Yorktown, New York
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| Yorktown, New York | |
  Yorktown, New York
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| Coordinates: 41°16′56″N 73°48′33″W / 41.28222°N 73.80917°W | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | New York |
| County | Westchester |
| Area | |
| - Total | 39.3 sq mi (101.7 km2) |
| - Land | 36.7 sq mi (95.0 km2) |
| - Water | 2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 459 ft (140 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 36,318 |
| - Density | 989.7/sq mi (382.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 10598 |
| Area code(s) | 914 |
| FIPS code | 36-84077[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979663[2] |
Yorktown is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the suburbs of New York City about 38 miles north of midtown Manhattan. The town lies on the north border of Westchester county. The population was 36,318 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] History
The Town of Yorktown has a rich historical heritage beginning with the earliest known inhabitants — Mohegan, Osceola, Amawalk, Kitchawan and Mohansic — all familiar names of local places. The Mohegans of the Algonquin Nation lived within the present-day boundary of Yorktown.
Most of Yorktown was part of the Manor of Cortlandt, a Royal Manor established by King William III for the Van Cortlandt Family. The Croton River, which runs through the southern part of Yorktown was dammed by New York City to provide its first major source of clean and reliable water. The first Croton Dam was located in Yorktown and broke in 1842 causing significant damage to property and major loss of life.
During the American Revolution, Yorktown was of strategic importance with the Pines Bridge crossing guarded by a regiment of Rhode Island troops made up mostly of African Americans who were massacred at the Davenport House in the hamlet now known as Croton Heights. A memorial to the troops is located at the Presbyterin Church in the hamlet of Crompond. Major Andre, a British spy, ate his final breakfast at the Underhill House on Hanover Street just before his capture and eventual hanging.
In 1788, the township was officially incorporated as Yorktown, commemorating the decisive Revolutionary War Battle of Yorktown near Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781.
Returning from the battle of Yorktown, the French Army camped at the current site of Yorktown's French Hill Elementary School, where cannonballs and other materials have been found. Although rumors hold that George Washington passed through Yorktown, no factual records confirm this.
During the town's bicentennial in 1988, Yorktowners took stock of their historic heritage including that of the 19th and 20th centuries and commemorated their community's participation in events that led up to the birth and growth of the United States. A Bicentennial Committee reviewed the Town's still remaining historic sites and determined which were to be preserved as a reminder of that past and a link between the Yorktown of yesterday and the Yorktown of tomorrow.
[edit] Geography
The north town line is the border of Putnam County, New York. The town of Somers borders Yorktown on the east and Cortlandt borders Yorktown on the west. New Castle borders Yorktown on the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.3 square miles (101.7 km²), of which, 36.7 square miles (95.1 km²) of it is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) of it (6.57%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 36,318 people, 12,556 households, and 9,831 families residing in the town. The population density was 989.7 people per square mile (382.1/km²). There were 12,852 housing units at an average density of 350.2/sq mi (135.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.64% White, 3.04% African American, 0.14% Native American, 3.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.82% of the population.
There were 12,556 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.1% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $83,819, and the median income for a family was $94,984 (these figures had risen to $105,253 and $119,413 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[3]). Males had a median income of $62,071 versus $43,899 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,570. About 1.9% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Additional facts about Yorktown
The Jefferson Valley Mall, in the hamlet of Jefferson Valley, is home to approximately 90 stores, including Sears, Macy*s, H&M, Aéropostale, Hollister, Gamestop and Foot Locker. The food court includes Burger King and Subway. The mall opened in 1983.
Yorktown Heights is home to the Guiding Eyes for the Blind headquarters, located on Granite Springs Road. Yorktown is also the home of the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, designed by the well-known Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. It hosts the yearly Greasestock festival at the 18th century history landmark Peter Pratt's Inn, a showcase of alternative fuel vehicles.[4][5][6][7][8]
Yorktown once had five stations along the New York and Putnam Railroad — Kitchawan, Croton Lake, Croton Heights, Yorktown Heights and Amawalk. The railroad failed, was purchased by the New York Central, and finally abandoned. The old right of way is now part of North County Trailway which runs north as far as Carmel, New York. (see original station.) There is currently no rail service in Yorktown, but the stations of Croton-Harmon, Mount Kisco, Pleasantville or Cortlandt are 15–20 minutes away.
[edit] Notable residents of Yorktown
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008) |
- Writer Clifford A. Pickover. In his book, The Mobius Strip, he models the fictional New Devonshire on Yorktown. Pickover has used the Jefferson Valley Mall as the locale for his book The Heaven Virus.
- ESPN Baseball Analyst and former New York Yankees beat writer, Buster Olney.
- Famous Singer/Songwriter Dave Matthews and family migrated to Yorktown before moving to Virginia.
- Aaron Stern, the drummer for God or Julie and formerly of the defunct band Matchbook Romance hails from Yorktown Heights.
- Meteorologist Al Roker used to live in Yorktown while he was the husband of the town clerk, Alice Roker. The Town Board selected Alice Roker to be the town supervisor for the last three months of 2007 following the resignation of supervisor Linda Cooper.
- Alan Blake and Richard Crockett, who founded the first company to market a genetically modified animal (GloFish) both grew up in Yorktown.
- Current Professional soccer player Kevin Reiman who plays in Major League Soccer for Real Salt Lake grew up in Yorktown.
- Current Metropolitan PGA Section Golf Professionals Mike Larkin and Tom Baccari graduated from Yorktown High School.
- MLL Player Roy Colsey grew up in Yorktown.
[edit] Communities and locations in Yorktown
- Crompond
- Croton Heights
- Croton Lake
- Donald J. Trump State Park
- Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park – A state park near the center of the town.
- Jefferson Valley – Business hamlet in the Town of Yorktown
- Huntersville
- Kitchawan
- Mohegan Lake
- Osceola Lake
- Teatown Lake Reservation
- Shrub Oak
- Yorktown Heights – Town Hall is located in Yorktown Heights
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR3&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-tree_id=3307&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=06000US3611984077&-format=&-_lang=en
- ^ Norman, Jim. "Where There’s Never an Oil Shortage". New York Times. May 13, 2007.
- ^ Tillman, Adriane. "Greasestock Festival returns, bigger and better". May 14, 2008.
- ^ "Greasestock 2008". Greasestock. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
- ^ Max, Josh. "Gas-guzzlers become veggie delights at Greasestock in Yorktown Heights". Daily News. May 13, 2008.
- ^ "Greasestock 2008: Alternative Fuel, Fun and French Fries". Natural Awakenings. May 2008.
[edit] External links
- Town of Yorktown
- Yorktown (New York) at the Open Directory Project
- Local Government Information Site
Coordinates: 41°17′44″N 73°48′29″W / 41.29556°N 73.80806°W
