Long Island Proud: Every Long Islander Feels Montauk's Magic

There is something unique about Montauk that every Long Islander feels the moment they arrive at that tiny village. It’s hard to believe that in 1896 when the Long Island Rail Road finally made its way out to Montauk there were but 100 people living there.

In 2017 the population of Montauk was listed at only 3,326, with 55 percent of the area being federal, New York State, Suffolk County or East Hampton Town-owned parkland. The East Hampton Town Office of Natural Resources has a huge map that blocks out all the parklands of Montauk; it’s very impressive that the huge green area portrayed on that map will remain undeveloped.

According to a Suffolk County report, “ Montauk, with over 2,300 year-round or seasonal hotel/motel rooms , has by far the largest concentration of lodging establishments on Long Island.”

Therefore, for a couple of summer weekends, the population of folks staying in Montauk can potentially reach more than 10,000.

The full-time Montauk residents have been dealing with this influx for more than 50 years now. Maybe they should be offered state-funded therapy to deal with this phenomenon. It is an amazing spectacle to observe as I have many times, especially the four years I lived there full-time.

However, now that I live up-island in East Patchogue, I have learned that all Long Islanders have a special feeling about Montauk. It is a town they have all visited more than once and are proud that its part of their Long Island. The blue-collar nature of Montauk never intimidates any up-island visitors the way East Hampton or Southampton villages might. In Montauk there are more typical Long Island homes than multi-million dollar mansions, although the number of such homes is on the rise, even in Montauk.

During the last five years there have been some splashy sales of old Montauk businesses for more than $10 million. Duryea Dock, Montauk Yacht Club, The East Deck, and the Panoramic Condos are just some examples. Montauk is definitely leaving the “rust belt” and headed to be the gold coasted tip of Long Island!

That being said, due to all the preserved parkland, Montauk will remain timelessly old Long Island, and very Montauk. When I used to walk my dog in the morning I witnessed the sight of early morning surfcasters in foul weather gear standing on big ocean beach rocks fishing in the rising sunlight.

I watched surfers including Jimmy Buffet arrive early at the beach to hit a set of waves that seem to break best off the Montauk shores. I have witnessed the families walking around Montauk Village to get “things” from T-shirts, to John’s Pancakes. There was even a time I watched all Monday Night football games at the Shagwong, sipping Guinness from the tap all season long.

For decades Montauk has been called “the un-Hampton.” Perhaps part of the reason is because it stayed pure working class, blue collar Long Island. Local Montauk folks are more like the folks in Farmingdale than the folks in East Hampton Village just 10 miles west on Route 27. That is why every Long Islander feels at home while visiting Montauk and continue to visit Montauk. The local year-round folks are not thrilled with the younger undisciplined guests who have sparked some safety concerns in recent years but, truth be told, Montauk has always been a “no rules” type of place. It has always had a feeling of being out in the old West or perhaps coastal rural Alaska.

The way I used to phrase it when I lived there was this: “In every direction coming and going there is a magical view. There is high ground and rolling hills right up to the ocean. There are lakes, ponds, bays, sounds and the ocean in every direction. The place has a soul that’s older than time.”

When I used to look up at a dark Montauk sky of stars from the beach where I lived I knew there was so much I would never know. Montauk provokes such thoughts, to locals and to all Long Islanders because when in Montauk all Long Islanders are temporary locals. Montauk is the raw soul of all Long Island.

T.J. Clemente is a Patch columnist.