Buying in Shoreham

Celebrating its centennial year, "the village is a beautiful area with a lot of history," says Linda Stowell of Coach Realtors at Port Jefferson, noting many estates and homes were built in the early 1900s. "A lot of the older homes are unique. Some builders were German and Swedish, so styles are far from cookie-cutter," says Shoreham resident Rose Marie Princi, owner-broker of Coldwell Banker Distinctive.

Houses throughout the hilly, wooded terrain are generally priced from the $300,000s to more than $1 million for those on the bluff. Turnover is low. The last sale in the village that traded through Multiple Listing Service was in September 2011, Princi says.

The hamlet of East Shoreham spans Route 25A to the north and south. "It's homey," says Princi, noting residents have easy access to the beach. There are a few beach associations and a civic association. Homes are priced between the $200,000s to more than $1 million on the water, Stowell says. "Sales are increasing," says David Lunenfeld of Coldwell Banker M&D Good Life, noting prices are no longer falling.

In 1901, radio pioneer Nikola Tesla came to Shoreham to build the World Telegraphy Center, including a laboratory, wireless transmitter and production facilities for vacuum tubes. The tower there was demolished in 1917. Today, a nonprofit group, Friends of Science East, is working to create a Science and Technology Center and Museum on the site, says Princi.

As for the site of the decommissioned Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, Princi says its fate is still up in the air.

Town: Brookhaven

Area: Village, 0.4 square mile; hamlet of East Shoreham, 5.4 square miles

ZIP code: 11786

Population: Village, 617; hamlet, 6,336

Median age: Village, 46; hamlet, 39

Median household income: Shoreham $135,694; hamlet, $128,261

Median home value: $341,500*

Monthly ticket: $334

School district: Shoreham-Wading River