Greenport is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in New York's Suffolk County, on the North Fork of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. It is located within the Town of Southold and is the only incorporated community in the town. The population was 2,197 at the 2010 census. Greenport was a major

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

for its area, having developed a strong fishing and whaling industry in the past, although currently there are only a handful of commercial fishing vessels operating out of the village. More recently the tourism industry has grown substantially.

History

Greenport was first settled in 1682 and incorporated in 1838. Greenport was once a whaling and ship building village, and since 1844, has been the eastern terminal station on the north fork for the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

. During

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

, rum running and speakeasies became a significant part of Greenport's economy. Greenport's residents knew the waters well and could outrun the coastguard. Restaurants on the east end, including Claudio's in Greenport, served the illegal booze. Many of the village's older structures are included in the Greenport Village Historic District, which was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1986.

Police department disbanded

Village residents voted 617–339 in November 1994 to disband their nine-member police department. The department, which was established in 1947, was shut down after a grand jury investigation into a series of scandals. Since the shutdown, police services have been provided by the Southold Town Police Department. In 2005, trustees established a local chapter parapolice organization of volunteer vigilantes,

Guardian Angels A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role i ...

, to patrol the village. Code Enforcement & Fire Prevention In June 2016, the Village of Greenport began enforcing its own vehicle and traffic code, marking the first time since 1994 the Village enforced its traffic laws. The Village of Greenport Code Enforcement & Fire Prevention Department continue to enforce the Village Code, as well as a number of other Federal, State and Local rules & regulations.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (20.66%) is water.

Climate

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,048 people, 776 households, and 446 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,075 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 76.17%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 14.26%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.39% Asian, 0.54%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 4.74% from other races, and 3.91% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 17.24% of the population. There were 776 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.10. In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $31,675, and the median income for a family was $36,333. Males had a median income of $36,848 versus $22,165 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $17,595. About 21.2% of families and 19.7% 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 33.7% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over. In 2010, the breakdown was as follows: * 53.6% White * 34.0% Hispanic * 10.0% Black * 0.5% Asian * 0.1% Native American * 0.5% some Other Race * 1.5% Two or More Races

Tourism

Greenport is also known for its tourism during the summer. It has a locally famous 1920s

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

, located near the waterfront. The village is also the home of the East End Seaport Museum & Marine Foundation, which hosts the annual Maritime Festival each September. The museum is housed in the former station house of the Greenport Long Island Rail Road station, while the East end of the Railroad Museum of Long Island is located in the former freight house. The new station is the terminus of the

. Most of the tourism stems from maritime activities, as well as proximity to the more than 40 vineyards on the East End of Long Island. It has many small shops and boutiques, ice cream parlors, bed-and-breakfasts, and restaurants ranging from fine-dining to paper-napkin crab shacks and is home to Claudio's Restaurants, the oldest single-family owned restaurant until it was sold in 2018. The building itself is over 150 years old.

Government

The Mayor of the Village of Greenport is Kevin Stuessi, who was elected in March 2023.

Education

The Greenport Union Free School District provides public education for all of the village.
Text list
/ref> Students from Greenport and Greenport West are zoned in the district as well as students in grade 7–12 from

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

and East Marion who go to Oysterponds Elementary School for K-6. The Old Kindergarten Schoolhouse was Greenport's first schoolhouse. It was located on the North Road. In 1832, a larger schoolhouse was built on Front Street and Greenport students transferred to the new location. In 1879, the first kindergarten was established and the old schoolhouse was moved from the North Road to 4th Avenue and South Street (now the location of the Greenport Fire Department). Greenport students attended kindergarten in the building until 1932. In 2005, the Old Kindergarten Schoolhouse was moved to its present site on Front Street and with oversight by the Greenport Improvement Committee, was restored with matching funds from the Village of Greenport and New York State. The building is now the Village's historic interpretive center and a venue for community meetings and events.

Houses of worship

* Saints Anargyroi, Taxiarchis and Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church, 702 Main Street, Greenport, NY 11944 * Clinton Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, 614 3rd Street, Greenport, NY 11944 * First Baptist Church of Greenport, 654 Main Street, Greenport, NY 11944 * Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 768 Main Street, Greenport, NY 11944 * St. Agnes Church, 523 Front Street, Greenport, NY 11944 * St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 71305 Main Road, Greenport, NY 11944 * Congregation Tifereth Israel, 500 4th Street, Greenport, NY 11944

Transportation

Greenport station is the eastern terminus of the

's Main Line, where a shuttle service to Ronkonkoma with stops in other North Fork towns is available. At Ronkonkoma, passengers can connect to New York City bound trains. It is also served 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 con ...

's S92 bus route, which runs from Orient Point Ferry Terminal to East Hampton via Riverhead. Hampton Jitney's North Fork Line also brings passengers to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In Greenport, train and bus passengers can connect to the North Ferry to Shelter Island where they can connect to a ferry to North Haven. Shelter Island North Ferry

Gallery

Image:Greenport-historic.jpg, Dockside restaurants Image:Unusual Pedestrian Crossing Sign(NY 25 -- Greenport).JPG, File:Farmers Market in Greenport.jpg, Farmers Market File:Greenport Municipal Light and Water Plant-1.jpg, The historic Municipal Light and Water Plant on Moore's Lane.

Sister City

Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, Canada.

References

16. https://web.archive.org/web/20140419013436/http://www.greenportvillage.com/listingDetail.cfm?currentListing=283

External links

Official websiteGreenport Village Official InformationEast End Seaport Museum & Marine FoundationRailroad Museum of Long Island (Greenport)Greenport Farmers Market
{{authority control Populated coastal places in New York (state) Villages in Suffolk County, New York Villages in New York (state) Populated places established in 1682 1682 establishments in the Province of New York