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 ori ...

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 (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. 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 of ...

, 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 language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

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 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 whale A drift whale is a cetacean mammal that has died at sea and floated into shore. This is in contrast to a beached or stranded whale, which reaches land alive and may die there or regain safety in the ocean. Most cetaceans that die, from natural ...

s 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 Chr ...

was on a hill that is the site of the current

Southampton Hospital Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, centrally located in the Village of Southampton, New York, is a 125-bed hospital accredited by the Joint Commission. A location of Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is a New York State-desig ...

. 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. Shinnecock Hills GC 01

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.Longislandgolfnews.com
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 ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, 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

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 km²), of which 138.9 square miles (359.7 km²) is land and 156.7 square miles (405.9 km² is water. The total area is 53.02% water. Southampton contains seven incorporated villages and 16 unincorporated areas, which are called

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

in New York state.

Villages (incorporated)

Source: * North Haven *

Quogue Quogue () is a village in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, on the South Fork of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 967, down from 1,018 at the 2000 census. Geography Acc ...

Sag Harbor Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the 2 ...

– ''partially, with the Town of East Hampton'' * Sagaponack *

(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 Westhampto ...

* West Hampton Dunes

Hamlets (unincorporated)

Source: * Bridgehampton * 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 culture, ...

* 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 S ...

* Noyack – ''also spelled Noyac'' * Quiogue * Remsenburg – ''also see Remsenburg-Speonk'' *

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

* Shinnecock Hills * Speonk – ''also see Remsenburg-Speonk'' * Tuckahoe *

Water Mill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production o ...

* 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 incl ...

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 RosenberPopul ...

was 394.0 people per square mile (152.1/km²). There were 35,836 housing units at an average density of 258.0 per square mile (99.6/km²). 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 on ...

, 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 ...

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 Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 2.28% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, 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 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 t ...

, 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, 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 Independence Party may refer to: Active parties Outside United States * Independence Party (Egypt) * Estonian Independence Party * Independence Party (Finland) * Independence Party (Iceland) * Independence Party (Mauritius) * Independence Part ...

member, now a registered member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, 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 WLIR was a radio station that played a new music/modern rock format on the frequencies 92.7 FM, 98.5 FM, and 107.1 FM from the 1980s into the 2000s. Bob Wilson, longtime WLIR employee and historian, created the website WDARE (Dare FM), which m ...

(107.1 FM) * Sag Harbor -

WLNG WLNG (92.1 FM) is an oldies/ adult hits radio station licensed to Sag Harbor, New York, and serving eastern Long Island. WLNG is owned and operated by Bark Out Loud Dogs Media, LLC, a company led by meteorologist Bill Evans and his wife Sandra ...

(92.1 FM) * Southampton -

WHFM WHFM (95.3 FM) is a classic rock radio station licensed to Southampton, New York, and serving eastern Long Island. It is owned by Cox Radio and simulcasts 102.3 WBAB. History The station began broadcasting as WWRJ on October 28, 1971, airing a ...

(95.3 FM), WLIW (88.3 FM), WRLI (91.3 FM) * Westhampton -

WBON WBON (98.5 FM, "La Nueva Fiesta") is a Spanish-language tropical music formatted radio station, licensed to Westhampton, New York and serving eastern Long Island. The station is owned by JVC Media LLC with studios located in Ronkonkoma, New Y ...

(98.5 FM)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Railroad lines

The Long Island Rail Road'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,

and Bridgehampton.

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 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 24 (NY 24) is a east–west state highway on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. The highway is split into two segments, with the longest and westernmost of the two extending from an interchange with In ...

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 c ...

New York State Route 114 New York State Route 114 (NY 114) is a state highway, including two ferry crossings, on the far eastern sections of Long Island in New York in the United States. It serves as a connector between the two "forks" of Long Island, crossing ...

County Route 38 (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 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) 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 ...

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 Montauk ...

, 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 104 (CR 104) is a county road in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It runs north from CR 80 in Quogue to New York State Route 24 (NY 24), CR 63 and CR 94 just outside Riverhead. M ...

County Route 105 (Suffolk County, New York) County Route 105 (CR 105) is a major north–south county road in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It is a four-lane, mostly divided highway that runs from CR 104 to Sound Avenue in Northville, west of the western t ...

Airports

The town of Southampton contains the

Francis S. Gabreski Airport Francis S. Gabreski Airport is a county-owned, joint civil-military airport located north of the central business district of Westhampton Beach, in Suffolk County, Long Island, United States. It is approximately east of New York City. Known ...

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 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 Is ...

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 Riley Edgar Biggs (March 24, 1900 – November 24, 1971) was a National Football League (NFL) center who played two seasons with the New York Giants. He played college football at Baylor University and attended Southampton High School in Southam ...

, American football player *

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 ...

, U.S. Representative *

Amanda Clark Amanda Clark (born March 26, 1982) is an American sports sailor. She was born in Southampton, New York. In 2002, Clark won the ICSA Women’s Singlehanded National Championship in 2002. She competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Peop ...

, Olympic sailor *

Mary L. Cleave Mary Louise Cleave (born February 5, 1947) is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut. She also served from 2004 to 2007 as NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. Early life Cleave was born in Southampton, Ne ...

, engineer and NASA astronaut * Pyrrhus Concer, former slave *

Pamela Council Pamela Council (born 1986) is an American multidisciplinary artist and educator. They work to produce sculpture, textiles, print-based media and performance art. Their work addresses Black American culture, and often features humor. Early life ...

, 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 Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...

, actor * Paul Gibson, Major League baseball pitcher * Grenville Goodwin, 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 So ...

, 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 Andre Lamont Johnson (born July 11, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver who played most of his 14-year career with the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami, and was drafted by ...

, 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, and ...

, 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, 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 po ...

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 Feed the Hungry COVID-19 Program. She is t ...

, 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 terre ...

, radio host *

Carlos Eduardo Stolk Carlos Eduardo Stolk Mendoza (4 April 1912 – 9 November 1995) was a lawyer, diplomat and business magnate who is well-known for his role as a delegate during World War II, as a founding representative of the United Nations and as chairman to v ...

, business magnate *

Foots Walker Clarence "Foots" Walker (born May 21, 1951 in Southampton (town), New York, Southampton, New York) is a former professional basketball player. A 6' 0" guard, he led the Vincennes Trailblazers to their second NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Cham ...

, NBA basketball player *

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

, 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

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