East Shoreham is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Suffolk County town of Brookhaven, New York, United States. The population was 6,841 at the 2020 census.
History
Sited in East Shoreham, the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant was approved for Shoreham in 1973, but it was later decommissioned as the result of public protest. The builder, Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO), was partially reimbursed for money spent on construction. The municipal bonds that were floated to reimburse the builder are being paid off by a special levy on the electric bills of residents of Long Island. In 2022, estimates calculated the debt had grown from just under $8 billion to over $9 billion – more than $8,000 per ratepayer.
Geography
East Shoreham is located on the North Shore of Long Island, by Long Island Sound. It is approximately 100 km (70 miles) from New York City. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land. East Shoreham and the adjoining village of Shoreham share a post office, which has 11786 as the zip code. Despite its official name, East Shoreham is invariably referred to by its inhabitants as "Shoreham", while the adjoining village is often called "Shoreham Village".
East Shoreham is bordered to the east by Wading River in the town of Riverhead, to the south by Ridge, to the southwest by Rocky Point, to the west by the village of Shoreham.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, East Shoreham had a population of 6,841. The median age was 42.6 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18, and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over.
93.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,181 households in East Shoreham, of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 72.2% were married-couple households, 10.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 13.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 12.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
29.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.