Montauk is strategically located at the tip of the South Fork peninsula it has been used as an Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force base. Located 20 miles (32 km) off the Connecticut coast, it is home to the largest commercial and recreational fishing fleet in New York State.[2]

The Montauk Point Light was the first lighthouse in New York state and is the fourth oldest active lighthouse in the United States.

Montauk is a major tourist destination and it boasts six state parks. It is particularly famous for its fishing (claiming to have more world saltwater fishing records than any other port in the world)[3] and surfing.

The Deep Hollow Ranch is the oldest cattle ranch in the United States.[4]

Montauk derives its name from the Montaukett tribe, an Algonquin speaking tribe who lived in the area.

In 1614 Dutch explorer Adriaen Block encountered the tribe at Montauk Point which he named Hoeck van de Visschers, or "Point of the Fishers."[1]

In 1637 the Montauketts sided with the victorious English in the Pequot War in Connecticut. In the aftermath the Montauketts were to sell Gardiners Island. In 1658 what would become East Hampton (first Maidstone) was sold by them to the Connecticut colony while retaining the lands to the east from the hills rising aboveNapeague, New York to Montauk Point. The western boundary of today's Hither Hills State Park is also known as the 1648 purchase line.

In 1653 Narragansetts under Ninigret attacked and burned the Montaukett village, killing 30 and capturing one of Chief Wyandanch's daughters. The daughter was recovered with the aid of Lion Gardiner (who in turn was to get large portion of Smithtown, New York in appreciation). The Montauketts, ravaged by smallpox and threatened by the Narragansetts, and were provided temporary refuge in East Hampton. The Narragansetts declared a war of genocide against the white settlers and many short but famous battles ensued.[5] The skirmishes were to end in 1657. Fort Pond Bay derives its name from a Montaukett "fort" on its shore. A deed was issued in 1661 titled "Ye deed of Guift" which granted all of the lands East of Fort Pond to be for the common use of both the Indians and the Townsmen.After the 1658 purchase agreements were entered into in 1661, 1672 and 1686 which, among other things, allowed a group of Easthampton townsmen to graze cattle on the Montaukett lands. While some lands were protected in the agreements as forest land, for the most part all of Montauk was maintained by the townsmen as a private livestock and fisheries operation. As a result of Montauk being operated as a livestock operation it is considered to be the oldest cattle ranch in the United States.

In 1660 Wyandanch's widow sold all of Montauk from Napeague to the tip of the island for 100 pounds to be paid in 10 equal installments of "Indian corn or good wampumat six to a penny".[6] However the tribe was to be permitted to stay on the land and to hunt and fish at will on the land and to harvest the tails and fins of whales that washed up dead on the East Hampton shores. Town officials who bought the land were to file for reimbursement for rum they had plied the tribe.[7] The tribe was to continue residence until the 19th century in the area around Big Reed Pond in what was to be called "Indian Fields."

In 1686 English New York Governor Thomas Dongan issued a patent creating the governing system for East Hampton. The patent did not extend beyond Napeague to Montauk. This lack of authority has formed the basis for various control disputes ever since.

In 1699 the pirate Captain Kidd was said to have buried treasure at the tip of Montauk at what today is called Money Pond.Montauk is considered a beach resort, using its position at the tip of Long Island to promote itself as "The Living End" or "The Last Resort" and become one of the busiest tourist locations within the town of East Hampton. The small town is host to many restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and hotels and is a popular vacation spot in the warm weather months. Such accommodations are rarer elsewhere in the Hamptons. Many of the Montauk hotels are only open April through November, some for shorter time periods, while a few serve fishermen and other customers year round, including the famed Gurney's Inn.

The Long Island Rail Road provides train service to Pennsylvania Station, New York, and Hampton Jitney provides bus service to Manhattan. Suffolk Transit's 10C and seasonally-operated S94 routes serve the village. The 10C connects the village with East Hampton, and the Amagansett, East Hampton and Montauk Long Island Rail Road stations on the Montauk Branch, and the seasonally-operated S94 connects the village with the Montauk Point Light. Small planes can fly into the Montauk Airport.

Lake Montauk, a small bay on the north side of town, is home to a US Coast Guard station and a small fishing fleet, both commercial and recreational.

Six state parks are in Montauk. They are from west to east:

In addition there is Theodore Roosevelt County Park and several East Hampton parks and Nature Conservancy areas.