Pleasantville, New York
Encyclopedia
Pleasantville is a village in Westchester County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Mount Pleasant
. Pleasantville is home to a campus of Pace University
and to the Jacob Burns Film Center
. Pleasantville was the original home of Reader's Digest
, which still uses a Pleasantville postal address.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 7,172 people, 2,637 households, and 1,824 families residing in the village. The population density
was 3,943.4 people per square mile (1,521.5/km²). There were 2,684 housing units at an average density of 1,475.7 per square mile (569.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 90.35% White, 2.90% African American, 0.18% Native American, 2.89% Asian, 1.73% from other races
, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.36% of the population.
There were 2,637 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples
living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $86,632, and the median income for a family was $105,227. Males had a median income of $62,344 versus $47,978 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $41,397. About 2.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
Pleasantville High School
is ranked #191 by Newsweek's list of the top High Schools in the country. (The top 6% extends down to #1600) http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/americas-best-high-schools/profile.html?key=3Rr-elDaAW_iZ5bXCcnPhrj8tJA&state=NY&year=2010&id=971&detailsKey=pPxWbHic0JmO_OEtvTUT5565O7w
tribe, who raised corn there and whose trading routes crossed through the present-day village long before the arrival of Europeans. French Huguenot
Isaac See (sometimes spelled Sie) settled here as an agent for Dutch landowner Frederick Philipse in 1695, thus beginning the modern history of Pleasantville.
By the time of the American Revolution
, the population of the growing settlement comprised English, Dutch, and Quakers, most of whom were tenant farmer
s. During the Revolution, this area was part of the Neutral Ground
, where there were conflicting loyalties among the settlers. British spy Major John André
passed through what is now Pleasantville on a mission to carry information from Benedict Arnold
at West Point
to the British in New York City. André lost his bearings near the present-day corner of Bedford Road and Choate Lane and fell into the hands of the Americans. The capture of André is often cited as a key factor in the ultimate victory of the American forces.
As the population grew in the early 19th century, the settlement was called Clark’s Corners, referring to property owned by Henry Clark at the intersection of Broadway and Bedford Road. This area was the village’s original commercial center. In the 1820s, the newly appointed postmaster, Henry Romer, was directed by the Postmaster General's office in Washington, D.C., to give a name to the post office planned here. Romer's proposed name, Clarksville, was rejected because another New York post office already had that name. His second choice, Pleasantville, was accepted, and the Pleasantville Post Office opened on February 29, 1828.
Perhaps the greatest change in the history of Pleasantville came with the arrival of the New York Central Railroad
and New York and Harlem Railroad
in 1846. The following year, a train station was built near the present corner of Bedford Road and Wheeler Avenue, and as a result the commercial center of Pleasantville shifted to its current location. The older business district at Bedford Road and Broadway is today called the Old Village. The railroad offered a speedier and more frequent connection with New York City
—only 70 minutes away by rail, compared with a five-hour overland journey by stagecoach or a two-hour steamboat trip down the Hudson River
. The present-day train station, which currently houses the Iron Horse Grill restaurant, was built in 1905 and was moved to its present location in the 1950s to accommodate the lowering of the tracks below grade. Before the addition of the now heavily trafficked station, commuters working in New York City
and Lower Westchester
were forced to rely on rides from Marc Damon, now famous in Pleasantville for being "The Friendly Coachman".
According to several sources, including the village’s website, Pleasantville was a stop on the Underground Railroad
, a network of safe houses for escaped slaves from the South on their way to freedom in the north.
The latter half of the 19th century was a time of rapid growth in Pleasantville. By the 1870s, there were four shoemaking businesses, a shirtmaking business, and a pickle factory. The first newspaper to serve the village, The Pleasantville Pioneer, was launched in about 1886. The village's numerous small farms and orchards began to be subdivided for a wave of solid foursquare and Victorian houses built for a growing middle class. The 1890s saw the establishment of a police department, volunteer fire department, and a library system. Pleasantville was incorporated as a village on March 16, 1897.
In the years since then, Pleasantville quickly developed from a country village into a bustling modern suburb of New York, with a large number of workers commuting between the village and the metropolis on what is now the Metro-North Railroad
's Harlem Line. During the first two decades of the 20th century, roads were paved for the first time, water mains were installed, and electrical wires brought power to the village's houses. Other improvements during the first half of the 20th century include the construction of Soldiers and Sailors Field in 1909, the Saw Mill River Parkway
in 1924, the Rome Theater in 1925, Memorial Plaza in 1930, Parkway Field in 1930, and Nannahagen Park in 1937 (the adjacent village pool was completed two years later). By the time of World War II
, the village had taken on the appearance that it bears today.
Pleasantville merits interest for its literary history. Playwright Lillian Hellman
(The Children’s Hour
, The Little Foxes
) bought Hardscrabble Farm on the western outskirts of Pleasantville and lived there in the 1940s and 1950s. For many years author Dashiell Hammett
(The Thin Man
, The Maltese Falcon), with whom Hellman was romantically involved, lived and worked at Hardscrabble Farm. DeWitt Wallace
and Lila Bell Wallace
, co-founders of Reader's Digest
, made Pleasantville their headquarters in 1922, using a converted garage and pony shed on Eastview Avenue as their office and later building a home and larger office space on adjacent property. Subsequently the Digest held office space in several buildings throughout Pleasantville, including the present-day Village Hall
at Bedford Road and Wheeler Avenue and, diagonally opposite, the bank building currently occupied by Chase. Reader’s Digest moved its headquarters to nearby Chappaqua
in 1939, but retained its Pleasantville post office box, thus making the name of the village familiar to millions of Reader's Digest subscribers around the world. Pleasantville is also the home of Joseph Wallace, writer of the novel Diamond Ruby. Today Pleasantville is home to many novelists, editors, and writers, who find its easygoing charm and proximity to New York an attractive combination.
Pleasantville's reputation as a cultural center was enhanced in 2001 with the opening of the nonprofit Jacob Burns Film Center
in the landmark Rome Theater, a Spanish mission-style
building and one of the first movie theaters in Westchester County. The Burns Center is dedicated to presenting independent, documentary, and world cinema. Guest speakers at the Burns Center have included Jerry Lewis
, Woody Allen
, Jonathan Demme
, Robert Klein
, Oliver Stone
, Stephen King
, Rob Lowe
and numerous other notable filmmakers and actors.
In 1948, in an unincorporated area of Pleasantville off Bear Ridge Road, acolytes of Frank Lloyd Wright
began putting their lessons to work by building homes in their mentor's modernist, open-plan style. The neighborhood, called Usonia Homes
, comprises 50 houses spread among 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of wooded hillside; the development includes two houses designed by Wright himself. Students of residential architecture and fans of Wright's designs will find the area of interest.
Another addition to Pleasantville's cultural scene is the Pleasantville Music Festival
, made possible by the Village, over 150 volunteers and the PEAK 107.1, an all-day outdoor event stage at Parkway Field on the second Saturday in July. Main stage acts have included Roger McGuinn
, The Bacon Brothers
, Rusted Root
, Jakob Dylan
, Dar Williams
, Carney, Back Door Slam
, Marc Cohn
, Augustana
and Joan Osborne
.
The Pleasantville High School
football team has been in existence at least since 1922 and has won several state and county titles. The men's basketball team has also won several county championships most recently under the leadership of Otis Hill (1991–1992) and Kyl Jones (2000–2001). The Pleasantville swim team has won the division 1 championship twice, most recently in 2007. Pleasantville High School graduates have competed at such elite athletic universities as Syracuse
, Notre Dame
, and Michigan
.
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, New York
Mount Pleasant is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 43,724.-Geography:...
. Pleasantville is home to a campus of Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
and to the Jacob Burns Film Center
Jacob Burns film center
The Jacob Burns Film Center is a nonprofit cultural arts center located inPleasantville, NY. It occupies a moviehouse that was for many decades known as the Rome Theater.-External links:*...
. Pleasantville was the original home of Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, which still uses a Pleasantville postal address.
Geography
Pleasantville is located at 41°8′11"N 73°47′15"W (41.136410, -73.787521).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 7,172 people, 2,637 households, and 1,824 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,943.4 people per square mile (1,521.5/km²). There were 2,684 housing units at an average density of 1,475.7 per square mile (569.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 90.35% White, 2.90% African American, 0.18% Native American, 2.89% Asian, 1.73% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.36% of the population.
There were 2,637 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $86,632, and the median income for a family was $105,227. Males had a median income of $62,344 versus $47,978 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $41,397. About 2.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
Pleasantville High School
Pleasantville High School (New York)
Pleasantville High School is part of the 34th District in the Village of Pleasantville within the Town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York.-Notable alumni:*Dave Barry, Author and Columnist*Kyle Lowder, Actor*Otis Hill, Basketball Player...
is ranked #191 by Newsweek's list of the top High Schools in the country. (The top 6% extends down to #1600) http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/americas-best-high-schools/profile.html?key=3Rr-elDaAW_iZ5bXCcnPhrj8tJA&state=NY&year=2010&id=971&detailsKey=pPxWbHic0JmO_OEtvTUT5565O7w
History
Pleasantville history goes back to the IroquoisIroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
tribe, who raised corn there and whose trading routes crossed through the present-day village long before the arrival of Europeans. French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
Isaac See (sometimes spelled Sie) settled here as an agent for Dutch landowner Frederick Philipse in 1695, thus beginning the modern history of Pleasantville.
By the time of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, the population of the growing settlement comprised English, Dutch, and Quakers, most of whom were tenant farmer
Tenant farmer
A tenant farmer is one who resides on and farms land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management; while tenant farmers contribute their labor along with at times varying...
s. During the Revolution, this area was part of the Neutral Ground
Neutral ground
Neutral Ground may refer to:* A No Man's Land* The 30-mile-wide stretch of land between the British troops occupying New York City during the American Revolution and American-held territory in northern Westchester County, New York;...
, where there were conflicting loyalties among the settlers. British spy Major John André
John André
John André was a British army officer hanged as a spy during the American War of Independence. This was due to an incident in which he attempted to assist Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York to the British.-Early life:André was born on May 2, 1750 in London to...
passed through what is now Pleasantville on a mission to carry information from Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
at West Point
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
to the British in New York City. André lost his bearings near the present-day corner of Bedford Road and Choate Lane and fell into the hands of the Americans. The capture of André is often cited as a key factor in the ultimate victory of the American forces.
As the population grew in the early 19th century, the settlement was called Clark’s Corners, referring to property owned by Henry Clark at the intersection of Broadway and Bedford Road. This area was the village’s original commercial center. In the 1820s, the newly appointed postmaster, Henry Romer, was directed by the Postmaster General's office in Washington, D.C., to give a name to the post office planned here. Romer's proposed name, Clarksville, was rejected because another New York post office already had that name. His second choice, Pleasantville, was accepted, and the Pleasantville Post Office opened on February 29, 1828.
Perhaps the greatest change in the history of Pleasantville came with the arrival of the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
and New York and Harlem Railroad
New York and Harlem Railroad
The New York and Harlem Railroad was one of the first railroads in the United States, and possibly also the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson, it was opened in stages between 1832 and 1852 between Lower Manhattan to and beyond Harlem...
in 1846. The following year, a train station was built near the present corner of Bedford Road and Wheeler Avenue, and as a result the commercial center of Pleasantville shifted to its current location. The older business district at Bedford Road and Broadway is today called the Old Village. The railroad offered a speedier and more frequent connection with New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
—only 70 minutes away by rail, compared with a five-hour overland journey by stagecoach or a two-hour steamboat trip down the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. The present-day train station, which currently houses the Iron Horse Grill restaurant, was built in 1905 and was moved to its present location in the 1950s to accommodate the lowering of the tracks below grade. Before the addition of the now heavily trafficked station, commuters working in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Lower Westchester
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
were forced to rely on rides from Marc Damon, now famous in Pleasantville for being "The Friendly Coachman".
According to several sources, including the village’s website, Pleasantville was a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
, a network of safe houses for escaped slaves from the South on their way to freedom in the north.
The latter half of the 19th century was a time of rapid growth in Pleasantville. By the 1870s, there were four shoemaking businesses, a shirtmaking business, and a pickle factory. The first newspaper to serve the village, The Pleasantville Pioneer, was launched in about 1886. The village's numerous small farms and orchards began to be subdivided for a wave of solid foursquare and Victorian houses built for a growing middle class. The 1890s saw the establishment of a police department, volunteer fire department, and a library system. Pleasantville was incorporated as a village on March 16, 1897.
In the years since then, Pleasantville quickly developed from a country village into a bustling modern suburb of New York, with a large number of workers commuting between the village and the metropolis on what is now the Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
's Harlem Line. During the first two decades of the 20th century, roads were paved for the first time, water mains were installed, and electrical wires brought power to the village's houses. Other improvements during the first half of the 20th century include the construction of Soldiers and Sailors Field in 1909, the Saw Mill River Parkway
Saw Mill River Parkway
The Saw Mill River Parkway is a north–south parkway that extends for through Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins at the border between Westchester County and the Bronx, where it continues into New York City as the Henry Hudson Parkway, and heads generally...
in 1924, the Rome Theater in 1925, Memorial Plaza in 1930, Parkway Field in 1930, and Nannahagen Park in 1937 (the adjacent village pool was completed two years later). By the time of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the village had taken on the appearance that it bears today.
Pleasantville merits interest for its literary history. Playwright Lillian Hellman
Lillian Hellman
Lillian Florence "Lily" Hellman was an American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes...
(The Children’s Hour
The Children's Hour (play)
The Children's Hour is a 1934 stage play written by Lillian Hellman. It is a drama set in an all-girls boarding school run by two women, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie. An angry student, Mary Tilford, runs away from the school and to avoid being sent back she tells her grandmother that the two...
, The Little Foxes
The Little Foxes
The Little Foxes is a 1939 play by Lillian Hellman. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15 in the Song of Solomon in the King James version of the Bible, which reads, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." Set in a small town in Alabama in...
) bought Hardscrabble Farm on the western outskirts of Pleasantville and lived there in the 1940s and 1950s. For many years author Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on...
(The Thin Man
The Thin Man
The Thin Man is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in Redbook. Although he never wrote a sequel, the book became the basis for a successful six-part film series which also began in 1934 with The Thin Man and starred William Powell and Myrna Loy...
, The Maltese Falcon), with whom Hellman was romantically involved, lived and worked at Hardscrabble Farm. DeWitt Wallace
DeWitt Wallace
DeWitt Wallace , also known as William Roy was a United States magazine publisher. He co-founded Reader's Digest with his wife Lila Wallace and published the first issue in 1922.Born in St...
and Lila Bell Wallace
Lila Bell Wallace
Lila Bell Wallace was a United States magazine publisher.Born as Lila Bell Acheson, her father was a Presbyterian minister who brought his family to the USA when she was a child, and she grew up in the Midwest...
, co-founders of Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, made Pleasantville their headquarters in 1922, using a converted garage and pony shed on Eastview Avenue as their office and later building a home and larger office space on adjacent property. Subsequently the Digest held office space in several buildings throughout Pleasantville, including the present-day Village Hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
at Bedford Road and Wheeler Avenue and, diagonally opposite, the bank building currently occupied by Chase. Reader’s Digest moved its headquarters to nearby Chappaqua
Chappaqua, New York
Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2010 census, following a major revision to the delineation of its boundaries by the Census Bureau, the population was 1,436...
in 1939, but retained its Pleasantville post office box, thus making the name of the village familiar to millions of Reader's Digest subscribers around the world. Pleasantville is also the home of Joseph Wallace, writer of the novel Diamond Ruby. Today Pleasantville is home to many novelists, editors, and writers, who find its easygoing charm and proximity to New York an attractive combination.
Pleasantville's reputation as a cultural center was enhanced in 2001 with the opening of the nonprofit Jacob Burns Film Center
Jacob Burns film center
The Jacob Burns Film Center is a nonprofit cultural arts center located inPleasantville, NY. It occupies a moviehouse that was for many decades known as the Rome Theater.-External links:*...
in the landmark Rome Theater, a Spanish mission-style
Mission Revival Style architecture
The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
building and one of the first movie theaters in Westchester County. The Burns Center is dedicated to presenting independent, documentary, and world cinema. Guest speakers at the Burns Center have included Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
, Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
, Robert Klein
Robert Klein
Robert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
, Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
, Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
and numerous other notable filmmakers and actors.
In 1948, in an unincorporated area of Pleasantville off Bear Ridge Road, acolytes of Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
began putting their lessons to work by building homes in their mentor's modernist, open-plan style. The neighborhood, called Usonia Homes
Usonia Homes
Usonia Homes is a planned community in the Town of Mount Pleasant, adjacent to the village of Pleasantville, New York. In 1945, a rural tract was purchased by a cooperative of young couples from New York City, who were able to enlist Frank Lloyd Wright to build his Broadacre City concept. Wright...
, comprises 50 houses spread among 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of wooded hillside; the development includes two houses designed by Wright himself. Students of residential architecture and fans of Wright's designs will find the area of interest.
Another addition to Pleasantville's cultural scene is the Pleasantville Music Festival
Pleasantville Music Festival
The Pleasantville Music Festival is an annual music festival held at Parkway Field in Pleasantville, New York. First held in July 2005, it has been sponsored by rock radio station 107.1 The Peak since 2006. The festival is an all-day outdoor event administered by the Pleasantville Recreation...
, made possible by the Village, over 150 volunteers and the PEAK 107.1, an all-day outdoor event stage at Parkway Field on the second Saturday in July. Main stage acts have included Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
, The Bacon Brothers
The Bacon Brothers
The Bacon Brothers is the American musical duo of Michael Bacon and Kevin Bacon. Although they have played music together since they were boys, the brothers have only been a working band since 1995....
, Rusted Root
Rusted Root
Rusted Root is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania known for their unique fusion of acoustic, rock, world and other styles of music, with a strong percussion section that draws from African, Latin American, Native American, and Indian influences...
, Jakob Dylan
Jakob Dylan
Jakob Luke Dylan is the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band The Wallflowers and is a son of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and Sara Dylan. He has also recorded two solo albums.-Personal life:...
, Dar Williams
Dar Williams
Dar Williams is an American singer-songwriter specializing in pop folk.She is a frequent performer at folk festivals and has toured with such artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Griffin, Ani DiFranco, The Nields, Shawn Colvin, Girlyman, Joan Baez, and Catie Curtis.-Biography:Williams was born...
, Carney, Back Door Slam
Back Door Slam
Back Door Slam is the name of the blues rock band started by Davy Knowles on the Isle of Man in 2003/4. The band got its name from a Robert Cray song of the same name...
, Marc Cohn
Marc Cohn
Marc Craig Cohn is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and musician.- Personal life :Cohn was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Beachwood High School in Beachwood, a Cleveland suburb. He then attended Oberlin College....
, Augustana
Augustana (band)
Augustana is an American rock band from San Diego, California who are signed to the Epic Records record label. They are best known for their singles, "Boston" and "Sweet and Low."-Beginning years:...
and Joan Osborne
Joan Osborne
Joan Elizabeth Osborne is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her song "One of Us". She has toured with Motown sidemen the Funk Brothers and was featured in the documentary film about them, Standing in the Shadows of Motown.-Biography:Originally from Anchorage, Kentucky, a suburb...
.
The Pleasantville High School
Pleasantville High School (New York)
Pleasantville High School is part of the 34th District in the Village of Pleasantville within the Town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York.-Notable alumni:*Dave Barry, Author and Columnist*Kyle Lowder, Actor*Otis Hill, Basketball Player...
football team has been in existence at least since 1922 and has won several state and county titles. The men's basketball team has also won several county championships most recently under the leadership of Otis Hill (1991–1992) and Kyl Jones (2000–2001). The Pleasantville swim team has won the division 1 championship twice, most recently in 2007. Pleasantville High School graduates have competed at such elite athletic universities as Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, and Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Notable residents
- John Emory AndrusJohn Emory AndrusJohn Emory Andrus was mayor of Yonkers, New York, a U.S. Congressman from New York, and founder of the SURDNA Foundation.-Biography:...
, politician - Matt BallingerMatt BallingerMatthew Samuel "Matt" Ballinger is an American singer and actor best known for being a member of boy band Dream Street. He has one younger brother, David.-Career:...
, singer in the pop band Dream Street - Dave BarryDave BarryDavid "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...
, humorist, author - Louis BiancanielloLouis BiancanielloLouis John Biancaniello is a songwriter, record producer, and musician.-Background:Louis' skills were developed while working alongside producer Narada Michael Walden with whom he produced hits for Shanice "I Love Your Smile", Whitney Houston "I'm Every Woman" from the Grammy winning album The...
, multi platinum record producer, songwriter, and musician - Nick CatalanoNick CatalanoDr. Nick Catalano is a professor of English at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York and lives in New York City and East Hampton, New York.He is director of the university's Performing Arts Music and Literature Program...
, author - Benjamin CheeverBenjamin CheeverBenjamin Hale Cheever is an American writer and editor. He is the son of writer John Cheever and brother of Susan Cheever...
, author - Anne Hyde ChoateAnne Hyde ChoateAnne Hyde Clarke Choate was an early and prominent leader in the Girl Scouts of the USA and in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts ....
, an early and prominent leader in the Girl Scouts - Johnny Craig, comic book artist
- Edward GelsthorpeEdward GelsthorpeEdward Gelsthorpe was an American marketing executive. He used his creative skills to build markets for new products such as Ban roll-on deodorant at Bristol-Myers, Cran-Apple juice for the Ocean Spray cooperative, and Manwich canned sloppy joe sauce for Hunt-Wesson.-Early life and...
(1923–2009), marketing executive known as "Cranapple Ed" for his best-known product launch - Terry GeorgeTerry GeorgeTerry George is an Irish screenwriter and director. Born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland much of his film work involves the Troubles in Northern Ireland...
, Irish screenwriter, director - Paul GeroskiPaul GeroskiPaul Andrew Geroski was a leading economist in the United Kingdom. Although born in Pleasantville, New York, Geroski studied and spent most of his career in Britain, where he settled permanently in 1975.-Career:...
, economist - Bill Graham (promoter)Bill Graham (promoter)Bill Graham was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.-Early life:...
(1931–1991), rock promoter - Dashiell HammettDashiell HammettSamuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on...
(1894–1961), author - Lillian HellmanLillian HellmanLillian Florence "Lily" Hellman was an American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes...
(1905–1984), playwright - Otis HillOtis HillOtis Hill , the oldest of 14 siblings, is a basketball player playing as a power forward. He is a graduate of Pleasantville High School in NY, played basketball there and won many awards. At Pleasantville High School, Otis was also a standout in football and a member of the 1991 undefeated season...
, professional basketball player, standout at Pleasantville High School and Syracuse UniversitySyracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College... - Morgana KingMorgana KingMorgana King is an American singer and actress. She is a noted jazz singer, who is regarded as a "musician's singer." The musical œuvre of her stylized vocal artistry spans a period of more than four decades and has an "appeal that bridges generations, tastes and life styles"."She is, like all...
, singer and actress - Boris KoutzenBoris KoutzenBoris Koutzen was a Russian-American violinist composer and music educator.-Biography:Koutzen was born in Uman, Southern Russia. He began composing at the age of six and studied violin with his father. In 1918 his family moved to Moscow, where Boris entered the Moscow Conservatory to study violin...
(1901–1966), violinist, composer, conductor Chappaqua Orchestra - David LeonardDavid Leonard (musician)David Leonard is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, probably best-known as a member of Richard Lloyd's touring and recording band....
, guitarist, singer-songwriter, author - Norman LeydenNorman LeydenNorman Fowler Leyden is an American, conductor, arranger, and clarinetist. He has worked in film and television and is perhaps best known as the conductor of the Oregon Symphony Pops orchestra...
, musician, arranger, composer and founder of the Westchester Youth Symphony - Kyle LowderKyle LowderKyle Lowder is an American actor. He is known for his role as Brady Black on Days of our Lives and for his role as Rick Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful .-Mini Biography:He graduated from Pleasantville High School in Pleasantville, New York in 1998, where he played...
, actor - Gavin MacLeodGavin MacLeodGavin MacLeod is an American actor most notable for playing Happy Haines on McHale's Navy, Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat...
, actor - Sean MaherSean MaherSean Maher is an American actor, best known for his role as Simon Tam in the science fiction television series Firefly and followup movie Serenity.-Early life:...
, actor - Janet MaslinJanet MaslinJanet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
, film critic - Kurt McKinneyKurt McKinneyKurt Robin McKinney is an American former actor. McKinney is perhaps best known for his role as Jason Stillwell in 1986 martial arts film No Retreat, No Surrender.-Prior to acting:...
, actor (1994–2000, 2006-; recurring character on The Guiding Light) - Scott MebusScott MebusScott Mebus is American novelist, composer and playwright. He has written two adult novels, Booty Nomad and The Big Happy, and the children's urban fantasy series "Gods of Manhattan." His musical, Tarnish, played in the NY International Fringe Festival in 2001...
, author, composer, playwright, theatrical producer - John NonnaJohn NonnaJohn Nonna is an American fencer. He competed in the individual and team foil events at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He later became an attorney specializing in insurance law, Mayor of Pleasantville, New York, and is currently a member of the Westchester County Board of Legislators.-References:...
, Olympic fencer, former mayor, current county legislator - George PetitpasGeorge Petitpas-Education:* Queens College, BA in Music , MA in Education * New York University -Work history:* 1954: worked for R. H. Macy & Company as an Employment Interviewer* 1955: worked at the Business Vocational Service as a Personnel Assistant...
, expert in human resource management - Sidney PoitierSidney PoitierSir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
(1960s), actor - Steven Clark Rockefeller, Jr.
- David SelbyDavid SelbyDavid Lynn Selby is an American character and stage actor. He has worked in movies, soap operas and television. The naturally black-headed Selby is best known for playing the roles of Quentin Collins on the ABC-TV serial, Dark Shadows , and as the evil and compassionate...
, actor, producer, writer - Will ShortzWill ShortzWill Shortz is an American puzzle creator and editor, and currently the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times.-Early life and education:...
, puzzle creator and editor for the New York Times - Henry StoneHenry StoneHenry Stone is an American record company executive and producer whose career spans the era from R&B in the early 1950s through the disco boom of the 1970s to the present day. He is best known as co-owner and president of TK Records....
, owner of TK Records - Robert Tagliapietra, fashion designer
- Jeff Van GundyJeff Van GundyJeffrey William "Jeff" Van Gundy is a former American basketball head coach. He coached most recently with the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets...
, NBA coach - DeWitt WallaceDeWitt WallaceDeWitt Wallace , also known as William Roy was a United States magazine publisher. He co-founded Reader's Digest with his wife Lila Wallace and published the first issue in 1922.Born in St...
(1889–1981), magazine publisher, co-founder of Reader's DigestReader's DigestReader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace... - Lila Bell WallaceLila Bell WallaceLila Bell Wallace was a United States magazine publisher.Born as Lila Bell Acheson, her father was a Presbyterian minister who brought his family to the USA when she was a child, and she grew up in the Midwest...
(née Acheson), (1890–1984), magazine publisher, co-founder of Reader's DigestReader's DigestReader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...