Eastchester (town), New York

Eastchester, New York
Eastchester, New York
	Town
	Eastchester Town Hall
	Location of town in Westchester County
	Location of Westchester County in New York
	Coordinates: 40°57′30″N 73°48′31″W / 40.95833°N 73.80861°WCoordinates: 40°57′30″N 73°48′31″W / 40.95833°N 73.80861°W
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Westchester
Settled	1664
Established	1665
Government
• Type	Open town meeting
• Town Supervisor	Anthony Colavita
Area
• Total	5.0 sq mi (13.0 km2)
• Land	4.9 sq mi (12.7 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	220 ft (67 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	32,363
• Density	6,500/sq mi (2,500/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	10707, 10709
Area code(s)	914
FIPS code	36-21820
GNIS feature ID	0978916
Website	www.eastchester.org

For the census-designated place in this town, see Eastchester (CDP), New York. For the neighborhood in New York City, see Eastchester, Bronx.

Eastchester is a town in southern Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 32,363 at the 2010 census.^[1] There are two villages within the town: Bronxville and Tuckahoe. The town contains a census-designated place also named Eastchester.

Geography[edit source | edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.0 square miles (13 km²), of which 4.9 square miles (13 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²), or 2.00%, is water.

The town that is now called Eastchester began settlement in 1664 when ten families migrated from Fairfield, Connecticut. Thomas Pell, who at that time also owned the territory that is now New Rochelle and Pelham, granted a deed to the group to "settle down at Hutchinsons'," where the home of Anne Hutchinson had stood some twenty years before. The ten original families were shortly joined by another 26.^{[citation needed]}

Laws for the region were established the following year, in 1665, under an agreement called the "Eastchester Covenant". The covenant was a rare document for this period. It contained 26 provisions, including such items as education of children, disposition and upkeep of property, and support of a minister.

Confirmation of their 1664 land patent was granted by Governor Richard Nicolls in 1666 after the occupation of the area by the English.^{[citation needed]} A controversy arose in 1700 when the settlers signed a deed with the Native Americans. The tract of land involved was known as "Long Reach" because of its odd geographical makeup. The sites included are the present Bronxville, Tuckahoe, and a section of northwest Mount Vernon. The dispute over the ownership of the land involved the towns of New Rochelle, Westchester and the Pell family. When a decision was reached in favor of Eastchester, England's Queen Anne granted a second patent in 1708.^{[citation needed]}

Eastchester was a farming community at the outbreak of the American Revolution. Although no major battles were fought here, as the heart of the Neutral Ground it saw constant fighting for over 13 years, being harassed by both sides as well as by the cowboys and skinners (the guerrillas of the day). Eastchester's rural makeup began to change with the coming of the railroad in the 1840s. An area of 370 acres (1,500,000 m²) of land was incorporated as the village of Mount Vernon in 1853 by a group of New York businessmen;^{[citation needed]} the village of Bronxville was incorporated in 1898;^{[citation needed]} and the village of Tuckahoe in 1903.^{[citation needed]} Today, Eastchester is bounded by Scarsdale on the north, New Rochelle on the east, Yonkers on the west, and Mount Vernon on the south. The town covers approximately five square miles, including Bronxville and Tuckahoe.

The Marble Schoolhouse and Tuckahoe High School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[2]

Notable people[edit source | edit]

John Adams, American Founding Father, and the second President of the United States
Betty Broderick, high profile murderer convicted of the killing of her ex-husband and his new wife
Aaron Burr, third Vice President of the United States under President Thomas Jefferson
Tom Creavy, PGA golfer who won the 1931 P.G.A. Championship
John Doherty, former MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox
Johnny Farrell, PGA golfer who won the 1928 U.S. Open
Mario Gabelli, American stock investor who lived in Lake Isle
Anne Hutchinson, early American advocate of religious freedom
Willie Macfarlane, PGA golfer who won the U.S. Open in 1925
Bobby Moynihan, comedian from Saturday Night Live
Kenneth Posner, Tony Award winning American Theatrical Lighting Designer
Jess Sweetser. golfer who won the British Amateur Championship in 1926
Stephen Ward, Eastchester Town Supervisor during the American Revolution
John Peter Zenger, defendant in a landmark legal case in American jurisprudence that laid the foundation for American press freedom

Eastchester in the media[edit source | edit]

Eastchester High School was used as a filming location in the 1982 movie The World According to Garp.
A scene in the 2001 film Riding in Cars with Boys was shot in Tuckahoe.

Landmarks and attractions[edit source | edit]

Marble Schoolhouse, one-room schoolhouse built in 1835; constructed of Tuckahoe Marble
Hotel Gramatan, built in 1905 to accommodate the burgeoning artist community of Lawrence Park in Bronxville. The hotel was demolished in 1972.
Town Hall The site was originally a farm, later a country club and golf club. Dedicated in 1957 and converted to Pennsylvania style utilizing the existing stonework and slate roof. Town Hall is the only town center in Westchester County to house a wide variety of town departments and local civic functions.
Vernon Hills Shopping Center: The main shopping center in the town of Eastchester. Constructed in the 1950s, the complex contains high-end stores such as Lord & Taylor, Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor LOFT, Children's Place, Starbucks, Brooks Brothers and American Eagle Outfitters.
Lake Isle Country Club is where town residents can go to play golf, tennis or swim in the pools during the summer and engage in other recreational activities.
Immaculate Conception Church is a catholic church that has been located in the town for many years.
Twin Lakes County Park is a park operated by the Westchester County Department of Parks with many trails, wildlife, Twin Lakes Farms horse stables and a lake.

Demographics[edit source | edit]

As of the census^[3] of 2000^[update], there were 31,318 people, 12,626 households, and 8,408 families residing in the town. The population density was 6,376.3 people per square mile (2,462.7/km²). There were 13,035 housing units at an average density of 2,653.9 per square mile (1,025.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.35% White, 5.80% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 3.85% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.40% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.48% of the population.

There were 12,626 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $101,425, and the median income for a family was $137,663. Males had a median income of $71,420 versus $47,725 for females. The per capita income for the town was $49,941. About 3.0% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Greenvale Elementary

Leewood Golf Course

Education[edit source | edit]

The town's primary and secondary schools include "Waverly", "Anne Hutchinson Elementary School", "Greenvale Elementary School", "Immaculate Conception School", "Eastchester Middle School" and Eastchester High School.