Yorktown, New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yorktown is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the suburbs of New York City about 38 miles north of midtown Manhattan. The population was 36,318 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the Battle of Yorktown near Yorktown, Virginia.

The Town of Yorktown is on the north border of the county.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Additional facts about Yorktown
5 Communities and locations in Yorktown
6 External links

[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 had habitations within the boundary of Yorktown.

In 1683, Stephanus Van Cortlandt, with a license issued by the Royal Governor of New York, made his first purchase of land from the Indians. By 1697, when he confirmed his patent with the authorities, he had acquired roughly 80,000 acres (320 km²). A patent for the Manor of Cortlandt was granted by the British King, William the Third, June 17, 1697. The Manor house was located north of the confluence of the Hudson and Croton Rivers.

After the Revolutionary War and at the time of its incorporation in 1788, the township was officially designated as Yorktown in commemoration of the American's decisive victory at Yorktown, Virginia on October 19, 1781.

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. Somers borders Yorktown on the east and Cortlandt Manor 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 101.7 km² (39.3 mi²). 95.1 km² (36.7 mi²) of it is land and 6.7 km² (2.6 mi²) of it (6.57%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 36,318 people, 12,556 households, and 9,831 families residing in the town. The population density was 382.1/km² (989.7/mi²). There were 12,852 housing units at an average density of 135.2/km² (350.2/mi²). 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. 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

Jefferson Valley Mall, in the hamlet of Jefferson Valley, is home to approximately 90 stores, including Sears, Macy*s, H&M, The Dollar Store and Hot Topic. The food court includes Burger King and Subway. The mall opened in 1983.

Yorktown is also the home of the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, designed by the well-known Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen.

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 Westchester County Bike Path which runs North as far as Carmel, NY. (see original station.) There is currently no rail service in Yorktown, but the stations of Croton-Harmon, Mount Kisco or Cortlandt are 15-20 minutes away.

The current Town Supervisor is Linda Cooper serving her 6th term in office.

The writer Clifford A. Pickover is a resident of Yorktown. In his book, The Mobius Strip, he models the fictional New Devonshire on Yorktown.

The Yorktown High School Lacrosse Program is one of the oldest and most successful programs in the Country, having produced as many High School and Division I Collegiate All America, and Major League Lacrosse players as any other program. The tremendous tradition and pride of the Yorktown Lacrosse Program goes back to its start with the program’s beloved benefactor, the late Charlie Murphy. Yorktown High School's varsity team has won six state titles and advanced to the sectional final for 27 straight years, winning 25 titles during that stretch. Five of the six coaches in the 2006 sectional finals were Yorktown graduates. The varsity programs at Lakeland (now Lakeland/Panas), Mahopac and John Jay were all founded by coaches who graduate from Yorktown.

Division I coaches hardly need a map to find Yorktown. It's been a must-see stop on the recruiting trail since the NCAA first crowned a national champion in 1971.

The Girls lacrosse team in Yorktown is also very strong. In 2006 Cornhuskers won the Class A state title for the first time since winning three straight from 1996-98.

Five key figures in Yorktown lacrosse history

Charlie Murphy: Murphy, who died last year on Aug. 19 at age 93, was the most enduring presence and, in effect, the father of Yorktown lacrosse for more than 40 years. In 1965, he provided financial assistance that helped Yorktown launch its varsity program the following year. Since that time, his Yorktown Heights home was a gathering place for youngsters to work on their lacrosse skills and seek input from former players. The main contest field at Yorktown High School is named in Murphy's honor, as is the annual varsity boys lacrosse game between crosstown rivals Lakeland/Panas and Yorktown.

Jim Turnbull: The Long Island native brought his love for the sport to Yorktown, where he was a social studies teacher. In 1965, Turnbull formed a club team at the high school. It didn't take Turnbull long at all to build Yorktown into a national power that became the model for other teams in the Lower Hudson Valley to follow. In two stints as the Cornhuskers' coach he went 354-52-4 with 18 Section 1 titles before retiring in 1993 at age 54. He also coached Yorktown to five of its state titles, including its first in 1984.

Tim Nelson: The 1981 graduate is No. 2 on Yorktown's career scoring list with 392 points — one behind his brother Tom. Both went on to play at Syracuse. Tim Nelson's career marks of 320 points and 221 assists are still No. 1 on the Division I all-time list. He also holds Syracuse records for most assists in a game, season and career. After transferring to Syracuse in 1983 following a season at North Carolina State, he was named Division I's most outstanding attackman all three of his seasons with the Orange.

Roy Colsey: Regarded as one of the top midfielders to ever play the game, the 32-year-old Colsey was among 23 players selected to represent the United States in the 2006 world championships in London, Ontario. A three-time all-American at Syracuse, where he was Division I midfielder of the year, Colsey played on two NCAA championship teams for the Orange and two state-title teams for the 'Huskers. He's played professional lacrosse for nine years in both the NLL and MLL.

Dave Marr: The 1992 Yorktown graduate is just the second former Cornhuskers player to serve as head coach of the varsity team. (Brewster coach Gerry Walsh, who guided the 'Huskers from 1977-1983, was the first.) In his inaugural season in 2003, he became the first coach other than Jim Turnbull to lead the 'Huskers to a state title. An all-America attackman at both Yorktown and Johns Hopkins, Marr is fourth on Yorktown's career scoring list with 308 points. He is also third in all-time assists and fifth in single-season points (behind only the Nelson brothers in both categories). He led Yorktown to a 21-1 record and state title his senior year. Yorktown also won a state title his junior year and was a state finalist when he was a sophomore.

[edit] Communities and locations in Yorktown

Amawalk
Crompond
Croton Heights
Croton Lake
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
Osceola Lake
Shrub Oak
Yorktown Heights – Town Hall is located in Yorktown Hgts.

[edit] External links

Safety Organizations/Government:

Community:

Education:

Religious organizations:

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Category: Towns in New York

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Yorktown, New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Geography

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Additional facts about Yorktown

[edit] Communities and locations in Yorktown

[edit] External links

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