Country United States County Suffolk Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) Zip code 11978 Local time Saturday 7:00 AM | State New York Elevation 7 ft (2 m) FIPS code 36-80181 Population 1,747 (2013) Area code 631 | |
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Weather 3°C, Wind N at 26 km/h, 92% Humidity | ||
The Incorporated Village of Westhampton Beach is an incorporated village on the southeast coast of Long Island. Administratively it is in the Town of Southampton, Suffolk County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 1,721.
Contents
Map of Westhampton Beach, NY 11978, USA
History
The village of Westhampton Beach was incorporated in 1928. In 1938, almost all summer homes on its barrier beach were obliterated by a hurricane resulting in twenty-nine local deaths.
Like most of the shoreline of southern Long Island, the beach at Westhampton Beach was eroding shoreward, and in the 1960s this became a political issue. The project to protect the beaches in the area from further erosion was begun by the Army Corp of Engineers in 1966, but was only partially completed, due primarily to the failure of supporting funds from the state and local government. In addition the project design was seriously flawed. As a result, while up-current the beaches actually grew, in Westhampton Beach there was increased erosion at the beaches, and during the late 1970s and through the 1980s beach homes were washed away with every severe storm (nor'easter) that hit the coast. It was only after the nor'easter of November 1992 destroyed over eighty homes, that the Army Corp of Engineers began renewed repair efforts. In the mid-1990s, fifteen historic houses were relocated by the Army Corps of Engineers. The homes were moved off the beach and out of harm's way, at least for a while, but the beach is still eroding and addition damage is incurred with every storm. Additional work was required after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
The Crowther House, Foster-Meeker House, and U.S. Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Westhampton Beach has its own police and fire departments.
Geography
Westhampton Beach is located at 40°48′32″N 72°38′46″W (40.808995, -72.646009).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2), of which 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), or 2.35%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,902 people, 1805 households, and 498 families residing in the village. The population density was 654.2 people per square mile (252.4/km²). There were 2,279 housing units at an average density of 783.9 per square mile (302.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 89.17% White, 4.63% African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.84% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.68% of the population.
There were 805 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the village, the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $58,438, and the median income for a family was $74,412. Males had a median income of $55,625 versus $33,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $38,500. About 6.8% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.