A generational town with a strong sense of community
Located on Long Island’s South Shore about 63 miles from Manhattan, Bayport is a quaint, quiet slice of small-town America. Street lamps adorned with planters and seasonal flags line the main streets. Volunteers maintain these little details, that in many ways really define Bayport, more than its location, its good schools or even its waterfront. “I own a home here and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else,” says Barbara Leogrande, a licensed associate broker at Douglas Elliman who has lived in Bayport for 26 years, raising her three sons here. She’s also sold homes here for 15 years. “I have to say my favorite part of living here is the people. They’re so kind, they’re so neighborly, they’re so pro-community. And it’s just something about it. It’s kind of magnetic. It just draws good souls, good people.” And according to Leogrande, it’s not just her who has a hard time imagining living anywhere else. “People tend to live there long-term; a lot of generational people live in the community, meaning their grandparents lived there, their parents lived there, and now they live there,” she says.
Enjoy the peace and quiet that Bayport has to offer.
Apple Festival has live music and line dancing in Sayville.
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'Two Towns, One Community'
Although Bayport is its own little hamlet, it’s joined at the hip with its neighbor, Blue Point. Despite sitting right next to each other, the two communities are located in different townships, with Bayport in the Town of Islip and Blue Point in the Town of Brookhaven. They still share a lot, though, including school districts and a local paper, the Bayport Blue Point Gazette, which proudly declares the two hamlets’ joint motto on its website: Two Towns, One Community. “Both Bayport and Blue Point have their own post office, of course, and their own fire department, but aside from that, it’s really one community,” says Bryn Elliot, a licensed associate broker at Signature Premier Properties who grew up in the area and has sold homes here for 20 years. “So they really tie in together. A lot of people will just name Bayport-Blue Point like it’s one town.”
Bayport locals love to sit in the Bayport Beach Gazebo and enjoy nature in Bayport.
You can find lavish estates on the water in Bayport.
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Swimming in the Great South Bay, kayaking in Browns River
Bayport Beach offers a spot to relax in the sand, swim in the Great South Bay or fish off the docks. There’s also a little playground to help entertain children. Waterfront activities of all kinds are common here, Leogrande says, including fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding and crabbing. Residents can rent boat slips at Bayport Marine Co. or launch kayaks at the Browns River Kayak Launch. “My husband paddleboards every day on Browns River, which connects Bayport with Sayville,” says Julie Poidomani, a licensed associate broker at Realty Connect USA who has also lived in the area her whole life and has 22 years of experience selling homes here. “Our border collie goes paddleboarding with him up and down the river.”
The Roosevelt Estate County Park gets its name because the land once belonged to John Ellis Roosevelt, a cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt. His home, known as Meadow Croft, is now a park and museum, and the park offers hiking and access to the Browns River. “Both communities are just very conducive to people wanting to enjoy the outdoors, so we have a lot of people who like to be out with their dogs,” Leogrande says. “A lot of people jog through the community, we have a lot of bicyclists.” Bayport Commons Park’s baseball fields are often the proving grounds for local Little League teams. “That’s where we really got to develop good friendships — the children and also the parents,” Poidomani says. “It’s a sense of community.”
The Bayport Aerodrome features a museum of antique planes and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Biplanes fly out from the spot frequently, and membership with the Bayport Aerodrome Society yields access to special events. In Blue Point, the Bayport-Blue Point Public Library serves both communities in a building that was a convent until recently. Its three-year renovation was completed in December 2021.
Local resident heading out of the canal on his boat in Bayport.
Don't forget your sunscreen when your lay out at Bayports Beach in Bayport.
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Small fixer-uppers occasionally starting in the $400,000s
Bayport is the kind of community where kids are often out riding their bikes or playing basketball in their driveways. To the north of Middle Road, Bayport’s homes are a little newer, with most built any time between 1940 to the present. Housing styles vary, too, from smaller ranch-style homes and Cape Cods to Colonial Revivals and New Traditionals. South of Middle Road, though, homes change. “They’re usually a little bit older, in the vicinity of 100 years old,” says Ted Gounelas, an associate real estate broker at Coldwell Banker M&D Life. “Slightly larger property sizes, very nice wide-open streets as well.” These homes are often colonials, from traditional colonials to Dutch Colonials, and Victorians. Out on the bay, waterfront homes often feature large front windows, spacious porches and backyard pools. Small inland two-bedrooms in need of serious updating can occasionally start at around $400,000, but most start closer to $580,000. Inland homes north of Middle Road typically max out at $850,000, but inland homes to the south can go for up to $1.2 million. Waterfront homes usually cost between $800,000 and just over $2 million. Flooding and wind damage are major concerns in this area, especially during hurricane season, so insurance to protect against these things is an essential part of living here. The CAP Index crime score is 2 out of 10, which is below the national average of 4.
Bayport offers many different styles of homes.
A unique twist on the Cape Cod home in Bayport.
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St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Montauk Highway
The Bayport-Blue Point St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of the biggest events of the year. “It’s huge, it’s been designated as a regional event,” Elliot says of the parade, which isn’t always exactly on St. Patrick’s Day but features bagpipe bands and handmade floats. “There’s maybe over 20,000 people on the main street. A lot of the people from neighboring towns come to our town for the parade.” There’s also the annual Blue Point Brewery Marathon, which passes through Bayport, and a host of local organizations that contribute to community events, including the civic association and Bayport-Blue Point Chamber of Commerce to the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Little League and the Lions Club. The Bayport-Blue Point Heritage Association, established in 1983 to preserve local history, hosts several events and guided history tours throughout the year. It also hosts a boat cruise in the summer and closes the year with an annual holiday event.
Restaurants and a historic pub along Montauk Highway
Most of Bayport’s restaurants are on Montauk Highway, which is the community's main thoroughfare. The Fish Store is a fresh fish market and restaurant known for its crab cakes and fresh seafood. Satelite Pizza is a go-to for local pies and Sunflower Café offers fresh baked goods, but Bayport’s most iconic spot is People’s Pub, a historic bar and restaurant that got its start as a stagecoach stop in 1868. It has a vibe to match, in part thanks to its historic bar, which is over 155 years old. The pub often hosts live music and Wednesdays are dedicated to supporting local artists. Bayport even has a local vineyard. Starting as a mere picnic table for a tasting room in 1984, Loughlin Vineyard now serves its homegrown pours year-round on the weekends from its grounds on the Meadow Croft estate. Many choose to pack a picnic and bring their four-legged friends to this popular winery.
Middle Road is also home to a mini downtown with a handful of local businesses. For groceries, King Kullen is just outside Bayport’s border in Blue Point. “We have some nice restaurants and some nice, quaint stores,” Elliot says. “We’ve got everything we need, there’s a supermarket and a Dunkin’ Donuts and everything, but if you’re looking for a big shopping mall or a busy, hustling, bustling main street, that’s just not us.”
Cavanough's is a cozy local pub close to Bayport.
Enjoy great food and drinks in the warm atmosphere of Sunflower Cafe and Bakery in Bayport.
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Sports and a focus on mental health at Bayport-Blue Point High
The Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District gets an A from Niche. Leogrande, Poidomani and Elliot agree the district is a major draw. “We have one high school, one middle school and three elementary schools,” Leogrande says. “We have incredible sports programs; we really turn out a lot of wonderful athletes. We have a great lacrosse team, baseball, football, track. Our basketball team is fantastic.” Children can start out at Academy Street Elementary School, which has an A-minus, before moving on to James Wilson Young Middle School and Bayport-Blue Point High School, both of which also have A-minuses. Bayport Blue-Point High School opened a wellness center in early 2024 and is now working on an outdoor garden as an extension of the space. The center focuses on improving students’ mental health and provides a calming, quiet space for relaxation.
Welcome to Bayport Blue Point High School.
Bayport residents can enjoy seven tennis courts at Bayport Commons Park.
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Highway access, traveling to the LIRR in Sayville
Montauk Highway, Nicolls Road, which is otherwise known as state Route 97, and Sunrise Highway all run through Bayport. Accessing major highways heading in pretty much any direction takes just a few minutes. Bayport hasn’t had a Long Island Rail Road station since 1980, but the Sayville station is about 2 miles away. From there, commuters reach Manhattan’s Penn Station in about an hour and a half. Long Island MacArthur Airport is just over 6 miles away.
Written By
Hannah Rainey
Photography Contributed By
Anthony Costa
Video By
Luke Mancari
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GreatSchools:
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On average, homes in Bayport, NY sell after 43 days on the market compared to the national average of 50 days. The median sale price for homes in Bayport, NY over the last 12 months is $735,000, up 4% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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