Calling the Hamptons Your Year-Round Home

The Hamptons, located on Long Island’s East End, has long been the summer destination for wealthy New Yorkers looking to escape the heat of the city. With increasing frequency, luxury homeowners are deciding to call the Hamptons their year-round home. September used to mean a mass exodus from the beachside villages. The summer season was from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The rest of the year, the Hamptons returned to a small town.

The natural beauty of the area, a slower pace of life, and high quality public and private schools are drawing more and more year-round residents.  Real estate brokers explain that the boom in population is due to the advancements in technology. Business can now be done from virtually anywhere, freeing people to live where they choose instead of needing to be near an office. The Hamptons are just a couple of hours from New York City, meaning the commute into the city for business and entertainment purposes, is still possible. Planes and helicopters are frequently chartered for quick trips into the city when the need arises.

Most Hampton homes are high-end luxury homes. This means they are suitable for year-round living in style. The popular Hampton style provides for casual beach living done in a sophisticated and classic manner. The homes are generally well-suited for entertainment purposes. Given that having a summer home in the Hamptons was long considered a status symbol, the entertaining of guests was a priority for owners. As more people in New York call the Hamptons home, the style of the houses works well as family homes and for entertaining guests.

The Hamptons are a group of small towns, villages, and hamlets along the East End of Long Island. The area is known for its top-notch resorts, golfing, equestrian events, tony restaurants and, of course, the beautiful beaches. Those who are choosing to call it their year-round residence appreciate the convenience of all the Hamptons has to offer nestled within a rural area. The area’s farmstands are a staple where you can buy fresh, organic food from roadside stands. These farms dot the landscape, serving as a reminder that you are far from Manhattan.

The high price of real estate may be another factor in why more people are choosing to live there year-round. Buying and maintaining an expensive home in an expensive area, only to be used a few months out of the year, has people considering living there year-round instead. As the Hamptons have grown, the population increase has led to more businesses staying open year-round. This year-round access to more commerce has probably played a part in convincing more people to call the Hamptons home.

The terrific school system plays a part in convincing families with young children to move to the Hamptons. Add in a low crime rate, plenty of activities for children, and it becomes an ideal place to raise a family.  There was once a sense of “us” and “them” between the summer visitors and the year-round locals. That has diminished, if not altogether disappeared, over the last decade.  Town-sponsored sports leagues, from soccer to baseball, are open to all residents whether part-time or full-time. This inclusiveness means that many kids who live in the city spend their weekends playing sports in the Hamptons. Sporting events are just one of the many things that foster a sense of community for all residents.

Instead of using their summer residences as a brief respite from city living, people are flocking to the laid back, relaxing atmosphere of the Hamptons. The historical charm of the area is another draw for those who want to call the Hamptons home. Initially, the hamlets and villages were small fishing villages. Once the railway connected New York City to the Hamptons, the influx of summer visitors began to blossom.

It quickly became the place to be for affluent urbanites during the summer months.  Swanky hotels and resorts quickly sprang up to accommodate summer visitors. An active social scene, initially consisting of balls and formal dinners, made for a pleasing escape from the summer heat of the city. As time marched forward, the atmosphere became more relaxed, but the popularity never waned. Now, the Hamptons offer an idyllic place to call home.