Welcome to Westhampton BeachThe first Hampton you come to...and the last one you leave...

About the Village of Westhampton Beach

"The Hamptons Mystique" began around 1870 when residents of Westhampton Beach, or Ketchaboneck as it was then known, started providing lodging to travelers who reached the area via the newly constructed Long Island Railroad spur from Manorville. This practice soon spread to other parts of the Hamptons and it was not long before tourism became the most important aspect of the regional economy, moving past whaling, fishing and farming as inhabitants' primary source of income.

The Greater Westhampton area is actually comprised of several communities: the Incorporated Village of Quogue, Incorporated Village of Westhampton Beach, Village of West Hampton Dunes, and the unincorporated hamlets of Quiogue, Hampton West Estates, Westhampton, Remsenburg and Speonk... all beautiful, each of them exclusive, and all offering something to the prospective visitor or someone seeking to relocate and raise a family. Indeed, "Greater Westhampton" has become one of the largest growing year 'round communities on Eastern Long Island as many of the seasonal visitors fall in love with this part of The Hamptons and decide to make their home here.

This virtual subdivision is bounded on the West by Speonk and Remsenburg ("South Speonk" on the old land maps) on the East by Quogue, to the North by Hampton West Estates and Gabreski Airport, and on the South by the Great Barrier Beach, on the West end of which is West Hampton Dunes and Suffolk County's Cupsogue Beach.

Westhampton Beach proper is the center of activity in the Greater Westhampton Beach area, with a top-notch school system, trendy, sophisticated shops, a super-market, many outstanding restaurants, a twin first-run movie theater and the wonderful Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center for entertainment, and beautiful ocean beaches, one of which, at Rogers Pavilion, is regularly cited as one of the top 15 in the world. On the spiritual side, there is Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, the Beach Methodist Church, The Hampton Synagogue and, just across Turkey Bridge or the Cranberry Marsh causeway in Quiogue, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and the Westhampton Presbyterian Church.

The Westhampton Beach of today is a distant 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 for investment purposes became very popular. However, development was slow and the hamlet remained tiny over the next century and a half... until 1870 when the railroad reached Westhampton Beach and development really began. People began spending their Summers here as "bathing stations" flourished, and the character and economic development of the village was altered. As the Village began to evolve into a burgeoning Summer resort, real estate kept pace with the changing times and values increased considerably.

In the same era, agriculture took on a diminished role as the "locals" found new occupations. Once-bounteous farmlands were sold to make way for Summer homes and hotels, the first of which being the Howell House on the corner of Beach Road and Main Street (the parcel known now as "Hampton Square"), and was constructed in 1868 with the financial backing of one Phineas T. Barnum. The Oneck House and the Ketchaboneck House were soon built and it was not long before simple bathhouses were erected on the oceanfront at the foot of Beach Lane, now the site of Rogers Beach and Pavilion.

A casual tour throughout the residential areas of the Village reveals sections of affluence and grandeur in the estate sections of Oneck, Seafield and Beach Road. The exquisite blend of tree lined streets, beautifully landscaped lawns and opulent mansions are the envy of the Western Hamptons. And down along Dune Road may be found some of the most outstanding examples of contemporary home architecture in the world.

Today the Greater Westhampton area offers its residents a truly high quality of life, its community activities provides a sense of identity, while its schools and governmental facilities are among the finest available. Yes, the Greater Westhampton area is a fine place to work, play or raise a family and put down roots.

Tourism is still a major factor in the area's economy, but in recent years, more and more of the seasonal visitors have become year 'round residents, so that the celebrated Hamptons quality of life is being enjoyed by more and more greater Westhampton area people every year.

Will you be one of them?

For more information on the Village proper, call the Municipal Offices at 631-288-1654, or for the area in general, call the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce at 631-288-3337.

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