The Town of East Hampton is full of historical heritage as well as modern day excitement. It is a unique town that has a rural, and yet vacation-like atmosphere, making it stand out as the perfect little "get-away." Whether you're looking for sun and sand during those heat intensive days of summer, or the charm and serenity of a winter wonderland, or something in between, East Hampton offers it all.
East Hampton was founded in the year 1648 by a group of farmers. Farming was the livelihood for most until the mid-1800's, when the town began to develop into a resort for the wealthy and art-oriented societies. Today, the Town of East Hampton, inclusive of Wainscott, East Hampton Village, Springs, Amagansett and Montauk, still represents the quaint and rustic, as well as the sophisticated and modern.
Wainscott, the first hamlet you enter heading east, is strong in its historical and agricultural landscape. Many of the farmhouses which dot the terrain date back to the 1700's.
The Village of East Hampton, "America's Most Beautiful Village," is fairly unscathed by modern clutter; its trees, greens, windmills and famous Town Pond are preserved as they were when this historic village was first settled.
Slightly north of the Village is the tiny hamlet of Springs, rural in its landscape and surrounded by the crystalline waters of Accabonac Harbor, Gardiner's Bay and Three Mile Harbor.
Amagansett, maintaining a great deal of historical character, with buildings dating back to the 1600's, combines tradition with modern tourism. It is situated between the sprawling dunes of the Atlantic Ocean on the south and uninterrupted farmland on the north.
Proceeding east, there are continuous rolling dunes on both the north and south sides of Napeague Strip which brings us into Montauk, the most eastern point of Long Island. Montauk is bordered by Block Island Sound on the north and the mighty Atlantic on the south. At the apex is the famous Montauk Lighthouse, built in 1796, to guide traveling ships and guard them against running ashore.
Photographer John Todaro