History of Orient

Orient’s first Native American inhabitants, members of the Algonquin Nation, called the land Poquatuck.  Around 1661, European settlers began settling in the area and named the land Oysterponds Lower Neck after the two large ponds that mark the western entrance to the community.  Southold Town records show that one of the earliest commercial crops grown in Orient was tobacco raised for the English markets.   

Orient’s harbors and fertile fields brought tradesmen, fishermen and farmers, who built their homes and shops as early as 1661.  Locals split the area between two distinct communities Orient Village and Orient Point.