Orient, New York
"Bug Light" in Orient Harbor
Location on Long Island
U.S. Census Map
Coordinates: 41°8′43″N 72°17′19″W / 41.14528, -72.28861
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Suffolk
Area
- Total	6.1 sq mi (15.8 km²)
- Land	5.1 sq mi (13.2 km²)
- Water	1.0 sq mi (2.7 km²)
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	709
- Density	139.2/sq mi (53.8/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	11957
Area code(s)	631
FIPS code	36-55321
GNIS feature ID	0959470

Orient is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. United States. The population was 709 at the 2000 census.

Orient and Orient Point are used almost interchangeably. However Orient Point refers specifically to the very end of the North Fork of Long Island while Orient is the hamlet immediately next to it.

Orient is in the Town of Southold.

History and Tourism

Orient is the eastern-most hamlet in the town of Southold on Long Island's picturesque North Fork. It was originally named Poquatuck, after the name of the local native American tribe that resided along the inland waterways, then Oyster Ponds. Legend has it that when Oyster Bay, New York became famous during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt, the name was changed to Orient to match the name of its most prominent land feature, Orient Point.

How did Orient get its name?

Orient and East Marion were originally called Oysterponds because of the abundance of shellfish in the area. What is now Orient was known as Lower Neck, while East Marion was called Upper Neck. The communities separated in 1836 and the name Orient was chosen to reflect that area's easternmost position on the North Fork. East Marion was named for Revolutionary War Gen. Francis Marion, known as the Swamp Fox. "East" was tacked on to Marion because of an existing Marion upstate.^[1] Orient's winter population swells to well over 1000 in the summer months. Other than a post office, a gas station, a country store, and a few seasonal tourist stands, there is no center of commerce, hence its residents depend on nearby Greenport for every-day necessities. Many make a living at the US Government's Department of Agriculture lab on nearby Plum Island, a 5 minute boat ride from Orient Point across Plum Gut, or at businesses further inland. Truck farming and commercial fishing industry remains as well. Definitely New England in style and flavor, the hamlet of Orient has homes built over the last 3 centuries. Locals joke that a "new house" is anything built since World War II.

The hamlet was originally settled by five families given a land grant by the King of England in the 1600s, and their names King, Terry, Latham, Tuthill and Vail still resonate to this day in stories and legends. Later, Orient was used as a base of operations by British commanders such as Benedict Arnold and local Tories during the American Revolution to conduct raids on Yankee-held Connecticut. Among Benedict Arnold's headquarters was a local tavern owned and operated by the Vail family on what is now known as "Village Lane".

The Cross Sound Ferry currently operates a vehicle/passenger ferry service between Orient Point and New London, Connecticut. This service has expanded in recent years with Sea Jet service being provided to the Foxwoods Casino. This has resulted in some tensions with locals over congestion on the local roads.

Geography

Orient is located at 41°8′43″N, 72°17′19″W (41.145410, -72.288689)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the hamlet has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.9 km²), of which, 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²) of it is land and 1.0 square miles (2.7 km²) of it (16.83%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 709 people, 330 households, and 205 families residing in the hamlet. The population density was 139.2 per square mile (53.8/km²). There were 673 housing units at an average density of 132.2/sq mi (51.1/km²). The racial makeup of the community was 97.32% White, 0.56% African American, 0.99% Asian, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.

There were 330 households out of which 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the community the population was spread out with 18.1% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 15.7% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 34.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the community was $45,461, and the median income for a family was $50,833. Males had a median income of $43,571 versus $31,111 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $29,382. About 2.4% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ Getting Curious About the Past - Wetlands, Long Island Expressway, Newsday - Newsday.com
2. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Orient, New York is at coordinates 41°08′44″N 72°17′19″W / 41.14541, -72.288689 (Orient, New York)Coordinates: 41°08′44″N 72°17′19″W / 41.14541, -72.288689 (Orient, New York)