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History · Saltaire

Saltaire dates to 1910, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1920.

1910founded
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Saltaire’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Saltaire began

When was Saltaire founded?

1910

Saltaire dates its founding to 1910 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 12 in 19202020 census: 113116 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1913.The full story ↓

What stands out about Saltaire’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1930 and 1950, then grew 5-fold.On the map since 19025 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1979. Watch Saltaire change.Old housesHalf of Saltaire’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Saltaire’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Saltaire’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSaltaire; Gilgo Beach; Atlantique; Stay…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Saltaire, census by census

010019201940196019802000202064 in 1930Low: 21

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1930 and 1950, then grew 5-fold.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Saltaire’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Saltaire on the map, 1902 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Saltaire. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Saltaire on the 1902 USGS mapSaltaire on the 1944 USGS mapSaltaire on the 1955 USGS mapSaltaire on the 1967 USGS mapSaltaire on the 1979 USGS map1902Fire Island sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Saltaire.

The story

How Saltaire came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Saltaire.

Read it all →

Saltaire was founded in 1910 as a beach colony taking advantage of its location sandwiched between the Great South Bay to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Work on constructing the community commenced the following year, and the first residents had moved in by 1912.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Saltaire, 1902 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1910
    FoundingSaltaire is established
  4. 1915In the archiveSaltaire; Gilgo Beach; Atlantique; Stay - A - While Beach
  5. 21st century
  6. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 113
By decade

Saltaire, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Saltaire; Gilgo Beach; Atlantique; Stay - A - While Beach1915Saltaire; Gilgo Beach; Atlantique; Stay - A - While B…
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today11 recent
Saltaire Beach Shed2015Saltaire Beach ShedSaltaire Beach Shed 42015Saltaire Beach Shed 4Saltaire Beach Shed 22015Saltaire Beach Shed 2Saltaire Beach Chairs2015Saltaire Beach ChairsSaltaire Beach Chairs 22015Saltaire Beach Chairs 2Saltaire Bay Beach2015Saltaire Bay BeachSaltaire 042015Saltaire 04Saltaire 012015Saltaire 01Fire Island 2010 01 18 10902010Fire Island 2010 01 18 1090Saltaire, Fire Island dock2006Saltaire, Fire Island dockBeach @ Saltaire, Fire Island2006Beach @ Saltaire, Fire Island
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Saltaire; Gilgo Beach; Atlantique; Stay - A - While Beach
Retake this viewSaltaire; Gilgo Beach; Atlantique; Stay - A - While Beach, 1915

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Saltaire’s page.

Retake this view · +15

Questions about Saltaire’s history

What year was Saltaire founded?

In 1910, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Saltaire’s post office opened in 1913, and the census of 1920 counted 12 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.