Westchester County, New York
Encyclopedia
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state
of New York
. Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles (1,165.5 km²) and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities. It was named after the city of Chester in England, and the county seat
is White Plains
.
The county's location puts New York City
and Long Island Sound
to its south, Putnam County
on the north, Connecticut
on the east, Rockland County on the west. Westchester became the first large scale suburban area in the world to develop. Its significance as a suburb derived mostly from the upper-middle class development of entire communities in the late 19th century, and the rapid population growth that occurred as a result.
According to 2006 HUD data, the median income for a household
of one person in the county was $75,427 and the median income for a family of four was $96,500. Westchester County ranks number two (number one being New York County) for wealthiest counties in New York State and the seventh wealthiest county nationally. Westchester County has long been associated with "old money
" and some of the country's wealthiest families for generations, along with other places such as Greenwich, Connecticut
, and Long Island
's Gold Coast and Five Towns
.
in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Native American
inhabitants of what would become Westchester County were part of one of the Algonquian peoples
whose name for themselves was Lenape
("the people"). The region inhabited by the Lenape—called by them Lenapehoking
—consisted of the area around and between the Delaware
and lower to middle Hudson River
s. Throughout the region were spoken two related languages (part of the Algonquian language family
and related to Mahican
) collectively known as the Delaware languages: Unami
and Munsee
. Munsee was spoken by the inhabitants of what is today known as Westchester County as well as those from Manhattan
island. Some ethnographers of the past, lacking valid contemporary sources, simply referred to the various tribes of the area as Munsee speakers, or, even more generally, as Lenni Lenape (the "true people").
Fortunately title deeds
given to European settlers have turned out to be able to supply considerable information about the sub-tribes in the region and their locations. The "Manhattans" occupied the island upon which New York City was built, as well as land in southern Westchester now covered by the city of Yonkers
. The Weckquaesgeek
occupied land along the Hudson River and the central portion of the county where the modern settlements of Dobbs Ferry
, Tarrytown
and White Plains
can be found. The Siwanoy
lived along the coast of Long Island Sound
where Pelham
, New Rochelle
, Larchmont
, Mamaroneck
and Rye
now stand. The northern portions of the county were occupied by smaller tribes such as the Tankiteke, Kitchawank and Saint Sik. In the Lenape worldview, however, since they all spoke more or less the same mother tongue, they all were the very opposite of "foreigners" to each other (although that did not prevent in-fighting any more than it does among other related but competitive tribes such as the Scandinavians
or the various speakers of Romance languages
).
The first Europe
ans to explore Westchester were Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 and Henry Hudson
in 1609. The first European settlers were sponsored by the Dutch West India Company
in the 1620s and 1630s. English settlers arrived from New England
in the 1640s.By 1664, the Dutch lost control of the County to the English and large tracts of Westchester land were established as manors or patents. Manors were held by a single proprietor, while patents were held by groups of associates. The lords of the manors and patents leased land to tenant farmers and provided many essential services to the tenants.
Westchester County was an original county of the Province of New York
, one of twelve created by an act of the New York General Assembly in 1683. At the time, it also included the present Bronx County, which constituted the original Town of Westchester (whose center was around the area today known as Westchester Square, in the Bronx) and portions of three other towns: Yonkers
, Eastchester, and Pelham
.
During the colonial period, life in Westchester was quite primitive. Roads were few and in poor condition. Transportation was heavily dependent on water routes. Nearly everything settlers consumed was raised or made on their farms. They bartered wood, cattle and food for items that they could not produce themselves. Colonial churches not only served as religious centers but also played an important social and political role.
Although the economy was still primarily agricultural, farmers began to supplement income through cottage industries - shoe making and furniture crafting. These industries led to heavier use of local roads; heavier use necessitated road improvements which encouraged increased travel. Taverns providing accommodations for travelers were established and ferries were launched. By 1775, Westchester was the richest and most populous County in the colony of New York.
, Westchester County saw more fighting and suffering than any other area in the country. The Revolution was in some ways a civil war
, as families were often divided between patriot and loyalist sympathies. After the battles of Pelham
and White Plains
in 1776, the main American headquarters was at Continental Village, north of Peekskill in Putnam County
. The British were headquartered in New York City. Westchester was the "Neutral Ground" between the two camps and the countryside was pillaged by both sides.
Although the Revolution devastated the County, recovery after the war was rapid. The large landowners in Westchester were mostly Loyalists, and after the war their lands were confiscated by the state and sold. Many local farmers were able to buy the lands they had previously farmed as tenants. In 1788, five years after the end of the Revolutionary War, the County was officially divided into 20 towns. In 1798, the first federal census
recorded a population of 24,000 centered in northern Westchester.
In 1800, the first commercial toll road
, the Westchester Turnpike, which ran through Pelham
and New Rochelle
, was chartered. Other toll roads including the Croton (Somerstown) Turnpike were later established. During this same period, steamboats began to appear on the Hudson River. Expansion of transportation options encouraged economic expansion. Larger industries were gradually established such as iron foundries in Peekskill
and Port Chester
, brickyards in Verplank
and Croton, marble
quarries
in Ossining
and Tuckahoe
.
Two developments in the first half of the 19th century - the construction of the first Croton Dam and Aqueduct and the coming of the railroad - had enormous impact on the growth of both Westchester and New York City. Construction of the Croton Dam and Aqueduct began in 1837 and was completed in 1842. The aqueduct carried water 41 miles (66 km) from Croton to two reservoirs in Manhattan to be distributed to the city. Now a National Historic Landmark, the Croton Aqueduct
is considered one of the great engineering achievements of the 19th century.
In the 1840s, the railroads came to Westchester. In 1844, the New York and Harlem Railroad
reached White Plains. The Hudson River Railroad line was completed to Peekskill in 1849. That same year, the New York and New Haven Railroad
opened its route through eastern Westchester. The railroads often determined whether a town grew or declined, and they contributed to a population shift from northern to southern Westchester. By 1860, the total County population was 99,000 and the largest city was Yonkers. Many small downtowns, centered around a railroad station, flourished.
brought vast fortunes to a new class of entrepreneurs in the New York area, and many built large estates in Westchester. Several magnificent mansions of this era are preserved and open to the public. Among them are Lyndhurst
in Tarrytown, Kykuit
in Pocantico Hills, the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, Caramoor
in Katonah and Glenview
in Yonkers.
Expansion of the New York City water supply system also impacted local development, creating new dams, bridges and roads. The flooding of thousands of acres for reservoir
s created considerable dislocations in many towns north of White Plains. The building of the New Croton Dam
and its reservoir, for instance, resulted in the relocation of the hamlet of Katonah
to higher ground. In North Salem
the hamlet of Purdys was moved when five percent of the town was inundated, including hundreds of prime acres of dairy land.
During the last half of the 19th century, Westchester's transportation system and labor force attracted a manufacturing base, particularly along the Hudson River and Nepperhan Creek. Pills and patent medicines were manufactured in Ossining; greenhouses in Irvington; beer in Dobbs Ferry; sugar, paving material and conduit in Hastings; and in Yonkers, elevators and carpets.
In 1874, the western portion
of the present Bronx County, consisting of the then towns of Kingsbridge, West Farms, and Morrisania, was transferred to New York County, and in 1895 the remainder of the present Bronx County, consisting of the Town of Westchester and portions of the towns of Eastchester and Pelham, was transferred to New York County. By that time, the portion of the town of Eastchester immediately north of the transferred portion had seceded from the town of Eastchester (1892) to become the City of Mount Vernon
so that the Town of Eastchester had no border with New York City. In January 1914, those parts of the then New York County which had been annexed from Westchester County were constituted as Bronx County.
Playland in Rye, a National Historic Landmark, opened to the public in 1928, was the first totally planned amusement park
in the country. It continues to be operated by Westchester County. The development of Westchester's parks and parkway systems supported existing residential communities and encouraged the establishment of new ones. New homes were constructed on former estates
and farms. The parkways were a boon for commuters and transformed the development pattern of Westchester. New businesses appeared in response to expanded markets; White Plains, with branches of many New York City stores, became the County's central shopping center. With the need for new homes for new families following World War II
, multistory apartment houses appeared in the urbanized areas of the County, while the market for single family houses continued to expand. By 1950 the total County population was 625,816.
Major interstate highways were constructed in Westchester during the 1950s and 60s. The establishment of these roadways, along with the construction of the Tappan Zee Bridge
, encouraged many major corporations, such as PepsiCo
, General Foods
, Ciba-Geigy and IBM
to establish headquarters in Westchester. They accomplishe this by assembling large tracts of property to construct office facilities, which were often designed by world-famous architects and enhanced by extensive landscape.
Today it is one of the most affluent counties in the country, home to many of New York City's most desirable suburban communities. It is a haven for commuters, whether traveling by car or by the Metro-North Commuter Railroad.
in Mt. Vernon was designated a National Historic Site in 1942. The original church, a wooden structure known as Church of Eastchester, was built in 1695. The present-day stone church was completed in 1764, and its name was changed to St. Paul's in 1795.
The church property, which is operated by the National Park Service
, includes a cemetery with burial stones dating to 1704 and the remnants of a village green that was the site of what came to be known as the "Great Election" of 1733. The publisher of the New York Journal, John Peter Zenger
, wrote an account of the election and was arrested and tried for seditious libel
. His acquittal established the legal precedent for "freedom of the press," which was later incorporated as a basic freedom in the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Horace Greeley
's house stands in Chappaqua. Horace Greeley was most famous for his newspaper, The New York Tribune , which ran late into the 19th century. Greeley got a mere sixty votes in the electoral college when he ran for president against Ulysses S. Grant and died shortly thereafter from severe illnesses and broken spirits. His home and the grounds which have not been subdivided are run by the Town of New Castle Historical Society and is open for guided and self-guided tours.
One of the Founding Fathers native to New York State, John Jay
, grew up in Rye, New York and returned there to rest among his many descendants. America's first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court served in every branch of US government and his boyhood home is now a National Historic Landmark
, open to the public. It is managed by the Jay Heritage Center. The buildings on this historic site, including the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House
built by Jay's eldest son, are being restored for educational programs in American History, Architecture and Environmental Stewardship.
The Thomas Paine Cottage
in New Rochelle, New York
, was the home from 1802 to 1806 of Thomas Paine
, author of Common Sense
and Revolutionary War
hero. It was declared a National Historic Landmark
on November 28, 1972.
Westchester County is located at the southeastern tip of New York State. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 500 square miles (1,295 km²), of which 433 square miles (1,121.5 km²) is land and 67 square miles (173.5 km²) (13.45%), water. The County shares its northern boundary with Putnam County and its southern boundary with New York City. It is bordered on the west side by the Hudson River and on the east side by Long Island Sound and Fairfield County, Connecticut.
The closest point on the southern border of Westchester is just under 11 miles (17.7 km) from Columbus Circle
in Manhattan (the customary point for measuring distances from New York City), where Pelham Manor meets Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. At over 2700 acres (10.9 km²), Pelham Bay Park is the largest of New York City's parks, forming a substantial 'buffer' between suburban Westchester and urban Bronx County.
Southern Westchester's Long Island Sound
shore is generally rocky. Tidal mud flats, marsh
es and wetlands, as well as several natural and artificially-maintained sand
beaches are interspersed on the coast. Public waterfront access is limited by residential and other development, although municipal and County owned parks provide access to beaches, nature preserves and passive and active waterfront recreational facilities. Several large harbors lie along the shore including Milton Harbor in Rye, Mamaroneck Harbor, Larchmont Harbor and Echo Bay, and the Upper and Lower harbors in New Rochelle. A number of islands can be found offshore from New Rochelle. The uses of these islands vary: Davids' Island
, the former location of the U.S. Army’s Fort Slocum, is currently unoccupied but is slated for use as passive parkland; Glen Island
is a County park for passive and active recreation; Huckleberry Island
is largely undeveloped and has one of the largest rookeries
for some shore bird species in western Long Island Sound; Columbia Island
was the former site of CBS
television
broadcast antennas and is currently unoccupied; Echo Island is used by a private yacht club
; Execution Rocks is the site of a 19th century lighthouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places
; Pea Island is owned by Huguenot Yacht Club but remains undeveloped; Goose Island is undeveloped; Clifford, Harrison and Tank Islands are part of a nature preserve and city park;and Oak and Pine Islands are used as private residences.
The widest section across the Hudson River, at 3.6 miles (6 km), is found between the Westchester and Rockland County shorelines immediately north of Croton Point in Croton-on-Hudson. In Colonial times, this area was called the Tappan Zee or Sea. The Hudson River is tidal and brackish through Westchester and contains a small number of estuarine marshes. Two bridges span the Hudson in Westchester; the Bear Mountain Bridge
crosses at Cortlandt and the Tappan Zee Bridge at Tarrytown. Municipal, County and state-owned parks provide access to waterfront landmarks and sites, including Croton Point in Croton, Kingsland Point in Sleepy Hollow and JFK Memorial Marina in Yonkers.
The Hudson River waterfront in Westchester is in the midst of a renaissance, converting from primarily industrial uses to mixed residential, commercial, retail, and recreational uses. This transformation is most notable in Yonkers, Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Ossining, and Peekskill, where redevelopment projects are in various stages of design and construction. In 2004, Westchester County embarked on a project to create a Hudson RiverWalk of 50 miles (80.5 km) which will provide public access between New York City and Putnam County along or close to the river. RiverWalk will weave through the Hudson River communities and provide access and linkages to recreational, cultural, and historic resources as well as community business centers.
The County's interior generally is more hilly north of Interstate 287, which bisects the County. The highest elevation in the county is a U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey benchmark
known as "Bailey" at 980 feet (300 m) above sea level in Mountain Lakes Park near the Connecticut state line. The lowest elevation is sea level, along both the Hudson and Long Island Sound.
The County is divided into six primary drainage basins or watersheds
, which are the Lower Long Island Sound, Upper Long Island Sound, Bronx River, Upper Hudson River, Lower Hudson River and Croton River basins. Within these primary drainage basins are approximately 60 smaller basins, or subwatersheds. The principal stream
s draining the southern part of the County include Beaver Swamp Brook, Blind Brook, Bronx River
, Hutchinson River, Mamaroneck River, Saw Mill River
, Sheldrake River, Stephenson Brook and Tibbetts Brook. The primary streams draining the central part of the County include Byram River
, Kisco River, Mianus River
, Mill River, Pocantico River and Silvermine River. The principal streams draining the northern part of the County include Dickey Brook, Furnace Brook, Hallocks Mill Brook, Hunter Brook, Muscoot River, Peekskill Hollow Brook, and Titicus River
. The County contains several major reservoirs for public drinking water supply: The Croton system and the Kensico Reservoir
are important components of the New York City water supply system. The system is a series of interconnected reservoirs and lakes in northern Westchester and Putnam Counties that provides 10% of New York City’s water under normal conditions and up to 30% of the in-City consumption in times of drought. The components of the system include the New Croton Reservoir
in Cortlandt, Yorktown, Somers and Bedford; the Cross River Reservoir
contained largely in Bedford; Titicus Reservoir
in North Salem; Amawalk Reservoir
in Somers; and the Muscoot Reservoir
in Somers, Lewisboro and Bedford. The Kensico Reservoir is located in Mount Pleasant, Harrison and North Castle; and Byram Lake Reservoir in North Castle and Bedford. A number of other smaller reservoirs exist throughout the County.
Officially, the Westchester County Department of Planning divides the county into North, Central and South sub-regions.
Rob Astorino
(R
). The district attorney
is Janet DiFiore (D
). The county clerk
is Timothy C. Idoni
(D
).
Board of Legislators
The Westchester County Board of Legislators is the legislative, policy-making branch of Westchester County.
The County Board has seventeen members. The current board chair is Kenneth W. Jenkins (D
).
Although the county historically leaned Republican, it swung Democratic in the early 1990s – much like other New York City suburbs. In the most recent national elections, Westchester voters tended to be far more Democratic than national average. In fact, Westchester, after New York City
and Albany County
, has produced the biggest margins for statewide Democrats in recent years. Democratic voters are mainly concentrated in the southern and central parts of the county. More than 63% of Westchester County voters voted for Barack Obama
in the 2008 presidential race, the seventh-highest percentage of any New York county, behind four New York City boroughs and Albany and Tompkins
counties. Currently, two of the three U.S. congressional representatives from Westchester County are Democrats.
However, Westchester County is less Democratic in state and local elections. For instance, it voted for George Pataki
by a margin of 23.07% against African-American candidate, Carl McCall
in the gubernatorial race of 2002
, and by 26.22% in 1998. Pataki hails from Westchester, where he previously served as mayor of Peekskill
prior to being elected governor. Nita Lowey
and Eliot Engel, both of whom are Democrats, represent most of the rest of the county (Engel's district also includes parts of the Bronx and Rockland County, and Lowey's also reaches into Rockland County) in Congress. Westchester's third representative is Republican Nan Hayworth
, who was elected in 2010, defeating Democratic incumbent John Hall. Hayworth's district includes most of northern Westchester County. Former County Executive Andrew Spano
is just the second Democrat to hold the post in at least a half-century. In 2006, county legislator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
defeated 20 year incumbent Nicholas Spano
(unrelated to Andrew) for a seat in the New York State Senate
in a rematch of the 2004 race, which she lost by only 18 votes. Assembly Member Mike Spano
(brother of Nicholas) switched parties in July 2007 to become a Democrat. Current district attorney Janet DiFiore also switched parties from Republican to Democratic in August 2007. In 2009, Republican Rob Astorino
ousted three-term county executive Andy Spano, who had the endorsement of the New York Conservative Party, winning in a landslide. Astorino became the first Republican county executive since Andrew O'Rourke
, who left the post after the 1997 election.
Westchester County was the home of former vice-president Nelson Rockefeller
, who occupied the Kykuit
mansion of the Rockefeller family
3400 acres (13.8 km²) estate after the death of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
; it is situated near the town of Pocantico Hills.
The county is also home to the former President
Bill Clinton
and Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton
, who live in Chappaqua
. Former First Lady
Barbara Bush
grew up in Rye
.
The "Career Chief's Association", a cooperative of the career fire departments also operates a "Special Operations Task Force" consisting of six squad companies that can be rapidly assembled for a major hazarous materials incident, CBRNE event, collapse or confined space rescue, or other incident requiring a large number of haz-mat or rescue technicians. Over 700 firefighters, police officers and EMS providers were trained to be part of this effort and serve over half the population of Westchester County including Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains, Scarsdale, Eastchester, and the Fairview, Hartsdale, and Greenville Fire Departments in the Town of Greenburgh.
and the NYPD.
, and 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.61% of the population. 64.1% were Whites of non-Hispanic origin. 71.7% spoke English
, 14.4% Spanish
, 3.5% Italian
, 1.1% Portuguese
and 1.1% French
as their first language.
By 2006, the population was 68.12% White
, 13.91% African-Americans, 5.58% Asian
, 0.16% Native American and 12.23% of other or mixed race. 18.54% of the population was Latino or Hispanic of any race.
There were 337,142 households of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% were married couples
living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.21.
Age distribution was 25.00% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.30 males.
According to 2006 HUD data, the median income for a household of one person in the county was $67,555 and the median income for a family of four was $96,500.
According to census data, the per capita income
for the county in 1999 was $36,726. The Bureau of Economic Analysis
lists Westchester in 2004 with the per capita income of $58,952, the eighth highest in the country. The Census Bureau reports that 6.40% of families and 8.7% (2003) of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.53% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.
The largest census reviewed area in Westchester County is the City of Yonkers, New York's fourth-largest city, with a population of almost 200,000. The smallest is the community of Scotts Corners
in the town of Pound Ridge with a population of 624.
visualization, community overviews, regional partnerships, as well as planning tools and interactive forums for public comment.
Part of Westchester 2025 focuses on the need to improve regional connectivity, including both physical infrastructure (roads, trains, sewers, etc.) and communication capabilities (wider bandwidths, GIS technology, etc.) to keep pace with the global economy and reduce environmental impacts. This new infrastructure model for the 21st century, Tomorrow's Communistructure, will require a complete paradigm shift in the way the community views and defines its critical infrastructure in the future.
Westchester County is served by Interstate 87
(the New York State Thruway
), Interstate 95
, Interstate 287
and Interstate 684
. Parkway
s in the county include the Bronx River Parkway
, the Cross County Parkway
, the Hutchinson River Parkway
, the Saw Mill River Parkway
, the Sprain Brook Parkway
and the Taconic State Parkway
. The Tappan Zee Bridge
connects Tarrytown to Rockland County across the Hudson River. The Bear Mountain Bridge
crosses the Hudson from Cortlandt to Orange County. The combination of these numerous highways, proximity to New York City, and the county's large population all lead to substantial traffic enforcement and very busy local courts.
The development corridors in the county have defined sections and follow transportation corridors. The main north-south corridors are, from west to east, the U.S. Route 9/Albany Post Rd/Broadway Corridor along the Hudson River from Yonkers in the South to Peekskill/Cortlandt in the North. The Saw Mill River Parkway Corridor traverses the county in a north-eastern path, beginning in Yonkers, and terminating at I-684 in Bedford, mostly following the path of the Putnam Branch of the New York Central Railroad, which was abandoned in March 1970 (and which has largely been replaced by a paved path known as the South County and North County Trailways). The Sprain Brook Parkway traverses the county's midsection from a point in Yonkers where it breaks off from the Bronx River Parkway until Hawthorne about 15 miles (24.1 km) north where it merges with the Taconic State Parkway and continues until I-90 near Albany
. The Hutchinson River Parkway lines the eastern county, from the Bronx (terminating at the Long Island crossing—the Whitestone Bridge) until the Connecticut
state line in Greenwich, where it becomes the Merritt Parkway
. I-684 begins at a junction with the Hutchinson River Parkway and I-287 in Harrison, and continues north into Putnam County
(with a brief stretch in Greenwich, Connecticut
) through Bedford and North Salem. The eastern most corridor is the I-95/New England Thruway which traverses the county on the Long Island Sound, from the Pelhams through the Town of Rye and into Connecticut. The East-West corridors are the Cross County Parkway, which traverses the southern county from Yonkers in the west through New Rochelle in the east, terminating at the Hutchinson River Parkway. The Cross Westchester Expressway/I-287 is the mid-county corridor spanning from the Tappan-Zee Bridge in Tarrytown to the west to I-95/New England Thruway in the east. The northern-most corridor is that approximating the US-202 route from Cortlandt, and the Bear Mountain Bridge, to Lewisboro and the Connecticut border. But unlike the more southerly corridors, US-202 is for the most part not a limited-access highway and has frequent traffic lights.
Robert Moses
and others once proposed a bridge connecting Westchester with Nassau County, most likely using I-287 to do so. Public opposition was fierce, and the New York state government abandoned the plan.
Commuter train service in Westchester is provided by Metro-North Railroad
(operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority). Metro-North operates three lines in the county; west to east, they are the Hudson, the Harlem and the New Haven lines, each of which stops in the Bronx
between Westchester and Manhattan
. Amtrak
serves Croton-Harmon, New Rochelle and Yonkers. There are proposals for a cross-county rail line to connect all three lines and provide easier access to Stamford, Connecticut
.
NY Waterway
also operates a ferry service between Haverstraw
in Rockland County and Ossining
.
Bus service is provided by the Bee-Line Bus System
(operated by the Westchester County Department of Transportation) both within Westchester and to Manhattan (BxM4C). The MTA Bus Company
also runs the BxM3 to and from Getty Square in Yonkers to Midtown Manhattan.
Westchester County Airport
is adjacent to White Plains.
college-preparatory
and parochial
schools, and 14 colleges and universities.
in New York City
and underlie the county of Westchester, are chiefly gneiss
and mica
-schist
, with layers of dolmitic marble
and serpentine.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles (1,165.5 km²) and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities. It was named after the city of Chester in England, and the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is White Plains
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
.
The county's location puts 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 Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
to its south, Putnam County
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
on the north, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
on the east, Rockland County on the west. Westchester became the first large scale suburban area in the world to develop. Its significance as a suburb derived mostly from the upper-middle class development of entire communities in the late 19th century, and the rapid population growth that occurred as a result.
According to 2006 HUD data, the median income for a household
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
of one person in the county was $75,427 and the median income for a family of four was $96,500. Westchester County ranks number two (number one being New York County) for wealthiest counties in New York State and the seventh wealthiest county nationally. Westchester County has long been associated with "old money
Old Money
Old money is "the inherited wealth of established upper-class families " or "a person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth." The term typically describes a class of the super-rich, who have been able to maintain their wealth across multiple generations.- United States :American locations...
" and some of the country's wealthiest families for generations, along with other places such as Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, and Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
's Gold Coast and Five Towns
Five Towns
The Five Towns is an informal grouping of villages and hamlets in Nassau County, New York, United States on the South Shore of western Long Island adjoining the border with Queens County in New York City. Despite the name, none of the communities is a town...
.
Original inhabitants
At the time of European contactFirst contact (anthropology)
First contact is a term describing the first meeting of two cultures previously unaware of one another. One notable example of first contact is that between the Spanish and the Arawak in 1492....
in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
inhabitants of what would become Westchester County were part of one of the Algonquian peoples
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
whose name for themselves was Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
("the people"). The region inhabited by the Lenape—called by them Lenapehoking
Lenapehoking
Lenapehoking is a term for the lands historically inhabited by the Native American people known as the Lenape in what is now the Northeastern United States...
—consisted of the area around and between the Delaware
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
and lower to middle 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...
s. Throughout the region were spoken two related languages (part of the Algonquian language family
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
and related to Mahican
Mahican language
Mahican is an extinct language of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family, itself a member of the Algic language family....
) collectively known as the Delaware languages: Unami
Unami language
Unami is an extinct Algonquian language formerly spoken by Lenape people in what is now the lower Hudson Valley area and New York Harbor area, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, but later in Ontario and Oklahoma. It is one of the two Delaware languages, the other being Munsee...
and Munsee
Munsee language
Munsee is an endangered language of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family, itself a branch of the Algic language family. Munsee is one of the two Delaware languages...
. Munsee was spoken by the inhabitants of what is today known as Westchester County as well as those from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
island. Some ethnographers of the past, lacking valid contemporary sources, simply referred to the various tribes of the area as Munsee speakers, or, even more generally, as Lenni Lenape (the "true people").
Fortunately title deeds
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
given to European settlers have turned out to be able to supply considerable information about the sub-tribes in the region and their locations. The "Manhattans" occupied the island upon which New York City was built, as well as land in southern Westchester now covered by the city of Yonkers
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. The Weckquaesgeek
Wappani
The Wappinger were a confederacy of Native Americans whose territory in the 17th century spread along the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Primarily based in what is now Dutchess County, New York, their territory bordered Manhattan Island to the south, the Mahican territory bounded by the...
occupied land along the Hudson River and the central portion of the county where the modern settlements of Dobbs Ferry
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 at the 2010 census.The Village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the town of Greenburgh...
, Tarrytown
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
and White Plains
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
can be found. The Siwanoy
Siwanoy
The Native American Siwanoy or Sinanoy were a band of Algonquian-speaking people, the Wappinger, in what is now the New York City area. By the mid-17th century, when their territory became hotly contested between Dutch and English colonial interests, the Siwanoy were settled along the East River...
lived along the coast of Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
where Pelham
Pelham, New York
Pelham, New York is the name of two locations in Westchester County, New York:*Pelham , New York, the Town of Pelham*Pelham Manor , New York, the Village of Pelham Manor*Pelham , New York, the Village of Pelham...
, New Rochelle
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
, Larchmont
Larchmont, New York
Larchmont is a village in Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,864 at the 2010 census. It is located within the town of Mamaroneck, on the shore of Long Island Sound, northeast of Midtown Manhattan...
, Mamaroneck
Mamaroneck (town), New York
Mamaroneck is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of Mamaroneck...
and Rye
Rye (city), New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
now stand. The northern portions of the county were occupied by smaller tribes such as the Tankiteke, Kitchawank and Saint Sik. In the Lenape worldview, however, since they all spoke more or less the same mother tongue, they all were the very opposite of "foreigners" to each other (although that did not prevent in-fighting any more than it does among other related but competitive tribes such as the Scandinavians
North Germanic languages
The North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages, the languages of Scandinavians, make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages, along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages...
or the various speakers of Romance languages
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
).
Colonial Westchester
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans to explore Westchester were Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 and Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator in the early 17th century. Hudson made two attempts on behalf of English merchants to find a prospective Northeast Passage to Cathay via a route above the Arctic Circle...
in 1609. The first European settlers were sponsored by the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
in the 1620s and 1630s. English settlers arrived from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in the 1640s.By 1664, the Dutch lost control of the County to the English and large tracts of Westchester land were established as manors or patents. Manors were held by a single proprietor, while patents were held by groups of associates. The lords of the manors and patents leased land to tenant farmers and provided many essential services to the tenants.
Westchester County was an original county of the Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
, one of twelve created by an act of the New York General Assembly in 1683. At the time, it also included the present Bronx County, which constituted the original Town of Westchester (whose center was around the area today known as Westchester Square, in the Bronx) and portions of three other towns: Yonkers
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
, Eastchester, and Pelham
Pelham, New York
Pelham, New York is the name of two locations in Westchester County, New York:*Pelham , New York, the Town of Pelham*Pelham Manor , New York, the Village of Pelham Manor*Pelham , New York, the Village of Pelham...
.
During the colonial period, life in Westchester was quite primitive. Roads were few and in poor condition. Transportation was heavily dependent on water routes. Nearly everything settlers consumed was raised or made on their farms. They bartered wood, cattle and food for items that they could not produce themselves. Colonial churches not only served as religious centers but also played an important social and political role.
Although the economy was still primarily agricultural, farmers began to supplement income through cottage industries - shoe making and furniture crafting. These industries led to heavier use of local roads; heavier use necessitated road improvements which encouraged increased travel. Taverns providing accommodations for travelers were established and ferries were launched. By 1775, Westchester was the richest and most populous County in the colony of New York.
Revolutionary transition
During the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Westchester County saw more fighting and suffering than any other area in the country. The Revolution was in some ways a civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
, as families were often divided between patriot and loyalist sympathies. After the battles of Pelham
Battle of Pell's Point
The Battle of Pell's Point , also known as the Battle of Pelham, was a skirmish fought between British and American troops during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War...
and White Plains
Battle of White Plains
The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on October 28, 1776, near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward from New York City, British General William Howe landed...
in 1776, the main American headquarters was at Continental Village, north of Peekskill in Putnam County
Putnam County
Putnam County is the name of nine counties in the United States of America:*Putnam County, Florida*Putnam County, Georgia*Putnam County, Illinois*Putnam County, Indiana*Putnam County, Missouri*Putnam County, New York*Putnam County, Ohio...
. The British were headquartered in New York City. Westchester was the "Neutral Ground" between the two camps and the countryside was pillaged by both sides.
Although the Revolution devastated the County, recovery after the war was rapid. The large landowners in Westchester were mostly Loyalists, and after the war their lands were confiscated by the state and sold. Many local farmers were able to buy the lands they had previously farmed as tenants. In 1788, five years after the end of the Revolutionary War, the County was officially divided into 20 towns. In 1798, the first federal census
Census
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...
recorded a population of 24,000 centered in northern Westchester.
Early infrastructure improvements
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
, the Westchester Turnpike, which ran through Pelham
Pelham, New York
Pelham, New York is the name of two locations in Westchester County, New York:*Pelham , New York, the Town of Pelham*Pelham Manor , New York, the Village of Pelham Manor*Pelham , New York, the Village of Pelham...
and New Rochelle
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
, was chartered. Other toll roads including the Croton (Somerstown) Turnpike were later established. During this same period, steamboats began to appear on the Hudson River. Expansion of transportation options encouraged economic expansion. Larger industries were gradually established such as iron foundries in Peekskill
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
and Port Chester
Port Chester, New York
Port Chester is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is part of the town of Rye. As of the 2010 census, Port Chester had a population of 28,967...
, brickyards in Verplank
Verplanck, New York
Verplanck is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Cortlandt, Westchester County, New York. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,729.-Geography:Verplanck is located at ....
and Croton, marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
quarries
Quarries
Quarries - The "Royal Quarries" — not found in Scripture — is the namegiven to the vast caverns stretching far underneath the northern hill, Bezetha, on which Jerusalem is built. Out of these mammoth caverns stones, a hard limestone, have been quarried in ancient times for the buildings in the...
in Ossining
Ossining (town), New York
Ossining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 at the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant....
and Tuckahoe
Tuckahoe, New York
Tuckahoe is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Tuckahoe, Suffolk County, New York*Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York...
.
Two developments in the first half of the 19th century - the construction of the first Croton Dam and Aqueduct and the coming of the railroad - had enormous impact on the growth of both Westchester and New York City. Construction of the Croton Dam and Aqueduct began in 1837 and was completed in 1842. The aqueduct carried water 41 miles (66 km) from Croton to two reservoirs in Manhattan to be distributed to the city. Now a National Historic Landmark, the Croton Aqueduct
Croton Aqueduct
The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842...
is considered one of the great engineering achievements of the 19th century.
In the 1840s, the railroads came to Westchester. In 1844, the 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...
reached White Plains. The Hudson River Railroad line was completed to Peekskill in 1849. That same year, the New York and New Haven Railroad
New York and New Haven Railroad
The New York and New Haven Railroad was a railroad connecting New York City to New Haven, Connecticut along the shore of the Long Island Sound. It opened in 1849, and in 1872 it merged with the Hartford and New Haven Railroad to form the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad...
opened its route through eastern Westchester. The railroads often determined whether a town grew or declined, and they contributed to a population shift from northern to southern Westchester. By 1860, the total County population was 99,000 and the largest city was Yonkers. Many small downtowns, centered around a railroad station, flourished.
Post-Civil War
The period following the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
brought vast fortunes to a new class of entrepreneurs in the New York area, and many built large estates in Westchester. Several magnificent mansions of this era are preserved and open to the public. Among them are Lyndhurst
Lyndhurst
Lyndhurst may refer to:United Kingdom* Lyndhurst, HampshireUnited States* Lyndhurst, New Jersey* Lyndhurst, Ohio* Lyndhurst, Virginia* Lyndhurst, Wisconsin* Lyndhurst , New YorkAustralia* Lyndhurst, Victoria...
in Tarrytown, Kykuit
Kykuit
Kykuit , also known as John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room National Trust house in Westchester County, New York, built by the oil businessman, philanthropist and founder of the prominent Rockefeller family, John D. Rockefeller, and his son, John D...
in Pocantico Hills, the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, Caramoor
Caramoor
Caramoor may refer to:*Caramoor International Music Festival, held at*Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Inc., a former estate listed on the National Register of Historic Places near Katonah, New York...
in Katonah and Glenview
Glenview
Glenview as a place name may refer to:Republic of Ireland* Glenview, TallaghtNew Zealand* Glenview, New Zealand, a suburb of Hamilton, New ZealandUnited States* Glenview, California ** Glenview, Lake County, California...
in Yonkers.
Expansion of the New York City water supply system also impacted local development, creating new dams, bridges and roads. The flooding of thousands of acres for reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s created considerable dislocations in many towns north of White Plains. The building of the New Croton Dam
New Croton Dam
The New Croton Dam, part of the New York City water supply system, stretches across the Croton River near Croton-on-Hudson, New York, about north of New York City. Construction began in 1892 and was completed in 1906. Designed by Alphonse Fteley , this masonry dam is broad at its base and high...
and its reservoir, for instance, resulted in the relocation of the hamlet of Katonah
Katonah
Katonah may refer to:Given name:* Chief Katonah, a Native American tribal leaderPlace name:* Katonah, New York, a hamlet within the town of Bedford, New YorkOther:* Katonah , a music album by Apollo Sunshine, named after Bedford, New York...
to higher ground. In North Salem
North Salem, New York
North Salem is a town in the northeast part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The county ranks second for wealthiest counties in New York State and the seventh wealthiest county nationally...
the hamlet of Purdys was moved when five percent of the town was inundated, including hundreds of prime acres of dairy land.
During the last half of the 19th century, Westchester's transportation system and labor force attracted a manufacturing base, particularly along the Hudson River and Nepperhan Creek. Pills and patent medicines were manufactured in Ossining; greenhouses in Irvington; beer in Dobbs Ferry; sugar, paving material and conduit in Hastings; and in Yonkers, elevators and carpets.
In 1874, the western portion
West Bronx
The West Bronx is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The neighborhood lies west of the Bronx River and roughly corresponds to the western half of the borough....
of the present Bronx County, consisting of the then towns of Kingsbridge, West Farms, and Morrisania, was transferred to New York County, and in 1895 the remainder of the present Bronx County, consisting of the Town of Westchester and portions of the towns of Eastchester and Pelham, was transferred to New York County. By that time, the portion of the town of Eastchester immediately north of the transferred portion had seceded from the town of Eastchester (1892) to become the City of Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...
so that the Town of Eastchester had no border with New York City. In January 1914, those parts of the then New York County which had been annexed from Westchester County were constituted as Bronx County.
Twentieth century
During the 20th century, the primarily rural character of Westchester would yield to the suburban county known today. Between the County's railroad network and the proliferation of the automobile in the early 20th century, working in New York City and living in the country became possible for the middle class. In 1907 the Bronx River Commission was established to acquire the necessary lands to eliminate nuisance conditions along the river's banks and improve its water quality through a joint undertaking between New York City and Westchester County. The Commission's efforts led to the creation of the Bronx River Parkway Reservation, completed in 1925, and the first modern, multi-lane limited-access roadway in North America. The success of the Bronx River Parkway Reservation encouraged the County government to develop its outstanding parks system, preserving great tracts of open space.Playland in Rye, a National Historic Landmark, opened to the public in 1928, was the first totally planned amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
in the country. It continues to be operated by Westchester County. The development of Westchester's parks and parkway systems supported existing residential communities and encouraged the establishment of new ones. New homes were constructed on former estates
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
and farms. The parkways were a boon for commuters and transformed the development pattern of Westchester. New businesses appeared in response to expanded markets; White Plains, with branches of many New York City stores, became the County's central shopping center. With the need for new homes for new families following 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...
, multistory apartment houses appeared in the urbanized areas of the County, while the market for single family houses continued to expand. By 1950 the total County population was 625,816.
Major interstate highways were constructed in Westchester during the 1950s and 60s. The establishment of these roadways, along with the construction of the Tappan Zee Bridge
Tappan Zee Bridge
The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge, usually referred to as Tappan Zee Bridge, is a cantilever bridge in New York over the Hudson River at one of its widest points; the Tappan Zee is named for an American Indian tribe from the area called "Tappan"; and zee being the Dutch word for "sea"....
, encouraged many major corporations, such as PepsiCo
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
, General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
, Ciba-Geigy and IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
to establish headquarters in Westchester. They accomplishe this by assembling large tracts of property to construct office facilities, which were often designed by world-famous architects and enhanced by extensive landscape.
Today it is one of the most affluent counties in the country, home to many of New York City's most desirable suburban communities. It is a haven for commuters, whether traveling by car or by the Metro-North Commuter Railroad.
National Historic Sites
St. Paul's ChurchSaint Paul's Church National Historic Site
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The site was authorized in 1978 to protect Saint Paul's Church from increasing industrialization of the surrounding area...
in Mt. Vernon was designated a National Historic Site in 1942. The original church, a wooden structure known as Church of Eastchester, was built in 1695. The present-day stone church was completed in 1764, and its name was changed to St. Paul's in 1795.
The church property, which is operated by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, includes a cemetery with burial stones dating to 1704 and the remnants of a village green that was the site of what came to be known as the "Great Election" of 1733. The publisher of the New York Journal, John Peter Zenger
John Peter Zenger
John Peter Zenger was a German-American printer, publisher, editor, and journalist in New York City. He was a defendant in a landmark legal case in American jurisprudence that determined that truth was a defense against charges of libel and "laid the foundation for American press freedom."-...
, wrote an account of the election and was arrested and tried for seditious libel
Seditious libel
Seditious libel was a criminal offence under English common law. Sedition is the offence of speaking seditious words with seditious intent: if the statement is in writing or some other permanent form it is seditious libel...
. His acquittal established the legal precedent for "freedom of the press," which was later incorporated as a basic freedom in the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
's house stands in Chappaqua. Horace Greeley was most famous for his newspaper, The New York Tribune , which ran late into the 19th century. Greeley got a mere sixty votes in the electoral college when he ran for president against Ulysses S. Grant and died shortly thereafter from severe illnesses and broken spirits. His home and the grounds which have not been subdivided are run by the Town of New Castle Historical Society and is open for guided and self-guided tours.
One of the Founding Fathers native to New York State, John Jay
John Jay
John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....
, grew up in Rye, New York and returned there to rest among his many descendants. America's first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court served in every branch of US government and his boyhood home is now a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
, open to the public. It is managed by the Jay Heritage Center. The buildings on this historic site, including the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House
1838 Peter Augustus Jay House
The 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House and surrounding Jay Property form the centerpiece of the National Historic Landmark Boston Post Road Historic District. This historic district is the surviving remnant of the Jay estate where New York State's only native born Founding Father, John Jay, grew up...
built by Jay's eldest son, are being restored for educational programs in American History, Architecture and Environmental Stewardship.
The Thomas Paine Cottage
Thomas Paine Cottage
The Thomas Paine Cottage in New Rochelle, New York in the United States, was the home from 1802 to 1806 of Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense and Revolutionary War hero. Paine was buried near the cottage from his death in 1809 until his body was disinterred in 1819...
in New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
, was the home from 1802 to 1806 of Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Thomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...
, author of Common Sense
Common Sense (pamphlet)
Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously on January 10, 1776, during the American Revolution. Common Sense, signed "Written by an Englishman", became an immediate success. In relation to the population of the Colonies at that time, it had the largest...
and Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
hero. It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on November 28, 1972.
Geography
The closest point on the southern border of Westchester is just under 11 miles (17.7 km) from Columbus Circle
Columbus Circle
Columbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South , and Central Park West, at the southwest corner of Central Park. It is the point from...
in Manhattan (the customary point for measuring distances from New York City), where Pelham Manor meets Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. At over 2700 acres (10.9 km²), Pelham Bay Park is the largest of New York City's parks, forming a substantial 'buffer' between suburban Westchester and urban Bronx County.
Southern Westchester's Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
shore is generally rocky. Tidal mud flats, marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es and wetlands, as well as several natural and artificially-maintained sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
beaches are interspersed on the coast. Public waterfront access is limited by residential and other development, although municipal and County owned parks provide access to beaches, nature preserves and passive and active waterfront recreational facilities. Several large harbors lie along the shore including Milton Harbor in Rye, Mamaroneck Harbor, Larchmont Harbor and Echo Bay, and the Upper and Lower harbors in New Rochelle. A number of islands can be found offshore from New Rochelle. The uses of these islands vary: Davids' Island
Davids' Island (New York)
Davids' Island is a island off the coast of New Rochelle, New York, in Long Island Sound. Currently uninhabited, in the past it was the site of Fort Slocum. Plans are to preserve the island as public parkland under the Westchester County Parks system. The island is home to the endangered Kemp’s...
, the former location of the U.S. Army’s Fort Slocum, is currently unoccupied but is slated for use as passive parkland; Glen Island
Glen Island Park (New Rochelle, New York)
Glen Island Park is a park, located on an island in Long Island Sound. The park is owned and operated by Westchester County and shares Glen Island with a privately operated but county-owned entertainment facility, the Glen Island Harbour Club....
is a County park for passive and active recreation; Huckleberry Island
Huckleberry Island
Huckleberry Island is an island located in Long Island Sound and part of New Rochelle, New York. It lies approximately three-fourths of one mile east of Davids' Island....
is largely undeveloped and has one of the largest rookeries
Rookery
A rookery is a colony of breeding animals, generally birds. A rook is a Northern European and Central Asian member of the crow family, which nest in prominent colonies at the tops of trees. The term is applied to the nesting place of birds, such as crows and rooks, the source of the term...
for some shore bird species in western Long Island Sound; Columbia Island
Columbia Island (New York)
Columbia Island, known before 1941 as Little Pea Island, is an island in Long Island Sound and part of New Rochelle, New York. It is about 150 ft square. It is situated between Davids' Island and Pea Island...
was the former site of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast antennas and is currently unoccupied; Echo Island is used by a private yacht club
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
; Execution Rocks is the site of a 19th century lighthouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
; Pea Island is owned by Huguenot Yacht Club but remains undeveloped; Goose Island is undeveloped; Clifford, Harrison and Tank Islands are part of a nature preserve and city park;and Oak and Pine Islands are used as private residences.
The widest section across the Hudson River, at 3.6 miles (6 km), is found between the Westchester and Rockland County shorelines immediately north of Croton Point in Croton-on-Hudson. In Colonial times, this area was called the Tappan Zee or Sea. The Hudson River is tidal and brackish through Westchester and contains a small number of estuarine marshes. Two bridges span the Hudson in Westchester; the Bear Mountain Bridge
Bear Mountain Bridge
The Bear Mountain Bridge is a toll suspension bridge in New York State, carrying U.S. Highways 202 and 6 across the Hudson River between Rockland and Westchester counties...
crosses at Cortlandt and the Tappan Zee Bridge at Tarrytown. Municipal, County and state-owned parks provide access to waterfront landmarks and sites, including Croton Point in Croton, Kingsland Point in Sleepy Hollow and JFK Memorial Marina in Yonkers.
The Hudson River waterfront in Westchester is in the midst of a renaissance, converting from primarily industrial uses to mixed residential, commercial, retail, and recreational uses. This transformation is most notable in Yonkers, Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Ossining, and Peekskill, where redevelopment projects are in various stages of design and construction. In 2004, Westchester County embarked on a project to create a Hudson RiverWalk of 50 miles (80.5 km) which will provide public access between New York City and Putnam County along or close to the river. RiverWalk will weave through the Hudson River communities and provide access and linkages to recreational, cultural, and historic resources as well as community business centers.
The County's interior generally is more hilly north of Interstate 287, which bisects the County. The highest elevation in the county is a U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey benchmark
Benchmark (surveying)
The term bench mark, or benchmark, originates from the chiseled horizontal marks that surveyors made in stone structures, into which an angle-iron could be placed to form a "bench" for a leveling rod, thus ensuring that a leveling rod could be accurately repositioned in the same place in the future...
known as "Bailey" at 980 feet (300 m) above sea level in Mountain Lakes Park near the Connecticut state line. The lowest elevation is sea level, along both the Hudson and Long Island Sound.
The County is divided into six primary drainage basins or watersheds
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, which are the Lower Long Island Sound, Upper Long Island Sound, Bronx River, Upper Hudson River, Lower Hudson River and Croton River basins. Within these primary drainage basins are approximately 60 smaller basins, or subwatersheds. The principal stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s draining the southern part of the County include Beaver Swamp Brook, Blind Brook, Bronx River
Bronx River
The Bronx River, approximately long, flows through southeast New York in the United States. It is named after colonial settler Jonas Bronck. The Bronx River is the only fresh water river in New York City....
, Hutchinson River, Mamaroneck River, Saw Mill River
Saw Mill River
The Saw Mill River is a 20 mile long tributary of the Hudson River in the United States, flowing from a marsh in Chappaqua to Yonkers, New York, where it empties into the Hudson. Its starting point in Chappaqua is presumed to be a spring. In the 17th century, the Saw Mill River was known as...
, Sheldrake River, Stephenson Brook and Tibbetts Brook. The primary streams draining the central part of the County include Byram River
Byram River
The Byram River is a river approximately in length, in southeast New York and southwestern Connecticut in the United States.The river has an elevation of at its headwaters at Byram Lake in Westchester County, New York, and flows in a southward direction, crossing the New York-Connecticut border...
, Kisco River, Mianus River
Mianus River
The Mianus River is a river in Westchester County, New York and Fairfield County, Connecticut, in the United States. It begins in the town of North Castle, New York in a series of ponds at about altitude...
, Mill River, Pocantico River and Silvermine River. The principal streams draining the northern part of the County include Dickey Brook, Furnace Brook, Hallocks Mill Brook, Hunter Brook, Muscoot River, Peekskill Hollow Brook, and Titicus River
Titicus River
The Titicus River is an 8.5 mile river in southwestern Connecticut and southeastern New York that drains in to the Titicus Reservoir, part of New York City's water supply system. The drainage area is . It is one of the few rivers in Connecticut that is part of the system. The source of the river is...
. The County contains several major reservoirs for public drinking water supply: The Croton system and the Kensico Reservoir
Kensico Reservoir
The Kensico Reservoir is a reservoir, located in the village of Valhalla and in the town of North Castle, that was put into service in 1915. It is about 3 miles north of White Plains, New York, and about 15 miles north of New York City...
are important components of the New York City water supply system. The system is a series of interconnected reservoirs and lakes in northern Westchester and Putnam Counties that provides 10% of New York City’s water under normal conditions and up to 30% of the in-City consumption in times of drought. The components of the system include the New Croton Reservoir
New Croton Reservoir
The New Croton reservoir is a narrow reservoir in Westchester County, New York, lying approximately north of New York City, for which the reservoir supplies water. It is the collecting point for water from all reservoirs in the Croton Watershed....
in Cortlandt, Yorktown, Somers and Bedford; the Cross River Reservoir
Cross River Reservoir
The Cross River Reservoir is a reservoir located in northern Westchester County, New York and is part of New York City's water supply system. It is situated within the towns of Bedford, Lewisboro, and Pound Ridge, about 1 mile east of the village of Katonah, and over 25 miles north of New York City...
contained largely in Bedford; Titicus Reservoir
Titicus Reservoir
Titicus Reservoir is one of 12 in the New York City Water Supply System's Croton watershed. It is located in the Town of North Salem in Westchester County, 30 miles north of the city.At full capacity it holds 7.2 billion gallons...
in North Salem; Amawalk Reservoir
Amawalk Reservoir
The Amawalk Reservoir is a small reservoir in central-northern Westchester County, New York. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 202 and New York State Route 35 in the town of Somers, and is over 32 miles north of New York City. It was formed by impounding the middle of the...
in Somers; and the Muscoot Reservoir
Muscoot Reservoir
The Muscoot Reservoir is a reservoir in northern Westchester County, New York. It is located directly north of the village of Katonah, New York, and is over 25 miles north of New York City, which the reservoir eventually supplies with tapwater...
in Somers, Lewisboro and Bedford. The Kensico Reservoir is located in Mount Pleasant, Harrison and North Castle; and Byram Lake Reservoir in North Castle and Bedford. A number of other smaller reservoirs exist throughout the County.
Officially, the Westchester County Department of Planning divides the county into North, Central and South sub-regions.
Cities, towns and villages
Westchester County has six cities, 19 towns and 20 villages. Any land area in the county that is not contained in one of the cities is in a town. A town may have zero, one or multiple villages. A village can be located in more than one town, as two of Westchester's villages are.Adjacent counties
Westchester is considered to be a prime suburb of New York- Putnam County, New YorkPutnam County, New YorkPutnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
—north - Fairfield County, ConnecticutFairfield County, ConnecticutFairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
—east - Bergen County, New JerseyBergen County, New JerseyBergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
—southwest, water boundary only, across the Hudson RiverHudson RiverThe 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... - Rockland County, New YorkRockland County, New YorkRockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
—west, water boundary only, across the Hudson RiverHudson RiverThe 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...
, with bridge access at the Tappan Zee BridgeTappan Zee BridgeThe Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge, usually referred to as Tappan Zee Bridge, is a cantilever bridge in New York over the Hudson River at one of its widest points; the Tappan Zee is named for an American Indian tribe from the area called "Tappan"; and zee being the Dutch word for "sea"....
and Bear Mountain BridgeBear Mountain BridgeThe Bear Mountain Bridge is a toll suspension bridge in New York State, carrying U.S. Highways 202 and 6 across the Hudson River between Rockland and Westchester counties... - Nassau County, New YorkNassau County, New YorkNassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
—southeast, water boundary only, across the Long Island SoundLong Island SoundLong Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx... - Bronx County, New York (The Bronx)The BronxThe Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
—south - Orange County, New YorkOrange County, New YorkOrange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
—northwest, water boundary only, across the Hudson RiverHudson RiverThe 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...
Climate
The climate of Westchester County is much colder than that of the city. Sometimes temperatures are as much as 15 degrees Fahrenheit colder than those of the city. Winters are cold throughout the county and summers are hot inland but rather cool towards the coast. Rainfall is plentiful and in some areas reaches over 45 inches. Snowfall is much more common in Westchester than in the city. With the exception of the southwest of the county, snowfall is often between 40 and 60 inches - even by the coast. In January, less dense areas have a low of 16-18 and a high of 30-34 while dense areas like Yonkers or White plains have a low of 20-25 and a high of 35-40. In the summer, this effect is much milder. Coastal areas (Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Rye, Portchester) will have highs 80-83 and lows 62-66 while inland highs will be 84-86 and lows will be 60-66. Wind is heavy, especially by the coast.Government
Westchester County Government is headed by County ExecutiveWestchester County Executive
Westchester County Executive is the head of the executive branch of the Westchester County government. The county executive has power to veto acts of Westchester County Board of Legislators-History:...
Rob Astorino
Rob Astorino
Rob Astorino is the Westchester County Executive and an American media personality and politician who is a radio host and program director for the Catholic Channel on SIRIUS Satelitte Radio. He was one of the founders of 1050 AM ESPN Radio in New York City, and worked as the station's Executive...
(R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
). The district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
is Janet DiFiore (D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
). The county clerk
Westchester County Clerk
Westchester County Clerk is the oldest elected office in Westchester County, having been established in 1683. The County Clerk's responsibility is maintaining and preserving the official documents and records. The current Westchester County Clerk is Timothy C...
is Timothy C. Idoni
Timothy C. Idoni
Timothy C. Idoni was elected mayor of the city of New Rochelle, New York, in 1991, and was reelected three times. He resigned in January 2006 after having been elected Westchester County Clerk. His term expired at the end of 2009....
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
).
Board of Legislators
The Westchester County Board of Legislators is the legislative, policy-making branch of Westchester County.
The County Board has seventeen members. The current board chair is Kenneth W. Jenkins (D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
).
Politics
| Year | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Democrat Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 35.8% 147,824 | 63.4% 261,810 |
| 2004 | 40.3% 159,628 | 58.1% 229,849 |
| 2000 | 37.5% 139,278 | 58.6% 218,010 |
| 1996 | 35.9% 123,719 | 56.9% 196,310 |
| 1992 | 40.1% 151,990 | 48.6% 184,300 |
| 1988 | 53.4% 197,956 | 45.8% 169,860 |
| 1984 | 58.7% 160,225 | 41.1% 229,005 |
| 1980 | 54.4% 198,552 | 35.6% 130,136 |
| 1976 | 54.3% 208,527 | 45.1% 173,153 |
| 1972 | 62.8% 262,901 | 36.9% 154,412 |
| 1968 | 50.3% 201,652 | 43.4% 173,954 |
| 1964 | 37.9% 149,052 | 62.0% 243,723 |
Although the county historically leaned Republican, it swung Democratic in the early 1990s – much like other New York City suburbs. In the most recent national elections, Westchester voters tended to be far more Democratic than national average. In fact, Westchester, after 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 Albany County
Albany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
, has produced the biggest margins for statewide Democrats in recent years. Democratic voters are mainly concentrated in the southern and central parts of the county. More than 63% of Westchester County voters voted for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in the 2008 presidential race, the seventh-highest percentage of any New York county, behind four New York City boroughs and Albany and Tompkins
Tompkins County, New York
Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and comprises the whole of the Ithaca metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,564. The county seat is Ithaca, and the county is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community...
counties. Currently, two of the three U.S. congressional representatives from Westchester County are Democrats.
However, Westchester County is less Democratic in state and local elections. For instance, it voted for George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
by a margin of 23.07% against African-American candidate, Carl McCall
Carl McCall
Herman Carl McCall is a former Comptroller of New York State and was the Democratic candidate for state governor in 2002. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for numerous corporations. He received a B.A. degree from Dartmouth...
in the gubernatorial race of 2002
New York gubernatorial election, 2002
The New York gubernatorial election of 2002 was an election for the state governorship held on November 5, 2002. Governor George Pataki, the two-term Republican incumbent, was re-elected with 49% of the vote, defeating both the Democratic nominee, State Comptroller Carl McCall and Independence...
, and by 26.22% in 1998. Pataki hails from Westchester, where he previously served as mayor of Peekskill
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
prior to being elected governor. Nita Lowey
Nita Lowey
Nita Melnikoff Lowey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously represented the 20th district from 1989 to 1993.-Early life, education and career:...
and Eliot Engel, both of whom are Democrats, represent most of the rest of the county (Engel's district also includes parts of the Bronx and Rockland County, and Lowey's also reaches into Rockland County) in Congress. Westchester's third representative is Republican Nan Hayworth
Nan Hayworth
Nan Alison Sutter Hayworth is the U.S. Representative for . She is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and nursing career:...
, who was elected in 2010, defeating Democratic incumbent John Hall. Hayworth's district includes most of northern Westchester County. Former County Executive Andrew Spano
Andrew Spano
Andrew J. Spano is a Democratic politician from the state of New York, who served as Westchester County Executive from 1998 until 2010, when he was defeated by challenger Rob Astorino in the November 2009 elections by a surprising upset....
is just the second Democrat to hold the post in at least a half-century. In 2006, county legislator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Andrea Stewart-Cousins is a New York State Senator for the 35th district representing Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Greenburgh, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Mount Pleasant, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, and Yonkers....
defeated 20 year incumbent Nicholas Spano
Nicholas Spano
Nicholas A. Spano is best known as a New York Republican politician, who represented Yonkers and surrounding areas in the New York State Senate from 1986 to 2006...
(unrelated to Andrew) for a seat in the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
in a rematch of the 2004 race, which she lost by only 18 votes. Assembly Member Mike Spano
Mike Spano
Mike Spano is a current Democratic member of the New York State Assembly and Current Mayor-Elect of Yonkers, New York. He was first elected in 1992 as its youngest member. Due to the state’s redistricting plan, his seat was eliminated later that same year...
(brother of Nicholas) switched parties in July 2007 to become a Democrat. Current district attorney Janet DiFiore also switched parties from Republican to Democratic in August 2007. In 2009, Republican Rob Astorino
Rob Astorino
Rob Astorino is the Westchester County Executive and an American media personality and politician who is a radio host and program director for the Catholic Channel on SIRIUS Satelitte Radio. He was one of the founders of 1050 AM ESPN Radio in New York City, and worked as the station's Executive...
ousted three-term county executive Andy Spano, who had the endorsement of the New York Conservative Party, winning in a landslide. Astorino became the first Republican county executive since Andrew O'Rourke
Andrew O'Rourke
Andrew P. O'Rourke is a judge and politician from New York State. A Republican, he served as the County Executive of Westchester County, New York from 1983 to 1998....
, who left the post after the 1997 election.
Westchester County was the home of former vice-president Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
, who occupied the Kykuit
Kykuit
Kykuit , also known as John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room National Trust house in Westchester County, New York, built by the oil businessman, philanthropist and founder of the prominent Rockefeller family, John D. Rockefeller, and his son, John D...
mansion of the Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family
The Rockefeller family , the Cleveland family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an American industrial, banking, and political family of German origin that made one of the world's largest private fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th...
3400 acres (13.8 km²) estate after the death of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son among the five children of businessman and Standard Oil industrialist John D. Rockefeller and the father of the five famous Rockefeller brothers...
; it is situated near the town of Pocantico Hills.
The county is also home to the former President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, who live in 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...
. Former First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
grew up in Rye
Rye (city), New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
.
Emergency services
Westchester County has a wide array of emergency services and is the home to 58 fire departments, 42 ambulance services, two Haz-Mat teams, a volunteer technical rescue team, a fire academy and a fire investigations unit. Each department has career, volunteer or a combination of career and volunteer personnel. Westchester County Department of Emergency Services operates the main dispatching system for EMS and fire departments referred to as 60-control located in Valhalla. The department also provides numerous support services for the various agencies throughout the county.The "Career Chief's Association", a cooperative of the career fire departments also operates a "Special Operations Task Force" consisting of six squad companies that can be rapidly assembled for a major hazarous materials incident, CBRNE event, collapse or confined space rescue, or other incident requiring a large number of haz-mat or rescue technicians. Over 700 firefighters, police officers and EMS providers were trained to be part of this effort and serve over half the population of Westchester County including Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains, Scarsdale, Eastchester, and the Fairview, Hartsdale, and Greenville Fire Departments in the Town of Greenburgh.
Law enforcement
There are currently 42 local police agencies located in Westchester County. As well as other County, State, Private and Federal law enforcement agencies responsible for protecting Westchester County, these agencies frequently work with one another and other agencies located in the surrounding counties and states as well as the New York State PoliceNew York State Police
The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
and the NYPD.
Demographics
In 2000, there were 349,445 housing units at an average density of 807 per square mile (312/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.35% White, 14.20% African American, 0.25% Native American, 4.48% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.63% from other racesRace (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 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.61% of the population. 64.1% were Whites of non-Hispanic origin. 71.7% spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, 14.4% Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, 3.5% Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, 1.1% Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and 1.1% French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as their first language.
By 2006, the population was 68.12% White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, 13.91% African-Americans, 5.58% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 0.16% Native American and 12.23% of other or mixed race. 18.54% of the population was Latino or Hispanic of any race.
There were 337,142 households of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% 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, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.21.
Age distribution was 25.00% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.30 males.
According to 2006 HUD data, the median income for a household of one person in the county was $67,555 and the median income for a family of four was $96,500.
According to census data, 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 county in 1999 was $36,726. The Bureau of Economic Analysis
Bureau of Economic Analysis
The Bureau of Economic Analysis is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides important economic statistics including the gross domestic product of the United States. Its stated mission is to "promote a better understanding of the U.S...
lists Westchester in 2004 with the per capita income of $58,952, the eighth highest in the country. The Census Bureau reports that 6.40% of families and 8.7% (2003) of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.53% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.
The largest census reviewed area in Westchester County is the City of Yonkers, New York's fourth-largest city, with a population of almost 200,000. The smallest is the community of Scotts Corners
Scotts Corners, New York
Scotts Corners is a hamlet located in the town of Pound Ridge in Westchester County, New York, United States...
in the town of Pound Ridge with a population of 624.
Westchester County Department of Planning - Tomorrow's Communistructure
The Westchester County Department of Planning serves as the repository for all Westchester-related census data. Under former County Executive Andrew Spano's directive, the department launched Westchester 2025, http://www.westchestergov.com/2025 a web-based update of its county-wide comprehensive planning policies. This interactive planning resource integrates the Plan's elements with new sections on three-dimensionalThree-dimensional space
Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameters model of the physical universe in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.In physics and mathematics, a...
visualization, community overviews, regional partnerships, as well as planning tools and interactive forums for public comment.
Part of Westchester 2025 focuses on the need to improve regional connectivity, including both physical infrastructure (roads, trains, sewers, etc.) and communication capabilities (wider bandwidths, GIS technology, etc.) to keep pace with the global economy and reduce environmental impacts. This new infrastructure model for the 21st century, Tomorrow's Communistructure, will require a complete paradigm shift in the way the community views and defines its critical infrastructure in the future.
Transportation
Interstate 87
Interstate 87 is a Interstate Highway located entirely within New York State in the United States of America. I-87 is the longest intrastate Interstate highway in the Interstate Highway System. Its southern end is at the Bronx approaches of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City...
(the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
), Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in New York
Interstate 95 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Canada – United States border near Houlton, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, I-95 extends from the George Washington Bridge in New York City to the Connecticut state line at Port Chester...
, Interstate 287
Interstate 287
Interstate 287 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in New York...
and Interstate 684
Interstate 684
Interstate 684 is a 28.4 mile-long north–south Interstate Highway in the states of New York and Connecticut. The highway connects I-84 with I-287 and the Hutchinson River Parkway, primarily serving commuter traffic to and from the northern suburbs of the New York metropolitan area...
. Parkway
Parkway
The term parkway has several distinct principal meanings and numerous synonyms around the world, for either a type of landscaped area or a type of road.Type of landscaped area:...
s in the county include the Bronx River Parkway
Bronx River Parkway
The Bronx River Parkway is a long parkway in downstate New York. It is named for the nearby Bronx River, which it parallels. The southern terminus of the parkway is at Story Avenue near Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx neighborhood of Soundview...
, the Cross County Parkway
Cross County Parkway
The Cross County Parkway is a long parkway in Westchester County, New York. The parkway is a critical east–west connection throughout Westchester, having full interchanges with every major north–south parkway in southern Westchester, in addition to the New York State Thruway mainline....
, the Hutchinson River Parkway
Hutchinson River Parkway
The Hutchinson River Parkway is a north–south parkway in southern New York, United States. It extends for from the massive Bruckner Interchange in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx to the New York – Connecticut state line at Rye Brook...
, 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...
, the Sprain Brook Parkway
Sprain Brook Parkway
The Sprain Brook Parkway is a long north–south parkway in Westchester County, New York. It is one of the newest and most modern parkways in Westchester County, adopting many ideas and improvements developed during decades of statewide highway construction. The southern terminus is at the...
and the Taconic State Parkway
Taconic State Parkway
The Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
. The Tappan Zee Bridge
Tappan Zee Bridge
The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge, usually referred to as Tappan Zee Bridge, is a cantilever bridge in New York over the Hudson River at one of its widest points; the Tappan Zee is named for an American Indian tribe from the area called "Tappan"; and zee being the Dutch word for "sea"....
connects Tarrytown to Rockland County across the Hudson River. The Bear Mountain Bridge
Bear Mountain Bridge
The Bear Mountain Bridge is a toll suspension bridge in New York State, carrying U.S. Highways 202 and 6 across the Hudson River between Rockland and Westchester counties...
crosses the Hudson from Cortlandt to Orange County. The combination of these numerous highways, proximity to New York City, and the county's large population all lead to substantial traffic enforcement and very busy local courts.
The development corridors in the county have defined sections and follow transportation corridors. The main north-south corridors are, from west to east, the U.S. Route 9/Albany Post Rd/Broadway Corridor along the Hudson River from Yonkers in the South to Peekskill/Cortlandt in the North. The Saw Mill River Parkway Corridor traverses the county in a north-eastern path, beginning in Yonkers, and terminating at I-684 in Bedford, mostly following the path of the Putnam Branch of the New York Central Railroad, which was abandoned in March 1970 (and which has largely been replaced by a paved path known as the South County and North County Trailways). The Sprain Brook Parkway traverses the county's midsection from a point in Yonkers where it breaks off from the Bronx River Parkway until Hawthorne about 15 miles (24.1 km) north where it merges with the Taconic State Parkway and continues until I-90 near Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. The Hutchinson River Parkway lines the eastern county, from the Bronx (terminating at the Long Island crossing—the Whitestone Bridge) until the Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
state line in Greenwich, where it becomes the Merritt Parkway
Merritt Parkway
The Merritt Parkway is a historic limited-access parkway in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The parkway is known for its scenic layout, its uniquely styled signage, and the architecturally elaborate overpasses along the route. It is designated as a National Scenic Byway and is also listed in the...
. I-684 begins at a junction with the Hutchinson River Parkway and I-287 in Harrison, and continues north into Putnam County
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
(with a brief stretch in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
) through Bedford and North Salem. The eastern most corridor is the I-95/New England Thruway which traverses the county on the Long Island Sound, from the Pelhams through the Town of Rye and into Connecticut. The East-West corridors are the Cross County Parkway, which traverses the southern county from Yonkers in the west through New Rochelle in the east, terminating at the Hutchinson River Parkway. The Cross Westchester Expressway/I-287 is the mid-county corridor spanning from the Tappan-Zee Bridge in Tarrytown to the west to I-95/New England Thruway in the east. The northern-most corridor is that approximating the US-202 route from Cortlandt, and the Bear Mountain Bridge, to Lewisboro and the Connecticut border. But unlike the more southerly corridors, US-202 is for the most part not a limited-access highway and has frequent traffic lights.
Robert Moses
Robert Moses
Robert Moses was the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City, Long Island, Rockland County, and Westchester County, New York. As the shaper of a modern city, he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of...
and others once proposed a bridge connecting Westchester with Nassau County, most likely using I-287 to do so. Public opposition was fierce, and the New York state government abandoned the plan.
Commuter train service in Westchester is provided by 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...
(operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority). Metro-North operates three lines in the county; west to east, they are the Hudson, the Harlem and the New Haven lines, each of which stops in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
between Westchester and Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
serves Croton-Harmon, New Rochelle and Yonkers. There are proposals for a cross-county rail line to connect all three lines and provide easier access to Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
.
NY Waterway
NY Waterway
NY Waterway, or New York Waterway, is a private transportation company running ferry and bus service in the Port of New York and New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley...
also operates a ferry service between Haverstraw
Haverstraw, New York
Haverstraw is the name of two locations in Rockland County, New York:*Haverstraw, New York, a town*Haverstraw , New York, a village located entirely within the townIt may also refer to:*West Haverstraw, New York*Haverstraw Bay*Haverstraw Indians...
in Rockland County and Ossining
Ossining (village), New York
Ossining is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 25,060 at the 2010 census. As a village, it is located in the Town of Ossining.-Geography:Ossining borders the eastern shores of the widest part of the Hudson River....
.
Bus service is provided by the Bee-Line Bus System
Bee-Line Bus System
The Bee-Line Bus System, branded on the buses in lowercase as the bee-line system, is a bus system serving Westchester County, New York. The system is owned by the County's Department of Public Works and Transportation and operated, on contract , by Yonkers-based Liberty Lines Transit, Inc...
(operated by the Westchester County Department of Transportation) both within Westchester and to Manhattan (BxM4C). The MTA Bus Company
MTA Bus Company
MTA Bus Company is a service of MTA Regional Bus Operations used on routes previously controlled by the New York City Department of Transportation , and operated by private operators that provided service under contract to the NYCDOT...
also runs the BxM3 to and from Getty Square in Yonkers to Midtown Manhattan.
Westchester County Airport
Westchester County Airport
Westchester County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of White Plains, in the towns of Harrison, North Castle and Rye Brook.It serves the areas of...
is adjacent to White Plains.
Media In Westchester
There are quite a few county-wide media outlets, including:- Westchester Magazine, an upscale lifestyle magazine focusing on Westchester County and its environs.
- The Journal NewsThe Journal NewsThe Journal News is a newspaper in New York serving the suburban New York City counties of Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam, a region known as the Lower Hudson Valley. It is owned by the Gannett Company, Inc. The Journal News was created through a merger of several daily community newspapers...
, a daily newspaper, owned by Gannett Company, Inc.. WCBS-TVWCBS-TVWCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
operates a news-bureau in conjunction with The Journal News. - The White Plains Times Local news coverage of White Plains and surrounding Westchester County.
- The Hudson IndependentThe Hudson IndependentThe Hudson Independent is a monthly newspaper serving the Westchester communities of Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, and Irvington. It is published by The Hudson Valley News Corporation and distributed to every home and business in the villages as well as subscribers outside the region.-Mission:The...
, a monthly newspaper serving Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow and Irvington. - InTown Westchester, a monthly lifestyle magazine published by The Journal News and Gannett.
- The Westchester County Business Journal, a weekly newspaper published by Westfair Communications Inc..
- The Westchester WAG a magazine of local people, events and lifestyles.
- News 12News 12 NetworksNews 12 Networks comprises seven regional cable news television channels in the New York metropolitan area. The channels offer local news 24-hours a day and reach approximately 3.8 million television households in the tri-state area...
Westchester, a cable TV news station owned by Cablevision. - WFAS-FMWFAS-FMWFAS-FM is a radio station located in Westchester County, New York, covering the county and surrounding vicinity. The station features an adult contemporary format and is under ownership of Cumulus Media...
http://www.wfasfm.com/ (103.9 FM), a radio station focusing on Westchester. - White Plains CitizeNet Reporter a news site local people, events and information.
- White Plains Week Weekly 30-minute news broadcast on what is happening in White Plains.
- WXPKWXPKWXPK, , is an adult album alternative rock radio station in White Plains, New York. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and transmits from a tower in the Westchester County Correctional Facility with an ERP of 1.9 KW.-History:...
(107.1 FM), or The Peak, owned by Pamal BroadcastingPamal BroadcastingPamal Broadcasting, Ltd. is a family-owned radio ownership with stations in medium-to-small markets in the Northeast and Florida. Based in the Albany suburb of Latham, New York, Pamal Broadcasting was founded in 1986 as Albany Broadcasting when business man James J. Morrell entered broadcast...
. - WVIPWVIPWVIP is a radio station broadcasting a World Ethnic format. Licensed to New Rochelle, New York, USA, it serves the New York metropolitan area. Formerly known as WRTN-93.5 and renamed WVIP, the station is currently owned by Hudson-Westchester Radio, Inc. and features programing from Jones Radio...
http://www.ontheradio.net/radiostations/wrtnfm.aspx (93.5 FM), a radio station broadcasting from New Rochelle. Varied programming includes news, education and music. - RNNWRNN-TVWRNN-TV is an American independent television station licensed to Kingtson, New York.Broadcasting on digital channel 48, WRNN broadcasts a schedule of mainly infomercials and home-shopping programming. The station's studios are located in Rye Brook, New York, and its transmitter is based on Beacon...
(Regional News Network), a news station - Pluma Libre News, a Hispanic newspaper serving Westchester County and part of Rockland County.
- WHUDWHUDWHUD is an Adult Contemporary radio station licensed to Peekskill, New York. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts on 100.7 MHz at 50 kW ERP from a tower site in Philipstown, New York.-History:...
http://www.whud.com/ (100.7 FM), located in Peekskill, focuses on the Hudson ValleyHudson ValleyThe Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
and bills itself as "The Hudson Valley's news and information station". - Westchester.com, a community newspaper covering Westchester County news and events.
- Elsolnews.com, a community Spanish newspaper covering Westchester County news and events.
- Westchester Guardian
Education
Westchester County contains 48 public school districts, 118 privatePrivate school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
college-preparatory
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
and parochial
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
schools, and 14 colleges and universities.
Libraries
Westchester County is served by the Westchester Library System which was established in 1958. The system comprises 38 public libraries.Historic and cultural attractions
- Bronx River ParkwayBronx River ParkwayThe Bronx River Parkway is a long parkway in downstate New York. It is named for the nearby Bronx River, which it parallels. The southern terminus of the parkway is at Story Avenue near Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx neighborhood of Soundview...
- Caramoor Center for Music and the ArtsCaramoor Center for Music and the Arts Inc.Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a former estate near Katonah, New York United States, that has since become a venue for classical music performances and an art museum. Both are legacies of the house's original owners, Walter and Lucie Rosen. The Caramoor International Music Festival is...
- Croton Gorge ParkCroton Gorge ParkCroton Gorge Park is a park in Cortlandt, New York owned and operated by Westchester County. It consists of at the base of New Croton Dam. The park is a popular venue for fishing, picnicking, sledding and cross country skiing...
- Elephant HotelElephant HotelYou may be looking for the Coney Island elephant hotel, also known as Lucy the Elephant.The Elephant Hotel is a National Historic Landmark located in Somers, New York, a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as Somers Town...
in SomersSomers, New YorkSomers is a town located in northeastern Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 20,434... - Emelin Theatre, Mamaroneck, New York
- Ferncliff CemeteryFerncliff CemeteryFerncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is located on Secor Road in the hamlet of Hartsdale, town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, about 25 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. It was founded in 1902, and is non-sectarian...
, HartsdaleHartsdale, New YorkHartsdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hartsdale is located at .... - Hudson River MuseumHudson River MuseumThe Hudson River Museum, located in Trevor Park in Yonkers, New York, is the largest museum in Westchester County. The Yonkers Museum, founded in 1919 at City Hall, became the Hudson River Museum in 1948...
, YonkersYonkers, New YorkYonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976... - Irvington Town Hall TheaterIrvington Town HallIrvington Town Hall is located along Main Street in the village of Irvington in the U.S. state of New York. In addition to being home to the village government, police department, and until 2000 the public library, it has a public reading room in keeping with the requirements of the original land...
, Irvington, New YorkIrvington, New YorkIrvington, sometimes known as Irvington-on-Hudson, is an affluent suburban village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a station stop on the... - Jacob Burns Film CenterJacob Burns film centerThe 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:*...
, PleasantvillePleasantville, New YorkPleasantville 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... - Jacob Purdy House, White PlainsWhite Plains, New YorkWhite Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
- 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House1838 Peter Augustus Jay HouseThe 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House and surrounding Jay Property form the centerpiece of the National Historic Landmark Boston Post Road Historic District. This historic district is the surviving remnant of the Jay estate where New York State's only native born Founding Father, John Jay, grew up...
, owned and managed by the Jay Heritage Center, RyeRye (city), New YorkRye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York... - Jay Property, RyeRye (city), New YorkRye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
owned by Westchester County, New York State and Jay Heritage Center - Katonah Museum of ArtKatonah Museum of ArtThe Katonah Museum of Art is a non-collecting institution geared towards visual arts, located in Katonah, New York. The museum presents changing exhibitions that cross a spectrum of artistic disciplines, cultures, and historical periods. With each exhibition, artists, curators, and other...
, KatonahKatonah, New YorkKatonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, United States.-History:Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an American Indian from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists... - Leland CastleLeland CastleLeland Castle is a 19th century Gothic revival castle located on the campus of the College of New Rochelle in New Rochelle, New York. The castle was originally the residence of Simeon Leland, a wealthy New York City hotel proprietor. Mr...
, New RochelleNew Rochelle, New YorkNew Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France... - Donald M. Kendall Sculpture GardensDonald M. KendallDonald Mcintosh Kendall is a former businessman, political adviser. He is a former CEO of Pepsi Cola and served as CEO of PepsiCo from 1971 to 1986....
, PepsiCo, Inc., PurchasePurchase, New YorkPurchase, New York is a hamlet of the town of Harrison, in Westchester County. Its ZIP code is 10577. Its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, for Harrison could have as much land as he could ride in one day... - KykuitKykuitKykuit , also known as John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room National Trust house in Westchester County, New York, built by the oil businessman, philanthropist and founder of the prominent Rockefeller family, John D. Rockefeller, and his son, John D...
, Rockefeller familyRockefeller familyThe Rockefeller family , the Cleveland family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an American industrial, banking, and political family of German origin that made one of the world's largest private fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th...
estate, Pocantico Hills, New YorkPocantico Hills, New YorkPocantico Hills is a hamlet in the town of Mount Pleasant, New York, northeast of the village of Sleepy Hollow and southwest of the village of Pleasantville. The area was originally settled by native Americans of the Wecquaesgeek tribes; "Pocantico" means "running between two hills," and the name... - LyndhurstLyndhurst (house)Lyndhurst, also known as Jay Gould estate, is a Gothic Revival country house within its own park beside the Hudson River, located in Tarrytown, New York approximately one-half mile south of the Tappan Zee Bridge on US 9.-History:...
, Tarrytown, New YorkTarrytown, New YorkTarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line... - Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, PurchasePurchase, New YorkPurchase, New York is a hamlet of the town of Harrison, in Westchester County. Its ZIP code is 10577. Its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, for Harrison could have as much land as he could ride in one day...
- Old Croton Aqueduct and the Old Croton Trail
- Paramount Center for the Arts, PeekskillPeekskill, New YorkPeekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
- Philipsburg Manor House, historic site, Sleepy HollowSleepy Hollow, New YorkSleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line.Originally...
- Philipse Manor Hall State Historic SitePhilipse Manor Hall State Historic SitePhilipse Manor Hall State Historic Site is a historic house museum located in Yonkers, New York. It is Westchester County’s oldest standing building, and is currently owned and operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.It is located at Warburton Avenue...
, YonkersYonkers, New YorkYonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976... - Picture House Regional Film Center, PelhamPelham, New YorkPelham, New York is the name of two locations in Westchester County, New York:*Pelham , New York, the Town of Pelham*Pelham Manor , New York, the Village of Pelham Manor*Pelham , New York, the Village of Pelham...
- PlaylandPlayland (New York)Playland, often called Rye Playland and also known as Playland Amusement Park, is an amusement park located in Rye, New York. Run by Westchester County, it is the only government owned-and-operated amusement park in the United States.-History:...
, Rye, New YorkRye (city), New YorkRye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York... - The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, PurchasePurchase, New YorkPurchase, New York is a hamlet of the town of Harrison, in Westchester County. Its ZIP code is 10577. Its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, for Harrison could have as much land as he could ride in one day...
- Sing SingSing SingSing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in the town of Ossining, New York...
Prison, OssiningOssining (town), New YorkOssining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 at the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant.... - The Square House Museum, RyeRye (city), New YorkRye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
- SunnysideSunnyside (Tarrytown, New York)Sunnyside is a historic house on 10 acres of grounds alongside the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York. It was formerly the home of noted early American author Washington Irving, best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", and is a National Historic...
, Tarrytown, New YorkTarrytown, New YorkTarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line... - Tarrytown Music HallTarrytown Music HallThe Music Hall, in Tarrytown, New York, United States, is located on West Main Street downtown. It is a brick structure in the Queen Anne architectural style erected in the late 19th century...
, TarrytownTarrytown, New YorkTarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line... - Teatown Lake Reservation, OssiningOssining (town), New YorkOssining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 at the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant....
- Thomas Paine CottageThomas Paine CottageThe Thomas Paine Cottage in New Rochelle, New York in the United States, was the home from 1802 to 1806 of Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense and Revolutionary War hero. Paine was buried near the cottage from his death in 1809 until his body was disinterred in 1819...
, New RochelleNew Rochelle, New YorkNew Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France... - Thomas Paine National Historical AssociationThomas Paine National Historical AssociationThe Thomas Paine Historical Association is an organization based in New Rochelle, New York, that is dedicated to perpetuating the legacy of Founding Father Thomas Paine. It was organized on the anniversary of Thomas Paine's birthday, January 29, 1884, and is one of the oldest historical...
, New RochelleNew Rochelle, New YorkNew Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France... - The Timothy Knapp House, RyeRye (city), New YorkRye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
- Union Church, Pocantico HillsPocantico Hills, New YorkPocantico Hills is a hamlet in the town of Mount Pleasant, New York, northeast of the village of Sleepy Hollow and southwest of the village of Pleasantville. The area was originally settled by native Americans of the Wecquaesgeek tribes; "Pocantico" means "running between two hills," and the name...
- Westchester Jazz Orchestra, ChappaquaChappaqua, New YorkChappaqua 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...
- Westchester Philharmonic OrchestraWestchester PhilharmonicThe Westchester Philharmonic is a professional symphony orchestra based in Westchester County, NY. The orchestra performs in the concert hall of the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College....
, White PlainsWhite Plains, New YorkWhite Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound... - Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, North SalemNorth Salem, New YorkNorth Salem is a town in the northeast part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The county ranks second for wealthiest counties in New York State and the seventh wealthiest county nationally...
- Yonkers RacewayYonkers RacewayYonkers Raceway, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and New York state-approved slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New York near the New York City border...
, YonkersYonkers, New YorkYonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
Geology
The rocks, which compose the Island of ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
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 underlie the county of Westchester, are chiefly gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
and mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
-schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
, with layers of dolmitic marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and serpentine.
See also
- List of counties in New York
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Westchester County, New York
- USS Westchester County (LST-1167)USS Westchester County (LST-1167)The USS Westchester County was a built for the United States Navy at the tail end of the Korean War. Named for Westchester County, New York, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.-1950s:...