The North Fork

The North Fork is comprised of Southold Town and a majority of the Town of Riverhead, dotted with quaint rural hamlets, each as unique as the next. While the Hamptons have become known as a playground for the rich and famous, the North Fork of Long Island has managed to retain its rural character for nearly four centuries, making it a favorite destination for families, couples and just about anyone looking for a peaceful respite.

Both Riverhead & Southold, were founded as Southold Town, the “oldest English town in New York State,” in 1640, by Puritans from the New Haven Colony. “Yennecott,” as the native Corchuag Indians called it, encompassed all the land from Orient to Wading River. Although the new inhabitants lived peacefully with the natives for a short time, the Corchaug Indians were eventually pushed out or enslaved by Southolders.

Although under the thumb of England, during its early years, Southold was essentially in a world of its own. Just before the Revolutionary War, there were approximately 3,000 free residents, and most news from the outside came from Connecticut or from travelers. Taverns were the center of social life in Southold Town, as well as a place for the exchange of ideas and information. At that time Southold boasted more than 15 different taverns.

When war broke out, many Southold residents fled as the British began to occupy the area. Those who stayed behind were either forced to pledge allegiance to the crown or fight for their freedom. When the British finally fled in 1784, many of Southold’s refugees returned to discover a land that had been raped and plundered by the British occupiers. They struggled to rebuild their homes and replant their crops, and the years to follow would prove to be difficult ones for residents of Southold.

In 1792, a portion of Southold (now known as Riverhead) split from the town, due in part to the distance residents had to travel for town meetings.

Isolated from the rest of Long Island and New York, the rest of the world seemed to progress as the North Fork continued to maintain its early way of life and it wasn’t until the birth of Greenport that Southold finally began to catch up, piggybacking on the success of the village’s booming maritime industry. When the Greenport-Brooklyn rail line was built in 1844, Southold was no longer in isolation.

In fact the area’s popularity has grown over the years, most recently, thanks in part to skyrocketing interest in the area’s wine industry. Agri-business on the North Fork has spawned agri-tourism and, each year, countless numbers of visitors flock to the area, looking to indulge in the beauty, the sounds and the tastes of Long Island’s wine region.

The beauty of the grapevines that dot the landscape is matched by the quaint New England charm of the North Fork’s downtown areas, its historic homes and breathtaking water views of both the Long Island Sound to the north and the Peconic Bay to the south.

Coupled with fine restaurants, quaint shops, charming bed and breakfasts and an array of recreational activities, the North Fork is no longer the isolated rural community it once was and has now become one of the hottest getaway spots on the East Coast.