About Oakdale and Great River, New York
The Hamlets of Great River and Oakdale are located on the south shore of Long Island in Suffolk County approximately 59 miles east of Manhattan and approximately 73 miles west of Montauk. Great River and Oakdale are bordered by the hamlets of North Great River, West Sayville, and East Islip.
Living In Great River and Oakdale, NY
Great River and Oakdale are in close proximity to the Great South Bay making it the perfect home for the boater, fisherman, and beach lover alike and are also close to Dowling College and St. John’s University.
Housing: Quiet community with home styles include colonials, Victorians, ranches, split-levels, cottages, hi-ranches, capes, farmhouse, contemporaries, traditionals and splanches on generous lots. The old estates have been broken up and the land belonging to the former estates sold off.
Transportation: Great River and Oakdale can be reached at the Oakdale stop on the Long Island Road’s Montauk branch.
Shopping / Restaurants: Oakdale and Great River have a few a restaurants and shops. The closest movie theaters are located in Islip and Sayville. The closet mall shopping would be South Shore Mall and there is outlet shopping in The Arches in Deer Park and The Bellport Outlets in Bellport.
Parks: There are access to beaches on the Great South Bay, marina facilities, and public parks. Great River and Oakdale are close to South Shore beaches like Robert Moses, Jones Beach and Fire Island. There are also local beaches including Atlantique Beach, Benjamin Beach, and Islip Beach.
Larger Venues: Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Northfork Theater at Westbury.
Additional information can be found at Township of Islip and The Town of Islip Website
Some Historical Information About Great River and Oakdale
Great River was originally known as Youngsport, and was home to many of the aristocratic New York families. The great and powerful and rich and famous came here to spend their fortunes building lavish estates to accommodate their lifestyles which included opulent mansion on the Great South Bay with manicured landscapes, swimming pools, and tennis courts. The residents were frequently members of or had something to do with forming local yacht clubs because yachting and sailing were traditions passed through the families. The late 1800's - the early 1900's created new millionaires and with new and expanded industries and many of them came to Long Island to build. 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.
Great River and Oakdale were 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. See other older home information.
- George C. Taylor, Philanthropist and Wealthy Merchant donated his estate and it and now Heckscher State Park
- William Bayard Cutting, Financier, Real Estate Investor and Philanthropist donated his estate too, and is now Bayard Cutting Arboretum
- William K. Vanderbilt (1878-1944) Idle Hour mansion and some estate buildings are now the home to Dowling College. The stable complex is now known as The Artist Colony.
- The Connetquot State Park was thethe former Southside Sportsman Club. The Southside was one of a few clubs which were founded and supported by the estate owners and were the center of the social activity and often filled the society pages of the local and regional newspapers.
- The Timber Point Country Club was once the home of William L Breeze and then Julian T Davies.
Some Notable Past and Present Residents
- Tom McNeece, American Light Heavyweight Boxer
- Harold Sterling Vanderbilt, Socialite
- Dutch Shultz, Gangster
- Christopher Robert II, an eccentric heir to a sugar fortune
- Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan, Socialite
- George L. Lorillard, Tabacco Industrialt
- J. Neale Plumb
- Christopher Rhinelander Robert, Jr., Industrialist
- W. K. Aston, Capitalist
- Arthur Keeler Bourne, Sr., Industrialist
- Charles Fells Burke, Capitalist
- Robert Fulton Cutting, Capitalist and Financier
- Julien Tappan Davies, Financier and Attorney
Oakdale & Great River Listings
There are beautiful homes for sale in Oakdale / Great River, NY. Below is a slideshow of just a few of the homes currently on the market in Oakdale / Great River, NY. I hope you find something that appeals to you.
Complete List of Homes for Sale in Oakdale New York
The previous slide show contains just a random sample of the homes for sale in Oakdale. Follow this link for a complete list of our homes for sale in Oakdale New York.
Is Oakdale 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 Oakdale's score.
