Wading River, a 'storybook suburbia,' draws homebuyers seeking room to grow near the North Fork

THE SCOOP For Taleb Adla, a resident of Wading River since 2002, the hamlet on the edge of the North Fork is an ideal place to raise a family. "It’s like storybook suburbia, between the schools, the quiet community, and being as close to farm country without actually being in farm country and being near the vineyards," says Adla, who runs the Adla Team for Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

Wading River is in the Town of Riverhead and adjacent to Shoreham in the Town of Brookhaven. They share a school district, though the majority of the hamlet is in the Riverhead Central School District. In 2019, Shoreham-Wading River High School was among 19 schools in the state named a National Blue Ribbon winner by the U.S. Department of Education.

The hamlet was a sparsely populated farming town until 1925, when families started coming from the city in the summer to camp at Wildwood State Park at the edge of the Sound. By 1947, the families of returning World War II veterans were building homes in the area, and local farmers were renting out properties as campsites to the overflow crowds at Wildwood. Over time, these vacationers built seaside cottages that to this day are part of summer communities for generations of families and newcomers who find properties for sale.

Most of the year-round homes are Colonial and Victorian styles, with some modern construction, and a few senior mobile home complexes "mostly for the snowbirds who come during the summer," says Millie Thomas of Landmark Realty of Long Island. Houses, not including mobile homes, range from about $400,000 to $2.5 million on the water.

According to Thomas, the biggest challenge is a shortage of housing inventory for those who continue to move east from the city, attracted by how some homes are set on a half-acre or larger. "The lack of inventory and buyer interest in our area have increased the sales price approximately 15% in 2021 since the previous year," Thomas said.

There are two shopping centers and a downtown village area on Sound Road near a duck pond with shops and restaurants that hosts parades and celebrations. The East Wind Long Island hotel, spa and catering hall on Route 25A has The Shoppes at East Wind and a barrier-free carousel. With a town pass, residents get access to Wading River and other town beaches. Adla says that summers can get busy with visitors, and that police are increasingly checking seasonal and daily beach passes to control parking.

CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are no condos or co-ops on the market.

SALE PRICES Between Nov. 30, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021, there were 163 home sales with a median sale price of $515,000, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $10,000 and the high was $1.3 million. During that period a year earlier there were 155 home sales with a median sale price of $475,000. The price range was $38,000 to $1.54 million.

OTHER STATS

Area 9.8 square miles

ZIP code 11792

Population 7,731

Median age 40.7

Median household income $135,351

Median home value $550,000*

Monthly LIRR ticket from Port Jefferson $405

School districts, graduation rates Shoreham-Wading River (94%), Riverhead (76%)

Parks Wildwood State Park, Bayberry Park

Libraries North Shore, Riverhead

Hospitals Peconic Bay Medical Center, Mather Hospital, St. Charles Hospital

Transit Suffolk County Transit Route 62

SOURCES: 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; OneKey MLS; LIRR, data.nysed.gov *Based on 79 sales in the past six months, according to OneKey MLS

NOW ON THE MARKET

$949,000

Custom-built in 2003, this 3,632-square-foot carriage house is located in the Crescent on the Sound waterfront community. It has four bedrooms, including a first-floor primary, and 3½ baths. An open floor plan allows for flow through the kitchen, family room with a gas fireplace, formal living room and atrium doors that lead to a four-seasons room. The house is on a 0.59-acre lot and has private deeded beach rights. A sale is pending. Taxes are $17,367. Taleb and Jacqueline Adla, the Adla Team, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 631-723-2721.

$699,000

This 2,389-square-foot Colonial built in 2000 has four bedrooms and 2½ baths, including a primary suite with a cathedral ceiling and two walk-in closets. The house is located in the Great Rock Development and has a wraparound porch, wood floors, a wood-burning fireplace, updated kitchen and a first-floor laundry. The landscaped yard on 0.54 acre has a saltwater in-ground pool with a waterfall and a koi pond. Taxes are $13,117. Millie Thomas, Landmark Realty of LI, 631-929-3600.

$399,990

Low taxes are a highlight of this 1968 ranch at the end of a cul-de-sac that features three bedrooms, a new bathroom, a fenced-in yard, a wood-burning stove in the living room and full basement. There’s also a deck and a detached one-car garage, all on 0.34 acre. Taxes are $6,453. Donna Lomenzo, Coldwell Banker M&D Good Life, 631- 929-3700.

RECENTLY SOLD

$955,000

Brookline Court

Style 2-Story

Bedrooms 4

Bathrooms 4 full, 1 half

Built 2003

Lot size 0.72 acre

Taxes $22,184

+/- List price +$6,000

Days on market 58

$600,000

Overlook Drive

Style Ranch

Bedrooms 3

Bathrooms 2 full, 1 half

Built 1955

Lot size 1 acre

Taxes $11,766

+/- List price +$25,000

Days on market 75

$350,000

First Street

Style Ranch

Bedrooms 3

Bathrooms 1

Built 1865

Lot size 0.21 acres

Taxes $8,441

+/- List price -$9,990

Days on market 76

ON ONEKEY MLS

Number of listings 17

Price range $73,000 to $2.4 million

Tax range $858 to $27,152