Montauk, New York

Montauk derives its name from the Montaukett tribe, an Algonquian-speaking tribe who lived in the area. In 1614, Dutch explorer Adriaen Block encountered the tribe at Montauk Point, which he named {{lang|nl|Hoeck van de Visschers}}, or "Point of the Fishers".{{Cite web|last=Wick|first=Steve|url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs216a,0,6109119.story|title=Property of the Netherlands|website=Newsday|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041217053943/http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs216a,0,6109119.story|archive-date=December 17, 2004}} Two decades later, in 1637, the Montauketts sided for their own protection with the New England settlers in the Pequot War in Connecticut. In the aftermath the Montauketts were to sell Gardiners Island. In 1648 what would become the Town of Easthampton1686 Dongan Patent{{full citation needed|date=February 2021}} (first Maidstone) was sold to settlers by the colony of Connecticut and the colony of New Haven while retaining the lands to the east, from the hills rising above where the first fort stood (Napeague, New York) to Montauk Point. The western boundary of today's Hither Hills State Park is also known as the 1648 purchase line.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In 1653, the Narragansett-Montaukett War started. Narragansetts under Ninigret attacked and burned the Montaukett village, killing 30 and capturing one of Chief Wyandanch's daughters. The daughter was recovered with the aid of Lion Gardiner (who in turn was given a large portion of Smithtown, New York in appreciation). The Montauketts, ravaged by smallpox and fearing extermination by the Narragansetts, were provided temporary refuge by white settlers in East Hampton. Many short but famous battles ensued.The Narragansetts "would have exterminated the whole Montauk tribe if they had not received help from the white settlers.” Cited in {{cite web |url=http://longislandgenealogy.com/indians.html |title=Long Island Indians and The Early Settlers |work=Long Island Genealogy |access-date=2013-04-27}} The skirmishes ended in 1657. Fort Pond Bay derives its name from a Montaukett "fort" on its shore. A deed was issued in 1661 titled "Ye deed of Guift" which granted all of the lands east of Fort Pond to be for the common use of both the indigenous people and the townsmen.[http://www.montauk.com/legal/town_biase/MtnLeave2000v2OSC.pdf "Ye Deed of Guift", 1661] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621001505/http://www.montauk.com/legal/town_biase/MtnLeave2000v2OSC.pdf |date=June 21, 2023 }}, pp. 11–19

Further purchase agreements were entered into in 1661, 1672 and 1686 which, among other things, allowed a group of Easthampton townsmen to graze cattle on the Montaukett lands. While some lands were protected in the agreements as forest land, for the most part, all of Montauk was maintained by the townsmen as a private livestock and fisheries operation. As a result of Montauk being operated as a livestock operation, the site now known as Deep Hollow Ranch is considered to be the oldest cattle ranch in the United States.{{cite news |url=https://libn.com/2004/01/23/1658-the-first-home-of-home-on-the-range/ |title=1658: The first home of home on the range |date=January 23, 2004 |work=Long Island Business News |access-date=June 20, 2024}}

In 1660, Wyandanch's widow sold all of Montauk from Napeague to the tip of the island for 100 pounds to be paid in 10 equal installments of "Indian corn or good wampum at six to a penny".{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Benjamin Franklin |title=History of Long Island; Containing an Account of the Discovery and Settlement; with Other Important and Interesting Matters to the Present Time |url=https://archive.org/details/historylongisla00thomgoog |access-date=2010-04-17 |year=1839 |publisher=E. French |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/historylongisla00thomgoog/page/n191 185]}} However, the tribe was to be permitted to stay on the land, to hunt and fish at will on the land, and to harvest the tails and fins of whales that washed up dead on the East Hampton shores. Town officials who bought the land were to file for reimbursement for the rum with which they had plied the tribe.[http://www.easthamptonlibrary.org/lic/lectures/gaynellstonelecture.htm The Material History of the Montaukett], lecture by Gaynell Stone, East Hampton Public Library, January 31, 1998 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207062207/http://www.easthamptonlibrary.org/lic/lectures/gaynellstonelecture.htm |date=December 7, 2006 }} The tribe was to continue residence until the 19th century in the area around Big Reed Pond in what was to be called "Indian Fields".{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In 1686, Governor of New York Thomas Dongan issued a patent creating the governing system for East Hampton. The patent did not extend beyond Napeague to Montauk. This lack of authority has formed the basis for various control disputes ever since.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

File:Culloden-point.jpg

During the Siege of Boston in the Revolutionary War, a British ship visited Fort Pond Bay in 1775 in search of provisions—notably cattle. John Dayton, who had limited troops at his disposal on a hill above the bay, feigned that he had more by walking them back and forth across a hill turning their coats inside out to make it look like there were more of them (a tactic referred to as "Dayton's Ruse").{{cite news |title=An Old Dayton House Saved From Bulldozer |first=Julia C. |last=Mead |url=http://www.easthamptonstar.com/DNN/Archive/1998/980115/news1.htm |newspaper=The East Hampton Star |date=January 15, 1998 |access-date=2010-01-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111191435/http://www.easthamptonstar.com/DNN/Archive/1998/980115/news1.htm |archive-date=November 11, 2009 }}

In 1781, the British {{HMS|Culloden|1776|6}} ran aground near what today is called Culloden Point while pursuing a French frigate. The ship was scuttled, but its remains were discovered in the 1970s. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite news |url=https://www.easthamptonstar.com/archive/whats-name-culloden-point |title= What's In A Name?: Culloden Point |first=Michelle |last=Napoli |date=March 5, 1998 |work=The East Hampton Star |access-date=June 20, 2024}}

In 1792, Congress authorized construction of the Montauk Lighthouse. It was completed in 1796.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/19/nyregion/restoring-lighthouse-in-montauk.html |title=Restoring Lighthouse In Montauk |first=Barbara |last=Delatiner |date=November 19, 1995 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 20, 2024}}

File:友誼號上岸處.jpg

File:La Amistad (ship) restored.jpg

File:Montauk Point (NYPL b13512827-424323).jpg

In 1839, slaves who had seized the schooner La Amistad came ashore in the hamlet looking for provisions after being told by the white crew they had returned to Africa. American authorities were alerted, and the slaves were recaptured and ultimately freed in a historically significant trial.{{cite web |url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3080/ |title = Unidentified Young Man |website = World Digital Library |date = 1839–1840 |access-date = July 28, 2013 }}

A judgment was entered in 1851 against the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the Town of Easthampton, and on March 9, 1852, a deed to Montauk was given to plaintiffs Henry P. Hedges and others, because their predecessors had contributed the money to purchase Montauk from the native Montaukett Indians in the 1600s. This deed caused the lands covered by the Dongan Patent to be split.{{cite news |title=Finding of Lost Papers Recalls Eastern L.I. Indian History |date=July 9, 1922 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/556795722/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 20, 2024}} Less than one month later, on April 2, 1852, a state law was passed that incorporated the proprietors of Montauk, establishing the corporation of the trustees of Montauk and affirming its right to govern.{{cite book |chapter=An act to incorporate the proprietors of Montauk lands, in the town of Easthampton, in Suffolk County |date=1852 |title=Laws of the State of New York |pages=173–175 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xXM4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA173}}{{cite web |url=https://montauklibrary.org/services/montauk-library-historic-archives-1/montauk-library-historic-archives/montauk-quick-historic-facts/ |title=Montauk Quick Historic Facts |publisher=Montauk Library |access-date=June 20, 2024}}

Stephen Talkhouse was displayed in 1867 by P. T. Barnum as "the last king of the Montauks." Talkhouse became famous for his walks around the South Fork.{{cite news |title=An Indian Named Pharaoh |date=March 13, 1998 |work=Newsday |first=Steve |last=Wick |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/707440728/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 20, 2024}}

In 1879, Arthur W. Benson paid US$151,000 for {{convert|10,000|acre|km2}} for the east end. The deed releasing claim to Montauk was entered on March 9, 1852. Benson also received clear title to the Montaukett property at Big Reed Pond, buying it from tribesmen for $10 each, and in one case one of the tribesmen's houses was burned down. The legitimacy of the transaction is still being contested in court by the tribe. Construction began in 1882 on seven Shingle-style "cottages" designed by Stanford White, which were the centerpiece of Benson's plans. The most prominent of the six Montauk Association houses is Tick Hall, which was owned by entertainer Dick Cavett from 1967 to October 2021, when he sold it for $23.6 million.{{cite web|url=https://www.cottagesgardens.com/dick-cavett-sells-legendary-montauk-home-known-as-tick-hall-for-23-6m/|title=Dick Cavett Sells Legendary Montauk Home Known As Tick Hall for $23.6M|magazine=Cottages & Gardens|author=Holmberg, Anikka|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=October 23, 2011|access-date=October 11, 2022|archivedate=November 19, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119012629/https://www.cottagesgardens.com/dick-cavett-sells-legendary-montauk-home-known-as-tick-hall-for-23-6m/}}

The first train from the Austin Corbin extension of the Long Island Rail Road pulled into Montauk in 1895,{{cite web |url=http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirrphotos/LIRR%20STATION%20HISTORY.pdf |title=LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD: Alphabetical Station Listing and History |first1=Dave |last1=Keller |first2=Vincent F. |last2=Seyfried |first3=Robert M. |last3=Emery |first4=Art |last4=Huneke |first5=Jeff |last5=Erlitz |first6=Richard |last6=Makse |first7=Robert L. |last7=Myers |first8=David M |last8=Morrison |first9=Derek |last9=Stadler |display-authors=et al. |website=transarefun.com |date=April 22, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2024}} and the Cannonball, its premier train to and from New York, made its first run four years later.{{cite book |last=Morrison |first=David D. |date=2021 |title=Long Island Rail Road: Montauk Branch |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=9781467106900}}{{rp|110}} Corbin planned to turn Montauk into a "shortcut", saving a day each way for voyages between New York City and London: ships would dock at the Fort Pond Bay terminal and passengers would travel by rail to New York City in two hours. Corbin built the dock on Fort Pond Bay, but the plans never materialized when, among other things, Fort Pond Bay was found to be too shallow and rocky to handle oceangoing ships.{{cite news |title=The Fort Pond Bay Project |work=The Brooklyn Standard Union |date=June 18, 1896 |page=2 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-union-the-fort-pond-bay-pro/150165289/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 20, 2024}}

In 1898, after the Benson/Corbin plan did not work out as planned, the United States Army bought the Benson property to establish a base called Camp Wikoff to quarantine Army personnel returning from the Spanish–American War. The most prominent of the returning quarantined soldiers were Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders.{{cite news |last=Gearty |first=Robert |title=Park is Teddy Terrain; Renaming in Montauk for Roosevelt |work=Daily News |location=New York |date=January 4, 1998 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/477654119/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=June 20, 2024}} Several soldiers died during the quarantine, prompting questions about the camp's conditions and a visit from President William McKinley.{{cite web |url=https://montauklibrary.org/throwback-thursday-veterans-at-camp-wikoff/ |title=Throwback Thursday – Veterans at Camp Wikoff |date=November 8, 2023 |publisher=Montauk Library |access-date=June 20, 2024}}

File:Montauk Manor.jpg as part of his project to turn Montauk into the Miami Beach of the north]]

In 1924, Robert Moses began condemning the Benson land to establish state parks on either end of Montauk − Hither Hills State Park in the west and Montauk Point State Park in the east. The two parks were to be connected via the Montauk Point State Parkway.

In 1926, Carl G. Fisher bought most of the East End of Long Island ({{convert|10000|acres|km2|abbr=on}}) for only $2.5 million. He planned to turn Montauk into the "Miami Beach of the North", a "Tudor village by the sea".{{cite news |last=Tuma |first=Debbie |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/11/nyregion/montauk-embraces-its-legacy.html?src=pm |title=Montauk Embraces Its Legacy |work=The New York Times |date=August 11, 2002}} His projects included blasting a hole through the freshwater Lake Montauk to access Block Island Sound to replace the shallow Fort Pond Bay as the hamlet's port; establishing the Montauk Yacht Club and the Montauk Downs Golf Course; and building Montauk Manor, a luxury resort hotel; the Montauk Tennis Auditorium, which became a movie theater (and is now the Montauk Playhouse); and the six-story Carl Fisher Office Building (later the Montauk Improvement Building and now The Tower at Montauk, a residential condominium). This last building remains East Hampton's tallest occupied building, as zoning ordinances restricted heights of later buildings. The 30 or so buildings Fisher put up between 1926 and 1932 were designed in the Tudor Revival style. Fisher had successfully developed Miami Beach before beginning his Montauk project, but although he continued to pour his money into the development, to the extent of $12 million in total, he eventually lost his fortune due to the Wall Street Crash of 1929, and most of his enterprises were shut down. Other hotels that opened at the time of Fisher's project include Gurney's Inn, built by W. J. and Maude Gurney, who had managed a Fisher hotel in Miami Beach.

In the Great Hurricane of 1938, water flooded across Napeague, turning Montauk into an island. Floodwaters from the hurricane inundated the main downtown, and it was moved {{convert|3|mi|0}} to the south, immediately next to the Atlantic Ocean.

File:Camp hero radar ANFPS-35.jpg, which became the centerpiece of the Montauk Project conspiracy theory]]

During World War II the United States Navy bought most of the east end, including Montauk Manor, to turn it into a military base. Fort Pond Bay became a seaplane base. The U.S. Army established Camp Hero with {{convert|16|in|mm|adj=on}} guns to protect New York shipping lanes. Several concrete bunker observation posts were built along the coast, including one immediately to the east of the Montauk Lighthouse. Base buildings were disguised so they would appear from above as a New England fishing village.

In 1951, sport fisherman Frank Mundus began to lead charter fishing trips out of Lake Montauk, initially looking for bluefish but soon found fishing for sharks was more lucrative. The sport of "monster fishing" became Montauk's signature draw.

On September 1, 1951, the Pelican, captained by Eddie Carroll, capsized in the shoals off Montauk Point, resulting in the deaths of 45 passengers and crew. The {{convert|42|ft|m|adj=on}} Pelican was carrying 64 people, most of whom had taken the Fisherman's Special trains to the Montauk LIRR station from New York City. The boat left the Fishangrila Dock at Fort Pond Bay at 7:30 a.m., severely overloaded. After fishing in the Atlantic Ocean on the south side of Montauk for several hours, it returned home, encountering engine trouble on the way. The weather turned stormy, and a northeast wind developed against an outgoing tide, resulting in standing waves of several feet at Endeavor Shoals, just off the Point. The vessel, wallowing in the heavy seas, became unstable in its overloaded state, capsized and then foundered at 2:10 p.m. Nearby vessels were only able to rescue 19 passengers. The wreck was secured by fabled sport fisherman Frank Mundus and towed into Lake Montauk by the Coast Guard. As a result of the disaster, strict new regulations regarding overloading of fishing vessels were adopted nationwide.{{cite book |last=Clavin |first=Tom |title=Dark Noon: The Final Voyage of the Fishing Boat Pelican |year=2005 |publisher=International Marine |location=Camden, ME |isbn=0-07-148659-3 }}

In 1957, the Army closed Camp Hero, and it was taken over by the United States Air Force, which in 1958 built a {{convert|100|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} AN/FPS-35 radar. A massive building was erected to house its computers.

File:Shops on Main Street south side Montauk.jpg

In 1959, following the Kitchen Debate between United States Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, the designers of the kitchen, including Raymond Loewy, announced plans to sell affordable prefabricated houses, called Leisurama, to be used for second homes. One of the houses was exhibited on the 9th floor of Macy's. Two hundred of the houses, the largest installation, were assembled at Culloden Point in Montauk.

In 1967, the United States Coast Guard announced plans to tear down the Montauk Lighthouse and replace it with a taller steel tower. Erosion had reduced its buffer from the edge of a cliff from {{convert|300|ft|m}} when it was built to less than {{convert|100|ft|m}}. After protests, the Coast Guard backed down from the plan. In 1982, the Air Force base formally closed, and the military began selling its surplus property.

Montauk Friends of Olmsted Parks LLC was established in 1994 to protect an extensive system of beaches and waterfront properties and roadways.

In 1995, Montauk became the birthplace of the extreme surfcasting technique known as skishing. The sport involves donning a wetsuit and flippers and swimming into the ocean with rod and reel to catch fish while drifting offshore.{{cite news |last=Rhoads |first=Christopher |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703636404575353323048912844 |title=Swimming With The Fishes: Angler's Tangle Over 'Skishing' |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=July 26, 2010}}{{cite magazine |last=Burke |first=Monte |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/1027/202.html |title=Skishing |magazine=Forbes |date=October 27, 2005}}{{cite web |last=DeBenedetto |first=David |url=http://www.stripersontherun.com/excerpt.html |title=Swimming With the Fishes |website=On The Run: An Angler's Journey Down Striper Coast |date=September 16, 2003}}

File:Montauk-map.gif of Montauk]]

In October 2007, a fishing boat dragged up a large 19th-century anchor, which was speculated to have been lost by the SS Great Eastern in 1862.{{cite news |title=Great Eastern? Anchor from One of the World's Largest Ships Is Hauled Up off Montauk |first=Dan |last=Rattiner |author-link=Dan Rattiner |url=http://www.danshamptons.com/content/danspapers/issue30_2007/04.html |newspaper=Dan's Papers |date=October 19, 2007 |access-date=2010-02-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108165111/http://www.danshamptons.com/content/danspapers/issue30_2007/04.html |archive-date=January 8, 2009 }} In 2008, an unidentifiable carcass known as the "Montauk Monster" was discovered near the hamlet's business district, with much speculation as to its identity. In August 2016 OCEARCH designated the waters off of Montauk and the rest of the South Shore of Long Island as a birthing ground for great white sharks.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the hamlet has a total area of {{convert|19.8|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|17.5|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|2.3|sqmi|km2}}, or 11.53%, is water.

Montauk has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), under the Köppen climate classification, and using the {{convert|0|C}} isotherm, is one of the northernmost locations in North America with this climate type. The presence of the Atlantic Ocean brings warmer winters than inland areas of the same latitude as well as cooler springs and summers: despite an extensive urban heat island and warmer lows throughout much of the year, Central Park in Manhattan, as compared to Montauk, averages twice as many days with a low reaching {{convert|10|°F|0}} or below.{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USW00094728.normals.txt|website=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525073804/ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USW00094728.normals.txt|archive-date=2017-05-25|url-status=dead|title=Station Name: NY NEW YORK CNTRL PK TWR |access-date=2013-06-27}} The monthly daily average temperature ranges from {{convert|34.4|°F|1}} in January to {{convert|74.0|°F|1}} in July. There is {{convert|44.31|in|sigfig=3}} of precipitation annually, with a slight dry season in summer and wet season in late fall and early winter. Montauk's warm subtropical climate makes it a popular vacation destination in the winter for New Yorkers and people from upstate New York.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, Montauk is in Plant Hardiness Zone 7b/8a, with an annual average extreme minimal temperature of 10 degrees Fahrenheit, which allows subtropical plants to grow that would otherwise only be able to grow in the Deep South.[https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx "Annual Average Extreme Minimal Temperature, 1976-2005"] USDA Agricultural Research Service

{{Weather box

|location = Montauk Airport, New York, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1998–present

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 64

|Feb record high F = 64

|Mar record high F = 71

|Apr record high F = 89

|May record high F = 88

|Jun record high F = 92

|Jul record high F = 98

|Aug record high F = 98

|Sep record high F = 91

|Oct record high F = 84

|Nov record high F = 76

|Dec record high F = 70

|Jan avg record high F = 55.7

|Feb avg record high F = 54.0

|Mar avg record high F = 61.3

|Apr avg record high F = 70.8

|May avg record high F = 80.1

|Jun avg record high F = 86.0

|Jul avg record high F = 90.9

|Aug avg record high F = 88.5

|Sep avg record high F = 82.9

|Oct avg record high F = 75.5

|Nov avg record high F = 66.4

|Dec avg record high F = 60.3

|year avg record high F = 92.1

|Jan high F = 39.6

|Feb high F = 40.5

|Mar high F = 45.8

|Apr high F = 55.0

|May high F = 64.4

|Jun high F = 74.2

|Jul high F = 80.3

|Aug high F = 79.6

|Sep high F = 73.1

|Oct high F = 63.3

|Nov high F = 53.5

|Dec high F = 45.3

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 33.7

|Feb mean F = 34.3

|Mar mean F = 39.5

|Apr mean F = 48.1

|May mean F = 57.0

|Jun mean F = 66.9

|Jul mean F = 73.2

|Aug mean F = 72.9

|Sep mean F = 66.7

|Oct mean F = 57.1

|Nov mean F = 47.6

|Dec mean F = 39.4

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 27.7

|Feb low F = 28.1

|Mar low F = 33.2

|Apr low F = 41.2

|May low F = 49.6

|Jun low F = 59.6

|Jul low F = 66.2

|Aug low F = 66.2

|Sep low F = 60.4

|Oct low F = 51.0

|Nov low F = 41.6

|Dec low F = 33.6

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = 11.3

|Feb avg record low F = 14.1

|Mar avg record low F = 19.7

|Apr avg record low F = 30.1

|May avg record low F = 38.9

|Jun avg record low F = 49.5

|Jul avg record low F = 58.9

|Aug avg record low F = 56.7

|Sep avg record low F = 49.5

|Oct avg record low F = 39.6

|Nov avg record low F = 28.1

|Dec avg record low F = 20.5

|year avg record low F = 9.4

|Jan record low F = 5

|Feb record low F = -2

|Mar record low F = 8

|Apr record low F = 25

|May record low F = 31

|Jun record low F = 43

|Jul record low F = 51

|Aug record low F = 54

|Sep record low F = 39

|Oct record low F = 30

|Nov record low F = 19

|Dec record low F = 12

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 3.63

|Feb precipitation inch = 3.20

|Mar precipitation inch = 4.18

|Apr precipitation inch = 3.66

|May precipitation inch = 3.19

|Jun precipitation inch = 3.50

|Jul precipitation inch = 2.81

|Aug precipitation inch = 4.02

|Sep precipitation inch = 3.64

|Oct precipitation inch = 4.22

|Nov precipitation inch = 3.91

|Dec precipitation inch = 4.35

|year precipitation inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 12.2

|Feb precipitation days = 9.9

|Mar precipitation days = 10.0

|Apr precipitation days = 11.2

|May precipitation days = 11.9

|Jun precipitation days = 10.3

|Jul precipitation days = 8.7

|Aug precipitation days = 9.4

|Sep precipitation days = 9.8

|Oct precipitation days = 10.5

|Nov precipitation days = 9.9

|Dec precipitation days = 11.2

|year precipitation days = 125.0

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|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00054780&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Montauk AP, NY

|access-date = September 14, 2023

}}

|source 2 = National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020)

{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=okx

|publisher = National Weather Service

|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS New York

|access-date = September 14, 2023

}}

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{{US Census population

|2000= 3851

|2010= 3326

|2020= 4318

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}

}}

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,326 people,{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|website=US Census Bureau|access-date=16 November 2016}} down from 3,851 at the time of the 2000 census. There were 1,422 total households in the CDP.{{cite web|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 more information 2010 Demographic Profile Data |url=https://www.census.gov|website=US Census Bureau |access-date=16 November 2016 }} The population density was 190 people per square mile.{{cite web|title=Montauk, New York|url=http://www.city-data.com/city/Montauk-New-York.html|website=City-data.com|access-date=16 November 2016}} There were 4,666 housing units. The racial makeup of the hamlet was 91.2% White, 3.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.2% Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0.1% and 5.0% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.10% of the population.

There were 1,593 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.90.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|website=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,329, and the median income for a family was $50,493. Males had a median income of $40,063 versus $28,299 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $23,875. About 8.3% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

File:Montauk-shark.jpg copy of the {{convert|3427|lb|adj=on}} {{convert|17|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} great white shark on the Lake Montauk waterfront. It is claimed to have been the biggest great white caught by rod and reel.]]

Montauk is considered a beach resort, using its position at the tip of Long Island to promote itself as "The End" or "The Last Resort", and has become one of the busiest tourist locations in East Hampton. It has many restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and hotels, and is a popular vacation spot in the warm months. Such accommodations are rarer elsewhere in the Hamptons. Many Montauk hotels are only open from April to November, some for shorter time periods, and a few year-round, including Gurney's Inn.

Lake Montauk, a small bay on the north side of town, is home to a US Coast Guard station and a small fishing fleet, both commercial and recreational.

In 2007, Newsday listed 47 businesses in the category of "Hotel" in Montauk. They represented 2,030 rooms.[http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/localguide/montauk/ny-xli-montaukhotels,0,2238085.htmlstory?coll=ny-explore-mon-mezz Newsday article]

Montauk is a favored destination for weekend partiers who, as of 2015, had exceeded the local inhabitants' tolerance for noise and disruption.{{cite news|author=Rutenberg, Jim|author-link=Jim Rutenberg|title=The Battle for the Soul of the Hamptons|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/fashion/the-battle-for-the-soul-of-the-hamptons.html|access-date=August 30, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 28, 2015|quote=...a new horde of speculators (moguls, nightclub impresarios and their yearly multiplying conspicuous consumers) drives and flies ever eastward from Manhattan toward that beguiling jewel of Long Island, the Hamptons.}}

The Montauk Station on the Long Island Rail Road provides train service along the Montauk Branch to other parts of Long Island and to New York City, and Hampton Jitney provides bus service to Manhattan. Suffolk County Transit does not operate any fixed-route bus service to Montauk, though the town is part of the East Hampton on-demand zone, which extends as far west as the East Hampton station, the eastern terminus of route 92. On-demand bus service operates 7 days a week between 6 AM and 8 PM, including holidays.{{Cite web |title=SCT On Demand |url=https://sctbus.org/SCT-On-Demand |access-date=2024-04-27 |website=sctbus.org}} Small planes can fly into the Montauk Airport.

Montauk's six state parks, from west to east, are:

File:Montauk Harbor south jetty by Don Ramey Logan.jpg

• Hither Hills State Park
• Shadmoor State Park
• Montauk Downs State Park
• Amsterdam Beach State Park
• Camp Hero State Park
• Montauk Point State Park

In addition, there is Montauk County Park and several East Hampton parks and Nature Conservancy areas.

It is in the Montauk Union Free School District.{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36103_suffolk/DC20SD_C36103.pdf|title=2020 census - school district reference map: Suffolk County, NY|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|page=3 (PDF p. 4/6)|date=January 12, 2021|access-date=2025-03-19}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36103_suffolk/DC20SD_C36103_SD2MS.txt Text list]

• Edward Albee (1928–2016), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, who died in 2016 in his home there
• Peter Beard (1938–2020), photographer
• Perry B. Duryea Jr. (1921–2004), politician
• Chris Clemence (born 1986), tattoo artist and songwriter
• Tor Lundvall (born 1968), artist and musician
• Bernie Madoff (1938–2021), investment banker, fraudster, convicted felon, world's largest Ponzi scheme operatorPaynter, Sarah (March 20, 2023) [https://www.wsj.com/articles/bernie-madoffs-former-hamptons-home-sells-for-14-million-9f1beb5 "Bernie Madoff’s Former Hamptons Home Sells for $14 Million"] The Wall Street Journal
• Fred Melamed (born 1956), actor
• Paul Simon (born 1941), singer and songwriter[https://patch.com/new-york/easthampton/long-island-proud-paul-simon-montauk-lighthouse-montauk "Long Island Proud: Paul Simon, the Montauk Lighthouse and Montauk"] by T. J. Clemente, Patch, August 28, 2018
• Toots Thielemans (1922–2016), jazz musician
• Rufus Wainwright (1973), singer-songwriter
• Andy Warhol (1928–1987), artist and entrepreneur, bought the Church Estate, also known as Eothen in Montauk in 1972
• Tuesday Weld (born 1943), actress{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/now/tuesday-weld-scoops-compact-hamptons-202112624.html|title=Tuesday Weld Scoops Up Compact Hamptons Condo|author=Laura Euler|date=September 17, 2021|work=Yahoo!|access-date=May 13, 2022|archive-date=March 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323032908/https://www.yahoo.com/now/tuesday-weld-scoops-compact-hamptons-202112624.html|url-status=dead}}
• Pinchas Zukerman (born 1948), conductor

Films

File:Memory-motel.jpg

• 1964 – The science fiction thriller The Flesh Eaters began shooting on location in Montauk in 1962, when exterior sets and equipment suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Alma, halting production. Shooting was delayed for nearly a year while the producers regrouped to meet the escalating budget. The film was finally released on March 18, 1964.
• 1975 – The character Quint from the movie Jaws, played by Robert Shaw, was based on Frank Mundus, a shark hunter from Montauk. In the movie, Quint mentions he "caught a 16-footer [shark] off of Montauk."
• 1979 – Cocaine Cowboys was based almost entirely in Montauk, including at Andy Warhol's mansion.
• 1982 – In the film Deathtrap, thriller playwright Sidney Bruhl, played by Michael Caine, lives near Montauk, which he calls "the end of the line. Bloody symbolic." after waking up on a train there. He lives in East Hampton.
• 1997 – Montauk is an important location in the film Commandments.
• 2004 – Montauk plays a prominent role in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
• 2009 – Montauk is the setting for the movie Paper Man starring Jeff Daniels and Ryan Reynolds.
• 2013 – Montauk is a major setting of the film Peeples.
• 2017 – The plot of the film Return to Montauk was inspired by Max Frisch's 1975 novel Montauk.
• 2017 – The fictional St. Martin's Orphanage in Death Note is in Montauk.
• 2017 – The sci-fi/horror film The 5th Dimension investigates Montauk, claiming parts of it generate more electromagnetic energy than almost any other part of the globe.
• 2023 – The film No Hard Feelings is set in Montauk.

Television

• 1991 – In the debut episode of Fishing with John, host John Lurie takes guest Jim Jarmusch off the coast of Montauk to catch a shark.
• 1997 – In the episode "The One at the Beach" in season 3 of the American sitcom Friends, the six friends go to Montauk to find out more about Phoebe Buffay's birth mother.
• 2007 – Montauk is the main setting of episode 208 of Engaged and Underage on MTV, with Maribel and Julio working, residing, and getting married in the town.[https://archive.today/20130129150549/http://www.mtv.com/videos/engaged-and-underage-full-episode-maribel-and-julio/1566088/playlist.jhtml Full episode on MTV.com]
• 2011–15 – The fictional bar "The Stowaway" in Montauk is a central location in the TV series Revenge.
• 2012 – The first episode of the reality TV series Hotel Impossible features Gurney's Inn in Montauk.
• 2014–19 – The Showtime TV series The Affair is set in Montauk.
• 2016–present: Montauk was the original title and setting of the Netflix television series Stranger Things, created by the Duffer Brothers.
• 2017 – The first season of the Summer House reality TV series was filmed at a rental house at 90 Napeague Harbor Road{{cite web |author=Peterson, Oliver |url=http://www.danspapers.com/2016/12/rent-bravos-summer-house-near-montauk-for-165000/ |title=Rent Bravo's Summer House Near Montauk for $165,000 |publisher=danspapers.com |date=December 8, 2016 |access-date=2017-06-26}} on the extreme western edge of the Census Designated Place of Montauk which includes the hamlet of Montauk.http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st36_ny/place/p3649424_napeague/DC10BLK_P3649424_001.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

Music

• 1975–76 – The Rolling Stones stayed at Andy Warhol's estate in Montauk when they were on tour in 1975–76. The Memory Motel was said to be the only place in the area, at the time, with a pool table and a piano, and the Stones were said to hang out at the bar. The song "Memory Motel" was written during this period.
• 1990 – Billy Joel's song "The Downeaster Alexa", from his album Storm Front, tells the story of a Long Island fisherman's journey from Montauk through Block Island Sound on his ship.
• 2003 – Long Island indie rock band Brand New describes a shipwreck – a metaphor for a romantic break-up – off the tip of Montauk Point in the final song, "Play Crack the Sky", of their album Deja Entendu.
• 2005 – Circa Survive has a song titled "Meet Me in Montauk" from their album Juturna.
• 2005 – Ryan Star's song "Losing Your Memory", from the album 11:59, references Montauk to demonstrate he still thinks of the girl he left behind.
• 2005 – Bayside, a punk band from Queens, has a song entitled "Montauk".
• 2007 – Nelly Furtado's verse in the Timbaland song "Give It to Me" references Montauk.
• 2008 – The trance group Signalrunners released a song entitled "Meet Me in Montauk"
• 2012 – Rufus Wainwright wrote a song called "Montauk" which is dedicated to his daughter Viva and appears on his album Out of the Game.

Literature

• 1975 – Montauk is a novel by the Swiss writer Max Frisch which centers on the narrator's open relationship with Lynn, an American journalist; the novel inspired the 2017 film Return to Montauk.
• 1992 – Long Island residents Preston B. Nichols and Peter Moon wrote a science fiction novel, The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time, in which it was claimed the radar was used by the government to conduct time travel experiments, dubbed The Montauk Project. Among the claims is that it drove the residents of Montauk mad and their children were kidnapped. The book and its sequels were to expand on many Montaukett tales and other East End stories. The book has been perceived by some to be true, and the base has assumed something of a cult status among conspiracy buffs. It was also featured in a segment of the X-Files television series.
• 2003 – In the novel The Interpreter, by Suki Kim, the female protagonist Suzy Park visits Montauk, where the ashes of her parents have been committed to the sea.
• 2005 – Percy Jackson and his mother visit Montauk on vacation and are attacked by a Minotaur there in the fantasy-adventure novel The Lightning Thief.
• 2013 – Montauk is the subject of a conspiracy theory in Thomas Pynchon's novel Bleeding Edge.

Comics

• 1968 – present The fictional Legion Academy, a training center for super-powered individuals run by the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st Centuries of the DC Universe is at Montauk Point.

File:Old station house Montauk.jpg|Montauk's old LIRR station house, now an art gallery

File:Montauk Community Church.jpg|The Montauk Community Presbyterian Church was built in 1927

File:Leisurama-home crop.jpg|Leisurama house at Culloden Point

File:Gazebo on The Plaza Montauk.jpg|The gazebo on The Plaza.
Note the Tudor Revival architecture on the buildings behind it to the right, and the Tower at Montauk to the left.

File:The Tower at Montauk.jpg|The Tower at Montauk, originally the Carl Fisher Office Building

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Montauk, New York}}

{{wikivoyage|Montauk}}

• {{Official website|http://ehamptonny.gov/333/Montauk}}

{{EastHamptonNY}}

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Category:Census-designated places in New York (state)

Category:Hamlets in New York (state)

Category:Census-designated places in Suffolk County, New York

Category:Hamlets in Suffolk County, New York

Category:Populated coastal places in New York (state)

Category:Jaws (franchise)