Thinking of buying in Stony Brook?

THE SCOOP It's tough to decide which is richer, Stony Brook's history or its charm.

Take the crescent-shaped village center on Main Street, for example. This well-visited area, which has winding pathways and views of Stony Brook Harbor, is dotted with shops and restaurants that surround a Federalist-style post office, which has a mechanical eagle on its facade that flaps its wings on the hour. Vintage homes and buildings add to the community's Colonial ambience.

The man behind much of what Stony Brook has to offer is the late Ward Melville -- founder of the Thom McAn footwear brand -- who, at his own expense, reconstructed the hamlet. He also donated 480 acres of land south of Route 25A for the Stony Brook University campus. Today the university and its hospital occupy more than 1,000 acres.

There's a diverse offering of cultural activities in town, says Michael O'Dwyer of Virginia A. O'Dwyer Real Estate, including the Staller Center for the Arts and the Long Island Museum, which displays a collection of American artifacts, works of art and historic carriages. "There's always something going on in the area," says Linda Hickey of Hickey & Smith Realtors.

As for housing, "there's a great mix of homes in all price ranges and all styles," O'Dwyer says. Hickey says she feels the market is good in this area. O'Dwyer agrees. "The market in the Three Village area always seems to hold its own because of the demand for housing," largely created by the university and hospital.

ADULT COMMUNITY (55 and up) 17 listings between $179,000 and $350,000

SALES PRICE According to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island data, there were 123 sales from Sept. 1, 2010, to Oct. 5, 2011. The median sales price was $402,000, with a low of $223,000 and a high of $850,000. From Aug. 1, 2009, to Aug. 31, 2010, there were 93 sales with a median price of $420,000. The low price was $275,000 and the high was $1,090,000.

ATTRACTIONS Avalon Park and Preserve; Stony Brook Grist Mill listed on the National Register of Historic Places; The Discovery Wetlands Cruise from May through October.

MORE STATS

Town: Brookhaven

Area: 5.7 square miles

ZIP code: 11790

Population: 13,740

Median age: 43.0

Median household income: $110,344**

Median home value: $399,000*

LIRR time to NYC: 1 hour, 26 minutes to 1 hour, 43 minutes at peak

Monthly ticket: $334

School district: Three Village

SOURCES: 2010 Census; www.mlsli.com; Long Island Rail Road; Newsday's "Our Towns"

*Based on sales in the past six months, according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island

**American Community Survey