The South Fork of
Suffolk County,
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
* '' ...
is a
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...
in the southeastern section of the county on the
South Shore of
Long Island. The South Fork includes most of
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 ...
. The shorter, more northerly peninsula is known as the
North Fork.
Geography
The South Fork is composed of all of the
Town of East Hampton and a substantial part of the
Town of Southampton
Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork, Suffolk County, New York, South Fork of Long Isla ...
. The body of water to the south is the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...
.
The South Fork and North Fork split at
Riverhead, New York
Riverhead is a town within 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 po ...
where the
Peconic River empties into Peconic Bay. It has long been noted that Long Island resembles a fish with the forks forming a tail. The native name for this is "Paumanok". This name is also used to name a trail that navigates the entirety of the South Fork (as well as parts of Long Island), the
Paumanok Path.
The South Fork and North Fork are separated by Great
Peconic Bay, Little Peconic Bay, and
Gardiners Bay. Between the two forks lie several islands, including
Gardiners Island
Gardiner's Island is a small island in the Town of East Hampton, New York, in Eastern Suffolk County. It is located in Gardiner's Bay between the two peninsulas at the east end of Long Island. It is long, wide and has of coastline.
The is ...
and
Shelter Island.
The eastern end of the South Fork,
Montauk Point State Park, in the
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...
of
Montauk, New York
Montauk ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, on the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 4,318.
Th ...
, is the easternmost point in the State of New York, and of Suffolk County. The eastern end of the North Fork is
Orient Point, New York, but is further west in relation to Montauk Point.
Transportation
The South Fork is most commonly reached by roadways from the west, but the area also offers
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are co ...
service,
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
service, and
ferry service.
Roads
The most prominent road on the south fork is
Montauk Highway
Montauk Highway is an east–west road extending for across the southern shore of Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It extends from the Nassau County line in Amityville, where it connects to Merrick Road, to Mont ...
(part of
New York State Route 27
New York State Route 27 (NY 27) is a long state highway that runs east–west from Interstate 278 (I-278) in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York. Its two most prominent ...
) which traverses the entire region. However, there are numerous other roads that are heavily traveled but unknown to most. For example, Noyac Road provides a parallel route to Montauk Highway in the northern area of the region between
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 S ...
and
Sag Harbor. Sag Harbor is also served by the
Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike (CR 79) from
Bridgehampton
Bridgehampton is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the South Fork, Suffolk County, New York, South Fork of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,7 ...
, Sagg Road from
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 ...
, Wainscott Northwest Road from
Wainscott, and the
East Hampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike (NY-114) from East Hampton and points east. The area also boasts many back roads around East Hampton, the
Springs
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...
, and
Amagansett, such as
Three Mile Harbor Road,
Springs Fireplace Road, and
Old Stone HIghway.
Trains
The
Long Island Rail Road 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. Ho ...
has stops in Westhampton, Hampton Bays, Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Amagansett, and Montauk. Service is infrequent most of the time due to the fact that there is only one track. The easiest time to take the train to the South Fork is on Fridays, when most trains run out of the city, and Sundays, when most trains run into the city, although this sequence also can be applied during morning and evening rush hours.
Buses
The
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
* H ...
and the
Hampton Luxury Liner provide bus service primarily between the South Fork and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
. Local bus service is provided 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 ...
.
Ferries
Direct access between the South Fork and
Shelter Island is via the South Ferry (the North Ferry provides access to Shelter Island from the North Fork). Additionally, passenger ferry service runs occasionally between Montauk and
Block Island
Block Island is an island in the U.S. state of Rhode Island located in Block Island Sound approximately south of the mainland and east of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block. It is part of Washin ...
, RI,
New London, CT, and
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes th ...
, MA.
"VikingFleet.com Interstate Fast Ferry Information"
Viking Fleet, Retrieved March 14, 2013.
Notes
References
"Long Island Map"
— ''Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission''.
{{Authority control
Peninsulas of New York (state)
Landforms of Suffolk County, New York
Southampton (town), New York
East Hampton (town), New York