Southampton - Settled 370 years ago by English Puritans from the New Haven Colony in Connecticut, the East End of Long Island boasts a long, rich history, full of notable movers and shakers. Stretching from Riverhead to Orient on the North Shore, and Quogue to Montauk on the South Shore, to those of us who live, summer and vacation here, there is no question that this region is particularly special.

Two women on Southampton Beach in 1919. (International News Photo's, Newsday)

The East End is an area with a unique history, deep roots, and old-fashioned charm. Some families, such as the Gardiners, Hortons, Tuthills, and Woodhulls, are even able to trace their family history back to the 1600s when the region was first settled. Many private roads are still unpaved, dirt-foot paths, and tall hedges guard sprawling estates on tree-lined streets. But what is it exactly that makes this region so unique and special?

Carved out by the last glacial retreat, the East End was left with a wide variety of water bodies. The Atlantic Ocean on the Southern shore, the Long Island Sound on the Northern shore, and rivers, lakes, streams, bays and estuaries everywhere in-between. The bounty provided by these waters has allowed East Enders to thrive for generations. First through whaling in towns like Sag Harbor and Greenport, and today as well, with the annual scallop harvest which some refer to as "Peconic Gold."

Not only are East Enders blessed with bounty from the sea, but from land as well. Rich soils, ample sunlight, and mild seasons provide the region with the ideal trifecta needed to prosper in farming and agriculture. The Gulf Stream, which passes just to the east of Montauk, brings mild winters, short springs, and what seems like endless summers and falls. The growing season is long, and vineyards, sod farms and pumpkin farms dot the landscape.

James Jones, Truman Capote, Willie Morris and John Knowlers outside of Bobby Van's restaurant. (Jill Krementx)

Nestled amid the water and land, are sprawling estates, quaint villages, fabulous shopping and dining, and an endless array of outdoor activities. Hiking, biking, swimming, sailing, fishing, sunning, shopping and more. There truly is something for everyone on the East End.

It is no wonder then, that a vast assortment of notable visitors and vacationers are drawn to the area. The Hamptons in particular became a sort of social center that drew artists and writers, as well as becoming a year round resort and retreat for the rich and famous. Artists like Winslow Homer, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, literary giants like Walt Whitman, John Steinbeck and Truman Capote, and scientific geniuses like Albert Einstein all spent time on the East End.

Whether to escape from the stresses of everyday life, find solace and solitude, or to be inspired, they all came for different reasons, but all recognized that there was something truly special about the East End; something that could not be found anywhere else, something that continues to draw people to the East End to this day.

Main Street Sag Harbor in the year 1859. (Newsday)