Amagansett, New York

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Amagansett , founded in 1680, is a hamlet and a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York on the South Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the hamlet population was 1,067.

Amagansett is in the Town of East Hampton.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Notable residents
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Amagansett is located at 40°58′46″N, 72°7′31″W (40.979532, -72.125174)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the hamlet has a total area of 20.8 km² (8.1 mi²). 16.3 km² (6.3 mi²) of it is land and 4.6 km² (1.8 mi²) of it (21.86%) is water.

At the end of the last ice age, Amagansett stood at the eastern tip of Long Island. At that time, Montauk was an island on its own in the Atlantic. In the intervening several thousand years, ocean currents, or littoral drift, filled in space with sand. This area is now known as Napeague.

Distinct places within Amagansett include Amagansett village, Beachampton, and Devon on Gardiner's Bay, as well as Lazy Point, also known as "Promised Land". Other places of geographic significance include the "Walking Dunes" in Napeague and the Atlantic Double Dunes, which is protected by the Nature Conervancy and local and federal governments.

Two history books are 'Images of America: Amagansett' by Carleton Kelsey(died in 2005, aged 92 years) and Lucinda Mayo(descendant of one of Amagansett's 17th century founders); and Kelsey's 'Amagansett, A Pictoral History'. Carleton Kelsey was a schoolteacher before becoming director of the Amagansett Free Library -- a post in which he served until the age of 86. Town Historian and charter board member of the Amagansett Historical Association, he also performed in regional community theater for decades, and gave regular lively talks on regional history to academic and community groups. He could often be found sharing Amagansett "lore & legend" over breakfast at Estia with such well-known residents as Alec Baldwin, another Long-Island native (Massapequa). Carleton's extraordinary collection of 18,500 Long Island photographs, dating back to 1860 and the 'American Civil War', can be viewed in the 'Carleton Kelsey Wing' of the Amagansett Free Library.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,067 people, 493 households, and 281 families residing in the hamlet. The population density was 65.5/km² (169.6/mi²). There were 1,664 housing units at an average density of 102.1/km² (264.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the hamlet was 96.44% White, 1.69% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.03% of the population.

There were 493 households out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the hamlet the population was spread out with 19.1% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the hamlet was $56,406, and the median income for a family was $69,306. Males had a median income of $48,750 versus $36,500 for females. The per capita income for the hamlet was $45,545. About 2.4% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Amagansett was one of the first English settlements in present-day New York State, founded in 1680 by farmers and fishermen who migrated from New England.

During Operation Pastorius, a failed Nazi attack on the United States staged in June 1942, during World War II, four German spies were dropped off from a submarine on a beach in Amagansett, where they made their way to the village's Long Island Rail Road station and boarded a night train for New York. But a local U.S. Coast Guard watchman had noticed the suspicious strangers on the beach and notified the police and the FBI -- who nabbed the spies as they arrived at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan.

[edit] Notable residents

A popular resort location, many famous people have resided in or owned second homes in Amagansett through the years, including Alec Baldwin, Kathleen Turner, Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, Jan Wenner, and Lorne Michaels. Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller spent a summer there in the late 1950s. Perhaps the first wave of "summer people" was the "Devon Colony", which was founded in the late 19th century by executives of the Procter & Gamble company. Other notable residents include:

Alfred Conkling (1789-1874), born in Amagansett, United States Congressman from New York<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896"> (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.</ref>