According to an article in today's (Friday, June 16) NEWSDAY, "Bridgehampton 
is preparing to celebrate another milestone in its heritage, 350 years after 
Josiah Stanborough settled in what was then known as Sagg."

The article continues, "Everybody's very excited," said Ann Sandford, 
chairwoman of the 350th anniversary committee. Bridgehampton was settled in 1656, she 
said, and is one of the oldest hamlets on Long Island."

For the complete article, "BRIDGEHAMPTON: Summer-long celebration of 350th 
anniversary", please go to:

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-li350164783444jun16,0,7
364226.story?coll=ny-linews-print


The pertinent geography:

Bridgehampton is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the east section of the 
Town of Southampton, in the southeast part of Suffolk County, along the 
Southampton/East Hampton town line.  There are currently 7 villages (municipal 
corporations) and 16 hamlets (unincorporated areas) all or partly in the Town of 
Southampton.  There are no cities and 10 towns in Suffolk County.  There are 2 
Indian reservations in Suffolk County.  (I'm including after my name a NYS 
Geographic Glossary with the NYS definitions of county, city, town, village, 
hamlet and postal zone.)

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of 
Bridgehampton in the Town of Southampton is bordered on the north by the Hamlet 
of Noyack and the Village of Sag Harbor; on the east by the Hamlet of Wainscott 
in the Town of East Hampton (the Southampton/East Hampton town line) and the 
Village of Sagaponack; on the south by the Atlantic Ocean; and, on the west by 
the Hamlet of Water Mill.

And, as occurs in every one of Suffolk County's 157 communities (0 cities, 31 
villages and 126 hamlets), the Hamlet of Bridgehampton has a different border 
than does the "Bridgehampton, NY 11932" postal zone (i.e., a place can have a 
Bridgehampton mailing address and not be in Bridgehampton and a place can be 
in Bridgehampton and have other than a Bridgehampton mailing address).  Those 
places that have a "Bridgehampton, NY" mailing address that are not in the 
Hamlet of Bridgehampton are in the Village of Sagaponack and also in the Hamlet 
of Wainscott in the Town of East Hampton.  At the same time, there are places 
in the Hamlet of Bridgehampton that have a "Sag Harbor, NY 11963" mailing 
address.

For those who have their copy of the 2005 or earlier edition of the LI 
Population Survey or have already downloaded the report from the Long Island Power 
Authority web site (eMail me directly if you need instructions on how to access 
and download the report), you'll find the Hamlet of Bridgehampton in the Town 
of Southampton, Suffolk County on pages 15 & 28 (map) and 29 (population 
estimate).

I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting.

Regards,

Walter Greenspan
Great Falls, MT & Jericho, NY


.   Cities, Towns, Villages, Hamlets and Postal Zones in New York State

New York State is divided into counties.

County
A county is a municipal corporation, a subdivision of the state, created to 
perform state functions; a "regional" government.  All counties are divided 
into cities, towns and Indian reservations.

City
A city is a unique governmental entity with its own special charter.  Cities 
are not sub-divided, except into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic 
areas.

Town
A town is a municipal corporation and encompasses all territory within the 
state except that within cities or Indian reservations.  Towns can be 
sub-divided into villages and hamlets.

Village
A village is a general purpose municipal corporation formed voluntarily by 
the residents of an area in one or more towns to provide themselves with 
municipal services.  The pattern of village organization is similar to those of a 
city.  A village is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic 
areas.

Hamlet
A hamlet is an unincorporated area in one or more towns that is governed 
at-large by the town(s) it is in.  A hamlet is divided into neighborhoods, which 
are informal geographic areas.

Postal Zone "City" and "Town"
A postal zone "City" and "Town" is an administrative district established by 
the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the mail.  Postal zone "City" and "Town" 
may not (but are encouraged to) conform to municipal or community borders.  
Thus, postal zone location does not always determine city, village or hamlet 
location.


Please be aware:  In many areas of New York State, the problem of 
non-conforming postal zones leads to a situation where the majority of places have a 
different community name in their mailing address than the community where that 
place is actually located.