Montauk, New York
Montauk is a hamlet (population around 4,000 residents) in Suffolk County, New York located on the South Shore of Long Island. It is in the Town of East Hampton on the easternmost area in Long Island, and thus in the easternmost area in New York State. It is home to Montauk Point State Park, site of the Montauk Point Lighthouse, and is named after the Montauk Indians. The median income for a household in the hamlet is estimated at approximately $42,329, and the median income for a family at $50,493.
In 1926, automotive and real estate pioneer and promoter Carl G. Fisher (1874-1939), who is credited with the successful development of Miami Beach, Florida, began working on a "Miami Beach of the north." His project at Montauk was to provide a warm season counterpart to the Florida development, near Manhattan. He and four associates purchased 9,000 acres and built a luxurious hotel, office building, marina, and attractions. The project built roads, planted nurseries, laid water pipes and built houses. However, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 cut short the promotional efforts, and the Montauk project went into receivership in 1932.
Due to its location and the ready availability of a large number of hotels, Montauk is very popular with vacationers and tourists. Many of the other East End towns have few accommodations and Montauk benefits from this absence. The town has in recent years become increasingly popular with college students from around the globe living and working in the U.S. on the summer working holiday visa, in particular large numbers of Irish students.
Near Montauk there is an abandoned military radar facility called Camp Hero, now part of Camp Hero State Park. A popular urban legend says the base was home to the Montauk Project, in which time travel was achieved. Montauk is nostalgically praised by singer-songwriter Billy Joel, who had summered in this posh hamlet for years. The song "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" from his album Storm Front tells the story of a Long Island fisherman's journey on his ship, named after Joel's daughter, through Montauk Sound.
