About Oyster Bay
Oyster Bay is a hamlet on the North Shore of Long Island located within Nassau County, New York. Oyster Bay is home to the eastern termination point on the Long Island Rail Road. This community is within the Town of Oyster Bay, which contains 18 hamlets and 18 villages. Total population of this town is reported to be 6,707 according to the 2010 Census.
The Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District was founded on July 1st, 1960, sprawling across 13.1 square miles and sits in-between Centre Island, Oyster Bay Cove, Cove Neck, and Mill Neck. Three schools make up this district: Roosevelt Elementary School, James H. Vernon Middle School, and Oyster Bay High School.
Oyster Bay was discovered by the Dutch and was the border between the Dutch New Amsterdam colony and the English New England Colonies in 1639. Under the ruling of Peter Wright, the area was settled in 1653. There was a dense population of Quakers in Oyster Bay, escaping Dutch authorities in New Amsterdam.
Fast forwarding to the 1880s, the LIRR prolonged their service from Locust Valley as a way to establish travel from New York to Boston via steamboat on the Long Island Sound. As the railroad was being introduced, Theodore Roosevelt, the future 26th President of the United States, chose to make his home at Sagamore Hill, in present-day Cove Neck, a neighboring incorporated village. Roosevelt and his family occupied this house until their death. Honoring the Roosevelt family has been a major priority for the town of Oyster Bay with the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park. This picturesque waterfront gives Oyster Bay residents an outlet to visit Roosevelt landmarks and the infamous Snouder’s Drug Store, home of the first telegraph in the area. Oyster Bay is also known for its oysters! The bay is Long Island’s traditional source for farming oysters and makes up 90% of all oysters sold.
While Oyster Bay is formally known of housing Theodore Roosevelt and family, Billy Joel also called this hamlet home. Tennis player, John McEnroe and his sibling, Patrick also grew in Oyster Bay. Lastly, actress Heather Matarazzo, best known for her role in Welcome to the Dollhouse also inhabited Oyster Bay.
Being an old, historic town, Oyster Bay encompasses several landmarks, museums, and monumental sites:
- The burial ground of Theodore Roosevelt: Youngs Memorial Cemetery
- Matinecock Lodge Temple and Matinecock Historical Society
- Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
- Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center
- Planting Fields Arboretum
- Raynham Hall Museum
- The WaterFront Center
- Beekman Beach
- Sagamore Rowing Association
- Oyster Bay Railroad Museum
A major event hosted in Oyster Bay is the Oyster Festival, the East Coast’s largest waterfront festival that hosts over 200,000 visitors every year. This festival has been conducted for over 35 years and is typically held on the second week of October. A project of the Oyster Bay Rotary Club and funded by Oyster Bay Charitable Fund, the event offers a mixture of activities, live music entertainment, seasonal foods, top-notch artists, and the infamous oyster eating and shucking contest. Residents also look forward to the food court where volunteer chefs show off their culinary skills with a spin on traditional festival fare. The profits from the food court are sent directly to 25 participating local charities. Proceeds from the carnival rides and other sales are given to support the Rotary Club.
Oyster Bay is a great place to live offering several different types of employment opportunities:
- Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Wholesale Trade
- Retail Trade
- Transportation and Warehousing
- Information
- Finance and Insurance
- Professional, Scientific and Management
- Educational Services
- Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
- Public Administration
The cuisine in Oyster Bay specializes in Italian and Seafood. Whether you are a resident of a visitor, be sure to check out these restaurants:
- Auentico: Opened in February 16th, 2016, this Italian restaurant houses chef, Francesco Pecoraro, a native Sicilian. Guests continually rave about his fresh pasta dishes and house-made desserts.
- Canterbury’s Oyster Bar & Grill: Known for its oysters, this establishment is a prime option for fresh local seafood and a large assortment of pub food. Canterbury’s is celebrating 35 years!
- Wild Honey: Rich in history, the building once housed President Theodore Roosevelt, this new American cuisine is always fresh with seasonal menus and lots of seafood. Wild Honey specializes in iron skillet mussels and crispy calamari. Most residents stop in for their Sunday supper three-course prix-fixe menu.