I visited the Long Island beach town that real estate agents are calling the 'new Hamptons' and found it was nothing like the real thing

02.08.2023 - 13:01 / insider.com / Long

In July, The New York Post published an article in which New York real estate agents proclaimed that Atlantic Beach, a village in Long Island, is becoming the "new Hamptons."

The Hamptons, an area on the east end of Long Island about 100 miles from New York City, has long been a popular and luxurious summer getaway comprised of about 20 beach towns and quaint villages.

Thomas Tripodi of Douglas Elliman Real Estate told The New York Post that Atlantic Beach, located about 28 miles from the city, is "the Hamptons without the commute."

The publication then shared a second story in which Atlantic Beach residents refuted this claim with the headline, "Atlantic Beach locals tell Wall Street this isn't the 'new Hamptons:' 'We're a small town.'"

Tripodi told Insider that residents likely wanted to quash the "new Hamptons" buzz in order to preserve the exclusivity of the town.

"My feeling would be yes everybody wants to keep it a secret," he said. "They don't want everybody in the world coming down there. I didn't come up with the article about how all these Wall Streeters are coming here, but it happens to be a fact. A lot of them are now heading out of the city, and they have to go in five days a week, and you can't do that from the Hamptons."

Tripodi said that he's sold twice as many homes in Atlantic Beach to Manhattan residents in recent years. The New York Post reported in July that there were 15 homes for sale in the area, including its most expensive yet — a home listed at $11.5 million.

While Tripodi acknowledged to Insider the small town is not a destination with lots of attractions like the Hamptons, the two locations can offer similar amenities to residents, he said.

"If you want the parties and restaurants in that specific town, then it is not the same as the Hamptons," Tripodi said of Atlantic Beach. "If you want the quiet and beautiful houses and to live on the bay and walk to the beach, it's right there, both of them. And if you want restaurants, it's literally five minutes away, just like if you were in the Hamptons and you were getting in the car."

Representatives of the Village of Atlantic Beach did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

I visited Atlantic Beach in late July to see what it was like and if it was appropriate to call it the "new Hamptons."