The Hamptons facts for kids

The Hamptons, shown in the middle of the South Fork of Long Island. Long Island stretches 118 miles (190 km) into the Atlantic Ocean from Manhattan.

The Hamptons are a group of small towns and villages on the East End of Long Island in New York. They are located in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton. Together, these areas form the South Fork of Long Island, which is in Suffolk County, New York.

The Hamptons are a very popular seaside resort area. They have been a favorite summer spot for many years, especially for people from the northeastern United States.

You can reach the Hamptons by train using the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. There are also roads like the Montauk Highway and private bus services. Ferries connect the Hamptons to Shelter Island and Connecticut.

Stony Brook University has a campus located in the Hamptons.

Exploring the Hamptons

The Hamptons include many different villages and hamlets. They are spread across two main towns: Southampton and East Hampton.

Town of Southampton Villages and Hamlets

• Eastport (hamlet)
• Speonk (hamlet)
• Remsenburg (hamlet)
• Westhampton (hamlet)
• West Hampton Dunes (village)
• Westhampton Beach (village)
• Quogue (village)
• East Quogue (hamlet)
• Hampton Bays (hamlet)
  • A cool place to see here is Shinnecock Bay.
• Shinnecock Hills (hamlet)
• North Sea (hamlet)
• Southampton (village)
• Water Mill (hamlet)
• Bridgehampton (hamlet)
• Sagaponack (village)
• Sag Harbor (village, shared with East Hampton)

Town of East Hampton Villages and Hamlets

Aerial view of Shinnecock Bay in Hampton Bays.

• Sag Harbor (village, shared with Southampton)
• Wainscott (hamlet)
• East Hampton (village)
• Northwest Harbor (hamlet)
• Springs (hamlet)
• Amagansett (hamlet)
• Montauk (hamlet)

The Shinnecock Reservation is a special area for the Shinnecock Indian Nation. It is located within the Town of Southampton.

Key Places in the Hamptons

The Hamptons are a popular vacation area on Long Island. Here is a table showing some of the main villages and hamlets, their populations, and sizes.

About the Hamptons

The Hamptons have many different communities. In the past, people mostly worked in farming and fishing here. Even today, many farms are still active in the area. There are also three places that grow grapes for wine in the Hamptons.

Because of its location, the Hamptons had strong connections to New England states like Connecticut and Rhode Island. Many of the first people who settled here came from Connecticut. A lot of the older buildings and the overall look of the villages in the Hamptons are similar to New England. This is especially true for Sag Harbor Village and East Hampton Village.

When train lines to New York City were built, more and more people started coming for summer vacations. The Village of Southampton is the oldest of the Hamptons towns. It grew very quickly and is still the largest and most varied of the Hamptons communities. Other villages and hamlets grew more slowly over time.

Over the years, the farming community was joined by skilled workers and professionals. Then, many artists moved to the area. Because of this, the Hamptons have had a lively arts community since the 1800s. Places like the Art Village in Southampton and Springs in East Hampton were home to many artists and art schools. One famous school was the Shinnecock Hills Summer School, started by William Merritt Chase.

Life in the Hamptons Today

The Hamptons' population grows a lot during the summer months. However, more and more people are visiting or living there all year round. They come from New York City to enjoy weekends away.

Homes in the Hamptons are some of the most expensive in the United States. In 2015, house prices were going up for both buyers and renters. Historically, land closer to the ocean, south of Route 27 (the main road), was more valuable. This road was seen as a sign of social status and land worth.

The most expensive areas are south of the highway. These include the "Estate Areas" in Southampton Village, Water Mill, Bridgehampton, Sagaponack, and East Hampton Village. Some very famous and expensive streets are Ox Pasture Road and Meadow Lane in Southampton Village. Meadow Lane is sometimes called "Billionaire's Lane."

In 2015, the area around Sagaponack was named the most expensive ZIP code in the U.S. The average home sale price was $5,125,000. In 2016, this price went up to $8.5 million.

The Hamptons offer many fun things to do. There are art centers like the Southampton Arts Center and the Parrish Art Museum. The Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center is in Springs. Guild Hall in East Hampton is both a museum and a theater.

For sports lovers, the golf courses in the Hamptons are very famous. Private golf clubs in Southampton are among the most exclusive in the country. These include the National Golf Links of America and the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. These clubs are ranked among the top golf courses in the U.S. There is also the Maidstone Club in East Hampton.

Other private clubs include The Bathing Corporation of Southampton and the Meadow Club.

In 2019, home prices in the Hamptons dropped by 19.3 percent. The average price for a single family home was $860,000. Some people thought this was because of changes to tax laws.

History of the Hamptons

The Hamptons became a popular place for wealthy people in the late 1800s. Before that, it was mostly a farming area known for its potato fields. In 1893, The New York Times newspaper wrote about how beautiful the villages were. They said the Hamptons were like "Eden" and a wonderful place for well-mannered people.

Today, new buildings are still being built, and the Hamptons continue to be a vacation spot for people with money. Other beaches in the Southern United States are sometimes called "The Hamptons of the South." These include places like Figure Eight Island in North Carolina and Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.

Media in the Hamptons

Dan's Papers is a local newspaper that started on July 1, 1960. It was first called the Montauk Pioneer.

Getting Around the Hamptons

The Hamptons are connected to New York City and the rest of Long Island in several ways. There are major roads like Route 27A (Montauk Highway) and Route 27 (Sunrise Highway).

You can also travel by train with the Long Island Rail Road. They offer train service seven days a week on the Montauk Branch. This connects towns in the Hamptons to Montauk and New York City.

Bus services like Hampton Jitney and Hampton Luxury Liner offer more frequent trips between New York City and the Hamptons, especially in the summer. Local Suffolk County buses also serve nearby areas.

There are also small airports in the Hamptons for private planes and helicopters.

See also

In Spanish: Los Hamptons para niños