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Demographics
Location
East Hampton Town is the easternmost town on Long Island (Suffolk County, New York State). It encompasses a land area of 70 square miles on Long Island's south fork and has almost 70 miles of waterfront on 3 sides. The Town is bordered by the Town of Southampton to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, and Gardiner's Bay to the north.
Brief History
The original land, purchased from the Montauket Indians, covered about 30,000 acres. The first settlement within the present jurisdiction of the Town was made by Lion Gardiner on his privately-owned Gardiners Island in 1639, but organized settlement did not take place until 1648. The original name of the Town was Maidstone and fourteen years later became known as East Hampton. Whaling, fishing, farming and cattle-raising were the basis of the settlers' early economy.
Attractions
Present day East Hampton provides many artistic, cultural and historic points of interest including the Montauk Indian Museum, Old Hook Mill (built in 1806 and later restored), Deep Hollow Ranch (the oldest cattle ranch in America), Guild Hall (home of the John Drew Theater), among many others. The Atlantic Ocean, the bays and the harbors remain the Town's prime attractions, providing swimming, boating and fishing for summer visitors and year-round residents alike.