Bay Shore: Gateway to Fire Island, with a vibrant downtown
A ferry from Fire Island makes its way to the Bay Shore terminal on Maple Avenue. Credit: Morgan Campbell
THE SCOOP Known as the gateway to Fire Island, Bay Shore has a scenic waterfront on Great South Bay and a thriving downtown that was revived after falling on hard times in the late 20th century.
Local organizations helped turn the tide, fostering a strong sense of community with a beautification society, live music in the gazebo, a farmers market and a winter festival with high school carolers. Main Street boasts many shops and restaurants along with the Boulton Center for the Performing Arts.
Gerline Augstine and her daughter Heduerline, 1, enjoy a visit to Benjamin's Beach overlooking Great South Bay. Credit: Morgan Campbell
With more than 1 million visitors taking ferries from Bay Shore to Fire Island each year, the waterfront is key to life in the hamlet, says Town of Islip Councilman John Cochrane, who grew up there. He cites the marina, Maple Avenue and Ocean Avenue parks as popular spots for relaxing, fishing and crabbing.
In 1708, John Mowbray purchased the land that became Bay Shore and Brightwaters from the Secatogue Indians. The Native Americans called the land Panothicut or Penataquit, which likely meant “crooked creek.” By 1842, the area was named Mechanicsville for the mill and boatyard workers and was officially dubbed Bay Shore in 1868 with the arrival of summer tourists to the area.
Bay Shore's downtown has recently built rental apartment builtdings with shops on the ground floor, like this one on Maple Avenue. Credit: Morgan Campbell
For years, diversity has been a hallmark of the community, with the multicultural Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja arts organization, founded in 2004 and LGBT Network’s 75-unit senior housing complex — the first of its kind in a U.S. suburban setting — opening last fall.
Bay Shore has seen a building boom of apartment buildings in recent years, with 13 under development now, including the Bay Shore Residences, a 418-unit rental complex, of which 84 will be affordable, Cochrane says.
Shops on Main Street, Bay Shore's downtown. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Dotted with canals that provide boaters easy access to Fire Island, the hamlet has many older Tudors, Victorians and Colonials, with prices starting at about $350,000 and going to $2 million and up for a waterfront or historical estate.
Those homes can be a relative bargain, says Margaret (Meg) Smith of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Real Estate: “You’re getting a large home with the architectural detail at much less of a price than farther west.”
Houses along Maple Avenue. Credit: Morgan Campbell
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are 11 condos and three co-ops on the market, ranging from $199,999 to $1.35 million.
SALE PRICES Between Aug. 1, 2021, and Aug. 31, 2022, there were 443 home sales with a median sale price of $485,000, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $225,000 and the high was $5 million. During that period a year earlier there were 500 home sales with a median sale price of $420,000. The price range was $150,000 to $623,000.
SOURCES: 2020 Census; 2020 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS; LIRR, data.nysed.gov
OTHER STATS
Town Islip
Area 5.68 square miles
ZIP code 11706
Population 29,244
Median age 35.7
Median household income $87,278
Median home value $500,000
Monthly LIRR ticket from Bay Shore $365
School districts, graduation rates Bay Shore (89%), Brentwood (74%), Islip (94%)
Parks Bay Shore Marina Park, Benjamin’s Beach
Libraries Bay Shore-Brightwaters, Brentwood, Islip
Hospitals South Shore University Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center
Transit Suffolk County Transit Routes 2a, 2b, 40, 41, 42
NOW ON THE MARKET
Priced at $2 million, this 12-room Tudor on Garner Lane comes with beach rights. Credit: Douglas Elliman Realty
$2 million
At 5,818 square feet, this English Manor Tudor built in 1912 features a spacious front porch, five bedrooms, four full and three half-baths, 12-foot ceilings, hardwood floors, handcrafted woodwork, a kitchen with a fireplace, a sunroom, and library with a copper-domed turret. The 2.9-acre property has a pool, bluestone patios, pond, two-car detached garage with potting shed, and beach/marina rights to O-Conee Estates. Taxes are $39,363. Dawn DeGirolamo and Silvana Lewis, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 631-589-8500.
Priced at $925,000, this expanded Cape on Grace Court features golf-course views. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
$925,000
Built in 1936, this updated, expanded 2,698-square-foot Cape has three bedrooms, three baths, hardwood floors, a den with a cathedral ceiling, a first-floor primary suite, original Dutch doorway and updated roof, siding, garage door, gutters and resealed driveway. The 0.44-acre property has a two-car garage and sunset views of the Southward Ho Country Club golf course. Taxes are $19,707. Margaret (Meg) Smith and Christine Geraghty, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, 631-647-7013.
Priced at $549,990, this expanded ranch on Manatuck Boulevard features a family room with a fireplace. Credit: Alex Tamborrino
$549,990
This 1,714-square-foot expanded ranch built in 1952 has four bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen with granite counters, a home office with built-in shelves, a family room with a fireplace, and a full unfinished basement. The fenced-in 0.16-acre property has a patio, firepit, shed and detached one-car garage. Taxes are $11,638. Joseph Jannace, Realty Connect USA, 516-714-3606.
RECENTLY SOLD
$1.7 million
Awixa Ave.
Style Tudor revival
Bedrooms 9
Bathrooms 6 full, 2 half
Built 1900
Lot size 3.10 acres
Taxes $47,762
+/- List price -$299,999
Days on market 421
$999,999
Aberdeen Rd.
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 2 ½
Built 1900
Lot size 1 acre
Taxes $15,932
+/- List price Sold at asking
Days on market 89
$755,000
W. Shore Rd.
Style Expanded ranch
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 2
Built 1952
Lot size 0.17 acre
Taxes $15,097
+/- List price +$30,000
Days on market 79
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 92
Price range $65,000 to $2 million
Tax range $908 to $39,363
