Orient is the eastern-most hamlet in the town of Southold on Long Island’s North Fork. Orient’s population swells to well over 1000 in the summer months. Other than a post office, gas station, and a few seasonal tourist stands, there is no real center of commerce. Orient’s residents depend on nearby Greenport for every-day necessities. Many residents make a living at the US Government’s Department of Agriculture lab on nearby Plum Island, a 5 minute boat ride from Orient Point across Plum Gut, or at businesses further inland.
business disrictTruck Farming and a fishing industry remains as well. The hamlet of Orient has homes built over the 
last 3 centuries. Locals joke that a “new” house is anything built post World War II. Many travel to Orient not for tourism, but to take the Cross Sound Ferry that currently operates a ferry service between Orient Point and New London, Connecticut.
