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Small town

Living in Shelter Island, NY

Shelter Island is a small town of 2,125 people in Suffolk County, New York. It's about 36 miles from Norwich, CT and 53 miles from Hartford, CT, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 39°F, with about 27 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $1.0M and rent runs about $2k a month.

2,125people
$1.0MTypical home
$2,255/moRent
81° / 39°Summer / winter
27"Snow
238Sunny days
114Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 2,125
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 324 people per sq mi
  • 53 mi to Hartford, CT
  • 36 mi to Norwich, CT
  • 18 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $1.0M (≈$6,466/mo)
  • Median rent $2,255/mo
  • Median household income $148k
  • Property tax about 0.4% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 81°F
  • Winter highs around 39°F
  • Muggy summers (dew point 64°F)
  • 238 sunny days a year (76 totally clear)
  • 127 cloudy days a year
  • 37 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 114 days a year with rain or snow
  • 27" of snow a year
  • 8 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 5 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (78 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (374 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 41
  • 29% of households have kids
  • 19% are 65 or older
  • 53% have a college degree
  • Very diverse community
  • 1% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 33 min
  • 17% walk or take transit to work
  • 33 mi to WST airport
  • 64 mi to BDL (major hub)
  • 17 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 97% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1974
  • 56% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 98 ft
  • Right on the coast
  • 177 mi to a big lake
  • 15 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 38 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 3 mi to the nearest campground
  • 45 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 474 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 19 bars within 25 mi
  • 112 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
  • 58 museums within 25 mi
  • 18 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 5 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 49% of New York districts (reading)
  • 3 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 20 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 34 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 6 mi to the nearest vet
  • 20 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 3 congregations per 10k people
  • 14 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Suffolk County: R+10 in 2024
  • New York: D+13 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • High hurricane risk
  • Moderate tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.

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