Welcome to Shelter Island ...
Shelter Island is located in Suffolk County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Shelter Island, you might consider that their post office opened in 1846.
A typical abbreviation for Shelter Island: Shelter Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)
Shelter Island is 50 feet [15 m] above sea level.<2>.
Time Zone: Shelter Island lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Shelter Island: 631 & 934<3>
The ZIP code for Shelter Island: 11964<4>
Communities near Shelter Island ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Shelter Island.
- Clinton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clinton have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Clinton is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,881 people
- Old Saybrook
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Saybrook have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Saybrook
- Old Saybrook is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,028 people
- Old Lyme
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Lyme have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Lyme
- Old Lyme is located in New London County (CT)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,280 people
- Westbrook
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook
- Westbrook is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,842 people
- Essex
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Essex have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex
- Essex is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,634 people
- Southampton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Sag Harbor
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- East Hampton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- North Haven
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sagaponack
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Shelter Island. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Shelter Island.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Shelter Island. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Shelter Island.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Shelter Island. See our Newspapers Page for Shelter Island.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Shelter Island ...
Looking for more information about Shelter Island? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Shelter Island, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Shelter Island.
Adding Shelter Island to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Shelter Island in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Shelter Island was in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).
We also found Shelter Island in the book titled Table of U.S. Post Offices in the United States (Jan. 1851).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Shelter Island.
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of New York's counties, including Suffolk, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Shelter Island - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 631 code has been Overlayed with the 934 area code. New phone numbers in the Shelter Island area will be assigned with one of these codes: 631 or 934. As a result, placing a call in the Shelter Island area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Shelter Island). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Shelter Island or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |