{ "name": "Montauk, New York", "url": "https://longislandtraffic.com/towns/suffolk/montauk/", "updated": "2026-09-17", "publisher": "Long Island Traffic (https://longislandtraffic.com)", "methodology": "https://longislandtraffic.com/towns/methodology/", "reuse": "Quote with credit and a link to the page URL above. Underlying federal and state datasets are public records.", "geography": { "slug": "montauk", "county": "suffolk", "censusName": "Montauk CDP", "geoType": "census-designated place", "legalStatus": "hamlet (unincorporated)", "geoid": "3648054", "gnisId": "2389495", "pop2020": 4318, "housingUnits2020": 4487, "landSqMi": 18.49, "waterSqMi": 17.34, "densityPerSqMi": 234, "internalPoint": [ 41.04754, -71.94637 ], "parentTown": "East Hampton town", "parentTownGeoid": "3610322194", "townShares": [ { "name": "East Hampton town", "share": 1 } ] }, "fatalCrashes2010to2024": { "period": "2010–2024", "crashes": 6, "deaths": 6, "pedestrianDeaths": 2, "bicyclistDeaths": 1, "motorcyclistDeaths": 0, "crashesWithDriverBac08": 0, "multiFatalityCrashes": 0, "onLimitedAccessHighways": { "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, "deathsPer100kResidentsPerYear": 9.3, "byYear": [ { "year": 2010, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2011, "crashes": 1, "deaths": 1 }, { "year": 2012, "crashes": 1, "deaths": 1 }, { "year": 2013, "crashes": 1, "deaths": 1 }, { "year": 2014, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2015, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2016, "crashes": 2, "deaths": 2 }, { "year": 2017, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2018, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2019, "crashes": 1, "deaths": 1 }, { "year": 2020, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2021, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2022, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2023, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2024, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 } ], "byTimeOfDay": { "known": 6, "morning6to10": 0, "midday10to16": 3, "evening16to20": 1, "night20to6": 2 }, "darkShare": 0.5, "topRoads": [ { "name": "Montauk Highway (NY 27)", "slug": "montauk-highway", "crashes": 3, "deaths": 3 }, { "name": "Flamingo Ave (CR 49)", "slug": null, "crashes": 2, "deaths": 2 }, { "name": "E Lake Dr", "slug": null, "crashes": 1, "deaths": 1 } ], "roadOwnership": { "period": "2015–2024", "crashes": 3, "owners": [ { "owner": "County Highway Agency", "crashes": 1 }, { "owner": "State Highway Agency", "crashes": 1 }, { "owner": "Town or Township Highway Agency", "crashes": 1 } ] } }, "allReportedCrashes": { "years": [ "2021", "2022", "2023", "2024" ], "scope": "parent-town", "municipalityCode": "EAST HAMPTON", "label": "Town of East Hampton", "total": 2486, "fatal": 5, "injury": 418, "propertyDamageOnly": 2063, "byYear": { "2021": 648, "2022": 666, "2023": 485, "2024": 687 }, "pedestrian": 20, "bicyclist": 42, "deer": 355, "otherAnimal": 19 }, "commute": { "workers16plus": 2117, "commutersNotWorkingFromHome": 1687, "meanTravelMinutes": { "value": 23, "moe": 8.5, "lowReliability": false }, "pct60MinPlus": { "value": 10.4, "moe": 5.6, "lowReliability": true }, "pct90MinPlus": { "value": 6.4, "moe": 4.6, "lowReliability": true }, "pctUnder15Min": { "value": 53.1, "moe": 7.3, "lowReliability": false }, "pctDroveAlone": { "value": 65.7, "moe": 7.2, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCarpooled": { "value": 2.8, "moe": 2, "lowReliability": true }, "pctPublicTransit": { "value": 4.3, "moe": 3.5, "lowReliability": true }, "pctCommuterRail": { "value": 1.4, "moe": 1.6, "lowReliability": true }, "pctBus": { "value": 0.3, "moe": 0.5, "lowReliability": true }, "pctWalked": { "value": 3.6, "moe": 3.6, "lowReliability": true }, "pctBicycle": { "value": 1.8, "moe": 1.6, "lowReliability": true }, "pctWorkedFromHome": { "value": 20.3, "moe": 5, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore6am": { "value": 4.4, "moe": 2.7, "lowReliability": true }, "pctLeaveBefore7am": { "value": 22.5, "moe": 6.3, "lowReliability": false }, "households": 1615, "pctNoVehicle": { "value": 4.6, "moe": 3.1, "lowReliability": true }, "pctThreePlusVehicles": { "value": 22.5, "moe": 6.6, "lowReliability": false }, "medianHouseholdIncome": { "value": 142961, "moe": 35566 }, "medianAge": { "value": 44.7, "moe": 9.5 } }, "benchmarks": { "county": { "workers16plus": 766432, "commutersNotWorkingFromHome": 674118, "meanTravelMinutes": { "value": 31.1, "moe": 0.4, "lowReliability": false }, "pct60MinPlus": { "value": 14.1, "moe": 0.4, "lowReliability": false }, "pct90MinPlus": { "value": 6.5, "moe": 0.3, "lowReliability": false }, "pctUnder15Min": { "value": 22.8, "moe": 0.6, "lowReliability": false }, "pctDroveAlone": { "value": 72.1, "moe": 0.4, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCarpooled": { "value": 7.5, "moe": 0.3, "lowReliability": false }, "pctPublicTransit": { "value": 4.8, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCommuterRail": { "value": 3.2, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBus": { "value": 0.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWalked": { "value": 1.4, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBicycle": { "value": 0.2, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWorkedFromHome": { "value": 12, "moe": 0.3, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore6am": { "value": 12, "moe": 0.4, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore7am": { "value": 30.2, "moe": 0.6, "lowReliability": false }, "households": 512565, "pctNoVehicle": { "value": 5.1, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "pctThreePlusVehicles": { "value": 28.8, "moe": 0.5, "lowReliability": false }, "medianHouseholdIncome": { "value": 130686, "moe": 1707 }, "medianAge": { "value": 41.7, "moe": 0.2 } }, "state": { "workers16plus": 9306567, "commutersNotWorkingFromHome": 7916632, "meanTravelMinutes": { "value": 32.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pct60MinPlus": { "value": 16.8, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pct90MinPlus": { "value": 5.3, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctUnder15Min": { "value": 20.5, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "pctDroveAlone": { "value": 48.8, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCarpooled": { "value": 6.3, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctPublicTransit": { "value": 21.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCommuterRail": { "value": 1.8, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBus": { "value": 5.1, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWalked": { "value": 5.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBicycle": { "value": 0.8, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWorkedFromHome": { "value": 14.9, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore6am": { "value": 10.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore7am": { "value": 26.3, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "households": 7722646, "pctNoVehicle": { "value": 29.2, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctThreePlusVehicles": { "value": 11.8, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "medianHouseholdIncome": { "value": 85974, "moe": 402 }, "medianAge": { "value": 39.8, "moe": 0.1 } }, "nation": { "workers16plus": 159114094, "commutersNotWorkingFromHome": 135071605, "meanTravelMinutes": { "value": 26.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pct60MinPlus": { "value": 8.6, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pct90MinPlus": { "value": 2.7, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctUnder15Min": { "value": 26, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctDroveAlone": { "value": 68.8, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCarpooled": { "value": 8.5, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctPublicTransit": { "value": 3.2, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCommuterRail": { "value": 0.3, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBus": { "value": 1.5, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWalked": { "value": 2.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBicycle": { "value": 0.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWorkedFromHome": { "value": 15.1, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore6am": { "value": 14.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore7am": { "value": 32.5, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "households": 129227496, "pctNoVehicle": { "value": 8.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctThreePlusVehicles": { "value": 21.9, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "medianHouseholdIncome": { "value": 80734, "moe": 166 }, "medianAge": { "value": 38.9, "moe": 0.1 } } }, "research": { "researchedAt": "2026-09-17", "identity": { "officialName": "Montauk", "placeType": "hamlet and census-designated place", "parentTown": "Town of East Hampton", "alsoIn": [], "formerNames": [], "nameOrigin": null, "founded": { "text": "No single founding or first-settlement date for Montauk was verified. The Montauk Historical Society's own account of its founding notes that its first president spent the 1950s cataloguing the '1648-1955 East Hampton Trustees' Journals,' indicating Montauk's land was long managed as common land of the Town of East Hampton (founded 1648) rather than settled as an independent community.", "src": [ 6 ] }, "incorporated": null, "gnisId": null, "wikidataId": null }, "quickFacts": [ { "label": "Legal status", "value": "Unincorporated hamlet of the Town of East Hampton; tabulated by the Census Bureau as the Montauk CDP", "src": [ 8 ] }, { "label": "Lighthouse", "value": "Montauk Point Lighthouse authorized by the Second Congress under President Washington in 1792; construction began June 7, 1796 and was completed November 5, 1796", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "label": "Lighthouse today", "value": "Oldest lighthouse in New York State; automated by the Coast Guard in 1987; ownership transferred to the Montauk Historical Society in 1996; designated a National Historic Landmark March 5, 2012", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "label": "Carl Fisher purchase", "value": "Reported as approximately 9,000-10,000 acres bought in 1925 for $2,500,000 (sources differ on the acreage)", "src": [ 3, 4 ] }, { "label": "Police", "value": "East Hampton Town Police Department, 131 Wainscott Northwest Road, Wainscott", "src": [ 8 ] }, { "label": "Court", "value": "East Hampton Town Justice Court, 159 Pantigo Road, East Hampton (jurisdiction covers the Town, including Montauk)", "src": [ 9 ] }, { "label": "School district", "value": "Montauk Union Free School District", "src": [ 12 ] } ], "timeline": [ { "date": "1792", "label": "Lighthouse authorized", "text": "The Second Congress, under President George Washington, authorized the Montauk Point Lighthouse.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "date": "1796-06-07", "label": "Lighthouse construction begins", "text": "Construction began on the Montauk Point Lighthouse.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "date": "1796-11-05", "label": "Lighthouse completed", "text": "Construction was completed; Jacob Hand was appointed the first keeper the same month.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "date": "1839", "label": "Amistad captives land at Montauk", "text": "A group of Africans who had mutinied aboard the schooner La Amistad came ashore at Culloden Point in Montauk seeking food and water before their ship was seized.", "src": [ 5 ] }, { "date": "1841", "label": "United States v. The Amistad decided", "text": "The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a decree freeing the Amistad captives.", "src": [ 7 ] }, { "date": "1842", "label": "Return to Sierra Leone", "text": "The Montauk Historical Society's account states that 35 freed Africans from the Amistad returned by boat to Sierra Leone.", "src": [ 5 ] }, { "date": "1925-09", "label": "Carl Fisher buys Montauk land", "text": "The East Hampton Star reported Carl Fisher's purchase of Montauk land for a planned resort development, in a front-page headline the Montauk Historical Society dates to on or about September 25, 1925.", "src": [ 4 ] }, { "date": "1927", "label": "Lake Montauk inlet cleared", "text": "Fisher's development included clearing an inlet from Block Island Sound into what became Lake Montauk.", "src": [ 3 ] }, { "date": "1962-01", "label": "Montauk Historical Society incorporated", "text": "The Montauk Historical Society was incorporated.", "src": [ 6 ] }, { "date": "1987", "label": "Lighthouse automated", "text": "The Coast Guard automated the Montauk Point Lighthouse, ending the resident-keeper era.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "date": "1996", "label": "Lighthouse ownership transferred", "text": "The Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the Montauk Historical Society.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "date": "2012-03-05", "label": "Lighthouse designated a National Historic Landmark", "text": "The Secretary of the Interior designated the Montauk Point Lighthouse a National Historic Landmark.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "date": "2021", "label": "Town buys Fisher House", "text": "The Town of East Hampton purchased Carl Fisher's former residence using Community Preservation Fund money.", "src": [ 3 ] } ], "sections": [ { "id": "history", "heading": "History", "paragraphs": [ "Montauk is the easternmost hamlet of the Town of East Hampton. Its land was long administered as common land of the town rather than settled as an independent community; the Montauk Historical Society notes that its founding president spent the 1950s, while East Hampton Town Clerk, indexing the town's own 1648-1955 Trustees' Journals, the records of the body that historically managed common lands including Montauk.[6] The Montauk Historical Society itself was incorporated in January 1962, \"just as our hamlet was on the cusp of rapidly transforming from a remote fishing village into a busy summer resort.\"[6]", "A notable but little-connected episode in Montauk's history is its link to the schooner La Amistad: in 1839 a group of illegally enslaved Africans who had mutinied aboard the ship came ashore at Culloden Point in Montauk seeking fresh water and food before their vessel was seized and towed to Connecticut.[5] The dispute over their status went to the U.S. Supreme Court, whose 1841 decision affirmed that they were free.[7] The Montauk Historical Society, the Eastville Community Historical Society and the Southampton African American Museum dedicated a historical marker at Culloden Point Beach commemorating the crew in 2023.[5]", "In September 1925 the East Hampton Star's front page announced Carl Fisher's purchase of Montauk land for a planned resort, under the headline \"CARL FISHER BUYS 9,000 ACRES AT MONTAUK FOR $2,500,000 PLANS HUGE DEVELOPMENT\"; the Montauk Historical Society, which now owns Fisher's former house, separately describes the purchase as \"approximately 10,000 unspoiled acres\" — the two figures differ.[3][4] Fisher, previously the developer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Miami Beach, built roads, a water system, the Montauk Manor, a yacht club, a golf club, a school, a seven-story office building and other infrastructure, and in 1927 had an inlet cleared from Block Island Sound into what became Lake Montauk.[3] His venture ultimately failed. His house at 44 Foxboro Road was purchased by the Town of East Hampton at the end of 2021 using Community Preservation Fund money, for eventual use as a museum.[3]" ] }, { "id": "law", "heading": "Law and legal history", "paragraphs": [ "Montauk's clearest tie to reported federal law runs through the schooner La Amistad. After the 1839 mutiny and the captives' landing at Culloden Point, the ship was seized and its cargo, including the Africans aboard, became the subject of United States v. The Amistad, 40 U.S. (15 Pet.) 518 (1841).[7] The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decree that the Africans had been unlawfully enslaved and imported in violation of Spanish law and were entitled to their freedom rather than to be returned to the Spanish claimants who sought their return as property.[7] No part of the litigation was conducted in Montauk itself; the connection is that the captives first came ashore there.[5]", "The Montauk Point Lighthouse's own governance has a federal legal history: authorized by the Second Congress under President Washington in 1792 and completed in 1796, it was later placed under a preservation program through which the Coast Guard transferred ownership to the private, nonprofit Montauk Historical Society in 1996, and it was designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior on March 5, 2012.[1]" ] }, { "id": "government", "heading": "Government, courts and policing", "paragraphs": [ "Montauk has no government of its own; it is policed by the East Hampton Town Police Department, which is headquartered not in Montauk but at 131 Wainscott Northwest Road in Wainscott, and reports 65 sworn officers handling nearly 20,000 calls for service a year town-wide.[8] Criminal, traffic and civil matters from Montauk go to the East Hampton Town Justice Court at 159 Pantigo Road in East Hampton, which \"has original jurisdiction over all crimes occurring in the Village and Town of East Hampton, and handles violations and misdemeanors to conclusion,\" as well as traffic, parking, code, civil, small-claims and landlord-tenant matters.[9]", "Public education is provided by the Montauk Union Free School District.[12]" ] } ], "legalCases": [ { "name": "United States v. The Amistad", "citation": "40 U.S. (15 Pet.) 518 (1841)", "court": "U.S. Supreme Court", "year": 1841, "connection": "The Africans at the center of the case first came ashore in the United States at Culloden Point, Montauk, in 1839, after mutinying aboard the schooner La Amistad, before the ship was seized and taken to Connecticut.", "holding": "Affirmed the lower court's decree that the Africans aboard the Amistad had been unlawfully kidnapped and imported into Cuba in violation of Spanish law and were therefore free, rather than property to be restored to the Spanish claimants.", "src": [ 7 ] } ], "landmarks": [ { "name": "Montauk Point Lighthouse", "designation": "National Historic Landmark, designated March 5, 2012; oldest lighthouse in New York State", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "name": "Carl Fisher House (44 Foxboro Road)", "designation": "Purchased by the Town of East Hampton in 2021 using Community Preservation Fund money; no register listing verified", "src": [ 3 ] } ], "notableFacts": [ { "text": "The Montauk Point Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in New York State, was authorized by the Second Congress under President George Washington in 1792 and completed on November 5, 1796.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "text": "Ownership of the Montauk Point Lighthouse passed from the U.S. Coast Guard to the nonprofit Montauk Historical Society in 1996, a decade after the light was automated in 1987.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "text": "In 1839, Africans who had mutinied aboard the schooner La Amistad came ashore at Culloden Point in Montauk before their case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1841.", "src": [ 5, 7 ] }, { "text": "An East Hampton Star front page from around September 25, 1925 announced that Carl Fisher, developer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Miami Beach, had bought 9,000 acres in Montauk for $2,500,000.", "src": [ 4 ] }, { "text": "Carl Fisher's 1920s development of Montauk included clearing an inlet from Block Island Sound into what became Lake Montauk, in 1927.", "src": [ 3 ] }, { "text": "The Town of East Hampton bought Carl Fisher's former Montauk residence at the end of 2021 using Community Preservation Fund money.", "src": [ 3 ] } ], "sources": [ { "id": 1, "title": "Lighthouse History", "publisher": "Montauk Historical Society", "url": "https://montaukhistoricalsociety.org/montauk-point-lighthouse/lighthouse-history/", "year": "2026", "type": "historical-society" }, { "id": 3, "title": "Carl Fisher House", "publisher": "Montauk Historical Society", "url": "https://montaukhistoricalsociety.org/fisher-house/", "year": "2026", "type": "historical-society" }, { "id": 4, "title": "Carl Fisher's Montauk, 100 Years Ago", "publisher": "Montauk Historical Society, reproducing East Hampton Star reporting by Christopher Walsh", "url": "https://montaukhistoricalsociety.org/carl-fishers-montauk-100-years-ago/", "year": "2025", "type": "historical-society" }, { "id": 5, "title": "New Marker in Montauk Honors Amistad Crew", "publisher": "Montauk Historical Society", "url": "https://montaukhistoricalsociety.org/new-marker-in-montauk-honors-amistad-crew/", "year": "2023", "type": "historical-society" }, { "id": 6, "title": "Our History", "publisher": "Montauk Historical Society", "url": "https://montaukhistoricalsociety.org/our-history/", "year": "2026", "type": "historical-society" }, { "id": 7, "title": "The Amistad, 40 U.S. 518 (1841)", "publisher": "Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute", "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/40/518", "year": "1841", "type": "court" }, { "id": 8, "title": "Police", "publisher": "Town of East Hampton", "url": "https://www.ehamptonny.gov/193/Police", "year": "2026", "type": "government" }, { "id": 9, "title": "Justice Court", "publisher": "Town of East Hampton", "url": "https://www.ehamptonny.gov/310/Justice-Court", "year": "2026", "type": "government" }, { "id": 12, "title": "Montauk School (home page)", "publisher": "Montauk Union Free School District", "url": "https://www.montaukschool.org/", "year": "2026", "type": "government" }, { "id": 13, "title": "Stony Brook Southampton Hospital (home page)", "publisher": "Stony Brook Medicine", "url": "https://southampton.stonybrookmedicine.edu/", "year": "2026", "type": "academic" } ] }, "dataSources": { "census2020": { "name": "U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb — 2020 Census tabulation geography (POP100, HU100, AREALAND)", "url": "https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/tigerWMS_Census2020/MapServer", "retrieved": "2026-09-17" }, "acs": { "name": "U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, tables B08303, B08013, B08301, B08302, B08201, B19013, B01002", "url": "https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/", "period": "2020–2024", "retrieved": "2026-09-17", "note": "Survey estimates with 90% margins of error. lowReliability = coefficient of variation above 30%." }, "fars": { "name": "National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2010–2024 national files", "url": "https://www.nhtsa.gov/file-downloads?p=nhtsa/downloads/FARS/", "retrieved": "2026-09-17", "preliminaryYears": [ 2024 ], "note": "Crashes on public trafficways in which a person died within 30 days. No personal identifiers. Placed by reported coordinates into 2020 Census boundaries." }, "nys": { "name": "New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Vehicle Crashes — Case Information: Four Year Window", "url": "https://data.ny.gov/Transportation/Motor-Vehicle-Crashes-Case-Information-Four-Year-W/e8ky-4vqe", "period": "2021–2024", "retrieved": "2026-09-17", "note": "Police-reported crashes coded to a town, city or village by the reporting agency. Hamlets are not coded; hamlet pages show the parent town." } } }