Town of Huntington

Introduction:

The Town of Huntington is a large township located in the western part of Suffolk County situated on the north shore of Long Island. At the time of the 2010 census the town had approximately 203,000 residents. The entire Town of Huntington covers over 93 square miles and has five waterfront communities with picturesque harbors including Huntington, Centerport, Northport, Cold Spring Harbor and Lloyd Harbor. It is also the home to several beaches, quant and bustling villages, numerous parks, cultural locations and historical sites.

History

The Town of Huntington was one of the earliest communities established on Long Island. Originally inhabited by Native Americans living in waterfront areas including Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington, Centerport, Northport and Crab Meadow, European explorers brought disease to the areas in the early 17th century, which sadly killed off many early American Indian tribes.

The establishment of the Huntington community dates back to 1653 when three English settlers from Oyster Bay, Richard Holbrook, Robert Williams and Daniel Whitehead, purchased six square miles of land stretching from Cold Spring Harbor to Northport Harbor from the Matinecock Indians. In 1656, with the signing of the Eastern Purchase, additional land was added to the town’s territory.

During the colonial period, Huntington became an official and well established community that was mostly made up of farms. However it also had a school, a church, flour mills, saw mills, brickyards, tanneries, and a dock. In the mid 1800’s, the ship building, fishing and export trade began to largely contribute to the local industry and economy within the town.

In the 1800’s, Cold Spring Harbor established a successful whaling company and ships were built in every port within Huntington including Northport. Northport produced the greatest number of ships; more than 180 ships were built between 1814 and 1884. These ships were used in the coastal trade to bring products from Huntington, including farm produce, bricks and sand to the city markets. In the local waters off of the coast of Huntington, the commercial fishing trade began to grow as well.

Villages and Hamlets

The Town of Huntington includes four incorporated villages: Northport, Asharoken, Lloyd Harbor, and Huntington Bay. The additional towns and hamlets that are located in the Town of Huntington include Cold Spring Harbor, Elwood, Dix Hills, Centerport, Greenlawn, Huntington, Huntington Station, South Huntington, Melville, East Northport, Halesite, Dix Hills and Fort Salonga. Interestingly, only parts of the hamlet of Commack are also located within the town of Huntington, as the other sections of the town lie within the town of Smithtown.

School Districts

The town of Huntington includes the following eight distinctive public school districts:

• Cold Spring Harbor
• Elwood
• Half Hollow Hills
• Harborfields
• Huntington
• Northport
• East Northport
• South Huntington

The school systems within Huntington Township all serve students ranging in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade and offer diverse and accredited educational programs.

Parks and Beaches

The Town of Huntington is home to many beautiful parks and beaches. Whether you want to spend the day on the beach and swim in the cool waters of the Long Island Sound, or hike and do some bird watching on a nature trail, Huntington has a lot to offer. Huntington also has many recreational facilities and athletic fields.

Town Beaches:

• Asharoken Beach located on Eaton's Neck Road, Northport
• Centerport Beach located on Little Neck Road, Centerport
• Crab Meadow Beach located on Waterside Avenue, Northport
• Crescent Beach located on Crescent Beach Drive, Huntington Bay
• Fleets Cove Beach located on Fleets Cove Road, Centerport
• Gold Star Battalion Beach located on West Shore Road, Huntington
• Hobart Beach located on Eaton's Neck Road, Eaton's Neck
• West Neck Beach located on West Neck Road, Lloyd Harbor
• Geissler’s Beach is for fishing only and is located on Makamah Road in Northport

Athletic and Recreational Parks

There are over thirty athletic fields and parks in the Town of Huntington. Following are a few notable spots that feature soccer fields, softball and baseball fields, basketball courts, playgrounds and more.

• BREEZY PARK on Oakwood Road in Huntington
• CALEDONIA PARK on Caledonia Road in Dix Hills
• CARAVAN PARK on Caravan Drive in East Northport
• CEDAR ROAD PARK on Cedar Road in East Northport
• VERLEYE AVENUE PARK in East Northport
• COLD SPRING HARBOR PARK on Route 25A in Cold Spring Harbor
• COMMACK BASEBALL PARK on Wicks Road in Commack
• COW HARBOR PARK on Woodbine Avenue in Northport Village
• DIX HILLS PARK is located on Vanderbilt Parkway in Dix Hills
• ELWOOD PARK is located on Cuba Hill Road in Elwood
• GREENLAWN MEMORIAL PARK is located on Pulaski Road in Greenlawn
• HALF HOLLOW PARK is on Old South Path in Melville
• JOHN J. WALSH MEMORIAL PARK is located next to the East Northport Public Library
• MANOR FIELD PARK is located in Huntington Station
• OTSEGO PARK is on Commack Road in Dix Hills
• Oakwood Park is on Oakwood Road in Huntington
• SUNSHINE ACRES is on Townline Road in Commack
• VETERANS PARK is located in East Northport

Museums and Cultural and Historic Attractions

Huntington is rich in history and culture. It has a rich cultural community that is active within many towns and hamlets within the township. You can spend a day visiting the museums and historical locations that help make up the diverse community of Huntington. Some of the interesting museums and cultural locations within the town are listed below.

• Cold Spring Harbor Firehouse Museum
• Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium
• Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum
• John Coltrane Historical Home
• Heckscher Museum of Art
• Huntington Militia
• Huntington Light House
• Northport Historical Museum and Society
• Oheka Castle
• Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium
• Walt Whitman Birthplace

Notable Famous People

There are many notable residents that have lived in the town of Huntington. Historically the most famous resident of Huntington was the poet and author, Walt Whitman who was born in 1819 in West Hills and lived in the town for many years of his life. Other notable residents include:

• Harry Chapin, singer and songwriter from Huntington
• Mariah Carey, famous singer and songwriter was raised in Greenlawn
• John Coltrane, famous jazz musician lived the later part of his life in Dix Hills
• Edie Falco, famous actress grew up in Northport
• Patty Lupone, Broadway actress grew up in Northport
• Ralph Maccio, well known actor was born and raised in Huntington

Public Transportation

Bus Service

The Town of Huntington is served by the HART (Huntington Area Rapid Transit) transit agency which provides bus transportation services to commuters within the town. Notably, the Town of Huntington is the only municipality within Suffolk that operates and maintains a public transportation system for its residents.

Railroad

Huntington is within a manageable commuting distance of New York City. The Long Island Rail Road accommodates commuters daily to New York City from the four local train stations within the town of Huntington. The Huntington line of the railroad can also transport riders to local train stations west and east along the north shore route of the railroad.

The Town of Huntington has so much to offer including beautiful parks and beaches, bustling villages and business districts as well as safe suburban neighborhoods with credible school districts. It is a great place to raise a family or to make your home.

Sources:

http://www.huntingtonny.gov/ http://censusviewer.com https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g47939-Activities-Huntington_Long_Island_New_York.html http://www.huntingtonny.gov/CulturalAffairs https://www.longisland.com/famous-long-islanders.html

---