Southold, New York

Southold is a town located in Suffolk County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 20,599. The name is believed to be a corruption of Southwold, a coastal town in Suffolk, England.

The Town of Southold is in the northeastern tip of the county, located on a peninsula called the North Fork.

Contents

1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Communities and locations in the Town of Southold 4.1 See also 5 External links

History

The town was founded in the 1600s. In 1650 the population was about 180 and 880 by 1698. The harbor at Greenport was important in trade, fishing, and whaling because it rarely froze over.

The history of the village of Southold is little more than a history of its church, which still exists today.

Geography

The town is at the northeastern end of Long Island, New York on a peninsula called the North Fork. The Long Island Sound separates the town from Connecticut. The eastern end of the town, near Orient Point, is north of the Town of Shelter Island, but the town is separated from the South Fork of Long Island by the Great Peconic Bay and the Little Peconic Bay. The western end of the town is the border of the Town of Riverhead. Officially, Robins Island, Plum Island, and Fishers Island are part of Southold township.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1,047.6 km² (404.5 mi²). 139.1 km² (53.7 mi²) of it is land and 908.5 km² (350.8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 86.72% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 20,599 people, 8,461 households, and 5,804 families residing in the town. The population density is 148.1/km² (383.5/mi²). There are 13,769 housing units at an average density of 99.0/km² (256.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 93.53% White, 2.91% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.51% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 4.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 8,461 households out of which 26.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% are married couples living together, 8.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% are non-families. 26.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 2.90.

In the town the population is spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $49,898, and the median income for a family is $61,108. Males have a median income of $46,334 versus $31,440 for females. The per capita income for the town is $27,619. 5.8% of the population and 4.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 7.2% of those under the age of 18 and 5.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Communities and locations in the Town of Southold

• Arshamonaque -- A location between Greenport and Southold village.
• Bay View -- A location on Great Hog Neck.
• Cutchogue -- A hamlet in the western part of the town, originally a farming village.
• Cutchogue Station -- A location north of Cutchogue.
• East Cutchogue -- A hamlet east of Cutchogue
• East Marion -- A hamlet in the eastern part of the town.
• Fishers Island -- A island in the eastern end of the Long Island Sound.
• Fishers Island -- A hamlet on Fishers Island.
• Great Hog Neck -- A peninsula into Little Peconic Bay.
• Greenport --The Village of Greenport near the easternmost tip of the mainland.
• Laughing Waters -- A location near Great Hog Neck.
• Laurel -- A hamlet by the western town line.
• Little Hog Neck -- A peninsula into Peconic Bay.
• Long Beach Bay -- A bay near Orient.
• Mattituck -- A hamlet in the western part of the town, settled in 1680.
• Nassau Point -- A location on Little Hog Neck.
• Orient -- A hamlet near the eastern tip of the mainland.
• Orient Harbor -- A bay in the eastern part of the town.
• Orient Point -- The easternmost tip of the mainland of the north fork of Long Island.
• Orient Point -- A hamlet at the eastern tip of the mainland.
• Orient Beach State Park -- A state park on Orient Point.
• New Suffolk -- A hamlet in the southwest part of the town.
• Peconic -- A hamlet in the central part of the town, southwest of Southold village.
• Plum Island -- A restricted research facility east of Orient Point.
• Reydon Shores -- A location on Great Hog Neck.
• Robins Island -- An island in the Great Peconic Bay.
• Southold -- The hamlet of Southold, settled in 1661.
• Stirling -- A location north of Greenport.
• Waterville -- A location north of Matttituck.

See also

• Southold (CDP), New York, a census region in the town.

External links

• Town of Southold (http://southoldtown.northfork.net)
• History of Southold (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jdevlin/newyork/southhold_li_hist.htm)
• Historical sites around the North Fork area of Long Island (http://www.northfork.org/history.html)