Stony Brook, New York

Stony Brook, New York Wopowog
Hamletand census-designated place
Stony Brook University Stony Brook Village Center Long Island Museums Simons Center for Geometry and Physics Stony Brook Harbor Stony Brook Hospital
U.S. Census map
Stony Brook Show map of Long Island Stony Brook Show map of New York
Coordinates:40°54′23″N73°7′42″W / 40.90639°N 73.12833°W /40.90639; -73.12833
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Suffolk
Town	Brookhaven
Area [1]
• Total	6.25 sq mi (16.18 km2)
• Land	5.82 sq mi (15.08 km2)
• Water	0.42 sq mi (1.10 km2)
Elevation	89 ft (27 m)
Population ( 2020)
• Total	13,467
• Density	2,312.73/sq mi (892.91/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5(Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4(EDT)
ZIP Codes	11790, 11794
Area codes	631, 934
FIPS code	36-71608
GNISfeature ID	0966524

Stony Brookis ahamletandcensus-designated place(CDP) in theTownofBrookhaveninSuffolk County, New York, United States, on theNorth ShoreofLong Island. Begun in thecolonial eraas an agricultural enclave, the hamlet experienced growth first as aresort townand then to its current state as one of Long Island's majortourist townsand centers of education. Despite being referred to as avillageby residents and tourists alike, Stony Brook has never been legally incorporated by the state. The population was 13,740 at the2010 census.^[2]

The CDP is adjacent to the main campus ofStony Brook University, the largest public university in New York by area, and alsoThe Stony Brook School, a private college preparatory school. It is also home to theLong Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriagesand theStony Brook Village Center, a privately maintained commercial center planned in the style of a traditionalNew Englandvillage.

Stony Brook was first settled in the late 17th century. It was originally known by the native nameWopowogand then as Stony Brook, with both names likely referring to the interconnected bodies of water at the hamlet's western edge. It began as asatellite communityof adjacentSetauket, New York, theTown of Brookhaven's first settlement, and its land was included in the initial 1655 purchase from the nativeSetalcotttribe.

Agristmillwas built in 1699 on the water body now known as theMill Pond. The current structure, which replaced the original in 1751, ground grain into the 1940s and has since been repurposed for publictours. For religious services and education, the hamlet's original residents had to attend institutions in the neighboring communities of Setauket andSt. James. In the latter half of the18th century, activity began to shift from the mill area north toward theharboras new residences, a number of which still stand, were constructed.^[3]

Stony Brook was a remote area through the 18th century aside for a modest amount of commerce near the mill at the intersection of Main Street and Harbor Road. The community's development was stalled by its poorly accessible harbor relative to nearby Setauket andPort Jefferson. In the 1840s, local painterWilliam Sidney Mountled a call for the harbor'sdredging. This was completed twice, but after the harbor filled in both times the effort was abandoned. Lacking the resources of its neighboring harbor settlements, Stony Brook based its economy on agriculture and thecordwoodindustry.^[3]

TheLong Island Rail Roadreached Stony Brook in the 1870s, creating an easy link between New York City and the citizens of Stony Brook. Stony Brook quickly became a popular summer resort for city dwellers attempting to escape the hazards and stress of urban life. The establishment of theStony Brook Assemblyin 1909 also helped to draw more residents to the local area. A number of these newcomers constructed houses andcottages, many of which were either originally made for year-round use or have since been converted to such.

Nevertheless, the majority of residences were local farmers and businessmen who depended on all necessities being in easy reach. Most businesses were then on the compact plot that would become the contemporary village green. Unlike today, the shops in this area were utilitarian and haphazardly arranged.

The history of the unincorporated "village" is closely linked to that ofWard Melville, a local businessman who owned what would become theCVS Corporation. At one point owned much of what his family coined as theThree Villagearea (consisting of Stony Brook, the hamlet ofSetauket, and theincorporatedvillage ofOld Field).

Beginning in 1939 with the creation of his Stony Brook Community Fund, Melville used his wealth to begin the transformation of part of the hamlet into his idea of an idyllicNew Englandvillage, theStony Brook Village Center, with whiteclapboardbuildings and quaint stores. The focus had been in the previous center of the village's commerce, which now consists of a village green and a crescent of stores embellished with stone walkways and seasonal gardening. To accomplish this, Melville moved many of the existing shops in the plot into the crescent and modified their details for consistency, a design model similar to that ofColonial Williamsburg. As a centerpiece to the crescent, Melville built theStony Brook Post Office, decorated by a large eagle that flaps its wings to mark each hour.

Melville donated the land and funds to New York for establishing a branch of theState University of New Yorkin the area. This led what was then called theState University College on Long Island, at the time in constrictiveOyster Bayquarters, to relocate and change its name toStony Brook University. Melville also donated land and funds for the local school district. TheThree Village Central School Districttoday serves several communities in the vicinity and has named its flagshipWard Melville High Schoolafter the philanthropist.

Tourist attractions include theStony Brook Grist Milland theLong Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages, a large complex of buildings originally known as the Stony Brook Carriage House and Suffolk Museum. Other Stony Brook attractions are the 19th-centuryWilliam Sidney Mount House, theSt. James Episcopal Chapel, and theWest Meadow Beach Historic District.

Stony Brook is on theNorth ShoreofLong Island, approximately 55 miles (89 km) east of the New York City borough ofManhattan. The census-designated place occupies an irregular shape measuring roughly 5 miles (8 km) north to south and 1 mile (1.6 km) east to west.

The historic core of Stony Brook was developed from the 17th century onward at the mouth of Stony Brook Harbor, a narrow inlet of theLong Island Sound. This section of town includes theStony Brook Village Center, a planned commercial center in the style of New England clapboard architecture that opened in 1941. Nearby are theLong Island Museum, theThree Village Inn, andWilliam Sidney Mount House. Apeninsulain this vicinity known as theWest Meadowincludes a beach and wetlands reserve.

Stony Brook University is within and adjacent to the census-designated place, with its main campus less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from Stony Brook's historic center. It is primarily on the eastern side of the census-designated place, with a pedestrian entrance onRoute 25aat theStony Brook stationof theLong Island Rail Roadand a vehicular entrance onNicolls Road. The local stretch of Route 25A contains shops and other commercial properties that cater to the university's student body.

The southern (inland) portion of Stony Brook primarily consists of post-war residential development. TheStony Brook University Research and Development Park(in Stony Brook and adjacent St. James) occupies a buffer between this section and the university's central campus. Forming Stony Brook's official southern boundary isRoute 347, a corridor with commercial development including anAMC Loews cinemawithin the CDP boundaries and theSmith Haven Mallnearby.

Stony Brook is well known as the home and namesake ofThe Stony Brook School, a prep school, andStony Brook University.^[4]

The hamlet is primarily located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) theThree Village Central School District.^[4]However, a small section of the hamlet's southwestern extreme is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) theMiddle Country Central School District.^[4]As such, children who reside within the hamlet and attend public schools go to school in one of these two districts, depending on where they reside within the hamlet.^[4]

TheStony Brook stationof theLong Island Rail Road'sPort Jefferson Branchis located within and serves the hamlet.^[4]Commute time toPenn Stationis approximately 1 hr 48 mins including a transfer inHuntington,HicksvilleorJamaica.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	13,467		—
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census^[6]of 2010, there were 13,727 people, 4,758 households, and 3,787 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,390.5 inhabitants per square mile (923.0/km²). There were 4,970 housing units at an average density of 865.5 per square mile (334.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.6%White, 14.4% from two or more races, 7.5%Asian, 4.4%HispanicorLatinof any race, 1.7%African American, 0.25% fromother races, 0.1%Native American, and 0.01%Pacific Islander.

There were 4,758 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $90,009, and the median income for a family was $95,567. Males had a median income of $68,400 versus $41,770 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $35,247. About 1.9% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

• SBU TV, Stony Brook University Television
• Stony Brook Independent, publication at Stony Brook University
• Stony Brook Press, a newspaper at Stony Brook University.
• The Statesman, the oldest newspaper at Stony Brook University
• The Village Times Herald, a newspaper in Setauket
• WUSB (FM), Stony Brook University Radio at 90.1 FM

• Bud Abbott(1897–1974), comedian.^[7]
• Cody Arnoux, soccer player
• Awkwafina, actress, rapper
• Harold Beverage, inventor
• George Booth,New Yorkercartoonist
• Lars Brownworth, teacher and historian
• Nathan Bruckenthal, U.S. Coast Guardsman and posthumous Bronze Star recipient^[8]
• Sarah Drew, actress
• Brooke Ellison, first quadriplegic graduate from Harvard University
• Michael J. Epstein, filmmaker and musician
• Toni Frissell, fashion photographer
• Frank E. Gaebelein, educator
• Manon Gage, actress
• Marci Geller, independent singer-songwriter
• Kevin James, comedian, actor
• Karsh Kale, producer, composer, musician
• Anthony Kay, pitcher for theToronto Blue JaysofMajor League Baseball
• Michael Kimmel, sociologist, scholar
• Steven Matz, pitcher for theSt. Louis CardinalsofMajor League Baseball
• Evelina Mount, painter
• R.A. the Rugged Man, hip-hop artist
• Cliff Robertson, actor
• Jim Simons, mathematician and hedge-fund manager
• Louis Simpson, Pulitzer Prize poet
• Robert R. Sokal(1925–2012), biological anthropologist and biostatistician
• Gary Valentine, comedian, actor
• Koyo (band), musicians, band

• New York State Route 25A(North Country Road)
• Stony Brook University Hospital

• Stony Brooktravel guide from Wikivoyage
• Stonybrook.com, community website
• Ward Melville Heritage Organization
• The Stony Brook School
• Stony Brook University