“The Hamptons” means different things to different people. In general though folks are referring to one of two towns – Southampton and East Hampton – that are located on the eastern part of Long Island, NY. Yet there are many villages and hamlets within this area. So many Hampton vacations are planned by first deciding where one would like to go.
This page provides an overview of the different areas that make up this unique part of Long Island. Each named area – be it a town, hamlet or village – has its own special charm, amenities and characteristics that set it apart from the rest. Some places are great for visiting the beach or are great for just getting out of the city and into the country. Depending on where you go you can also find large houses or small cottages for rent, hotels and even a few campgrounds. People spend anywhere from a day to more than the whole summer during their Hamptons vacation.
First let’s sort out a bit what is found where.
Southampton
This town is just west of East Hampton and taken as a whole encompasses almost 300 square miles. The irregular coastline and an abundance of different water bodies’ means slightly more than half of the total area of the town is water, leaving 140 square miles of land.
As adapted from a historical description of the town, the bounds of East Hampton and some of its early origins could thus be described as:
This town, called by the natives Agawam, is bounded south by the ocean, west by Brookhaven, north, partly by Riverhead and partly by Peconic Bay, separating it from Southold, and east by Easthampton. Length, from east to west, about twenty miles and breadth, in the widest place, six miles. The name was given in remembrance of Southampton in England, from which port the settlers took their departure from Europe, The surface is generally level, and the soil a light sandy loam, except the western part, which is mostly sand, and the roads heavy and tedious. About the villages of Southampton, Bridgehampton, and Sagg, the soil is naturally fertile, and is well cultivated. This town was settled in 1640, being cotemporary with the settlement of Southold, nine years previous to Easthampton and fifteen anterior to Brookhaven.
There are six villages: North Haven, Quogue, Sag Harbor (which also extends into East Hampton), Sagaponack, Southampton, and Westhampton Beach. The more numerous hamlets include: Bridgehampton, Eastport (also extending into Brookhaven), East Quogue, Flanders, Hampton Bays, Northampton, North Sea, Noyack, Quioque, Remsenburg, Riverside, Shinnecock Hills, Speonk, Tuckahoe, Water Mill, Westhampton.
East Hampton
As adapted from a historical description of the town: This is the most easterly town on Long Island. It is situated upon the southern branch and includes the peninsula or Montauk and Gardiner’s Island. It is bounded on the east by the confluence of the Ocean with the sound, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Southampton, and on the north by Gardiner’s Bay and the Sound. The south shore is in some places a low sandy beach, in others formed into hills of every variety of shape but upon Montauk there are high and rugged cliffs, at whose base the waves dash with almost continued violence. The northern shore is much less exposed to the action of the sea, is for the most part level, and is indented with numerous covers and small ponds or bays.
Two incorporated villages are found here, East Hampton and Sag Harbor. Unincorporated hamlets include: Amagansett, Montauk, Napeague, Springs and Wainscott. East Hampton North and Northwest Harbor are not official villages, and these areas are not called by these names by most folks, but are used as census locations by the federal government. To add even more confusion Northwest Harbor is sometimes called Northwest or Northwest woods by local folks.