September 30, 1911 - February 1, 1997) - Quarterback and Halfback in the NFL, Played for the New York Giants, 1934-1938, 1941. Quarterbacked Giants when they won the 1934 & 1938 NFL Championship Games.
 * Gen. Edmund Fanning (April 24, 1739 - February 28, 1818) - Loyalist and Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, 1783-1786
 * Garfield M. Langhorn (September 10, 1948 - January 15, 1969) - Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in the Vietnam War.
 * Scott Merserau (April 8, 1965) - Defensive end with the New York Jets, 1987-1993.
 * Otis Grey Pike (August 31, 1921 - January 20, 2014) - Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York - 1st. District, 1961 - 1979
 * Anne C. Richard (born 1960) - Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, 2012-2017.
 * Kate C. Woodhull (1842–1926) and Hannah C. Woodhull - American missionaries in Fuzhou, China, 1884–1912
 * Alexander M. Zaleski (June 24, 1906 - May 16, 1975) - Roman Catholic Bishop of Lansing, 1965-1975.

Government and politics

Riverhead has a town council government. There is an elected Town Supervisor who is elected by the entire town, and four "at large" Town Council seats. The Town Supervisor term is for two years and four years for council seats. From 1956 to 1975, the Town Council consisted of the Town Supervisor, two Town Council members and two Justices of the Peace. Prior to 1956, the Town Council consisted of the Town Supervisor and four Justices of the Peace. As of 2016, there is a 12 year term limit for Town Council members and the Town Supervisor. The Town Supervisor term of office is for two years. Members of the board cannot serve 12 consecutive years. That means that they could take a break after serving their 12 years and then run for office once again.

Media
The Riverhead newspaper Riverhead News-Review, dates back to 1950, when the Harry Lee Publishing Co. Inc, publishers of The County Review (1903–1950), purchased The Riverhead News (1868–1950) and consolidated the two newspapers as The News-Review. Times/Review Newspapers Corp. purchased The News-Review and  The Suffolk Times, based in Greenport, in 1977.

The news website RiverheadLOCAL began publication in 2010. It is owned by East End Local Media Corp., an independent company based in Riverhead.

Hamlets (unincorporated)

 * Aquebogue
 * Baiting Hollow
 * Calverton (small part in the Town of Brookhaven)
 * Jamesport
 * Laurel (mostly in the Town of Southold)
 * Manorville (mostly in Brookhaven)
 * Northville
 * Riverhead (hamlet)
 * Wading River (small part in Brookhaven)

Other communities

 * Centerville
 * Polishtown
 * Reeves Park
 * Roanoke
 * South Jamesport
 * Sweyze

State parks

 * Hallock State Park Preserve
 * Wildwood State Park
 * Indian Island County Park

Railroad lines
The Long Island Rail Road's Main Line is the sole line within the Town of Riverhead. The only active station is Riverhead, which is also used as the western terminus of the Railroad Museum of Long Island.

Bus service
The Town of Riverhead is served primarily by Suffolk County Transit and Hampton Jitney bus routes.

Major roads

 * [[Image:I-495.svg|24px]] Interstate 495 – New York
 * NY-25A.svg New York State Route 25A – Stony Brook University
 * NY-25.svg New York State Route 25 – New York, Orient Point
 * Suffolk County 58.svg County Route 58 (Suffolk County, New York)
 * Suffolk County 105.svg County Route 105 (Suffolk County, New York)
 * Sound Avenue

Airports
The town of Riverhead contains a minor private-use airport known as the Calverton Executive Airpark, originally the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Calverton.

title: Riverhead, New York


text:
Shelter Island (CDP), New York

Shelter Island is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Shelter Island in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 1,602 at the time of the 2020 census.

The community is on Shelter Island, between the North and South Forks of Long Island, and is reachable only by ferry. Many of the properties are owned by wealthy New York City residents who use the island as a weekend retreat. Shelter Island is characterized by a quieter and less social lifestyle than that of the nearby Hamptons.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 17.3 sqkm, of which 16.9 sqkm is land and 0.4 sqkm, or 2.12%, is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,234 people, 531 households, and 349 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 188.8 PD/sqmi. There were 964 housing units at an average density of 147.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.89% White, 1.05% Black or African American, 0.57% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 3.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.24% of the population.

There were 531 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,625, and the median income for a family was $55,764. Males had a median income of $40,493 versus $34,688 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,202. About 4.9% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

title: Shelter Island (CDP), New York


text:
Shelter Island, New York

Shelter Island is an island town in Suffolk County, New York, United States, near the eastern end of Long Island. The population was 3,253 at the 2020 United States census.

Geography
Shelter Island is nestled between the North and South Forks of Long Island. It is surrounded on three sides by Shelter Island Sound and on the fourth side by Gardiners Bay. It can be reached via ferry from Greenport to the north (an approximately eight-minute trip) or from North Haven to the south (an approximately five-minute trip). The two ferry crossings are connected by New York State Route 114, which crosses the island.

Shelter Island is around 8,000 acres in size. Vast tracts are protected wetlands, a nature preserve marshland. Nearly one-third of the island is owned by The Nature Conservancy to be preserved in a wild state. The Preserve has four nature and bird-watching trails, varying in length from 1.5 mi to 11 mi, as well as a barrier-free Braille trail for the visually impaired.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Shelter Island has a total area of 28.7 sqmi, of which 12.2 sqmi is land and 16.5 sqmi (57.49%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 2,228 people, 996 households, and 656 families residing in the town. However, during the summer months the population can exceed 8,000. The population density was 183.6 PD/sqmi. There were 2,370 housing units at an average density of 195.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.32% White, 0.72% Black or African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 2.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population.

There were 996 households, out of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female head of household, and 34.1% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.1% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 20.1% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 28.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $53,011, and the median income for a family was $63,750. Males had a median income of $41,508 versus $36,316 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,346. About 4.7% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

Villages (incorporated)

 * Dering Harbor, on the north side of the island.

Neighborhoods (unincorporated)

 * Harbor View, on the west side of the island overlooking West Neck Harbor, is made up of homes built since the 1950s. Originally part of a large egg farm called "Cackle Hill,” the  property featured two homes. First, The manor house, which still sits adjacent to Harbor View community on about 17 acres. The second, a smaller farm house,  stood on the top of cackle bluff and was removed before development of the community. The farm raised chickens and Lima beans. Residents: Several children of the original developers still own homes or properties in the neighborhood. The neighborhood is significant in the early queer rights movement. Several early residents of the neighborhood were queer rights activists, most of whom died in the AIDS epidemic.
 * Shelter Island, the hamlet of Shelter Island, located on the south side.
 * Shelter Island Heights, on the north side of the island. The Heights was developed as a Methodist Campground in the late 1800s. A private community, it is governed by the Shelter Island Heights Property Owners Corporation, which owns the roads and the North Ferry Company. The Heights was designated on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1993. The Victorian architecture includes 141 contributing buildings and one contributing structure.
 * Silver Beach, on a peninsula on the southwest side of the island, overlooks breezy Peconic Bay to the west and West Neck Harbor to the east. Residents of Silver Beach Homeowners Association collectively own several large tracts of undeveloped property, including an 18-acre wooded preserve in the center of the peninsula that is maintained as a bird sanctuary and the access point to Shell Beach, which has a large, protected Piping Plover nesting site. Development on Silver Beach began in the post-World War II era, and many of the homes there are small cottages typical of the time, though some have been expanded.
 * Westmoreland, on the west side of the island, was built as a private camp retreat. It is home to one of the Island's few remaining equestrian farms and has a private airstrip. The home of the late New York Governor Hugh Carey is on Westmoreland, as is the summer home of comedian Louis C.K.
 * Nostrand Parkway runs along the west coast of the island, facing the open waters of Peconic Bay. Several prominent older homes there date to a development in the late 1800s known as West Neck Park. The main road, Nostrand Parkway, takes its name from the developer of West Neck Park.

Geographic features

 * Coecles Harbor, an inlet on the east side of the island
 * Smith Cove, an inlet on the south side of the island
 * West Neck Harbor, an inlet at the southwest end of the island
 * Fresh Pond, a glacial kettle hole on the southwest part of the island

History
The island was long inhabited by indigenous peoples, related to those who lived north of Long Island Sound. At the time of European encounter, it was occupied by the Manhanset tribe, an Algonquian-speaking people related to the Pequot and other Algonquians of New England. The original name of the island, used by the Manhanset Indians, is Manhansack-aha-quash-awamock, which literally translates to "Island sheltered by islands."

Early settlers
Shelter Island was included in the original Plymouth Company land grant made by James I of England in 1620. On April 22, 1636, Charles I of England, told that the colony had not made any settlements yet on Long Island, gave the island to William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling. The grant gave Alexander all of Long Island and adjacent islands. Alexander gave James Farret power to act as his agent and attorney in colonizing Long Island. In reward Farret was allowed to choose 12000 acre for his personal use. Farret chose Shelter Island and Robin's Island for his use. Farret in turn sold the islands to Stephen Goodyear, one of the founders of the New Haven Colony.

In 1651 Goodyear sold the island to a group of Barbados sugar merchants for 1,600 pounds of sugar. Nathaniel Sylvester (1610–1680), one of the merchants, was the island’s first white settler. He was among a number of English merchants who had lived and worked in Rotterdam (where he was born) before going to Barbados. His connections there and with the Netherlands helped him establish a far-flung trading enterprise. On March 23, 1652, he made the purchase official by agreement with Youghco (called Poggatticut), the sachem of the Manhanset tribe. The other owners, Sylvester’s brother Constant, and Thomas Middleton, never came to Long Island. In 1673 Nathaniel Sylvester claimed ownership of Shelter Island, Fishers Island, and other parts of Long Island. By that time the Manhansett had declined in number and power.

In 1652 Sylvester constructed a house on the island for his 17-year-old bride, Grissel (also spelled Grizzel) Brinley from London. Her mother was Anna (Wase) Brinley and her father Thomas Brinley had been an auditor in the court of King Charles I. With the Revolution he had lost his position; Grissel had gone to the colony with her older sister Anne, who had married William Coddington, the governor of the Rhode Island colony. Archeological research in the 21st century has revealed there may have been two early house complexes. The Sylvesters had eleven surviving children. The more elaborate manor house, which survives today, was built in 1733 by a Sylvester grandson.

The Sylvester estate was developed as a large provisioning plantation. It raised food crops, as well as livestock for slaughter, sending casks of preserved meats and other supplies to Barbados. Labor was provided by a multicultural force of enslaved American Indians, enslaved Africans and English indentured servants. Sylvester and his associates were part of the Triangle Trade between the American colonies (including the Caribbean), Africa and England. His descendants continued to use slaves on the plantation into the 19th century. An estimated 200 black people are buried at the Negro Burying Ground on the North Peninsula.

The Sylvesters gave shelter to many persecuted Quakers. Sylvester Manor stands today, just off New York State Route 114, and is controlled by Sylvester descendants. All but about 24 acres of the original thousands of acres have gone into other hands. Following the death in 1680 of Nathaniel Sylvester, Shelter Island was divided between his two sons, Giles and Nathaniel II. In 1695, William Nicoll, a resident of Islip, bought from Giles the area now called Mashomack Nature Preserve. Three years later, in 1698, another newcomer, George Havens, bought 1000 acre from Nathaniel II. This parcel comprises what today is the Center; it stretched south to South Ferry and west to West Neck Creek. Over time these estates and parcels were split and divided by marriage and purchase, so that by the early 18th century, 20 families lived on Shelter Island. By order of the Provincial Government, the Town of Shelter Island was established in 1730. The community developed from there.

Colonial era
James Nicoll Havens, a member of the New York Provincial Congress, built a home on the island in 1743. He was the first town supervisor on the island. His former home is now owned by the local historical society.

Jonathan Nicoll Havens (1757–1799), born on Shelter Island, was a member of the First Continental Congress in 1774. He also served in New York’s delegation that in 1788 approved the federal constitution. Mashomack Forest (today Mashomack Nature Preserve) was owned by the Nicolls family for 230 years. Nicolls Creek was named for that family. A few Manhanset still lived in the wooded Sachem’s Neck area up until the 1790s.

Shelter Island had brushes with early Colonial military activity:
 * The British shipped hay from Hay Beach during the American Revolution.
 * The schooner Paragon was built on the island at Lord’s Shipyard, located on West Neck Creek. In 1804 the ship under Capt. Sam Lord successfully ran a British blockade during the Napoleonic Wars.
 * During the War of 1812, the British ransacked numerous homes on the island.

The first ferryboat to serve the island was run by the Boisseau family at Stearns Point, nearby Crescent Beach. The North Ferry began service to Greenport in 1868. Throughout the 19th century, the island continued as a base for fishermen in the surrounding waters. Fish processing plants sent their products across the country.

Shelter Island Heights established
Shelter Island Heights was developed in 1871 as a summer resort for camp meetings, after a group of Brooklyn businessmen purchased the Frederick Chase estate for this purpose. It was developed by the Shelter Island Grove and Camp Meeting Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church. For eight years, the camp meetings took place on the island, before moving to Jamesport. During this time, Robert Morris Copeland designed the Union Chapel, built in 1875. In 1984 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Shelter Island Heights in total was a planned development by Copeland. The houses were designed in classic American styles: Stick-Eastlake, Queen Anne Style, and Colonial Revival. During the eight years from 1872 to 1880, when camp meetings were held here, about 70 summer cottages were built in the Heights. By 1890 the district was well-defined architecturally; the residences have not changed much since then. Shelter Island Heights was listed in 1993 as an Historical District on both the NRHP and the New York State Register of Historic Places.

At the turn of the 20th century, fish processing plants still operated on the island. One was located at the end of Burns Road, another on Big Ram Island, off what is today Tuthill Road. Some summer residents traveled here by steam ferries from New York City.

White Hill is located above the North Ferry landing in Shelter Island Heights. The Prospect Hotel was built on the hill. After it burned down, it was rebuilt, but was destroyed a second time by fire in 1942. Today the land where the hotel was located is a town park.

Growth after 1900
Francis Marion Smith (1846–1931) was known as the "Borax King" for his mining successes. Smith and his family bought a home on the island in 1892. He expanded it to more than 30 rooms and called his estate Presdeleau (French for "by the water"). By 1906 he owned more than 500 acre on the south side of the island. Smith Cove and Smith Street were named for him. Smith shipped in deer from California to hunt in his "deer park"; their descendants roam some areas of the island. The remains of his estate are reinforced concrete retaining walls and a "Japanese" footbridge from the garden, built by Ernest L. Ransome about 1898, behind Merkle Lane.

Another 19th-century millionaire who had an estate on Shelter Island was Artemas Ward (1848–1925), a pioneer in mass-market advertising. Ward made millions of dollars by monopolizing all advertising on New York City elevated trains, subways, and streetcars. Ward had a large estate on the south side of the island. Ward wrote a biography of his great-grandfather, Major General Artemas Ward (1727–1800), a commander in the American Revolutionary War. After years of being tied up in court, the vestiges of Ward’s original estate in the Shorewood section of the Island (including a manor house, formal Italian gardens, and a concrete water tower) have been renovated. In the case of the manor house, it has been partially "deconstructed" to restore an earlier version.

Following World War I, development slowly crept onto the island. Summer camps were started in the 1920s, including Camp Quinipet, a United Methodist Church camp and retreat center on Rocky Point Road. On West Neck Harbor, developers Albert and Fred Dickerson built houses for what is today called Montclair Colony. Homes were built on Silver Beach, Ram Island, and Hilo Farms.

Following the Depression, some of the summer cottages were abandoned or left to rot. Recovery was slow. It was not until after World War II that summer residents started returning in larger numbers. During the 1950s a farm cooperative grew lima beans on the island. This was the last of commercial farming on Shelter Island.

In the 1960s and 1970s, more families started to move to Shelter Island as year-round residents. The Gerard family owned the property at Sachem’s Neck that had belonged to the Nicoll family for more than 200 years, and later to financier Otto Kahn. Developers eyed the 2000 acre. The land was purchased in January 1980 by the Nature Conservancy to preserve it as a nature park in perpetuity; half of the funds to buy the forest were raised on the island to create Mashomack Preserve.

There are still numerous Shelter Island residents with family roots dating to families here at the time of the American Revolution. Some summer residents are fifth-generation seasonal visitors.

Government and politics
In the 1996 presidential election, it was the only town on Long Island to vote for Bob Dole. But, in 2004, John Kerry became the first Democrat in recent history to win Shelter Island, although he failed to receive as many votes as Al Gore did four years earlier throughout Long Island. Shelter Island saw consecutive successes for the Democratic Party; in 2008 and 2012, Barack Obama won Shelter Island, in 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton won Shelter Island, and most recently, Shelter Island voted for Joe Biden for the 2020 presidential election.

Religion
Six places of worship are located on Shelter Island:
 * Grace Evangelical Church, non-denominational, Shelter Island Public Library basement, 37 North Ferry Road.
 * Our Lady of the Isle, Roman Catholic, 5 Prospect Avenue, in Shelter Island Heights. Founded in 1907.
 * Shelter Island Friends Meeting, Quakers, Sylvester Manor, 116 North Ferry Road (May–October); Havens House, 16 South Ferry Road (November–April).
 * Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, 32 North Ferry Road
 * St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 26 St. Mary's Road
 * Union Chapel in the Grove, interdenominational, Bay Avenue, in Shelter Island Heights. Open June–September.

The Methodist camp, Camp Quinipet, located at the northwestern tip of the island, is used as a camp in the summer and as a retreat center for churches throughout the year.

Cemeteries
There are six cemeteries on Shelter Island:
 * Emily F. French Memorial Cemetery, Thomas Street
 * Our Lady of the Isle Cemetery, Roman Catholic, Manhanset Road
 * Quaker Cemetery, Quakers, near Gardiner’s Creek/Friends Meeting House
 * St. Mary's Episcopal Church Cemetery, 26 St. Mary’s Road
 * Shelter Island Churchyard Cemetery, New York State Route 114
 * The Nicoll Family Cemetery, within the bounds of the Mashomack Preserve

Notable people

 * Faith Baldwin (1893–1978) – romance novel author. She wrote about 100 books from 1925 until her death. Baldwin was part of the Famous Writers School. Before World War II, Baldwin spent time in a Shelter Island cottage in what was called Hilo Farms.
 * Hugh Carey (1919–2011) – politician and attorney. Beginning in 1960, Carey served seven terms in the US House of Representatives as a Democrat. He served two full terms as governor of New York from 1975 to 1982. Carey owned a home in Westmoreland Farms and later acquired a large property in the Shorewood section (previously owned by Jack and Jeanne Garr) which was used by members of his very large extended family.
 * Elbert N. Carvel (1910–2005) – served as 61st and 64th governor of Delaware; born on Shelter Island.
 * John Chamberlain (1927–2011) – sculptor, known for sculptures from old automobiles and expressing Abstract Expressionist style of painting in three dimensions.
 * Francis P. Chiaramonte, M.D. (1928–2013) – founder of Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton, Maryland, a urological surgeon, and philanthropist
 * Simon Doonan – English-born creative director of Barney’s retail store. Newspaper columnist and author of Confessions of a Window Dresser, Nasty: My Family and Other Varmints, and Wacky Chicks: Life Lessons from Fearlessly Inappropriate and Fabulously Eccentric Women.
 * Douglas Kent Hall (1938–2008) – American writer and photographer. During his time on Shelter Island, on Little Ram Island Drive, he wrote the best-selling biography of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder, with Schwarzenegger.
 * Mary Gardiner Horsford (1824–1855) – American poet.
 * Otto Kahn (1867–1934) – German-born financier. Beginning in 1924, Kahn owned property in what is now Mashomack Nature Preserve.
 * Julie Kavner (1950–) – actress. The voice of Marge on The Simpsons, she has also appeared in several films.
 * Robert Lipsyte (1938–) – sportswriter for The New York Times and successful author of books for young readers. Lipsyte won an Emmy award for the public affairs show The Eleventh Hour.
 * Aileen Osofsky (1926–2010) – member of the ACBL Hall of Fame after over 20 years as its Goodwill Committee chair. With her husband, commissioned Norman Jaffe to build their dream home on Hay Beach in 1969—now considered his signature work.
 * Itzhak Perlman (1945–) – Israeli-born violinist and Grammy Award winner. In 1996, Perlman and wife Toby founded the Perlman Music Program on Shelter Island. It offers gifted young string players a summer residential course in chamber music; students perform regular concerts on the island.
 * Lynn Riggs (1899–1954) Mixed-blood Cherokee author, poet and playwright. He moved to Shelter Island after his play Green Grow the Lilacs was adapted as the musical Oklahoma! in 1943.
 * Leon Uris (1924–2003) – novelist. Uris lived on Shelter Island for a time on Chase Creek.
 * Bruce Wolosoff (1955–) – classical composer

In popular culture

 * Shelter Island was the site of the 1947 Shelter Island Conference on quantum mechanics, attended by international scientists to discuss modern physics.
 * Author John Steinbeck began his 1960 cross-country journey by leaving his home in Sag Harbor and driving to Shelter Island. This was the start of the trip that became his book Travels with Charley: In Search of America.
 * Brian DePalma's early film The Wedding Party, was filmed on Shelter Island in 1963.
 * The feature film The Dain Curse starring James Coburn was filmed on Shelter Island in 1977, with many residents playing small roles.
 * The feature film Margot at the Wedding was shot in the spring of 2006 in various New York locations including Shelter Island.
 * The feature film, Shelter Island, directed by Geoffrey Schaaf, starring Ally Sheedy, Stephen Baldwin, and Chris Penn, had locations including Shelter Island.
 * The movie Masquerade, starring Rob Lowe and Meg Tilly, was partially filmed on Shelter Island in 1987.
 * Shelter Island serves as the fictional backdrop for the Will & Grace Season 7 Episode 16 "Dance Cards & Greeting Cards" in 2005.
 * "Shelter Island" was the episode in How I Met Your Mother in which Ted Mosby and Stella Zinman were meant to have married.

title: Shelter Island, New York


text:
Smithtown (CDP), New York

Smithtown is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Smithtown in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 25,629 at the 2020 census.

The hamlet includes the former Village of The Landing, which was dissolved in 1939.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 31.4 sqkm, of which 30.1 sqkm is land and 1.3 sqkm, or 4.00%, is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,901 people, 8,815 households, and 7,245 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,265.7 PD/sqmi. There were 8,956 housing units at an average density of 291.3 inhabitants/km2 (754.3 inhabitants/mi2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.35% White, 0.61% African American, 0.04% Native American, 1.77% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.38% of the population.

There were 8,815 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.2% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $81,272, and the median income for a family was $88,235. Males had a median income of $62,802 versus $38,315 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,521. About 2.0% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under the age of 18 and 4.4% ages 65 or older.

Media, arts, and culture
Smithtown is the city of license for two radio stations, WFRS and WWSK, and the TV station WFTY-DT. The Times of Smithtown newspaper carries community-based articles.

The Smithtown Performing Arts Center is a theater at 2 East Main Street. The historic building has not been significantly altered since it was built in 1933. It operated as a movie theater from 1933 to November 2001, and was renovated and restored to accommodate live performances in 2002. In 2022 the building was purchased by the nonprofit Smithtown Performing Arts Council, which programs a variety of live entertainment and community events including musicals, plays, music, comedy, educational classes and summer camps.

title: Smithtown (CDP), New York


text:
Smithtown, New York

Smithtown is a town in Suffolk County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. The population was 116,296 at the 2020 Census.

The census-designated place (CDP) of Smithtown lies within the town's borders.

History
The land that would become the town was originally owned by the Nissequogue Native Americans.

Local legend
An oft-repeated but apocryphal story has it that, after rescuing a Native American chief's abducted daughter, Richard Smith was told that the chief would grant title to all of the land Smith could encircle in one day while riding a bull. Smith chose to ride the bull on the longest day of the year (summer solstice) 1665, to enable him to ride longer "in one day." The land he acquired in this way is said to approximate the current town's borders. A large statue of Smith's bull, known as Whisper, pays homage to the legend at the fork of Jericho Turnpike (New York State Route 25) and St. Johnland Road (New York State Route 25A).

Actual founding
According to local historians, the bull story is a myth. It was actually English settler Lion Gardiner who had helped rescue the daughter of Nissequogue Grand Sachem Wyandanch, after she was kidnapped by rival Narragansetts. Smith, who lived in nearby Setauket, was a friend of Gardiner; it was at Smith's house where the Nissequogue princess was returned to Wyandanch. The Grand Sachem awarded a large tract of land to Gardiner as a gesture of gratitude. In 1663 Gardiner sold the Nissequogue lands to Smith. Two years later, colonial Governor Richard Nicolls recognized the sale by awarding Smith “The Nicolls Patent of 1665,” which formally ratified Smith's claim to the land. Thus, 1665 is considered the founding date of the town.

Smithtown was originally known as "Smithfield".

The border between Smithtown and the town of Huntington is partially defined by Bread and Cheese Hollow Road (Suffolk County Road 4), so named after Bread and Cheese hollow, which according to legend is where Smith stopped on his ride to have a lunch of bread and cheese. The road is reputed to follow part of his original ride. The border between Smithtown and Huntington was also the site of Fort Salonga, a British fort that was the site of a battle of the American Revolution during 1781. The Smithtown hamlet of Nesconset was the home of Spaceplex, an indoor amusement park and arcade that was falsely accused of being the abduction site in the Katie Beers kidnapping case in 1992.

350th anniversary
The town celebrated its 350th anniversary with the unveiling of a new statue of founder Richard Smith, in front of an office building at the intersection of Main Street and Route 111.

Geography
Smithtown is bounded by Long Island Sound to the north, Islip to the south, Brookhaven to the east, and Huntington to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 111.5 sqmi, of which 53.8 sqmi is land and 57.7 sqmi (51.75%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 115,715 people, 38,487 households, and 31,482 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,159.9 PD/sqmi. There were 39,357 housing units at an average density of 734.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was:

 * 114,817 or 99.2% mono-racial
 * 110,546 or 95.5% White
 * 748 or 0.65% Black or African American,
 * 78 or 0.01% Native American
 * 1,763 or 1.7% Asian
 * 22 or less than 0.01% Pacific Islander
 * 660 or 0.6% from other races
 * 898 or 0.8% from two or more races.
 * 3,855 or 3.3% Hispanic or Latino

There were 38,487 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.6% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 1000 females age 18 and over, there were 911.2 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $100,165, and the median income for a family was $110,776.

Males had a median income of $61,348 versus $38,208 for females. The per capita income for the town was $31,401. About 2.1% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Ancestries: Italian (35.3%), Irish (26.0%), German (18.7%), Polish (6.9%), English (5.0%), Russian (4.1%).

Government and politics
The present town hall and seat of the town was built in 1912 on Main Street in Smithtown.

In 2015 the town hall was dedicated and renamed after former Supervisor Patrick R. Vecchio.

Smithtown is led by a Town Supervisor and a four-member Town Council, elected town-wide with each serving four year terms. Elections are held in odd-numbered years, with two of the councilmembers being up for re-election each year.

The current Supervisor is Edward Wehrheim who has been Town Supervisor since 2018. His predecessor, Patrick Vecchio was in office for forty years, the longest elected town supervisor in the history of the United States. Elected as a Democrat during a special election, Vecchio switched parties in 1993 in an attempt to run for County Executive. Although defeated in the primary by Robert Gaffney, Vecchio remained a Republican until his death in 2019. He is the longest serving town supervisor in all of New York State. Vecchio ran in 2013 against former Councilman Robert Creighton, of the Conservative Party. Supervisor Vecchio won the Republican Primary against Councilman Creighton and then later defeated the Councilman in the General Election 45-30%. The Democratic candidate, Steven Snair received 25% of the vote. Councilman Creighton was later ousted in 2015 by Lisa Inzerillo. In the 2017 Republican primary, then-Councilman Ed Wehrheim received about forty votes more than Vecchio. The race was too close to call and a recount was demanded by Vecchio. Following the recount a week later, Wehrheim was declared the winner, nearly doubling his lead. Vecchio conceded the race the same day saying "“All good things come to an end." On November 7, 2017, Ed Wehrheim defeated William Holst in the election for the town's next supervisor. Wehrheim succeeded Vecchio on January 1, 2018. On January 10, 2018, Thomas Lohmann was appointed to the seat vacated by Wehrheim's election.

The Town of Smithtown has always been dominated by Republicans at all levels of government. This one-party domination has often led to infighting between factions of the Republican Party in Smithtown with the most recent between Supervisor Vecchio and Smithtown Republican Party Chairman William Ellis. In recent times the Republican party has dominated the Town Board; the last Democratic Town Supervisor being Mr. Vecchio. The most Republican areas for Smithtown are its three incorporated villages, Nissequogue, Head of the Harbor, and the Branch, along with the hamlets of Smithtown and Kings Park. The weakest areas for the Republican party in Smithtown is the edges of the Town in the hamlets of Commack and Hauppauge. In 2016, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by a margin of 25 percent. Democratic County Executive Steve Bellone has won the town, in two of his three runs for that office.

In addition to presidential politics, the Town of Smithtown is also the power bases of many State and County elected officials. The former New York State Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan had the bulk of his district located in Smithtown. Current Republican Comptroller John M. Kennedy, Jr., along with his wife, Suffolk County Legislator Leslie Kennedy both reside in Nesconset.

Former Supervisor Vecchio died on April 6, 2019, at the age of 88.

Villages (incorporated)

 * Head of the Harbor
 * Nissequogue
 * Village of the Branch
 * Village of the Landing (former; dissolved 1939)

Hamlets (unincorporated)

 * Commack (in part, with the Town of Huntington)
 * Fort Salonga (in part, with the Town of Huntington)
 * Hauppauge (in part, with the Town of Islip)
 * Kings Park
 * Lake Ronkonkoma (in part with the Town of Brookhaven and Town of Islip)
 * Nesconset
 * Smithtown
 * St. James

Other communities

 * North Smithtown
 * San Remo
 * Smithtown Pines

State parks

 * Caleb Smith State Park Preserve, a state park southwest of Smithtown village
 * Sunken Meadow State Park
 * Nissequogue River State Park
 * Blydenburgh Park Historic District

Media and culture
Smithtown broadcasts its board meetings on SGTV, the Town of Smithtown's public service television station; Optimum channel 18 or Verizon Fios channel 27. The Times of Smithtown newspaper carries community-based articles.

The Smithtown Performing Arts Center is a theater at 2 East Main Street. The historic building has not been significantly altered since it was built in 1933. It operated as a movie theater from 1933 to November 2001, and was renovated and restored to accommodate live performances in 2002. In 2022 the building was purchased by the nonprofit Smithtown Performing Arts Council, which programs a variety of live entertainment and community events including musicals, plays, music, comedy, educational classes and summer camps.

Emergency services
Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services are provided by the seven Volunteer Fire Departments, and two Volunteer Ambulance Corps that cover parts of the Township. The Smithtown, Kings Park, Saint James, Nesconset, and Nissequogue Fire Departments provide both Fire Protection, as well as Emergency Medical Services to their districts. The Commack Fire Department and Commack Volunteer Ambulance Corps provide coverage for the Commack hamlet, which is divided between the Town of Smithtown, and the Town of Huntington. The Hauppauge Volunteer Fire Department and Central Islip-Hauppauge Volunteer Ambulance Corps provide coverage to the Hauppauge hamlet, which is divided between the Town of Smithtown, and the Town of Islip.

Smithtown is policed by the 4th Precinct of the Suffolk County Police Department. The Suffolk County Police are the primary law enforcement agency in Smithtown. They are responsible for responding to all 911 emergency calls. The Smithtown Department of Public Safety is an agency with limited powers. The Park Ranger Division is made up peace officers as defined in the Criminal Procedural Law of the state of New York. Their enforcement powers are limited to Smithtown town property. The Department of Public Safety also has a Harbor Master division and Fire Marshall division.

Emergency medical care can be found at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, located in Smithtown, as well as the nearby Stony Brook University Hospital, located in Stony Brook, in the neighboring Town of Brookhaven.

Railroad lines
The Town of Smithtown is also home to the Kings Park, Smithtown, and Saint James stations of the Long Island Rail Road's Port Jefferson Branch.

Bus service
The Town of Smithtown is served entirely by Suffolk County Transit bus routes.

Major roads

 * [[Image:I-495.svg|24px]] Interstate 495 is the Long Island Expressway, and the sole interstate highway in the Town of Smithtown although only in the southwest corner of the town between Exit 52 in Commack and east of Exit 53 in Brentwood.
 * Northern Pkwy Shield.svg Northern State Parkway was the sole west-east limited-access highway in the Town of Smithtown until the construction of the Long Island Expressway. It has interchanges from Exit 43 in Commack on the Huntington-Smithtown Town Line to Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge. Extensions further east were proposed at one time.
 * Sagtikos Pkwy Shield.svg Sagtikos State Parkway is the south-north parkway that enters the Town of Smithtown from Brentwood at the interchange with the Long Island Expressway, and terminates at the Northern State Parkway (Exit SM1) in Commack, where it becomes the Sunken Meadow State Parkway.
 * Sunken Meadow Pkwy Shield.svg Sunken Meadow State Parkway is the dominant south-north parkway within the western Town of Smithtown. It begins at Northern State Parkway as a continuation of Sagtikos State Parkway in Commack, winding northeast, until it reaches Sunken Meadow State Park immediately after the interchange with NY 25A.
 * NY-25A.svg New York State Route 25A, the northernmost west-east state highway on Long Island including the Town of Smithtown. It enters the town from Bread and Cheese Hollow Road in Fort Salonga, winding through the hills of Fort Salonga through Kings Park where it becomes Main Street, then makes a sharp turn to the south onto Saint Johnland Road before passing the Smithtown Bull where it overlaps NY 25 and becomes Main Street. In the Village of the Branch, NY 25A leaves the overlap across from NY 111 where it runs along North Country Road as it heads northeast through Saint James and Head of the Harbor before crossing the Smithtown-Brookhaven Town Line west of Stony Brook.
 * NY-25.svg New York State Route 25 runs west to east along Jericho Turnpike from Suffolk CR 4 at the Huntington-Smithtown Town Line through Main Street at the Smithtown Bull where it overlaps with NY 25A until separating with that route again at NY 111 in the Village of the Branch. East of there it runs along Main Street, then Middle Country Road through the Smithtown-Brookhaven Town Line in the Village of Lake Grove.
 * Suffolk County 16.svg County Route 16, includes Terry Road from the eastern border of the Village of the Branch to northeastern Hauppauge, and Smithtown Boulevard from northeastern Hauppauge through Nesconset to the northern shores of Lake Ronkonkoma.
 * Suffolk County 67.svg County Route 67; the remaining drivable portion of the Long Island Motor Parkway
 * NY-111.svg New York State Route 111
 * NY-347.svg New York State Route 347
 * NY-454.svg New York State Route 454

Education
Smithtown Central School District is home of seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools.

The Town of Smithtown is also home to the Kings Park Central School District, a portion of the Commack Union-Free School District (shared with the Town of Huntington), a portion of the Hauppauge School District (shared with the Town of Islip) and a portion of the Sachem Central School District (shared with the Town of Brookhaven).

Elementary schools

 * Accompsett Elementary School
 * Branch Brook Elementary School (Closed)
 * Dogwood Elementary School
 * Mills Pond Elementary School
 * Mt. Pleasant Elementary School
 * Nesconset Elementary School (Closed)
 * Smithtown Elementary School
 * St. James Elementary School
 * Tackan Elementary School

Middle schools

 * Accompsett Middle School (formerly Smithtown High School Freshman Campus 1992-2005)
 * Great Hollow Middle School
 * Nesaquake Middle school

Smithtown High School

 * Eastern Campus (formerly Smithtown Central High School, 1960s-1973; formerly Smithtown High School East, 1973–1992; formerly Smithtown Middle School, 1992–2005) - located in St. James
 * The High School's Eastern Campus is composed of graduates of Nesaquake Middle School and those graduates of Great Hollow Middle School that reside in the Tackan and Mills Pond Elementary area.
 * Western Campus (formerly Smithtown High School West, 1973–1992; formerly Smithtown High School 10-12 Building, 1992–2005)- located in south of the Kings Park Hamlet and west of the Smithtown Bull
 * The High School's Western Campus is composed of graduates of Accompsett Middle School and those graduates of Great Hollow Middle School that reside in the Mt. Pleasant Elementary area.

Private schools

 * Smithtown Christian School (pre-school to twelfth grade)

Former schools (No longer used as K-12 Facilities)

 * New York Avenue Junior High School- (now the Joseph M. Barton/New York Avenue Building) Currently the central office and headquarters of Smithown Central School District
 * Smithtown Branch High School- Smithtown High School before the opening of Smithtown Central High School in the 1960s

Notable people

 * Mose Allison, American jazz and blues pianist, singer and song writer
 * Cooper Andrews, actor
 * Craig Biggio, former Major League baseball player
 * Frank Catalanotto, former Major League baseball player
 * Adam Conover, American comedian, actor, and writer
 * Dan Corbett, weather broadcaster for the BBC
 * Bob Costas, American sportscaster
 * John Curtis, American baseball player
 * Amanda Daflos, American political figure
 * John Daly, Olympic athlete
 * David DiVona, musician and television personality
 * Michael J. Epstein, filmmaker, musician, artist, and writer
 * Nick Fanti, Major League baseball player
 * Mick Foley, former pro wrestler and author
 * Ilana Glazer, actress and comedian (Broad City)
 * Andrew Gross, noted author
 * John Hampson, Nine Days lead vocalist
 * Emily Hart, American actress (younger sister of Melissa Joan Hart)
 * Melissa Joan Hart, American actress (elder sister of Emily Hart)
 * Jodi Hauptman, Senior Curator at The Museum of Modern Art, New York; organizer of landmark exhibitions Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs and Georges Seurat - The Drawings
 * Andrew Hauptman, businessman and owner of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club
 * Eddie Hayes, celebrated attorney, bon vivant, and memoirist
 * Chris Higgins, National Hockey League player
 * Keith Law, sportswriter and blogger
 * Fredric Lebow, screenwriter
 * Curtis Lepore, Internet personality
 * Andrew Levy, publicist and co-host of Fox News' Red Eye
 * Lori Loughlin, actress
 * Lynn Martin, 68th president of the New York Stock Exchange
 * Jim Mecir, Major League baseball player
 * John Miceli, drummer for Meat Loaf
 * Michael P. Murphy, Medal of Honor recipient, KIA in Operation Red Wings
 * Soledad O'Brien, Chairwoman of Starfish Media Group; former CNN News anchor
 * Kyle Palmieri, National Hockey League player
 * John Petrucci, Dream Theater guitarist
 * Jodi Picoult, novelist
 * Stephen Rannazzisi, American actor
 * Jai Rodriguez, Queer Eye and Broadway actor
 * Scott Snyder, comic book writer and author
 * Kevin Thoms, American actor
 * Jeremy Wall, founding pianist of the jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra
 * William Weld, 68th Governor of Massachusetts (1991–1997)
 * William H. Wickham, 81st Mayor of New York City
 * Matt Yallof, SNY sports broadcaster

title: Smithtown, New York


text:
Southampton (village), New York

Southampton is an incorporated village in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, on the South Fork of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 4,550 at the 2020 census, an increase of 46.3% from the 2010 census a decade earlier.

The Incorporated Village of Southampton serves as the Town Seat of the Town of Southampton, and is the oldest and largest of communities in the summer colony known as The Hamptons.

History
Southampton, settled in 1640 and incorporated as a village in 1894, historically began with a small group of English settlers who set sail from Lynn, Massachusetts, and landed on June 12, 1640, at what is now known as Conscience Point. It is the oldest English settlement in the state of New York and is named after the English Earl of Southampton.

The Shinnecock tribe welcomed the arrival of the white settlers in 1640 and not only gave them land to live on, "Olde Towne", but also shared with the settlers their knowledge of planting corn and fertilizing it with fish, growing crops, digging clams and scallops from nearby bays and trapping game. During the 18th and 19th centuries, fishing, farming (especially potatoes and the local sweet corn) and duck raising were the predominant industries.

The early settlers, with the help of a resident Shinnecock Indian guide, were led over an old woodland trail that is now North Sea Road to an ideal spot for their first settlement. There, at the head of what today is Old Town Pond, they constructed their first homes. The Shinnecock Reservation, established in 1701, is one of the oldest Native American reservations in the United States.

A property called the Halsey House was a homestead by pioneer Thomas Halsey in 1640. A rare "first period" house was built in 1660 when Main Street, in the pioneer hamlet of Southampton, was first laid out. Its owner, Thomas Halsey, was one of the original families who bought property from the Shinnecocks in 1640. It is one of the oldest English-type frame houses in the state.

Summer Colony
Theodore Gaillard Thomas, a New York City physician is regarded at the founder of the resort community, also termed the Summer Colony, of Southampton. He convinced a number of his wealthy clients about the beauty and potential restorative nature of the rural environment of Southampton. His efforts to develop this resort community began in 1863. He proved very successful at establishing what grew into a very prominent and affluent community of summer residents. Thomas and his friends ultimately established many of the leading institutions in Southampton including the St. Andrews Dune Church, the Shinnecock Golf Club, the Meadow Club, the Southampton Beach Club and The Parrish Art Museum (now located in Water Mill, NY).

Over time, several of the other villages and hamlets in what has become called the Hamptons increasingly became a haven for affluent summer season vacationers. Southampton Village, which hosted the earliest summer community of socially prominent residents and was arguably the center for upper class Americans, grew larger and faster than the others. Southampton has served as home to members of the Ford, Du Pont, Morgan, Atterbury, Woolworth and Eisenhower families.

21st century
Southampton Village is regarded as one of the premier summer resort areas in the country. The community of summer residents occupy the top echelon of American social, political and financial circles.

Accordingly, real estate is extremely expensive in the village. The Estate Section, which contains the majority of the homes for the very affluent residents, lies directly north of the Atlantic oceanfront and extends to Hill Street. Particular streets of note in the area include Ox Pasture Road, Halsey Neck Lane, Coopers Neck Lane, First Neck Lane, and South Main Street. The homes around Lake Agawam, referred to by Thomas as "the very center of our Summer Colony", are particularly noteworthy for their architectural pedigree and historical provenance.

The oceanfront roads—Gin Lane and Meadow Lane—are generally the most expensive roads in the village. Meadow Lane in particular has been called Billionaire Lane, and cited as having among the most expensive residential real estate in the country.

Other areas in the village house the relatively large population of year-round residents. These neighborhoods extend from Hill Street northwards to Route 27, east to the hamlet of Water Mill, and west to the area of Tuckahoe in Southampton Town.

The Shinnecock Indian Reservation borders the village on its southwestern border. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club one of the oldest and most prestigious golf courses in the country, borders the village on its northwest corner. The Art Village, a summer art school started by William Merritt Chase and funded by early residents of the Southampton Summer Colony, is still in existence, though now it is entirely private residences; no arts education is conducted in the Art Village any more.

There are several working farms and agricultural preserves in the village. Most of those properties are located in the Estate Section, particularly in the Wickapogue Road Historic District.

Southampton Village boasts well regarded ocean beaches including Cooper's Beach, which was voted #3 in a recent national poll. In 2010, it was listed as "America's top beach", according to the annual list of the best American beaches compiled by Stephen Leatherman, AKA Dr. Beach.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 18.7 sqkm, of which 16.6 sqkm is land and 2.1 sqkm, or 11.03%, is water.

The village gained territory between the 1990 census and the 2000 census; the Southampton CDP that existed in 1990 was deleted and most of its territory went to two adjacent CDPs.

2017 American Community Survey
According to US Census estimates as of March 2017, there were 3,193 people in the village. The population density was 498.9 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 74.5% White, 16.7% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 3.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.40% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.5% of the population.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 16.2% under the age of 19, 1.7% from 18 to 24, 12.4% from 19 to 34, 39.8% from 35 to 64, and 29.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55.2 years. The Village's residents were estimated to be 46% male and 54% female.

Also, as per the 2015 Census Data estimates, the median income for a household in the village was $96,250 and the median income for a family was $109,674. Twenty two percent of the households in the Village earned over $200,000.

As per the 2000 Census, there were 1,651 households, out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

Census 2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,965 people, 1,651 households, and 982 families residing in the village. The population density was 626.7 PD/sqmi. There were 2,936 housing units at an average density of 464.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 80.38% White, 12.94% Black or African American, 0.83% Native American, 1.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.97% from other races, and 2.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.05% of the population.

Out of a total of 1,651 households, 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the village the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $54,030, and the median income for a family was $61,016. Males had a median income of $40,729 versus $36,875 for females. The per capita income for the village was $37,015. About 1.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government
As of July 2023, the Mayor of the Village of Southampton is William "Bill" Manger Jr.

From July 2019 through July 2023, the Mayor was Jesse Warren. At the time of his election, the then-37-year-old became the village's youngest mayor ever.

Village police
This area is policed by the Southampton Village Police Department.

Historic districts

 * Beach Road Historic District
 * North Main Street Historic District
 * Southampton Village Historic District
 * Wickapogue Road Historic District

Notable residents
Many wealthy and influential people have homes in the "estate section" of the village, the area immediately north of the Atlantic Ocean front. Southampton has historically been home to prominent residents including members of the Ford, Du Pont, Eisenhower, Vanderbilt and Morgan families. Today, the village is itself home to approximately half of the billionaires who have residences in the eight hamlets and villages that constitute the Hamptons.

Other notable residents include:
 * Tim Bishop, former U.S. Representative for New York's 1st congressional district
 * Elizabeth Bogart, 19th-century poet
 * Aby Rosen, real estate mogul
 * Ian Schrager, hotelier
 * Tory Burch, fashion designer, business woman, and philanthropist
 * Brooke Shields, actress
 * Amanda Clark, Olympic sailor
 * Pyrrhus Concer, First African American whaler to reach restricted Japan and Southampton Village ferryboat operator
 * Ansel Elgort, actor
 * Michael J. Fox, actor
 * Paul Gibson, Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Grenville Goodwin, anthropologist
 * Jehiel H. Halsey, lawyer and politician
 * Nicoll Halsey, U.S. Representative
 * Silas Halsey, U.S. Representative
 * Andre Johnson, NFL football player
 * Calvin Klein, fashion designer
 * David H. Koch, businessman
 * Henry Kravis, financier
 * Edward Mellon architect
 * Steven Mnuchin, financier and US Treasury Secretary
 * J. P. Morgan, financier
 * Roy Lichtenstein, painter
 * Adebayo Ogunlesi, financier and founder of Global Infrastructure Partners
 * John Paulson
 * Lee Radziwill
 * Felix Rohatyn, financier who saved New York City from bankruptcy in the 1970s
 * Wilbur Ross, billionaire investor and US Commerce Secretary
 * William Salomon
 * Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger Sr., former publisher of The New York Times
 * Chuck Scarborough, longstanding news anchor
 * Jean Shafiroff, philanthropist and socialite
 * George Soros, business magnate, investor, and philanthropist
 * Kate Spade
 * Howard Stein, financier
 * Howard Stern radio personality
 * Carlos Eduardo Stolk, diplomat, business magnate
 * A. Alfred Taubman, real estate developer and philanthropist
 * Foots Walker, NBA basketball player
 * Tom Wolfe, author and journalist

title: Southampton (village), New York


text:
Southampton, New York

Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stretch of shoreline prominently known as the Hamptons.

Stony Brook University has a campus in Southampton.

History
The town was founded in 1640, when settlers from Lynn, Massachusetts, established residence on lands obtained from local Shinnecock Indian Nation. The first settlers included eight men, one woman, and a boy who came ashore at Conscience Point. These men were Thomas Halsey, Edward Howell, Edmond Farrington, Allen Bread, Edmund Needham, Abraham Pierson the Elder, Thomas Sayre, Josiah Stanborough, George Welbe, Henry Walton and Job Sayre. By July 7, 1640, they had determined the town boundaries. During the next few years (1640–43), Southampton gained another 43 families; there are now thousands of people in Southampton.

From 1644, the colonists established an organised whale fishery, significant in the history of whaling as the first in New England. They chased pilot whales ("blackfish") onto the shelving beaches for slaughter, a sort of dolphin drive hunting. They also processed drift whales they found on shore. They observed the Native Americans' hunting techniques, improved on their weapons and boats, and then went out to ocean hunting.

The first meeting house was on a hill that is the site of the current Southampton Hospital. The town's oldest existent house is the Halsey House at 249 Main Street, which was built by Thomas Halsey, one of the first Englishmen to trade with the Shinnecocks.

Southampton has 47 public and private cemeteries, not including Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, which is claimed as an Indian burial ground that is no longer in active use. Southampton is named after the port city of Southampton in Hampshire, England.

Southampton operates an official historical web site. The site shows the locations of over 100 points of interest, historic markers, and historic districts as well as over 1500 photos.

Native American land claim
In 2005, the Shinnecock Indian Nation filed a lawsuit against the state seeking the return of 3,500 acres (14 km2) in Southampton near the tribe's reservation, and billions of dollars in reparations for damages suffered by colonial land grabs. The disputed property includes the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, which Shinnecock say is the location of tribe burial grounds. The tribe challenged the state legislatures' approval of an 1859 sale of the 3,500 acres of tribal land. The tribe alleged this broke the terms of a 1,000-year-lease signed by Southampton colonial officials and the tribe in 1703. The suit charged that in 1859, a group of powerful New York investors conspired to break the lease by sending the state Legislature a fraudulent petition from a number of Shinnecock tribal members. Although other tribal members immediately protested that the petition was a forgery, the legislature approved the sale of 3,500 acres (14 km2) of tribal land. In 2006, the court ruled against the tribe finding the lawsuit was barred by laches.

Geography
Southampton is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the south, the Peconic Bay to the north, East Hampton to the east, and Brookhaven to the west. It also shares a small border with Riverhead to the northwest.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 293.5 sqmi, of which 139.1 sqmi is land and 154.3 sqmi (52.59%) is water.

Southampton contains seven incorporated villages and 16 unincorporated areas, which are called hamlets in New York state.

Villages (incorporated)
Source:
 * North Haven
 * Quogue
 * Sag Harbor – east of Division Street is in the Town of East Hampton
 * Sagaponack
 * Southampton (village)
 * Westhampton Beach
 * West Hampton Dunes

Hamlets (unincorporated)
Source:
 * Bridgehampton
 * Eastport – partially, with the Town of Brookhaven
 * East Quogue
 * Flanders
 * Hampton Bays
 * Northampton
 * North Sea
 * Noyack – also spelled Noyac
 * Quiogue
 * Remsenburg – also see Remsenburg-Speonk
 * Riverside
 * Shinnecock Hills
 * Speonk – also see Remsenburg-Speonk
 * Tuckahoe
 * Water Mill
 * Westhampton

Climate
The Town of Southampton has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) bordering a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). It has one to two months averaging below freezing, six months above 50 F, and one to two months above 22 C.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 54,712 people, 21,504 households and 13,805 families residing in the town. The population density was 394.0 PD/sqmi. There were 35,836 housing units at an average density of 258.0 /sqmi. The town's racial makeup was 87.98% White, 6.62% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 2.28% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races.

There were 21,504 households, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males. The town's median household income was $53,887, and the median family income was $65,144. Males had a median income of $47,167 versus $32,054 for females. The town's per capita income was $31,320. About 5.3% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

In 2016, according to Business Insider, the 11962 zip code encompassing Sagaponack, within Southampton, was listed as the most expensive in the U.S., with a median home sale price of $8.5 million.

Economy
Major employers in Southampton include

Government
The town supervisor is Jay Schneiderman, a former Independence Party member, now a registered member of the Democratic Party, who was elected in November 2015 with 56.34% of the vote, and again in November 2017 with 62.3%.

Print

 * The Southampton Press

Radio stations

 * Bridgehampton - WBAZ (102.5 FM)
 * Hampton Bays - WLIR (107.1 FM)
 * Sag Harbor - WLNG (92.1 FM)
 * Southampton - WHFM (95.3 FM), WLIW (88.3 FM), WRLI (91.3 FM)
 * Westhampton - WBON (98.5 FM)

Railroad lines
The Long Island Rail Road's sole line in the Town of Southampton is the Montauk Branch, which includes stations in Speonk, Westhampton, Hampton Bays, Southampton and Bridgehampton. Quogue and Southampton Campus also had their own stations until 1998.

Bus service
The Town of Southampton is served primarily by Suffolk County Transit bus routes, although Hampton Jitney buses are available for trips to and from New York City.

Major roads

 * NY-24.svg New York State Route 24
 * NY-27.svg New York State Route 27
 * NY-114.svg New York State Route 114
 * Suffolk County 38.svg County Route 38 (Suffolk County, New York)
 * Suffolk County 51.svg County Route 51 (Suffolk County, New York)
 * Suffolk County 79.svg County Route 79 (Suffolk County, New York)
 * Suffolk County 80.svg Montauk Highway, including County Route 80 (Suffolk County, New York)
 * Suffolk County 104.svg County Route 104 (Suffolk County, New York)
 * Suffolk County 105.svg County Route 105 (Suffolk County, New York)

Airports
The town of Southampton contains the Francis S. Gabreski Airport north of Westhampton, and East Hampton Airport along the Southampton-East Hampton Town Line. The Southampton Heliport can also be found on the east side of the Shinnecock Inlet.

Ferries
The sole ferry in the Town of Southampton takes NY 114 drivers across the Shelter Island Sound between North Haven and Shelter Island.

Notable people

 * Riley Biggs, American football player
 * Tim Bishop, U.S. Representative
 * Amanda Clark, Olympic sailor
 * Mary L. Cleave, engineer and NASA astronaut
 * Pyrrhus Concer, former slave
 * Pamela Council, artist
 * Scott Disick, reality television celebrity
 * Michael J. Fox, actor
 * Paul Gibson, Major League baseball pitcher
 * Grenville Goodwin, anthropologist
 * Nicoll Halsey, U.S. Representative
 * George Rogers Howell, historian
 * Andre Johnson, NFL football player
 * John William Kilbreth, U.S. Army brigadier general
 * Calvin Klein, fashion designer
 * David Koch, billionaire
 * Orson Desaix Munn II, publisher
 * Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, First Lady of the United States (1961–63)
 * Jean Shafiroff, philanthropist and socialite
 * Howard Stein, financier
 * Howard Stern, radio host
 * Carlos Eduardo Stolk, business magnate
 * Foots Walker, NBA basketball player
 * P. G. Wodehouse, writer
 * Zach Erdem, restaurateur and reality television celebrity
 * Carl Yastrzemski, Hall of Fame Major League baseball player

title: Southampton, New York