COLD SPRING HARBOR, LONG ISLAND

Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island

Cold Spring Harbor 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 and is near Oyster Bay. The area is predominantly residential, with beautiful panoramic views of the Long Island Sound, the coast of Connecticut, and various bays. The LIRR station located approximately 50 miles east of Manhattan, Cold Spring Harbor is only an hour out of New York City on the Long Island North Shore line. As of the 2000 census, there were 4,975 people, 1,753 households, and 1,416 families residing in the CDP. The median income for a household in the CDP was $101,122, and the median income for a family was $112,441. Males had a median income of $78,984 versus $44,464 for females. The latitude of Cold Spring Harbor is 40.871N. The longitude is -73.457W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 33 feet.

In 1650, an Englishman named the area Cold Spring after purchasing some acres of land here from the Matinecock Indians. The tribe lived here for a very long time and once called the area Wawapex which means “place of good water.” The community was officially named Cold Spring Harbor in 1825 for its freshwater springs running north through the area and into the harbor. In the mid-1800s, Cold Spring Harbor supported a fleet of nine whaling vessels and coastal vessels carrying cargo from Long Island to towns along the Atlantic Coast and Caribbean. The area became one of the Long Island's busiest whaling ports, as well as one of the most popular vacation destination spots in the state of New York.

Many notable people have resided in the area such as Lindsay Lohan (actress), Meg Whitman (CEO of eBay), Wally Sczerbiak (NBA player), and Louis Comfort Tiffany (artist). The racial makeup consists of 97.03% White, 0.42% African American, 0.02% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. The Cold Spring Harbor Central School District offers opportunities for students to extend their individual learning styles and desires in academics, fine arts, clubs, social gatherings, athletics, and other opportunities, while at the same time providing services for all students regardless of their physical, educational interest or limitations.

The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum are among the attractions in the area. The museum is a great place especially for kids to have fun and to see what the days of whaling were all about. It collects, preserves, and exhibits objects and documents relevant to whaling. Also, don’t forget to visit the Cold Spring Harbor State Park with hiking trails and bird-watching within 40 acres in the heart of Cold Spring Harbor. Main Street is just the right place to keep you busy for a while with it being lined with unique boutiques, restaurants, and specialty shops. You’ll find everything from a Madhatter's Boutique and a Heavenly Bears shop full of rare and hard to find artist bears and collectibles, to a dollhouse carpenter specializing in custom-made miniature creations at the famed Kellogg's Doll's Houses. Several places to dine in Main Street are Bedlam Street Fish and Clam Co., Grasso’s Restaurant, and The Little Red Barn on the east side (across from Grasso’s).