Southampton is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, 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 ...

, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. The population was 3,109 at the 2010 census. 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 The term summer colony is often used, particularly in the United States, to describe well-known resorts and upper-class enclaves, typically located near the ocean or mountains of New England or the Great Lakes. In Canada, the term cottage count ...

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 ...

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 Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...

, and landed on June 12, 1640, at what is now known as

Conscience Point Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience stands in contrast to elicited emotion or thought due to associations based on immediate sens ...

. 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 Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

, growing

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropon ...

s, digging

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two shel ...

s and

scallop Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families ...

s from nearby bays and trapping game. During the 18th and 19th centuries, fishing, farming (especially potatoes and the local

sweet corn Sweet corn (''Zea mays'' convar. ''saccharata'' var. ''rugosa''), also called sugar corn and pole corn, is a variety of maize grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive muta ...

) 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

Dr. 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. Dr. 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)."Blue Blood: The Story of the Founding of the Southampton Summer Colony"
/ref> 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.
/ref>

21st century

Southampton Village is regarded as one of the premier summer resort areas in the country."Southampton Celebrates 375 Years'
/ref> 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 Dr. 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."The Hamptons' Billionaire Lane, Mapped"
/ref> 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 Shinnecock Reservation is a Native American reservation for members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in the town of Southampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is the furthermost east of the two Native American reservations in Suffo ...

borders the village on its southwestern border.

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 ...

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 William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

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."The Most Valuable Corn in the World"
/ref> 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 Dr.

Stephen Leatherman Stephen Parker Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach, (born November 6, 1947) is an American geoscientist, coastal ecologist, and author. He was the first director of the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida International University (F ...

, AKA Dr. Beach.

Geography

According to the

United States 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 th ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and , 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.

Demographics

2017 American Community Survey

According to US

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 ...

estimates as of March 2017, there were 3,193 people in the village. 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 498.9 people per square mile (192.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 74.5%

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 ...

, 16.7%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 3.60% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 4.40% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

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 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, 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 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 3,965 people, 1,651 households, and 982 families residing in the village. The

was 626.7 people per square mile (241.8/km²). There were 2,936 housing units at an average density of 464.0 per square mile (179.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 80.38%

, 12.94%

, 0.83% Native American, 1.59% Asian, 0.03%

, 1.97% from other races, and 2.27% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 9.05% of the population. There were 1,651 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were

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 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 ...

for the village was $37,015. About 1.3% of families and 6.2% 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 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

As of September 2022, the Mayor Southampton is Jesse Warren, the Deputy Mayor is Gina Arresta, and the Village Trustees are Robin Brown, William "Bill" Manger Jr., and Roy Stevenson. At the time of Warren's election, the 37-year-old became the village's youngest mayor.

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 Morgan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Morgan (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch in Arthurian legend * Morgan (surname), a surname of Welsh origin * Morgan (singer ...

families."Southampton, New York: a village of refined, seaside luxury"
/ref> 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."Beach Magazine article The Boys Club, pg. 90 - 98"
/ref> Other notable residents include: *

Tim Bishop Timothy Howard Bishop (born June 1, 1950) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Central and Eastern Suffolk County, includin ...

, former U.S. Representative for

New York's 1st congressional district The 1st congressional district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in eastern Long Island. It includes the eastern two-thirds of Suffolk County, including most of Smithtown, as well as the ent ...

* Elizabeth Bogart, 19th-century poet * Aby Rosen, real estate mogul * Ian Schrager, hotelier * Tory Burch, fashion designer, business woman, and philanthropist *

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film '' Pretty Baby'' (1978). She continued to model into ...

, actress * Amanda Clark, Olympic sailor *

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 ...

, First African American whaler to reach restricted Japan and Southampton Village ferryboat operator *

Ansel Elgort Ansel Elgort (born March 14, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He began his acting career with a supporting role in the horror film '' Carrie'' (2013) and gained wider recognition for starring as a teenage cancer patient in the romantic d ...

, actor * 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 * Jehiel H. Halsey, lawyer and politician *

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 *

Silas Halsey Silas Halsey (October 17, 1743 N.S. – November 19, 1832) was a United States representative from New York. Born October 6, 1743 (Old Style) / October 17, 1743 (New Style) in Southampton, he attended the public schools and studied medici ...

, U.S. Representative * Andre Johnson, NFL football player *

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 H. 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 ...

, businessman *

Henry Kravis Henry R. Kravis (born January 6, 1944) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist.Edward Mellon Edward Purcell Mellon (1875-1953) was an American architect active in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a member of the wealthy Mellon family. Early life Edward Purcell Mellon was born in 1875, the son of Thomas Alexander "Tom" Mellon (and grandson o ...

architect *

Steven Mnuchin Steven Terner Mnuchin ( ; born December 21, 1962) is an American investment banker and film producer who served as the 77th United States secretary of the treasury as part of the Cabinet of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021. Serving for a full pre ...

, financier and US Treasury Secretary *

J. P. Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...

, financier *

Roy Lichtenstein Roy Fox Lichtenstein (; October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American pop artist. During the 1960s, along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and James Rosenquist among others, he became a leading figure in the new art movement. ...

, painter *

Adebayo Ogunlesi Adebayo "Bayo" O. Ogunlesi CON (born December 20, 1953) is a Nigerian lawyer and investment banker. He is currently Chairman and Managing Partner at the private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Ogunlesi was the former head of G ...

, financier and founder of Global Infrastructure Partners *

John Paulson John Alfred Paulson (born December 14, 1955) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager. He leads Paulson & Co., a New York-based investment management firm he founded in 1994. He has been called "one of the most prominent names in high fina ...

* Lee Radziwill * Felix Rohatyn, financier who saved New York City from bankruptcy in the 1970s *

Wilbur Ross Wilbur Louis Ross Jr. (born November 28, 1937) is an American businessman who served as the 39th United States Secretary of Commerce from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Ross was previously chairman and chief executive officer ...

, billionaire investor and US Commerce Secretary *

William Salomon William Salomon (1914-2014) was an American businessman who served as managing partner of Salomon Brothers. Biography Salomon was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the son of Percy Salomon who co-founded Salomon Brothers with his bro ...

* Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger Sr., former publisher of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' *

Chuck Scarborough Charles Bishop Scarborough III (born November 4, 1943) is an American television journalist and author. Since 1974, he has been the lead news anchor at WNBC, the New York City flagship station of the NBC Television Network, and has also appeared ...

, longstanding news anchor *

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 *

George Soros George Soros ( name written in eastern order), (born György Schwartz, August 12, 1930) is a Hungarian-American businessman and philanthropist. , he had a net worth of US$8.6 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated mo ...

, business magnate, investor, and philanthropist *

Kate Spade Katherine Noel Valentine Brosnahan Spade (born Katherine Noel Brosnahan; December 24, 1962 – June 5, 2018) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur as well as a fashion Icon. She was the founder and co-owner of the designer brand ...

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 personality * Carlos Eduardo Stolk, diplomat, business magnate *

A. Alfred Taubman Adolph Alfred "Al" Taubman (January 31, 1924 – April 17, 2015) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He was convicted in 2002 for a price-fixing scheme involving the top two auction houses in the United States. Backgro ...

, real estate developer and philanthropist *

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 *

Tom Wolfe Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...

, author and journalist

Image gallery

Image:First Presbyterian Church North facing clock - Southampton Village 06.jpg, First Presbyterian Church – Oldest Presbyterian church in America was established in 1640 by Puritans from Lynn, Mass. Clock tower on wood gothic church built in 1843 and enlarged in 1895. Image:First Presbyterian Church - Southampton Village 01.jpg, First Presbyterian Church – Southampton Village on Main St. Image:Town street Plaque - Southampton Village 05.jpg, Southampton Village on South Main St. 2 main st Plaque. Image:North End Graveyard, Southampton NY 05.jpg, North End Graveyard, it contains the graves of many veterans of the revolutionary war. Image:OldHalseyHouseSouthhampton.jpg, The Old Halsey House in the spring of 2011. Image:Mercator-cooper-house.jpg, Mercator Cooper house in Southampton. The house is now used by the town library.

References

External links

Village of Southampton official website

Village of Southampton Police Department official website

The Southampton Press

Hamptons.com

Lake Agawam Conservation Association
{{Southampton, New York Villages in New York (state) Villages in Suffolk County, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state)