CENTERPORT, LONG ISLAND

Centerport, Long Island

Centerport is a hamlet and census-designated place located in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. It is within the Town of Huntington. As of the 2000 census, there were 5,446 people, 2,022 households, and 1,526 families residing in the CDP. The median income for a household in the CDP was $92,456, and the median income for a family was $101,908. Males had a median income of $71,786 and only $54,706 for females. The latitude of Centerport is 40.885N. The longitude is -73.376W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 49 feet.

The communities former and merged name is Cow Harbor and then was changed to Centerport after 1895. The name refers to its geographic position midway between the east and west boundaries of the township of Huntington. The town and its surrounding hamlets mark the east end of Long Island's renowned "Gold Coast", the name deriving from the traditional wealth and gentility associated with the area. Centerport has developed a large boating and sailing culture. An important part of this culture is the Centerport Yacht Club, which was founded in 1947 and has served as a social and athletic focal point for the boating community in both Centerport and its surrounding areas. The yacht club sponsors selection of racing fleets and regattas every year generally happening in the beginning of late spring and ending mid-autumn.

Notable people living in the area include Arthur Dove (artist), Greg (Opie) Hughes, and Mary Pickford (actress). About 23% of Centerport residents were Irish ancestry, and 20% were Italian. The Harborfields Central School District serves the communities of Centerport and Greenlawn and parts of Huntington, Huntington Station, Huntington Bay, and Northport. The district has primary, elementary, a middle school, and a high school that offers quality education towards their students. Camp Alvernia is a non-profit recreational summer camp in Centerport serving about 600 children ages 4 to 14 from all religious backgrounds and also continues to serve as a retreat for the Franciscan brothers. The Mill Dam Bridge is also located in Centerport that carries the Mill Dam Road across the tidal mudflat of Centerport harbor that divides the navigable waters of the harbor from the Mill Pond formed by its tidegates.

Centerport is home of the estate and Eagle’s Nest mansion of William Kissam Vanderbilt II, great-grandson of New York's railroad and shipping magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt. This 43-acre estate contains Vanderbilt museum which features 24 rooms and was built in 1910. It is a unique combination of mansion, marine, natural history museum, and planetarium and park that are dedicated to the education and enjoyment of the people of Long Island and beyond. The area is filled with quaint shops, art galleries, restaurants, bars and pubs, and spas. The Centerport Harbor Bed and Breakfast is a perfect place for a romantic getaway and a relaxing vacation with very affordable room rates while serving up good tastes.