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If you can still be chic roaming around in flip-flops and a straw sunhat, the Greater Westhampton area should tickle your fancy. Sometimes called the “First Hampton,” the area has a more laidback reputation than some of the other towns, yet it still manages to attract celebrities and other millionaires to cozy, shop-lined streets.
The “Hamptons Mystique” was born in Westhampton Beach in the 1870’s, after residents began renting out rooms to travelers who got off at the then-new Long Island Rail Road station.
The Greater Westhampton area is a loose collection of communities, with some of the island’s harder to pronounce names, including Quogue (pronounced kwog), Quiogue and Speonk, as well as Westhampton Beach, Westhampton and Remsenburg. All are beautiful, exclusive, ideal places to visit for the season or to raise a family in. Indeed, Westhampton has become one of the fastest-growing, year-round communities on Eastern Long Island as many of the seasonal visitors fall in love with the Hamptons and decide to make it their home.
sometimes called the
“first hampton,”
the area has a more
laidback reputation than
some of the other towns...
“first hampton,”
the area has a more
laidback reputation than
some of the other towns...
A visit to the village of Quogue gives one the feeling of grandeur and opulence rarely experienced in traveling throughout the country today. Its tree-lined streets, well-manicured lawns and stately Victorian mansions blend together to make Quogue one of the most desirable areas in the Hamptons. By contrast, Dune Road on the ocean in Quogue boasts the most outstanding examples of contemporary home architecture in the world.
Quogue is one of the oldest communities on Long Island, having been founded in 1640 when 40 Puritan Freeholders from Lynn, Massachusetts paid 10 pounds in “good strong merchantable wampum” for the area which was to become Quogue. The land purchased was valuable for its broad meadow, which was called “Shennecock Meadow,” and for the “bonack” or ground nut which grew wild there. The bonack was an important staple of the early settlers and Indians as well. Quogue was also strategically located at a spot where whales were frequently cast up on the beach. The oil and other by-products obtained from the whales played an important role in the early economy of the area.
In 1835, Quogue was the second regular overnight stop on the stagecoach run from Brooklyn to Southampton. Travelers became aware of the beauty of the Quogue beach during these stopovers, and with the establishment of railroad service in 1844, large numbers of summer boarders were attracted to the area. Around the turn of the century, families which had summered at the hotels and boarding houses began to build one-family homes. This led to more elaborate landscaping, which transformed the open meadows into the village of today.
Remsenburg on the western edge of the Greater Westhampton area is perhaps one of the most beautiful communities to be found anywhere in the eastern United States.
Tree-lined streets wind their way through row after row of country homes and quaint cottages surrounded by well-manicured lawns and beautifully cultivated gardens, all of which seem to transplant the visitor into the midst of a quiet New England Village.
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Westhampton Beach is by far the center of activity for the Greater Westhampton area. Its trendy, sophisticated shops combined with its outstanding restaurants, nighttime entertainment and beautiful ocean beaches serve to attract the attention of the rich and famous, who flock to the area every season to enjoy the best of the Hamptons. Tourism is still a major source of revenue for area residents, but in recent years, more and more of the seasonal visitors are becoming year-round residents. This trend is beginning to give the local economy a year-round flavor and the high quality of life available in the Greater Westhampton area is being enjoyed by more and more people every year.
The Westhampton Beach of today is a far cry from the one first settled in 1666 as part of the Quogue Purchase. Then it was a quiet, sleepy community that experienced its first real estate boom in 1675 when buying land there for investment purposes became very popular. However, development was slow and the hamlet remained very small for nearly a century-and-a-half. It was not until 1870, when the railroad reached Westhampton Beach, that development really began. People began spending summers there, and the character and economic development of the village was altered. As the village began to develop into a flourishing summer resort, real estate kept pace with the changing times, and values increased considerably. In the same era, agriculture lost importance as the local people found new occupations. The onceprosperous farmlands were sold to make way for summer homes and hotels. The first hotel was the Howell House built in 1868 with the financial backing of P.T. Barnum. The Oneck House and the Ketchaboneck House were soon built, and it was not long before bathhouses were erected on the oceanfront at the foot of Beach Lane, now the site of Rogers Beach and Pavilion.
Today, the Greater Westhampton area offers its residents a truly high quality of life. Its community activities provide a sense of identity, while its schools and governmental facilities are among the finest available.
Major Attractions
Scenic Route. Dune Road east to Hampton Bays. From simple beach houses to extravagant mansions and architectural one-of-a-kinds. West along Dune Road lies the new Village of Westhampton Dunes.
Village Green & Gazebo. Westhampton Beach’s beautiful center and site of many cultural events, with holiday gatherings, children’s enrichment programs, and a Thursday evening summer concert series.
Shopping on Main Street. The village of Westhampton Beach features a district of trendy, sophisticated shops.
Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. Main Street. A professional playhouse and cultural-entertainment center with live theater, films, concerts, comedy and dance. (288-1500)
Westhampton Historical Museum. Mill Road. A circa 1800’s house with changing exhibits, including photographs of early Westhampton Beach. (288-1139)
Hampton Synagogue. Sunset Avenue, Westhampton Beach. Beautiful edifice, fully landscaped with formal gardens. (288-0534)
Quogue Wildlife Refuge. Old Country Road, Quogue. (300 acres) Wildlife sanctuary managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Features seven miles of self-guided trails, a nature center, a distressed wildlife complex where animals can be viewed and a yearround ice harvesting exhibit. (653-4771)
Quogue Village Theatre. Jessup Ave, Quogue. Hampton Theater Company performs three major productions and several smaller shows through the season in this 200-seat theater. (653-8955)
Old Schoolhouse Museum. Quogue Street, Quogue. Circa 1822 schoolhouse with memorabilia of Quogue, including photographs, toys, farm equipment and early utensils. (653-4111)
Recreation
Cupsogue County Park. Dune Road. Pavilion, restrooms, snack bar, lifeguards, camping on outer beach. (854-4949)
Village Beaches: Both of the village’s beaches require permits for non-residents and summer renters. For information, call Village Hall. (288-1654)
Rogers Beach. At the end of Beach Lane. Lifeguards, restrooms and showers.
Lashley Beach. Dune Road. Lifeguards, restrooms and showers.
Pine Barrens Trail. 45-mile long trail for hikers meandering through the Pine Barrens, part of the Paumanok Path. For a free permit, call the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. (444-0273)
For more information, call the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce at 631-288-3337 www.whbcc.com