About Babylon, New York

The Incorporated Village of Babylon is located on the south shore of Long Island in southwestern Suffolk County approximately 47 miles east of Manhattan and approximately 79 miles west of Montauk.

Babylon is bordered by the hamlets of West Islip, Copaigue, West Babylon, North Babylon and the Great South Bay.

Living in Babylon, NY

Housing: Babylon is part suburban bedroom community and part small town with substantial shopping. There are areas of larger homes including some on Fire Island Avenue, Crescent Avenue and Thompson Avenue. There are also large Victorian-style homes in the Argyle Park neighborhood, built in the 1900's, some with the lumber and materials from the former Argyle Hotel as well as quaint in town cottage-style homes. Babylon has some water view and or waterfront homes. Other home styles include ranch, hi-ranch, cape, colonial, split-level, Tudor, post-modern, traditional, town homes,and contemporary. Most of the old area estates have been broken up and the land belonging to the former estates sold off.

Transportation: Babylon does have local bus transportation and has an express stop on the Long Island Road's Babylon branch. The Babylon station is the last electrified from Manhattan going east.

Shopping / Restaurants: Babylon has a quaint but lively downtown area with unique shops, many fine restaurants and movie theater. There is outlet shopping at Tanger Arches Outlet shopping in nearby Deer Park.

Parks: There are beaches on the Great South Bay, marina facilities, and public parks including Argyle Park. Babylon is in close proximity to the Great South Bay and South Shore state park beaches like Robert Moses, Jones Beach, Heckscher State Parks and the Fire Island Seashore. You also have access to docking, two town beaches, Gilgo and Cedar and there are local beaches like Venetian Shores, Tanner Park, and Overlook Beach. This makes Babylon the perfect home for the boater, fisherman and the beach lover. A village resident enjoys a public pool built in the 1920's on the Great South Bay. The Fire Island Lighthouse Museum is close by on Fire Island.

Local Clubs: Sumpwams Creek Golf and Country Club, Cedar Beach Golf Club, Babylon Yacht Club and the Venetian Yacht Club

Some community events: Golf Outing, Vegas Night, Poetry In The Village, Second Thursday Night Concert Series, Spring Fling Arts and Music Festival, and an Old Fashioned Christmas which is hosted by the Villages' Chamber of Commerce and most storekeepers stay open late.

Larger Venues: Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Northfork Theater at Westbury.

For additional information see Village of Babylon Website, or the Town of Babylon Website.

Some Historical Information About Babylon

Babylon was originally called Huntington South but was re-maned in 1872.

There was a stage stop at the American House, on the south side of Main Street, where travelers stayed on their three-day trip to Southampton from New York City.

Argyle Park was once the location for the Argyle Hotel, which was built by Austin Corbin, President of the Long island Railroad, in 1822. It was demolished in 1904 as was many of the other area hotels. Mr. Corbin was one of the great and powerful, rich and famous who came to Long Island to spend their fortunes building lavish estates to accommodate their lifestyles, some which included opulent mansion on the Great South Bay with manicured landscapes, swimming pools, and tennis courts. The residents in the Babylon-area were frequently members of or had something to do with forming local yacht clubs because yachting and sailing were traditions passed through the families. They built here because it was in close to Manhattan, and was a sportsman's paradise. There were foxhunts and horseback riding in Old Westbury and Babylon. Yachting and fishing in Babylon, Oakdale, Bay Shore and Great River and golfing in Sayville and Bay Shore.

Babylon was part of the 'Hidden Gold Coast' on the south shore of Long Island which extended eastward from the Nassau County border to the Bayport / Blue Point along the Great South Bay. The south shore Gold Coast was closely knit, but ethnically and religiously diverse and tolerant. The area was settled predominately by sugar plantation owners, sugar refiners, attorneys, capitalist, investment bankers, merchants, and shipping magnets. South Shore families were associated with Gulden Mustard, Domino Sugar, Entenmann Bakery, Moran Tugboats, Adam and Chicle Chewing Gum, Doxsee Clams, Lorillard and American Tabacco, deMurias and Bachia Cigars, Pinkerton Detective Agency, Abraham and Strauss, Singer Sewing Machine, Bon Ami Cleanser, and Republic Pictures.

Some of the old estates remain:

• The Belmont mansion was destroyed in the 1930's but the grounds and some estate buildings survive as part of Belmont Lake State Park.
• Willow Close was once the home of George Browlie and now serves as the Babylon Yacht Club

There is also other historical information at the Babylon Historical Society.

Some Notable Past or Present Residents

• Rodney Dangerfield, Comedian and Actor
• Robert Moses, Master Urban Planner of New York and Long Island
• Gugliermo Marconi, Inventor of Wireless Telegraph
• Edwin Hawley, Railroad Magnate
• E. W. Howell, Builder
• Electus B. Litchfield, Railroad Magnate
• Effingham Sutton, Developer (Sutton Place in Manhattan is named after him)
• Brett William Saberhagen, Baseball Pitcher
• George Brownlie, Politician and Capitalist
• Austin Corbin, President of Long Island Rail Road, Financier and Capitalist
• Jay Stanley Foster II, President of Bowery Bank
• Elmer W. Howell, Capitalist

New York Times - Living In Babylon

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/realestate/12living.html?_r=2

Some Babylon Listings

There are beautiful homes for sale in Babylon, NY. Below is a slideshow of just a few of the homes currently on the market in Babylon, NY. I hope you find something that appeals to you.

Is Babylon A Walkable Town?

Do you prefer a walkable lifestyle? Using a set of criteria WalkScore.com rates how easy a town is to navigate on foot. Here you will find Babylon's score.