East Hampton Was Old Money's Summer Address Before 'The Hamptons' Was a Brand

East Hampton, a village on the South Fork of Long Island, has been a summer retreat for well over a century, long before "the Hamptons" became a catch-all marketing term for the string of towns along this stretch of coastline. Its particular reputation, quieter and more old-guard than some of its flashier neighbours, rests on a mix of genuine art history, private clubs that have never sought publicity, and a village government that has consistently favoured preservation over expansion.

An artists' colony first

In the late 19th century, East Hampton drew American landscape and Tonalist painters to its dunes and windmills, earning it recognition as one of the country's earliest art colonies. That reputation deepened in the mid-20th century, when Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner settled in nearby Springs, part of the wider township, and their home and studio there is now preserved as a National Historic Landmark. Willem de Kooning also lived and worked in the area for decades. That artistic pedigree, rather than any single grand estate, is a large part of what gives East Hampton its old-money credibility.

Private clubs, kept private

The Maidstone Club, founded in 1891 along the ocean in East Hampton, remains one of the most exclusive private clubs on the East Coast, combining golf, tennis and beach access for a membership that has always guarded its privacy closely. Its longevity, well over a century as a members-only institution with no public-facing hospitality arm, is itself a marker of the kind of wealth East Hampton has traditionally attracted: inherited and understated rather than newly made and eager to be seen.

Georgica Pond and the hedge-line aesthetic

Georgica Pond, a tidal pond ringed by some of East Hampton's largest waterfront estates, has long been one of the area's most sought-after addresses, its shoreline lined with historic shingle-style houses set well back behind tall privet hedges, a landscaping choice so associated with the area's privacy culture that it has become a visual shorthand for old Hamptons money.

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Main Street, still recognisably itself

East Hampton's Main Street, with its white clapboard churches, a historic windmill and a village green, has changed remarkably little in silhouette even as property values around it have risen sharply, a continuity that residents and preservation boards have actively worked to maintain through strict local zoning and historic-district rules.

Traveller tips

• East Hampton is roughly two and a half to three hours from New York City by car or the Long Island Rail Road, longer in peak summer weekend traffic.
• Main Beach and other village beaches require a parking permit for non-residents in peak season; check current rules before driving out.
• The Maidstone Club and most other private clubs in the area are members-only, with no public tours or walk-in access.
• Summer weekends are by far the busiest and most expensive time to visit; late spring and early autumn offer a quieter look at the village.