CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Montauk, New York

census-designated place in New York, United States

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 24, 2026
Entity authorityQ498773 ↗
Source-derived summary

Montauk ( MON-tawk) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in East Hampton and Suffolk County, New York, on the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 4,318.

The CDP encompasses an area that stretches approximately 13 miles (21 km) from Napeague to the easternmost tip of New York State at Montauk Point Light. The hamlet encompasses a small area about halfway between the two points.

Located at the tip of the South Fork peninsula of Long Island, 118 miles (190 km) east of New York City, Montauk has been used as an Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force base. The Montauk Point Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in New York State and was commissioned by President George Washington in 1792.

Montauk is a major tourist destination with six state parks. It is particularly famous for its fishing, claiming to have more world saltwater fishing records than any other port in the world. Located 20 miles (32 km) off the Connecticut coast, it is home to the largest commercial and recreational fishing fleet in New York state.

History

17th century

Montauk derives its name from the Montaukett tribe, an Algonquian-speaking tribe who lived in the area.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Montauk, New York” as census-designated place in New York, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Montauk, York and census-designated.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2020, 1792—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Montauk, York and census-designated providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Montauk, New York”, the useful work is to connect “census-designated place in New York, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q498773. VIAF identifies the subject as 123195523. The Library of Congress control number is n83175371. Authority coordinates are 41.038, -71.951. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020 and 1792.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Montauk, New York”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Montauk, New York primary sources, Montauk, New York archive and Montauk research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Montauk, New York”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Montauk, New York” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.