Southampton (village), New York

Southampton, New York
Village
Mercator Cooper house
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Suffolk
Area
• Total	6.8 sq mi (17.5 km2)
• Land	6.3 sq mi (16.4 km2)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation	26 ft (8 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	3,965
• Density	626.7/sq mi (242.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	11968-11969
Area code	631
FIPS code	36-68462
GNIS feature ID	0965893

Southampton is a village in Suffolk County, New York, USA. The village is named after the Earl of Southampton. The Village of Southampton is in the southeast part of the county in the Town of Southampton. The population was 3,965 at the 2000 census.

Southampton is arguably the commercial center of the southern "fork" of Long Island, serves as the home base for several region-wide businesses and has the area's only hospital. It is part of the summer colony known as The Hamptons, and is generally considered one of the area's two most prestigious communities. A large number of wealthy and influential people have homes in the "estate section" of the Village, the area immediately north of the Atlantic ocean front. The presence of this group provides Southampton with its reputation for affluence and exclusivity.

History

The Village of Southampton, settled in 1640 and incorporated into a town in 1894, historically began with a small group of English Puritans who set sail from Lynn, Massachusetts and landed on June 12, 1640 at what is now known as Conscience Point. It is the oldest English settlement in the state of New York and is named after the British Earl of Southampton.

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 Indian Reservation, established in 1701, is the oldest Native American reservation 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.

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, growing crops, digging clams and scallops from nearby bays and trapping game. During the eighteenth century and nineteenth centuries, fishing, farming (especially Long Island Potatoes and the local sweet corn) and duck raising were the predominant industries.

In modern times, Southampton Village boasts great ocean beaches including Cooper's Beach, which was voted #3 in a recent national poll.

Geography

Southampton is located at 40°53′6″N 72°23′42″W (40.885188, -72.395162)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.5 km²), of which, 6.3 square miles (16.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (6.36%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 3,965 people, 1,651 households, and 982 families residing in the village. The population density was 626.7 people per square mile (241.8/km²). There were 2,936 housing units at an average density of 464.0/sq mi (179.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 80.38% White, 12.94% Black or African American, 0.83% Native American, 1.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.97% from other races, and 2.27% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 married couples 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 $54,300, 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 for the village was $37,150. About 1.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

External links

• Hamptons.com
• Village of Southampton
• The Southampton Press