BRIDGEHAMPTON, LONG ISLAND

Bridgehampton, Long Island

Bridgehampton is a hamlet and census-designated place located in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. It is within the Town of Southampton. Bridgehampton is about 95 miles from midtown Manhattan. As of the 2000 census, there were 1,381 people, 627 households, and 369 families residing in the CDP. The median income for a household in the CDP was $54,896, and the median income for a family was $74,583. Males had a median income of $50,865 and only $32,778 for females. The latitude of Bridgehampton is 40.937N. The longitude is -72.301W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 43 feet.

In 1640, the Town of Southampton was founded by settlers known by the Shinnecock Indians as Sagaponack and Mecox began to move east to the area. Soon after the first settlers moved in, the bridge was constructed across Sagg Pond, on the road from Southampton to East Hampton in 1686 by Ezekiel Sanford. The Bridge was the link between Mecox and Sagaponack and gave this locality its name of Bridge Hampton which was later bridged to form one word. The Beebe Windmill was built in Sag Harbor in 1820 at the corner of Ocean Road and Hildreth Avenue and now considered a National Historic Landmark which is one of the 11 surviving windmills built on eastern Long Island between 1795 and 1820.

Notable people living in the area include Peter Jennings (TV news anchor), Carl Yastrzemski (baseball player), and Woodrow Wilson (twenty-eighth President of the United States). The racial makeup composes of 78.86% White, 17.38% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 1.45% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Bridgehampton was home of the American car racing during the golden age of the sport in the 50s and 60s. They called it “The Bridge” which was mostly loved and feared by many and considered it the “most challenging course in America”. The Bridgehampton Racing Heritage Group was a band of enthusiasts who kept racing alive at Bridgehampton for nearly two decades. In recent time, the bridge is no longer a racing circuit but a private, luxury golf course. There is still an effort underway to try and restore the track but success seems unlikely for now.

Bridgehampton is also a home of the Hampton Classic, an annual horse show held at the end of every summer. Many beautiful beachescan be found in the area such as Scott Cameron Beach, Flying Point Beach, and Mecox Beach. The Scott Cameron Beach is a unique 300-foot-long beach that welcomes Southampton residents only with a permit required upon entering the beach. Other Bridgehampton's attractions include antique shops, fine restaurants, a quaint village center, wineries, and nature trails. Most of Bridgehampton’s house styles are made up of postmodern architecture and Dutch Colonials. House prices are a bit high that range from $725,000 to more than $5 million.

--Bridgehampton School District Website --BridgeHampton Fire Department Website