Great River, New York
Great River is a community of 1,899 people in Suffolk County, New York.
Why visit Great River
Townapedia lists 10 museums and landmarks, 17 parks and trails, 11 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Jacob Ockers House, Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park and Heckscher State Park.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 80°F; January lows average 26°F.
Weather in Great River
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Great River
Great River is a suburban hamlet and Census-designated place (CDP) located within the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 2,005 at the time of the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Great River, New York (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks10
Connetquot River State Park Preserve
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.5 mi
State park in New York
Jacob Ockers House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Historic house in New York, United States
Modesty
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Oyster-dredging sloop built in Long Island
Priscilla
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
Classic oyster dredging sloop
Rudolph Oyster House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Single-family detached home in New York, United States of America
Wereholme
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Historic house in New York, United States
Westbrook
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.6 mi
Large estate house listed on National Register of Historic places in Great River, NY
Long Island Maritime Museum
Museum · 3.2 mi
Museum in West Sayville, New York, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds17
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5 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes11
History
For centuries, clusters of the Algonquin people known as the Montaukett people occupied the territory known as Secatogue, now the town of Islip. They lived in clusters located at West Islip (Secatogue), Bay Shore (Penataquit), Great River, and Oakdale (Connetquot).
On November 29, 1683, William Nicoll (Nicolls), founder of the Town of Islip and son of New York City Mayor Matthias Nicoll, was awarded the first royal patent to the east end of what is now the Town of Islip. Nicoll purchased land from Sachem (Paramount chief) Winnequaheagh of Connetquot. He named his 50,000-acre (20,000 ha) plantation (an 8-by-10-mile (13 by 16 km) tract of land) "Islip Grange", in honor of his ancestral home of Islip (UK) in East Northamptonshire, England, from which Matthias emigrated in 1664. Nicoll's domain extended from East Islip to Bayport and embraced the present-day communities of Sayville, West Sayville, Oakdale, Great River, Islip Terrace, Central Islip, Hauppauge, Holbrook, Bohemia, Brentwood, Holtsville, and a portion of Ronkonkoma. Nicoll paid an annual quit-rent (tax) to Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick and Governor of the Province of New York, of five bushels of good winter wheat or twenty-five (25) shillings payable annually on March 25.
From the History section of Great River, New York on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship3
St. Johns Episcopal Church and Cemetery
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries38
Map of Great River
83 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°F | 26°F | 3.5 in |
| Feb | 40°F | 27°F | 4.6 in |
| Mar | 46°F | 33°F | 4.4 in |
| Apr | 56°F | 43°F | 3.8 in |
| May | 64°F | 52°F | 3.5 in |
| Jun | 74°F | 62°F | 3.7 in |
| Jul | 80°F | 70°F | 4.7 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 69°F | 5.8 in |
| Sep | 73°F | 61°F | 4.3 in |
| Oct | 63°F | 50°F | 3.6 in |
| Nov | 53°F | 40°F | 3.0 in |
| Dec | 44°F | 32°F | 4.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Molloy Cercom (3 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Suffolk County has had 25 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-10-21: Severe Storm And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2024-08-25: Severe Storm And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-15: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm (Snowstorm)
- 2021-09-05: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida (Hurricane)
- 2021-09-02: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida (Hurricane)
- 2021-08-22: Hurricane Henri (Hurricane)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 6 miles away.
- East Islip 2 mi northwest, about 3 min by car
- Islip 3 mi west, about 6 min by car
- Sayville 4 mi northeast, about 7 min by car
- Bay Shore 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- Central Islip 5 mi northwest, about 8 min by car
- Ronkonkoma 6 mi north, about 10 min by car
- North Bay Shore 6 mi northwest, about 10 min by car
- Holbrook 7 mi northeast, about 11 min by car
- West Islip 7 mi west, about 12 min by car
- Hauppauge 8 mi north, about 13 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Lodge at Connetquot, Christine from L.I., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jacob Ockers House, DanTD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rudolph-oyster-house, Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Westbrook, Bayard Cutting Arboretum, seen from the Great Lawn 01, Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Saint John's Episcopal Church & Cemetery (Oakdale, New York), DanTD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Wereholme; Harold Weeks Estate-1, DanTD, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Priscilla-bundled-up-for-winter, Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Modesty-sloop, Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Long-island-maritime-museum, Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0
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