Saint James NY Homes for Sale: Your Moving Guide

“Quaint” is perhaps the best word to describe this historic, unincorporated hamlet, located on Suffolk County’s near-North Shore. Saint James maintains a reputation for being a leafy, folksy, and somehow rural yet suburban community, home to a large population of people employed by high-tech Long Island companies.

Buying a home in Saint James connects you with beautiful neighborhoods with tree-lined streets, where older colonials mix with newer ranches, capes, cottages, and contemporaries on half- and quarter-acre lots. If smaller, lower-priced homes are more your style, start your home search near Route 25A and on both sides of Lake Avenue.

Built up from woods and farmland in 1950 to a now diverse area packed with all kinds of homes from the very modest to the very attractive, the modern version of Saint James is very different from its origin. The upper-end community is unusual for its north-to-south orientation, which is a departure from the east-to-west pattern more common in Suffolk. The unique orientation also means less through traffic.

Locals enjoy proximity to Stony Brook, a 90-minute train ride to Manhattan, and a 15-minute drive to the Ronkonkoma station on the Long Island Rail Road. The hamlet is close to the Long Island Sound and the wealthy and picturesque villages of Head of the Harbor and Nissequogue, in which Saint James shares its history and zip code.

Background and history

Saint James began as farmland with nearly non-existent growth until the arrival of the Long Island Rail Road. In 1873, the town joined other Long Island hamlets, founding a community that attracted wealthy New Yorkers seeking farmland to acquire and transform into mansions.

Saint James quickly earned a reputation as a desirable summer vacation spot for the glitterati of the stage and screen. In the early 20th century, celebrities from Lionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore to Buster Keaton, Myrna Loy, and Irving Berlin spent their summers in this popular vacation spot. The hamlet has also been home to Stanford White, William Jay Gaynor, Mick Foley, Soledad O’Brien, John Miceli, and John Petrucci.

Saint James is also home to the oldest continuously operating general store in the country. The St. James General Store, located on Moriches Road, joins several other historic structures added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as part of the Saint James District.

Many of these 19th-century structures are located along New York State Route 25A, otherwise known as North Country Road, including Saint James Episcopal Church, the source of the hamlet’s name during the 1850s. In 1873, the historic St. James Rail Road Station was established as the second oldest station house on the Long Island Rail Road.

Housing, living, and income

Saint James is home to 16,114 residents with a median age of 46.1. There are 5,969 housing units with around three members and a median build year of 1973. 73.85% of households are family establishments including 31.81% with children. 89.77% of households are owner-occupied and 57.31% of owners bought their homes with mortgages with a median value of $605,500 and a median payment of $2,797 per month.

88.25% of Saint James residents are white collar workers including entrepreneurs (13.02%), private company employees (57.04%), and governmental institution workers (24.02%). The remaining 11.75% of residents are blue collar workers.

Buying a home in Saint James lands you among a population that earns an average household income of $183,858 and a median household income of $139,364. The income breakdown by age bracket includes residents aged 25 to 44 ($144,663), 45 to 64 ($196,992), younger than 25 ($31849), and older than 65 ($65,074).

The marital status for Saint James residents includes those who are married (55.98%), never married (30.33%), separated (1.69%), divorced (5.64%), and widowed (8.05%).

The most popular way for residents to travel is by car (6,785), followed by subway or elevated rail (216), bus or trolley bus (27), walking (40), and taxicab (8).

Cost of living

The cost of living in Saint James is 24% higher than the New York average and 48% higher than the national average. The cost of housing is $430,100 which is 132% higher than the national average ($184,700).

Buying a home in Saint James means spending $36.87 on a haircut, $13.68 for a movie, $19.53 for bowling, and $3.43 for milk (55% higher than the $2.20 national average). Expect to spend $121 to see a doctor (about the same as the $118.34 national average), $3.01 per gallon for gas, $281.85 for home electricity, and $182.20 for a home phone.

Things to do in Saint James

There are plenty of stores to shop along Lake Avenue, Route 25, and Route 25A. However, the most popular place to shop in Saint James is the Smith Haven Mall.

The main mall for the “Mid Island” area of Long Island features more than 130 stores and exciting dining options including Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Texas de Brazil, Bahama Breeze, and The Cheesecake Factory. Conveniently located between Route 347 and Middle Country Road (25), Smith Haven Mall offers a solid variety of family-friendly shopping, dining, and entertainment.

Olson Memorial Park on Moriches Road (also called Veterans Memorial Park) features tennis courts, a basketball court, a large playground, and a ball field. For another place to play baseball, basketball, tennis, and other sports, drop by Gaynor Park on Woodlawn Avenue near the railroad tracks.

Despite being landlocked, Saint James is close to three town beaches on the Long Island Sound. Short Beach in the adjoining Village of Nissequogue is only five minutes from town. You can also catch a glimpse of the summer sunset at Long Beach and Schubert’s Beach Town Parks.

The Nissequogue River to the west connects residents with kayaking and canoeing adventures. The nearby Sunken Meadow State Park also features three miles of beaches on the Long Island Sound, a three-quarter-mile-long boardwalk, six miles of hiking trails, and facilities for biking, horseback riding, watersports, and general recreation.

Schools

The 8,700-student Smithtown Central School District is one of the largest public-school systems on Long Island. The district is also among the most impressive where 92 percent of graduates go on to college. College Board scores within the Smithtown district—525 in verbal and 555 in math—are above the state average.

Smithtown Central School District houses eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school with a separate freshman campus. Students enrolled in Smithtown can access advanced-placement courses and a plethora of music and performing arts programs.

Students can also attend Roman Catholic elementary schools including St. Phillip and St. James Parish School as well as private schools including The Harbor Country School.

Best dining in Saint James

Soul Brew is a specialty coffee shop and eatery that celebrates a shared love of food, coffee, art, music, community, and all good things that “feed your soul.” Drop by for freshly ground coffee, full breakfast and lunch menus, and fresh pastries baked daily complete with new creative specials every weekend, so you never eat the same thing twice.

Basil Café Restaurant is a family owned and locally operated Persian and Mediterranean restaurant that celebrates the cuisine of the Mediterranean with a variety of textures, flavors, and colors in a relaxing and casual atmosphere. You can bring your own bottle of wine to enjoy with your meal and even take advantage of kid-friendly options.

Iberico Tapas y Vino is a Spanish restaurant serving authentic tapas, cheese and charcuterie, paella, and sliced Iberico Pata Negra. The restaurant owners live by a simple credo: “With bread and wine, the path is made.”

BLT Café Inc. welcomes you to homestyle fresh breakfast and lunch specials available for curbside takeout. From tasty BLTs and corned beef hash to old fashioned pancakes and delicious coffee, a lovely menu complements great service, a friendly staff, and a comfortable atmosphere.

Villa Olivetti serves authentic Italian cuisine combined with excellent service and signature quality. This cozy place to dine features a wine cellar with a variety of wines from different places and daily specials of fresh seafood, veal chop, lobsters, pork ossa buco, and more. Discover exquisite food in a relaxed atmosphere with live music and performances every Friday night.

Rediscover New American cuisine at Noco. Enjoy Happy Hour Monday through Friday from 4 to 6pm, half-priced oysters on Oyster Tuesday, and 25% off select wine bottles on Wine Down Wednesday. Noco supports local communities, farms, fisherman, and businesses, serving all natural, organic, and sustainable products whenever available.

Garguilos Bakery bakes with passion, celebrating a tradition of serving the very best pastries in a friendly atmosphere. Enjoy delicious cakes, tarts, bread, cookies, and other baked goods you can bring home or take to the park, your next meeting, or a party.

Vintage Prime Steakhouse serves Prime beef, fresh seafood, and excellent appetizers, sides, and service in an elegant atmosphere, delighting Long Island diners since 2001. Enjoy the highest quality steaks cut from prime aged beef in an on-premise cutting room, the freshest, highest quality seafood available, and an award-winning wine list with extensive choices from around the world.

Villa Sorrento is an Italian Steakhouse inspired by the culture and atmosphere of the Italian coastline, bringing Long Island diners the flavors of Sorrento for 25 years. Discover a modern touch on authentic Italian cuisine with a passion for high-quality food complete with a diverse menu featuring a wide array of steak, pasta, and seafood dishes—plus weekly specials for a unique dining experience every visit.

Buy a Saint James home with Team Rita.

Ready to explore Saint James homes for sale? Contact us today to search our database of local Suffolk County housing inventory, schedule an open house, or explore our featured properties for sale.

Author Bio

Rita Tsoukaris joined Realty Connect USA in 2023. Her passion for helping people achieve their home ownership dreams has earned her team the number one spot for Long Island homes for sale since 2015.