Why you'd want to live in Greenport

In the mid 1600s, a group of colonists from New Haven, Connecticut crossed Long Island Sound and settled in the township of Southold, which includes what is now the Village of Greenport. Over the course of its long history, Greenport has been known by several different names including Winter Harbor, Stirling, and Green Hill. At a public meeting in 1831, the name Greenport was officially adopted. Because of its deep and protected harbor, Greenport became a major whaling port between 1795 and 1859 and enjoyed a bustling shipbuilding industry as well. By the mid 1800s, the menhaden fishing industry was in full swing and employed thousands of people. The Long Island Railroad arrived in 1844 and was a driving force in the development of Greenport and the North Fork as local farmers used the railroad to ship their harvest to markets. Greenport became a huge oystering center during the first half of the 20th century and at one time there were over a dozen oyster processing plants in town. As the oyster industry began to shrink, the Village turned its attention towards tourism and has developed into a vibrant destination for visitors from all over the world. In 2011, Forbes magazine named Greenport one of the prettiest towns in the United States. To learn more about our Maritime history, please visit our Maritime Museum with its wealth of examples and historical information. For more information about the railroads, visit Greenport’s Long Island Railroad Museum.