Patchogue, NY

The area of land known as Patchogue was originally purchased by Governor Winthrop of Connecticut in 1664 and sat undeveloped for many years after. In the late 1700s, the first mill was built along the Patchogue River to produce lace. Many businesses later saw the benefits of the river and begin to build there as well, attempting to use the river as a quick shipping method for their factories.

The first major factory was built in 1798, which was a paper mill built near the site of the original lace mill. A cotton twine mill was later added in 1800. The building of the mills brought many jobs and a large amount of people to Patchogue in the early 1800s, which led to schools and many retail shops popping up.

The neighborhood makes use of its natural riverfront and harbor to remain a largely self-contained community. Many notable residents hail from Patchogue, including Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Marcus Stroman, actor Kevin Connolly best known for playing”E” in Entourage and famous rock musician Billy Idol, whose family moved there when he was 2 and moved back to the UK four years later.

The Patchogue area has a large restaurant and bar scene, which features many of each in the neighborhood. One of the local favorite spots to eat dinner, Public House 49 serves a variety of dishes from ale-steamed clams fresh out of the bay to its famous BBQ rib sandwich on freshly made ciabatta bread.

For the seafood fans, The Oar Steak & Seafood Grill serves fresh-caught seafood from the bay and garnishes its sautéed muscles and tasty fried calamari with marinara and red pepper aioli. For a night out, Bobbique has one of the most popular spots in the neighborhood with live blues music and what Newsweek named the best chicken in Long Island.

For the big beer fans, Hoptron Brewtique has the ultimate setting and serves something for every beer lover, carrying 16 beers on tap and many more by the bottle with several specialty beers and barrel-aged stouts. Emporium also draws a lot of visitors with its great venue for live music that hosts some of culture's most popular artists and large electronic dance and holiday parties featuring live DJs.

For transportation around the neighborhood, walking and biking serve as cheap alternatives for running errands and exercise. Patchogue features bike lanes and sidewalks, which makes both forms of transportation a viable option. For traveling outside of the neighborhood or commuting to the city, the LIRR Montauk Branch station serves the area. Many residents also use the Village of Patchogue bus as another option to travel outside the neighborhood. Call a taxi, or use Uber or Lyft to travel within the area or to the city by accessing their phone applications. Highway 27 and I-495 both run nearby, making the commute to New York City and anywhere off of the island very convenient and simple.

Patchogue has multiple parks for outdoor enthusiasts, including Shorefront Park, Davis Ferry Park and Rider Avenue Park. Shorefront Park was designed to host outdoor events in the area, such as Battle of the Bay concerts, plays, boat racing and a 4th of July fireworks show. The park has several trails for joggers and bikers with a great view of the bay.

Davis Ferry Park borders the coast as well and has a beach club, casino restaurant/bar and a ferry ride. Rider Avenue Park sits exactly opposite of Shorefront Park and also provides very different functions. The park features three baseball fields, basketball courts and even trails through the woods for hiking or biking. An adjacent lake and beach grass surround the outside of the park area, giving visitors or exercisers in the park a great view of the water.

Patchogue has lower costs for most items compared to New York City, but prices for items can still be somewhat high due to the county’s sales tax of 8.625%. Patchogue has a median rent cost of $1,359 for a one-bedroom apartment, slightly below the Suffolk County median rent cost of $1,488 and well below the New York median cost of $2,312. The area’s median rent for a two-bedroom apartment has a monthly cost of $1,159, also well below the Suffolk County and New York state averages.

The neighborhood has shopping hubs on both East Main Street and Ocean Boulevard. For a specialty store, indulge in the goodies at Wisteria Lane Boutique. The boutique carries unique gifts such as handmade jewelry, soaps, candies and hand-knitted items. Wisteria Lane believes in customer appreciation days. On these special occasions, Wisteria Lane celebrates its customers with cups of coffee and sweet treats while they browse selections of specialty items.

The Sun Vet Mall sits less than five miles from the outside of the neighborhood, just off of Sunrise Highway, and has over 30 different stores including many useful shops and bargain stores such as Verizon, Toys R Us, Payless Shoe Source, Hallmark, Grand Rise Liquors, Citibank and Dollar King.

For grocery shopping in the area, there are several specialty and gourmet grocery options. Lombardi’s Gourmet Market has high-quality organic meats and groceries, as does Wild By Nature, which is a specialty grocery that carries only organic food. Patchogue has several foreign groceries as well, including Asian One Best Grocery, which carries traditional Asian cuisine items and fresh-cut meats. Angora Food Market has all different types of Turkish food including a huge baked goods and fresh food section. Other shopping options in the area include Costco and a Whole Foods.