Cold Spring Harbor was named after the naturally cold freshwater springs that flow in the area. Its economy mainly tied to milling and port activities, it rose in prominence as a whaling community in the mid-nineteenth century. After the decline of whaling in the 1860s, it became a resort town with several hotels. In the 20th century it became known as the site of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, although the laboratory itself is located in the adjacent village of Laurel Hollow in Nassau County, which was called Cold Spring before incorporation.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10km2), of which 3.7 square miles (9.6km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52km2), or 4.86%, is water.
As of the 2020 census, Cold Spring Harbor had a population of 3,064. This represented a decrease from 4,975 in 2000. The median age was 42.6 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.7 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 975 households in Cold Spring Harbor, of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 71.8% were married-couple households, 8.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 15.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,020 housing units, of which 4.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%.
There were 1,753 households, out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.8% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $101,122, and the median income for a family was $112,441. Males had a median income of $78,984 versus $44,464 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $52,403. About 1.3% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.4% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.
Alex Foxen, World Series of Poker bracelet winner and 2019 Global Poker Index player of the year. Considered to be one of the best poker players in the world today.
Kathleen Sullivan, a leading scholar in American constitutional law and Professor at Stanford Law School, was valedictorian at her graduation from Cold Spring Harbor High School in 1972
In the Godzilla: The Series episode "Lizard Season", Cold Spring Harbor was used as the setting of the final battle between Godzilla and the Lizard Slayers, a trio of robots developed by the series' recurring villain Cameron Winter.
Cold Spring Harbor is the name of Billy Joel's debut solo album from 1971 and is referenced in the song "Everybody Loves You Now": "You ain't got the time to go to Cold Spring Harbor no more." The album's cover has Joel in the hamlet. He would go on to purchase a house in the adjacent village of Lloyd Harbor with his then-wife Christie Brinkley in 1981.
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