Miller Place, New York

Miller Place is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States. Despite preserving much of its historic identity, changes in the 20th century have transitioned the hamlet into a desirable and densely populated suburban area. The population was 11,723 at the 2020 census.

Miller Place and Mount Sinai are historically linked, with residents sharing such institutions as the Mount Sinai Congregational Church, located on the hamlet's border. The harborfront section of Port Jefferson, 5 miles to the west, serves as a primary commercial downtown walking area for residents of both Miller Place and Mount Sinai.

History

Agricultural hamlet

Miller Place has been inhabited since the 17th century and is named for the Miller family that included many of its initial settlers. For most of its history, the community functioned as an agriculture-based society.

The land that Miller Place occupies was purchased from the native Setalcott tribe in 1664 by settlers of Setauket. The parcel also included what would become Mount Sinai, an adjacent community of similar character with which Miller Place would share a variety of functions throughout its history.

The first known dwelling in the area was constructed in the 1660s by Captain John Scott, an important figure in Long Island's early history. This house was named Braebourne and features on a map of the New England region credited to Scott, who served as a royal advisor and cartographer among other occupations. This abode, on the eastern side of Mount Sinai Harbor, was one of three houses John Scott commissioned, and the actual occupier is unknown.

thumb|left|The Miller Place Duck Pond on North Country Road

While the original settler of Miller Place is unknown, the settling of the region is largely credited to the original Miller family. In 1679, an East Hampton settler named Andrew Miller purchased a plot. Miller was a cooper by profession, and records indicate that he had emigrated from either Maidstone, England or Craigmillar, Scotland.

thumb|left|The William Miller House, with sections dating from 1720 to 1816

By the early 1700s, the community had become known as Miller's Place. The Miller family expanded well into the 18th century and continually developed houses in the northern part of the hamlet. The Millers were in time joined by members of such families as the Helmes, Robinsons, Burnetts, Hawkins, Woodhulls, and Thomases. Many roads in the present hamlet have been named after historical families.

thumb|left|The 1785 Timothy Miller house

The oldest extant house is the home of William Miller, Andrew Miller's grandson, composed in three sections between 1720 and 1816 at a prominent location on North Country Road. The hamlet's many extant historical structures are centered on this thoroughfare, forming the core of the Miller Place Historic District. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, it became the first historic district in the Town of Brookhaven. Separately listed is the Samuel Hopkins House. In 2013 an agreement was signed between local politicians and the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which currently manages the strip on which the railroad operated, to convert this land into a public bicycle trail.

In the latter 19th century, Miller Place became a popular summer resort location. This led to a building boom of beach-side bungalows, rustic log cabins, and commercial activities to accommodate the new seasonal residents. A barn-like building known as the Harbor House operated as a dormitory-style vacation house for young girls until it was destroyed in a 1962 fire. Camp Barstow, a Girl Scout camp near the beach, was active until 1980 and has since become public parkland.

Modern development

thumb|left|The Miller Place post office since 1990

In the decades following World War II, the population of Miller Place greatly expanded, and the majority of beach cottages were repurposed as family homes.

A 2012 plan by the Town of Brookhaven aims to comprehensively manage Route 25A between Mount Sinai and Wading River under planning strategies counter to those of car-oriented mid-century suburbia. For Miller Place, it intends to transition the section at Echo and Sylvan Avenues into a traditional downtown center with new mixed-use development and an expanded Sylvan Avenue Park that would complement the current town post office and senior center. The plan additionally calls for the preservation of the DeLea Sod Farm, the largest agricultural parcel remaining on the Miller Place stretch of Route 25a.

Geography

thumb|right|Indian Rock on Miller Place Beach

thumb|left|Beach on Long Island Sound in Miller Place Miller Place is located on North Shore of Long Island and features a two-mile section of beach. It also hugs the east side of Mount Sinai Harbor, which it shares with neighboring Mount Sinai and Port Jefferson. The hamlet also borders with Sound Beach, Rocky Point, Middle Island and Coram.

The 73rd meridian west passes directly through Miller Place.

The area is hilly in some patches, mostly near the beach, but generally has grass and trees. Though the soil is suitable for agriculture, desire for housing has led most farms to be developed into suburban housing communities or commercial locations.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Miller Place had a population of 11,723. The median age was 43.4 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.5 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,001 households in Miller Place, of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 67.1% were married-couple households, 10.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Demographic estimates

According to 2019 ACS estimates, 10.9% of residents were between ages 18 and 24, 17.6% were between ages 25 and 44, and 29.1% were between ages 45 and 64; 48.6% of the population was female. QuickFacts reported 3.11 persons per household.

Education

thumbnail|right|North Country Road Middle School

The four schools of the Miller Place Union Free School District are scattered throughout the hamlet and serve both Miller Place and much of the hamlet of Sound Beach. These include the Andrew Muller Primary School (K-2), Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School (3–5), North Country Road Middle School (6–8), and the Miller Place High School (9–12). The high school has been ranked the 78th in the nation for students taking AP classes. The school's mascot is a panther, while the school colors are red, white and blue.

Health care

There is one walk-in clinic and urgent care center in Miller Place; Caremed Primary and Urgent Care.