Northport is a historic maritime village in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, New York, United States.

Initially designated Great Cow Harbour by 17th-century English colonists, the area was officially renamed Northport in 1837.

The original inhabitants of the area now known as Northport were the Matinecocks, one of 13 Native American tribes of Long Island.

[3] After Dutch interest a few years earlier, the land was sold by Chief Asharoken, head of the Matinecocks, to three Englishmen in 1656.

By 1874, it had become the most flourishing village on Long Island's North Shore, with three ship yards, five sets of marine railways, two hotels, and at least six general stores.

[7] Northport's shipbuilding boom lasted fifty years, but waned at the end of the century as steel-hulled ships began replacing the wooden vessels produced in the village.

However, just a few years later the LIRR decided to move the Northport station to a new location in Larkfield to facilitate further railway extension to Port Jefferson.

The increasing usage of the automobile led the trolley to make its last scheduled commuter run on August 19, 1924.

Around the Revolutionary War, a concentration of 31 families began settling 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Northport, around where Main Street and Route 25A now intersect 40°53′58″N 73°19′47″W / 40.8995°N 73.3296°W / 40.8995; -73.3296.

[7][12] Northport also annexed the formerly independent settlement of Crab Meadow 40°55′15″N 73°19′13″W / 40.9207°N 73.3202°W / 40.9207; -73.3202[13] (once known as Great Neck[14]), as well as western parts of the Freshpond community 40°55′21″N 73°17′47″W / 40.9224°N 73.2965°W / 40.9224; -73.2965.

[16] The Northport Trolley, which had ceased operations in 1924, enjoyed a popular revival in the 1970s and 1980s, transporting weekend tourists along Main Street.

It also ran on rubber automobile tires rather than utilizing the original rails which still remain a visible element of Main Street to this day.

In July 1984, Northport garnered nationwide media attention for being the site of the gruesome murder of 17-year-old Gary Lauwers by his friend, high school dropout and alleged devil-worshiper Ricky Kasso.

To the west is the highly sheltered Northport Harbor, to the north is Long Island Sound, and to the east are woods and marshland.

[citation needed] The area has since been utilized for home and condo use, and a portion of the Pit is a park used by local youth soccer and baseball leagues.

The Northport Fire Department maintains a training facility in the Pit that is the site of the annual fireman's fair in the summer.

Events kick off with a parade down Main Street, featuring floats, the local Northport High School marching band, antique cars and a temporary resurrection of the trolley that was once commonplace along this route in the early 1900s.

Each year an appearance is made by the Regimental Band of the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point.