In recent years, more and more travelers are taking the Westhampton Beach exit. As the area's 1st Hampton, the village of Westhampton Beach - with its bustling Main Street, trendy restaurants, tree-lined country lanes, and white sandy beaches - has been drawing vacationers from New York City and beyond for almost 150 years. The extension of the Long Island Railroad in the 1870s to Manorville and Westhampton made travel from the city to the East End convenient and hassle free for the first time. The railroad may have been the first to coin the nickname "First Hampton" for Westhampton Beach. Riders of the rail in 1912 were treated to this description of the town, as outlined in a promotional brochure published by the Long Island Railroad: "Westhampton is the first of the Hamptons, and also the first point east of Long Beach where the ocean is reached without boats. Excellent hotels, wide-spreading private estates of great natural beauty, and nearby bays for boating, with fine golf links, add materially to its many diversions."

Savvy village residents, quick to seize upon their proximity to the new railway station, soon began offering weary city residents rooms for rent. Thus, it was here that the "Hampton summer rental" was born. In no time, tourism became one of the most important components of the area's economy, replacing whaling, fishing and farming as the main source of income for local residents. Many even opted to sell their once productive farmlands on the booming real estate market, paving the way for more summer homes.

While seasonal tourism remains a major source of income for local residents, the growth of the year-round population has helped create a more steady economy. Today, Westhampton Beach is the center of commercial, social and cultural activity for what is known as the Greater Westhampton area, encompassing Westhampton Beach and the smaller villages and hamlets of Westhampton, Quogue, Remsenburg, Speonk, and Westhampton Dunes. In addition to its many shops and restaurants, Westhampton Beach boasts the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, which draws world-class entertainers and provides a venue for local talent, and the Hampton Synagogue, a magnet for services and intellectual and cultural events tailored to the Jewish elite throughout the East End.