Buying in Riverhead

With attractions such as the Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center, Splish Splash Water Park and the Tanger Outlets, Riverhead has become a destination in its own right. And since the Hilton Garden Inn and the Hyatt Place Hotel have opened, visitors can extend their stay.

Between Tanger Outlets and the big box stores along Route 58, "Riverhead has emerged as a retail mecca for the East End," says Janine Nebons, president of the Chamber of Commerce, noting the area attracts East End residents as well as people living west of Riverhead.

Revitalization efforts continue to be made in the historic district. New businesses along Main Street include the Blue Duck Bakery Cafe and The Riverhead Project, a restaurant that opened in 2011 in a vacant bank building. The Art Deco Suffolk Theater, which closed in 1987, is scheduled to reopen March 1. "We're beginning to see changes along Main Street," says Peter Tollner of Bagshaw Real Estate in Riverhead. Other projects include the construction of a retail and apartment complex called Summerwind.

Housing choices range from mobile homes to waterfront manses.

Town: Riverhead

Area: 15.1 square miles

ZIP code: 11901

Population: 12,753

Median age: 37.0

Median household income: $51,205

Median home value: $127,000* (including mobile homes)

Monthly ticket: $429

School district: Riverhead