Chappaqua, New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the hamlet; for the film, see Chappaqua (film).

Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 9,468.

Chappaqua is located in the Town of New Castle. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton own a home in Chappaqua.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Additional information
4 Famous residents
5 Famous structures
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Chappaqua is located at 41°9′57″N, 73°45′55″W (41.165925, -73.765244)^GR1.

Parts of the Chappaqua ZIP code area are located in the Towns of Mount Kisco, New Castle, Millwood, Mount Pleasant, Yorktown, and Bedford.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 24.4 km² (9.4 mi²). 24.3 km² (9.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 9,468 people, 3,118 households, and 2,687 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 389.7/km² (1,009.8/mi²). There were 3,181 housing units at an average density of 130.9/km² (339.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.80% White, 0.94% African American, 0.03% Native American, 5.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population.

There were 3,118 households out of which 52.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.1% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.8% were non-families. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 32.8% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $163,201, and the median income for a family was $180,451. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $71,875 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $77,835. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Additional information

Substantially all of the hamlet of Chappaqua is included in the Chappaqua Central School District. The school district consists of Roaring Brook, Westorchard, and Douglas G. Grafflin Elementary Schools; Robert E. Bell and Seven Bridges Middle Schools; and Horace Greeley High School. Nearly all graduates attend 4-year colleges.

Chappaqua's above-average house prices have been linked to the quality of its public schools. ^[1]

Like in many suburbs and rural areas in the Northeast, Emergency Medical Service and fire service are provided by volunteer agencies. The Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CVAC) provides Basic Life Support services to most of New Castle, including Chappaqua. The hamlet is protected by the New Castle Police Department, which provides first-response services for medical and fire emergencies, too.

Chappaqua is the birthplace of Festivus, the secular holiday invented by resident and Reader's Digest editor Daniel O'Keefe. His son, Dan O'Keefe, popularized the holiday in 1997 by writing it into the plot of the television sitcom Seinfeld.

[edit] Famous residents

Some notable Chappaqua residents, past and present, include:

Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President
Hillary Clinton, former First Lady, U.S. Senator
Ace Frehley, lead guitarist of KISS
Horace Greeley, newspaper editor, reformer, politician
Jason Scott Sadofsky, computer historian and film producer
Jeff Van Gundy, NBA head coach of the Houston rockets, formerly head coach of the Knicks
David A. Harris, Executive Director American Jewish Committee
Kenneth T. Jackson, American historian
Stu Jackson, former NBA head coach and current senior vice president of the NBA
Paul Levitz, President of DC Comics
John Ritterman, founder of Soap Opera Digest
Simon Schama, British historian
Bert Sugar, boxing historian
Kevin Wade, screenwriter known best for Working Girl
Vanessa Williams, model, actress, singer
Dar Williams, singer, songwriter
David Ho, prominent AIDS researcher

[edit] Famous structures

The Chappaqua Friends Meeting House, circa 1753, is the oldest Quaker meeting house standing in Westchester County.
America's first concrete barn. It was completed by Horace Greeley on his Chappaqua farm in 1865. It was also one of the first concrete buildings ever built in the U.S.
World headquarters of Reader's Digest (physically located in Chappaqua, however its mailing address is in neighboring Pleasantville, New York).
One of Horace Greeley's homes. Part of the original structure still stands, and is part of the present-day New Castle Historical Society.

[edit] References

^ "...the school districts in which the houses are situated. This fact, more than any other, may determine the value of a home.
Maerhoff, Gene I. (1982-10-17). As the Schools Go, So Do House Prices. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2006-09-01.