Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an o ...
in southeastern
Suffolk County, New York, partly on the
South Fork of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...
. As of the
2020 U.S. census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...
, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stretch of shoreline prominently known as
The Hamptons
The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one o ...
.
Stony Brook University's Southampton campus is located in Southampton.
History
The town was founded in 1640, when settlers from
Lynn,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
established residence on lands obtained from local
Shinnecock Indian Nation
The Shinnecock Indian Nation is a federally recognized tribe of historically Algonquian peoples, Algonquian-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans based at the eastern end of Long Island, New York. This tribe is headqua ...
.
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 and now there are thousands of people in southampton.
From 1644, the colonists established an organised whale fishery, significant in the
history of whaling
This article discusses the history of whaling from prehistoric times up to the commencement of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. Whaling has been an important subsistence and economic activity ...
as the first in New England. They chased
pilot whale
Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus ''Globicephala''. The two extant species are the long-finned pilot whale (''G. melas'') and the short-finned pilot whale (''G. macrorhynchus''). The two are not readily distinguishable at sea, ...
s ("blackfish") onto the shelving beaches for slaughter, a sort of
dolphin drive hunting
Dolphin drive hunting, also called dolphin drive fishing, is a method of hunting dolphins and occasionally other small cetaceans by driving them together with boats and then usually into a bay or onto a beach. Their escape is prevented by closing ...
. 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
A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place.
Terminology
Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a
* church, which is a body of people who believe in Ch ...
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
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is a links-style golf club located in an unincorporated area of the Town of Southampton on Long Island, New York, situated between the Peconic Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
Shinnecock Hills is believed to be the oldes ...
, which is claimed as an Indian burial ground that is no longer in active use.
[Longislandgolfnews.com](_blank)
Southampton is named after the port city of
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, 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
The Shinnecock Indian Nation is a federally recognized tribe of historically Algonquian peoples, Algonquian-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans based at the eastern end of Long Island, New York. This tribe is headqua ...
filed a lawsuit against the state seeking the return of 3,500 acres (14 km
2) 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 km
2) of tribal land. In 2006, the court ruled against the tribe finding the lawsuit was barred by
laches.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has an area of 295.6 square miles (765.6 km
2), of which 138.9 square miles (359.7 km
2) is land and 156.7 square miles (405.9 km
2 is water. The total area is 53.02% 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 – ''partially, with the
Town of East Hampton''
*
Sagaponack
Sagaponack is a village in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, on the East End of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population of the village was 313 at the 2010 census.
Sagaponack is also the name of a popular seafood re ...
*
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
(village)
*
Westhampton Beach
Westhampton Beach is an incorporated village in the Town of Southampton, in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,721.
History
The village of Westhampton ...
*
West Hampton Dunes
Hamlets (unincorporated)
Source:
*
Bridgehampton
Bridgehampton is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the South Fork of Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 1,756 at the 2010 census.
Bridgehampton is in the town of Southampton, on Long Island. Shortly after ...
*
Eastport – ''partially, with the
Town of Brookhaven''
*
East Quogue
*
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
*
Hampton Bays
*
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England ...
*
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...
*
Noyack – ''also spelled Noyac''
*
Quiogue
*
Remsenburg – ''also see
Remsenburg-Speonk''
*
Riverside
*
Shinnecock Hills
*
Speonk – ''also see
Remsenburg-Speonk''
*
Tuckahoe
*
Water Mill
*
Westhampton
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2000, there were 54,712 people, 21,504 households and 13,805 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
was 394.0 people per square mile (152.1/km
2). There were 35,836 housing units at an average density of 258.0 per square mile (99.6/km
2). The town's racial makeup was 87.98%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 6.62%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.41%
Native American, 0.89%
Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 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
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
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
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
was $31,320. About 5.3% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
In 2016, according to ''
Business Insider
''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
'', the 11962 zip code encompassing
Sagaponack
Sagaponack is a village in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, on the East End of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population of the village was 313 at the 2010 census.
Sagaponack is also the name of a popular seafood re ...
, 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%.
Media
Print
* ''The Southampton Press''
Radio stations
* Bridgehampton -
WBAZ
WBAZ (102.5 FM) is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station licensed to Bridgehampton, New York, and serving eastern Long Island and Southeastern Connecticut. The station is owned by WEHM on-air talent Lauren Stone (68.8%) and he ...
(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)
Infrastructure
Transportation
Railroad lines
The
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County on Long Island. With an average week ...
's sole line in the Town of Southampton is the
Montauk Branch
The Montauk Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch runs the length of Long Island, 115 miles (185 km) from Long Island City on the west to Montauk on the east. Howe ...
, which includes stations in
Speonk,
Westhampton,
Hampton Bays,
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and
Bridgehampton
Bridgehampton is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the South Fork of Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 1,756 at the 2010 census.
Bridgehampton is in the town of Southampton, on Long Island. Shortly after ...
.
Quogue and
Southampton Campus also had their own stations until 1998.
Bus service
The Town of Southampton is served primarily by
Suffolk County Transit
Suffolk County Transit is the provider of bus services in Suffolk County, New York on Long Island and is an agency of the Suffolk County government. It was founded in 1980 as a county-run oversight and funding agency for a group of private contr ...
bus routes, although
Hampton Jitney
Hampton may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia
* Hampton, New South Wales
* Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region
* Hampton, Victoria
Canada
*Hampton, New Brunswick
* ...
buses are available for trips to and from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
Major roads
*
New York State Route 24
*
New York State Route 27
*
New York State Route 114
*
County Route 38 (Suffolk County, New York)
*
County Route 51 (Suffolk County, New York)
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
*
County Route 79 (Suffolk County, New York)
*
Montauk Highway, including
County Route 80 (Suffolk County, New York)
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
*
County Route 104 (Suffolk County, New York)
*
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
Town of East Hampton Airport (prior to May 19, 2022 its name was East Hampton Airport and its codes were KHTO/HTO) is anairport located in Wainscott, New York, just west of the Village of East Hampton. The airport is owned and operated by the ...
along the Southampton-East Hampton Town Line. The
Southampton Heliport
Southampton Heliport is a heliport in the village of 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. ce ...
can also be found on the east side of the
Shinnecock Inlet
Shinnecock Inlet is the easternmost of five major inlets connecting bays to the Atlantic Ocean through the narrow Outer Barrier that stretches from New York City to Southampton, New York on the south shore of Long Island. It splits Westhampton I ...
.
Ferries
The sole ferry in the Town of Southampton takes NY 114 drivers across the
Shelter Island Sound
Shelter Island Sound is a body of water in Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of Long Island, between the North and South Forks of Long Island, adjoining Shelter Island. The bay is surrounded by Little Peconic Bay to the west, Noyac ...
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 Pyrrhus Concer (March 17, 1814 – August 23, 1897) was a former slave from Southampton, New York who was aboard the whaling ship ''Manhattan'' that was the first American ship to visit Tokyo in 1845.
Concer belonged to the Pyrrhus family and wo ...
, former slave
*
Pamela Council, artist
*
Scott Disick
Scott Michael Disick (born May 26, 1983) is an American media personality and socialite. He is most famous for starring as a main cast member on '' Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and its spinoffs. Disick's popularity on ''Keeping Up with the ...
, reality television celebrity
*
Michael J. Fox, actor
*
Paul Gibson, Major League baseball pitcher
*
Grenville Goodwin
Grenville W. "Gren" Goodwin (1898 – 27 August 1951) was Mayor of Ottawa for several months in 1951. His hometown was Prescott, Ontario and he was an optometrist by profession. He moved to Ottawa in 1911. He served in France during World ...
, anthropologist
*
Nicoll Halsey
Nicoll Halsey (March 8, 1782 – March 3, 1865) was an American politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1833 to 1835.
He was the son of Silas Halsey and brother of Jehiel Howell Halsey.
Biography
Born in Sou ...
, U.S. Representative
*
George Rogers Howell
George Rogers Howell (June 15, 1833 - April 5, 1899) was an American historian, genealogist, and science fiction writer.
Biography
George Rogers Howell was born in Southampton, New York on June 15, 1833.
A graduate of Yale College (1854), he ...
, historian
*
Andre Johnson, NFL football player
*
John William Kilbreth, U.S. Army brigadier general
*
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, an ...
, fashion designer
*
David Koch
David Hamilton Koch ( ; May 3, 1940 – August 23, 2019) was an American businessman, political activist, philanthropist, and chemical engineer. In 1970, he joined the family business: Koch Industries, the second largest privately held c ...
, billionaire
*
Orson Desaix Munn II
Orson Desaix Munn II (1883–1958) was an editor and publisher of ''Scientific American'' magazine.
He was the son of Henry Norcross Munn (1851-1905) and his wife Annie E. Elder (1855-1917), the nephew of Charles Allen Munn, and the grandson ...
, publisher
*
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...
,
First Lady of the United States
The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...
1961-63
*
Jean Shafiroff
Jean Shafiroff is an American philanthropist, author, advocate, and socialite. Serving on multiple national and regional philanthropic boards, she is the ambassador and spokesperson for American Humane , American Humane Feed the Hungry COVID-19 ...
, philanthropist and socialite
*
Howard Stein
Howard Mathew Stein (October 6, 1926 – July 26, 2011) was an American financier who is widely considered one of the fathers of the mutual fund industry. He was featured on the cover of ''Time'' magazine on August 24, 1970. Stein invented the ...
, financier
*
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...
, radio host
*
Carlos Eduardo Stolk, business magnate
*
Foots Walker
Clarence "Foots" Walker (born May 21, 1951 in Southampton, New York) is a former professional basketball player.
A 6' 0" guard, he led the Vincennes Trailblazers to their second NJCAA National Title (1970) alongside Bob McAdoo; after transferrin ...
, NBA basketball player
*
P. G. Wodehouse, writer
*
Zach Erdem, restauranter and reality television celebrity
*
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( ; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year Major League career with the Bost ...
, Hall of Fame Major League baseball player
See also
*
Basilica of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Southampton, New York)
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Southampton (town), New York
References
External links
Town of Southampton (official site)Pictures and Info on Southampton's Historic Estates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southampton (Town), New York
Towns on Long Island
Towns in Suffolk County, New York
Towns in the New York metropolitan area
Populated coastal places in New York (state)
1640 establishments in the British Empire