NORTH FORK LIFESTYLE
The North Fork is comprised of Southold Town and a majority of the Town of Riverhead, dotted with quaint rural hamlets, each as unique as the next. While the Hamptons have become known as a playground for the rich and famous, the North Fork of Long Island has managed to retain its rural character for nearly four centuries, making it a favorite destination for families, couples and just about anyone looking for a peaceful respite.
When one crosses on to the peninsula called the North Fork, there is an immediate sense of having moved back in time, to a period when Long Island was comprised primarily of farms. For many, there is a feeling of amazement, that a place of such rural beauty still exists in an age when Long Island is comprised primarily of suburbs. But not only does the North Fork exist; it thrives.
Part of the reason the North Fork has prospered is that it has displayed an impressive ability to adapt to these changing times. When most of Long Island’s potato farms were being transformed into subdivisions, a few pioneers planted grape vines in Cutchogue, literally cultivating the wine industry that now anchors agriculture on the North Fork.
In fact the area’s popularity has grown over the years, most recently, thanks in part to skyrocketing interest in the area’s wine industry. Agri-business on the North Fork has spawned agri-tourism and, each year, countless numbers of visitors flock to the area, looking to indulge in the beauty, the sounds and the tastes of Long Island’s wine region.
The beauty of the grapevines that dot the landscape is matched by the quaint New England charm of the North Fork’s downtown areas, its historic homes and breathtaking water views of both the Long Island Sound to the north and the Peconic Bay to the south.
Coupled with fine restaurants, quaint shops, charming bed and breakfasts and an array of recreational activities, the North Fork is no longer the isolated rural community it once was and has now become one of the hottest getaway spots on the East Coast.
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