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Upstate New York

Upstate New York

Upstate New York is the region of New York State outside of the core of the New York metropolitan area. It has a population of 7,121,911.

The ambiguous definition of "Upstate New York"

There is no exact boundary between Upstate New York and "Downstate New York", with the term "Upstate" sometimes used to refer to the whole of the state besides New York City and Long Island, and by others to refer only to the portion of the state north of Albany and west of the Catskill Mountains. Because Westchester County, Rockland County, and Putnam County contain many communities of New York City commuters, these too are often not considered part of Upstate New York. Also, Dutchess County and Orange County were once very much considered part of the Upstate region but they are often no longer considered so as more and more New York City commuters have moved there and turned rural areas into distant suburbs of the metropolis. Since most of the "New York City bedroom communities" in these two counties exist in only the southern sections closer to the city, some say the "Upstate/Downstate" boundary can be gleaned as running roughly from Poughkeepsie down to Newburgh and then across to Middletown. This imaginary line also seems to deliniate the very high housing prices of the "Downstate" region vs. the relatively low housing costs of the "Upstate" region. Some residents use the term in a sense relative to their location, and might consider only the far north 'upstate'. Others consider Upstate New York as only those areas that are actually more-or-less due north of New York City. The term "upstate" is often interpreted as mildly pejorative, especially in reference to regions whose status as "upstate" by the above definitions is ambiguous. The term "upstate" for some evokes connotations of rural, backward lands whose ways are contrary to those of the big city. Conversely, many "upstate" New Yorkers specify themselves as "upstaters," preferring not to be associated with the urban values and lifestyle of New York City. Still others view "upstate" vs. "downstate" in terms of weather and climate, particularly that of the wintertime. While cold weather and snow are certainly a part of winter in the New York metropolitan area, there is a point somewhere north of New York City where due to a combination of higher terrain and distance from the coast winter mornings suddenly average 10 degrees colder and what would be a rainstorm in Manhattan more often than not becomes a snowstorm. Some say that point (usually said to be north of I-287, the Bear Mountain Bridge, or I-84; or sometimes the point at which ZIP Codes start beginning with "12" instead of "10"), in the area usually indicated by city-based television weather forecasters as "north and west", marks the beginnings of Upstate New York. Ultimately, most use the term 'upstate' to denote areas that are both somewhat north of and considerably more rural than their home location. Only residents north and west to a certain degree of Albany tend to embrace the term "upstate" as describing their location; south of the Capital Region people tend to find it to be an insulting manifestation of the famous New Yorker magazine's view of the world.

Characteristics of Upstate New York

The region is culturally and economically distinct from the New York City area, though in the Hudson Valley Dutchess, Putnam, and Orange Counties are increasingly considered peripheral sections of the New York City metro area. The true upstate area consists of a handful of small and medium-sized cities, squarely in the Rust Belt, which are spread out across the broader region, astride a number of suburban communities, and are all set amid what is a largely rural landscape. Though there are some centers of wealth, much of the area is relatively economically depressed compared to the downstate areas. Perhaps stemming from the region's semi-rural character, there is a stronger tendency toward conservatism in culture and politics than found in the more urban downstate area, and Upstate is the power base of the state's Republican Party. It must be noted that the conservatism of the upstate region more closely resembles the limited-government libertarian conservatism of many of the western states instead of the large-government authoritarian conservatism of the southern states and the Religious Right and some of the Religious Right's harshest critics were upstate Republicans such as Amo Houghton and Jack Quinn. Ironically though, most of New York State's most successful Republican politicians, such as George Pataki, Rudolph Giuliani, Thomas Dewey, Fiorello LaGuardia, Jacob Javits and Alfonse D'Amato, came from the "downstate" region, largely due to the economic and political supremacy of the downstate region making most upstate Republicans politically unacceptable to downstate voters and the party's downstate-based financial backers. This has historically fueled many political struggles with largely downstate-based Democrats in the New York Legislature however the feuds quite often tend to be more on regional lines than on party lines, the most recent major example being the failed attempt by upstate assemblyman Michael Bragman to seize control of the downstate-dominated state Democratic party in 2000, which was immediately followed by a strong retaliatory backlash against all upstate politicians in state government. There are several exceptions to this rule, including Erie County (Buffalo), Monroe County (Rochester), Onondaga County (Syracuse), Broome County (Binghamton), Tompkins County (Ithaca), Albany County (Albany), Clinton, Franklin, and St. Lawrence counties (influence of Canada). Ulster County, while having no urban centers, has consistently voted Democratic in presidential elections and is the epicenter of liberal U.S. congressman Maurice Hinchey's district. As a whole, Upstate New York is roughly equally divided in Federal elections between Democratic and republicans, with Bush winning with a slim margin in 2004 against John Kerry (1,577,166 to 1,557,503).

Upstate New York geography

The headwaters of the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Hudson rivers are located in the region. The region is characterized by the major mountain ranges and large lakes. The sizes of upstate counties and towns are generally larger in area and smaller in population, compared with the downstate region, although there are exceptions. The state's smallest county in population (Hamilton County) and largest county in area (St. Lawrence County on the state's northern border) are both in upstate New York, while the largest in population (Kings County) and smallest in area (New York County) are both part of New York City.

Upstate New York history

Before the arrival of European settlement, the area was inhabited by a mixture of Iroquois-speaking people (mainly west of the Hudson) and Algonquin-speaking people (mainly east of the Hudson). The conflict between the two peoples was an important historical force in the days of the early European colonization. The region was important beginning in the very early days of both the French Colonization and Dutch colonization, where much of the fur trade of the New Netherland colony was located in the upper Hudson Valley. The area was the scene of much of the fighting in the French and Indian War, events which were depicted in the work of James Fenimore Cooper. The region was strategically important in the American Revolution, and was the scene of several important battles, including the Battle of Saratoga, which is considered to have been a significant turning point in the war. While New York City remained in the hands of the British during most of the war, the upstate region was firmly in the hands of the Colonial forces. In 1779, the Sullivan Expedition, a military campaign ordered by Gen. George Washington, drove thousands of Iroquois from their lands in the region. Following the American Revolution, the United States signed a federal treaty, the Treaty of Canandaigua, with the Six Nations of the Iroquois, affirming their land rights in the region. Nevertheless, extinguishing of Indian title to these lands continued through the early 19th century. The lands were then settled by Revolutionary War veterans and others from New England states. In the 19th century, with the opening of the Erie Canal, the area became an important component of the manufacturing industry in the United States. In recent decades, with the decline of manufacturing, the area has generally suffered a net population loss. Five of the six Iroquois nations have filed land claims against New York State (or have sought settlement of pending claims), based on late 18th-century treaties with the United States. Through the mid and late 19th century, Upstate New York became a hotbed of religious revivialism with myriads of sects establishing themselves during that time. Because of the comparative isolation of the region, many of the sects were non-conformist and had numerous difficulties with other local population as well as government authority because of their non-traditional tenets. This led to evangelist Charles Grandison Finney to coin the term the Burned-over district for the region. The Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists and Spiritualists are the only 21st century survivors of the hundreds of sects created during this time.

Lists of important features of Upstate New York

Famous political figures who came from the region:


- Grover Cleveland
- Millard Fillmore
- Charles Evans Hughes
- Franklin Roosevelt
- Martin Van Buren The region is considered to be the cradle of Mormonism, as well as the Women's Suffrage movement. It was important historically in the Shaker movment.

Regions of Upstate New York:


- Adirondack Mountains
- Capital District (Albany and the surrounding area)
- Catskill Mountains
- Central New York (includes Syracuse)
- Finger Lakes
- The Holland Purchase
- Hudson Valley (except Rockland County and Westchester County, though in general increasingly part of the New York metro area culturally)
- Mohawk Valley
- North Country (extreme Northern frontier of New York, north of the Adirondacks)
- Shawangunk Ridge
- Southern Tier (just north of Pennsylvania, excluding Western New York; includes Binghamton)
- Western New York (the westernmost tip; includes Buffalo and Rochester)

Cities in Upstate New York include:


- Albany (the state capital)
- Binghamton
- Buffalo (the largest city in Upstate New York)
- Elmira
- Glens Falls
- Ithaca
- Jamestown
- Kingston
- Niagara Falls
- Plattsburgh
- Poughkeepsie
- Rochester
- Rome
- Saratoga Springs
- Schenectady
- Syracuse
- Troy
- Utica
- Watertown

Major universities in Upstate New York include:


- University at Albany (part of the SUNY system)
- Alfred University
- Binghamton University (part of the SUNY system)
- University at Buffalo (part of the SUNY system)
- Clarkson University
- Colgate University
- Cornell University
- Hamilton College
- Hartwick College
- Ithaca College
- Nazareth College
- Niagara University
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- University of Rochester
- Union College
- Skidmore College
- St. Bonaventure University
- Syracuse University
- Siena College

Tourist attractions and resort destinations in Upstate New York include:


- Adirondack Mountains
- Baseball Hall of Fame (in Cooperstown)
- Catskill Mountains
- Erie Canal
- Finger Lakes
- Fort Niagara
- Fort Ontario
- Fort Ticonderoga
- Lake Champlain
- Lake George
- Letchworth State Park
- Niagara Falls
- Saratoga Race Course
- Soccer Hall of Fame
- Thousand Islands
- Turning Stone Casino and Resort Category:Geography of New York



Downstate New York

Downstate New York is a popular term for the south-easternmost portion of New York State, United States, in contrast to Upstate New York. It is generally defined to contain Westchester County, Rockland County, New York City, and Long Island, however there is no clear boundary between Upstate and Downstate regions. Because of a growing population of residents moving north from the traditionally defined Downstate area, many people increasingly consider neighboring Putnam County to be part of the Downstate region, and sometimes the southern portions of Orange County and Dutchess County as well. The Downstate region contains the largest population concentration in the state, unlike Upstate, an area which forms the vast majority of the state's land area yet has a smaller population. The two regions differ culturally and socially in terms of demographics, economy, and social patterns. Category:Geography of New York

Long Island

:This article is about Long Island in New York State. For other uses, see Long Island (disambiguation) Long Island (disambiguation) Long Island is an island in New York, at 1,377 square miles (3566 km²) the largest island in the continental United States, and with 7.4 million residents, the 17th most populous island in the world. True to its name, the island is much longer, jutting out some 118 miles (190 km) from New York Harbor, than it is wide, with only from 12 to 20 miles (32 km) between the southern Atlantic coast and Long Island Sound. On the western part of Long Island are the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn (Kings County) and Queens (Queens County); east of these are Nassau and Suffolk counties. However, common usage of the term "Long Island" or "the island" is reserved to Nassau and Suffolk counties only by those residents who would rather forget that they are on the same piece of land with New York City.

Geography

Suffolk To the north of the island is Long Island Sound, which separates it from the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island. To the south are the Great South Bay, South Oyster Bay, and Jamaica Bay, which are actually lagoons, protected from the Atlantic Ocean by a string of narrow barrier islands, most notably Fire Island. The island separates into two forks at the eastern end, known as the North Fork and South Fork. Long Island is interesting because it is geographically part of the Mid-Atlantic, however many towns and hamlets along the island's north shore and in eastern Suffolk County, such as Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson and Sag Harbor seem to resemble New England towns, while many of the towns and hamlets along the south shore, such as Long Beach, Valley Stream, and Babylon seem to resemble Mid-Atlantic coastal communities, especially those on the shore between New Jersey and Virginia. Long Island can be considered the geographical border between the Mid-Atlantic and New England.

Climate

Long Island has a climate that is very similar to other coastal areas of the Northeastern United States; it has warm, humid summers and cold winters, but the Atlantic Ocean helps bring afternoon sea breezes that temper the heat in the warmer months and limit the frequency and severity of thunderstorms. In the wintertime, temperatures are warmer than areas further inland (especially in the night and early morning hours), sometimes causing a snowstorm further inland to fall as rain on the island. However, measurable snow falls every winter, and in many winters one or more intense storms called nor'easters produce blizzard conditions with snowfalls of 1-2 feet and near-hurricane force winds. Long Island temperatures also vary from west to east, with the western part of the island warmer on most occasions than the east. This is due to two factors; one because the western part is closer to the main land & the other is the western part is more developed causing what is known as the "urban heat island" effect. The eastern part is cooler on most occasions due to the ocean and sound and it is less developed. The Pine Barrens in eastern Suffolk County can be almost 20 Fahrenheit degrees cooler on dry nights with no clouds and no wind (radiational cooling). Long Island is somewhat vulnerable to hurricanes. . Its northern location and relatively cool waters tend to weaken storms to below hurricane strength by the time they reach Long Island. But some storms had made landfall at Category 1 or greater strength, including two unnamed Category 3 storms in 1938 (New England Hurricane of 1938) and 1944, Hurricane Donna in 1960, Hurricane Belle in 1976, Hurricane Gloria in 1985, Hurricane Bob in 1991 (brushed the eastern tip), and Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

Geology

Geologically, the island is formed of two spines of glacial moraine, consisting largely of gravel and loose rock over deeply-buried bedrock, formed during the two most recent pulses of the Wisconsinan glaciation, also by a chain of volcanos and earthquakes, with a sandier outwash plain beyond. The island's tallest point is Jayne's Hill near Melville, with an elevation of 400.9 feet (122.2 m) above sea level. The island is separated from the mainland by the East River - actually not a river but both a tidal strait and a tidal estuary.

Economy

The counties of Nassau and Suffolk have long been renowned for their affluence. With the median price of houses at $500,000 USD, Long Island has a very high standard of living rate with residents paying some of the highest property taxes in the country. Such affluence is especially pervasive among the towns on the North Shore of Long Island also known as the 'Gold Coast'. Long Island is home to some of the most expensive houses in the country. In fact, the most expensive residence in the country is Three Ponds in Bridgehampton, Long Island. The economy of Long Island has long benefitted from its proximity to New York City, although after World War II, Long Island began developing industry of its own. From 1950-1980, Long Island was considered one of the aviation centers of the United States with companies such as Grumman making its headquarters in the area. In recent decades companies such as Computer Associates, with its headquarters in Islandia, have made Long Island a center for the computer industry. Nevertheless, the eastern end of the island is still partly agricultural, now including many vineyards as well as traditional truck farming. Fishing also continues to be an industry, at Northport and Montauk. Montauk Since World War II, however, Long Island has become increasingly suburban and, in some areas, fully urbanized. Levittown was only the first of many new suburbs, and businesses followed residential development eastward. The South Fork contains the area known as the Hamptons, which also experienced a population boom after World War II.

Politics

Brooklyn and Queens do not have their independent county governments as they are part of New York City; though both governments have subsidiary offices and headed by borough presidents, a largely ceremonial title that holds little political power. Nassau County and Suffolk County do have their own separate governments, with a County Executive leading both and a county legislature, as well as other countywide elected officials such as district attorney, county clerk and county controller. The towns in both counties have their own governments as well, with town supervisors and a town council. Politically, Long Island was long controlled by the Republican Party. Republican presidential candidates won both Nassau and Suffolk counties from 1900 until 1988, with the exception of the 1912 victory of Woodrow Wilson and the Lyndon Johnson landslide of 1964. In 1972, Richard Nixon won Nassau, Suffolk and Queens and came within 14,000 votes of winning heavily Democratic Brooklyn. In 1992, the counties split with Nassau voting Democratic and Suffolk voting Republican; however, since 1996, both counties have been Democratic, although by fairly close margins. In 2004, John Kerry won Suffolk County by just under 14,000 votes. In 2000, Senator Hillary Clinton lost both Nassau and Suffolk to Republican Rick Lazio, who had previously served as a congressman from Suffolk County. In 2001, Nassau County elected Democrat Thomas Suozzi as county executive and Democrats took control of the county legislature, marking the first time Democrats had full control over county governments. Republicans still held on to the District Attorney's office and Hempstead town government, which has not had a Democratic majority on the town coucil or held the town supervisor position in close to 100 years. In 2003, Suffolk County followed suit, elected Democrat Steve Levy as county executive, however, the county legislature still remained in Republican hands until the 2005 election, when the Democrats gained their first legislative majority since 1976. The 2005 election saw Nassau move further into Democratic hands. Denis Dillon, the Republican District Attorney of Nassau County for over thirty years, lost his re-election bid to the Democrat Kathleen Rice. The Republicans also lost the Town of Brookhaven, long known as a bastion of the Republican party on the Island. This has been attributed, in part, to what was perceived as widespread Republican corruption in the town; some critics had begun to refer to Brookhaven as "Crookhaven" because of this. The Suffolk County sheriff's race also resulted in a Democratic win. For the first time in years, Democrats once again control the Suffolk County Legislature. On the western side, both Brooklyn and Queens are reliably Democratic, although Queens became that way fairly recently, having still been politically volatile through the 1980's. This is mainly a consequence of the recent changes in Queens demographics, that used to be a withe-middle-class suburban county, and is now one of the most diverse place in the United States. All or parts of 15 of New York's 29 congressional districts are located on Long Island. Of them, only two are represented by Republicans; Peter T. King of Seaford represents the 3rd Congressional District, which includes most of eastern Nassau County and parts of southwestern Suffolk County. The other, Vito Fossella of the 13th Congressional District, represents parts of southwest Brooklyn as his district is mainly located in Staten Island. The other 13 representatives are all Democrats.

Crime

According to the National Census Bureau of Statistics, Long Island is considered the "safest place to live" per capita in the United States. The island is patrolled by The Nassau County Police Department (reportedly the second highest paid police force in the country), the Suffolk County Police Department (the highest paid), The New York State Troopers, and several dozen town and village police departments. Both counties also have a sheriff's office which handles civil process, domestic violence, as well as running the county jails. Nassau County Sheriff's deputies have full police officer powers and enforce all NYS laws including the issuance of Vehicle and Traffic Law summonses. Suffolk County Sheriff's deputies have full police officer powers and a patrol divsion which mainly operates in the Eastern part of the county. New York City deputies are peace officers and have no patrol function.

List of agencies

New York City
- New York City Police Dept.
- New York City Sheriff's Office (peace officers)
- New York City Environmental Protection Police
- New York City Sanitation Police
- New York City Health and Hospitals Police (peace officers)
- New York City Parks Enforcement Patrol (peace officers)
- New York City Waterfront Commission Police (peace officers)
- New York City Taxi and Limo Commision (peace officers)
- New York City Dept. of Investigation
- New York City Dept. of Corrections Suffolk County
- Suffolk County Police Dept.
- Suffolk County Sheriff's Office
- Suffolk County Park Police
- Town of Islip Public Safety
- Town of Brookhaven Public Safety (peace officers)
- Town of Smithtown Public Safety (peace officers)
- Town of Huntington Public Safety (peace officers)
- Town of Babylon Public Safety (peace officers)
- Town of East Hampton Police Dept.
- Town of Southampton Police Dept.
- Town of Riverhead Police Dept.
-
- Town of Shelter Island Police Dept.

Transportation

The Long Island Rail Road, Long Island Expressway, and Northern and Southern State Parkways (the latter three all products of the automobile-centered planning of Robert Moses) make east-west travel on the island straightforward, if not always quick. However, travel to the north fork along Middle Country Road or to the south fork on Sunrise and Montauk Highways gives you a deceptively long and ambling journey. Both meander through the hamlets, and even once you have left the Expressway behind, a drive of around 45 minutes and over an hour is necessary before reaching the ends at Orient Point in the north and Montauk Point in the south respectively.

Colleges and universities

Nassau and Suffolk counties are home to numerous colleges and universities, including:
- Public - all branches of State University of New York
  - Stony Brook University
  - SUNY College at Old Westbury
  - Farmingdale State University
  - Nassau Community College
  - Suffolk County Community College
- Private
  - Adelphi University
  - Dowling College
  - Hofstra University
  - Katharine Gibbs School, Melville
  - Long Island University - C.W. Post Campus
  - Long Island University - Southampton College campus
  - Molloy College
  - New York Institute of Technology
  - Touro Law Center
  - Watson School of Biological Sciences
  - Webb Institute
  - St. Joseph's College (Suffolk Campus)

Leisure

Beaches

Long Island has a great deal of beaches.
- Coney Island (in Brooklyn)
- The Rockaways (in Queens)
  - Rockaway Beach
  - Far Rockaway
- Jones Beach in Nassau County
- Long Beach
- Cedar Beach
- Sunken Meadow State Park, Kings Park in Suffolk County
- Town of Hempstead Beaches at Pt. Lookout and Lido
- Town of North Hempstead Beaches: Bar Beach and Hempstead Habor
- Town of Babylon Beaches
  - Gilgo Beach, Cedar Beach, and Overlook Beach
- Town of Oyster Bay Beaches: TOBAY

Resort areas

One of the most popular summer destinations on Long Island, especially for the city's well-to-do, is the Hamptons in eastern Long Island's Suffolk County. Fire Island National Seashore, which is a long barrier island off Long Island's south shore, is a hot spot for tourists, especially during the summer. Ocean Beach is the most populous town on Fire Island. There are restrictions on automobile use and the island is not accessible by car (except for one small westernly portion), requiring passage by one of numerous ferries or other watercraft.

Food

Both Nassau and Suffolk County enjoy many restaurants owned and operated by skilled chefs trained in New York City. Pizzerias are highly ubiquitous. It is not uncommon for a town/hamlet on Long Island to have more than a dozen of them, each with its own distinct flavors. Other regional eateries are very prevalent in most Long Island towns. Most every town in Nassau County has at least one diner, most of them operating 24/7, where people can meet and eat. Most were established during the 70's, and specialize in hamburgers and sandwiches.

Sports

Nassau County is also home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, who play at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale. Belmont Park, whose main track is the longest dirt Thoroughbred racecourse in the world, is located in the Nassau County community of Elmont. Long Island is also home to the minor league Long Island Ducks baseball team of the Atlantic League. Their stadium, Citibank Park, is located in Central Islip, New York. It also has a professional soccer club, the Long Island Rough Riders, who play at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. The Rough Riders have won two national championships in 1995 and 2002.

Music

Modern music has a long history on Long Island, as it has long been part of US history, and it being close to the largest population center in North America, yet located in the suburbs and cantaining strong influences of youth culture. Psychedelic music was widely popular in the 1960s as flocks of disaffected youth travelled to NYC to participate in protest and the culture of the time. R & B also has a history in Long Island, especially in Nassau County, where population is denser and more closely influenced by New York City (Queens and Brooklyn). Long Island, known in the hip-hop community as Strong Island, was home to the members of the groundbreaking rap groups Public Enemy and De La Soul. Hugh Flynt, one of the newest rap artists to emerge from the Island, is making a name for himself as a "deadly" MC who uses lyrical warfare as a form of musical expression. One of the genre's leading radio DJ's -- Andre (Doctor Dre) Brown, a native of Westbury -- plied his trade at Adelphi University's WBAU prior to achieving success on WQHT and MTV. Modern music in Long Island includes indie music which has rapidly grown in popularity especially in Suffolk County, with the local emo and hardcore punk scene that continues to grow. It has been felt nationally by the moderate success of local bands such as Quinn, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Straylight Run, The Movielife, and From Autumn to Ashes selling Gold albums nationwide, it is self serving and most bands are known on the island and it spills over into the northeast regions such as New Jersey and Connecticut. Other famous artists also have roots in Long Island. For example, Billy Joel is from Hicksville in Nassau County. Many compositions by Billy Joel pertain to life on Long Island, particularly his youth. Songs such as "Keepin' the Faith", "Captain Jack", "It's Still Rock n Roll to Me" (where he actually references the "Miracle Mile" located on Northern Blvd, Manhasset, LI) and most notably "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", which names local eateries and hangouts. The songs "No Man's Land" and "Downeaster Alexa" lament the increasing development of the island; the latter song specifically refering to the eastern island and its effect on the fishing industry. Also the Blue Öyster Cult are native to Stony Brook. Both of these artists had genera defining roles in the popular music scene of the 1960s 70s and 80s. A Long Island based rock station, WBAB, 102.3 FM, plays classic rock music from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Garden City based radio station WLIR at 92.7 FM was nationally known in the 1980s and 90s for playing "new wave" bands from Europe that were at the time unheard of in the U.S. Many of the bands and songs eventually crossed over to more mainstream radio, for example, the groups Frankie Goes to Hollywood and The Pet Shop Boys. Since 2004, the station has operated under a Spanish-language format since being bought-out by Telemundo. (WLIR has been reborn at 107.1 FM, but its more easterly location in Riverhead means many parts of the New York metro area that used to be able to hear it can now only do so via the Internet) Long Island is probably, along with New Brunswick, New Jersey, the biggest emo scene in the United States. Jones Beach is an extremely popular place to view summer concerts, with new as well as old artists performing there during the summer months. Jones Beach

Demography

Long Island is one of the most densely populated regions in the United States. In the 2000 census, the population of the Nassau-Suffolk region totalled 2.78 million people; the total population of Long Island, including Brooklyn and Queens, was more than 8 million. While there is more diversity than in most suburban areas of the United States, Italians, Irish, and Jews make up a major portion of the local population, especially in Nassau County (the town of Massapequa has been nicknamed "Matzoh-Pizza" by many locals reflecting the heavy presence of Jews and Italians in the town).

History

Long Island was shaped by Ice Age glaciers. Early colonial figures included Wyandanch, Captain Kidd, Lionel Gardner, and John Underhill. The West of Long Island was settled by the Dutch, and the East settled by Puritans from Massachusetts. Long Island was the scene of several witch hunts, including one involving Lionel Gardner in Easthampton. "Nassau" is one of several names by which the island was once known. Long Island was the home of several prominent Roosevelts such as author Robert Roosevelt, and the summer home of his nephew Theodore Roosevelt. In 1996, tragedy struck Long Island, as TWA Flight 800 exploded over East Moriches. 230 people were killed in the disaster. The September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks had a major affect on Long Island. As Long Island lies in close proximity to New York City, many victims of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks were actually residents of Long Island who commuted daily into New York City. The Long Island region lost many loved ones in the World Trade Center collapse and the region was affected economically by the attacks as well.

See also


- Brooklyn
- List of famous Long Islanders
- Nassau County
- Queens
- Suffolk County

External links


- [http://www.longisland.com LongIsland.com]
- [http://www.longislandexchange.com Long Island Exchange] home page detailing everything on and around Long Island New York
- [http://www.licvb.com/ Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau]
- [http://www.NorthForkGuide.com North Fork Long Island]
- [http://www.pb.state.ny.us Central Pine Barrens] A state designated region on Long Island protected for its water resources and ecological communities.
- [http://www.ShelterIslandGuide.com Shelter Island] a community driven website detailing Shelter Island and the Hamptons regions of Long Island
- [http://www.lifamilies.com Long Island Families] Articles, news, and community for Long Island
- [http://www.LIWineGuide.com Long Island Wineries]
- [http://www.loving-long-island.com Loving Long Island] A passionate look at Long Island as a travel destination

Notes

# # Category:Long Island Category:New York Category:Places in New York

Catskill Mountains

] The Catskill Mountains, a natural area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are not, despite their popular name, true geological mountains, but rather a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau. They are sometimes considered an extension of the Appalachian Mountains into Upstate New York, although they are not geologically related. The Catskills are west of the Hudson River and lie within the bounds of six counties (Otsego, Delaware, Sullivan, Schoharie, Greene, and Ulster). At the eastern end of the range, the "mountains" begin quite dramatically with the Catskill Escarpment rising up suddenly from the Hudson Valley. The western boundary is far less certain, as the mountains gradually decline in height and grade into the rest of the Allegheny Plateau. Nor is there a consensus on where the Catskills end to the north or south, with it being certain only that by the time one reaches either I-88, the Delaware River or the Shawangunk Ridge that one is no longer in the Catskills. Whether you are in the Catskills or not in these peripheral regions seems to be as much a matter of personal preference as anything else, as an old saying in the region — "When you have two rocks for every dirt, you are in the Catskills" — seems to suggest. Many visitors, including owners of weekend or vacation homes in the region, seem to consider almost anything sufficiently rural west of the Hudson yet within a short drive of New York City to be in the Catskills. The Poconos, to the immediate southwest in Pennsylvania, are technically a continuation of the Catskills under a different name. The Catskills contain more than thirty peaks above 3,500 feet and parts of six important rivers. The highest mountain, Slide Mountain in Ulster County, has an altitude of 4,180 feet (1,274 m). Within the range is the Catskill Park, part of New York's Forest Preserve. Not all the land is publicly owned; about 60% remains in private hands, but new sections are added frequently. Most of the park and the preserve are within Ulster County; however Greene County accounts for a significant portion as well and there are areas in Sullivan and Delaware counties too. This is a traditional vacation land with many summer resorts and camp grounds. During the first part of the 20th century, many ethnic groups (Germans, Czechs, Jews, etc) established summer resorts in the Catskills that catered to their needs. The "Borscht Belt" was a collection of Jewish resorts (Brown's, Grossinger's, etc) in this region, where many comics got a start in show business. This ethnic tradition has mostly disappeared, although some special groups maintain private resorts. Many of these resorts now attempt to remain open all year and cater to winter activities such as skiing. The Catskills figure in Washington Irving's story, Rip van Winkle, and were also mentioned in the Band's song, Time To Kill. The Band was also photographed in the Catskills for their first album. [http://theband.hiof.no/band_pictures/band_mfbp_back.html The Band in the Catskills] the Band

Name

The name "Catskills" did not come into wide popular use for the mountains until the mid-19th century — in fact, that name was disparaged by purists as too plebeian, too reminiscent of the area's Dutch colonial past, especially since it was used by the local farming population. It may also have been a continuation of the British practice, after taking possession of the colony in the late 17th century, of trying to replace most Dutch toponyms in present-day New York with their English alternatives. The locals preferred to call them the Blue Mountains, to harmonize with Vermont's Green Mountains and New Hampshire's White Mountains. It was only after Irving's stories that Catskills won out over Blue Mountains, and several other competitors. While the meaning of the name ("cat creek" in Dutch) and the namer (early Dutch explorers) are settled matters, exactly how and why the area is named is a mystery. The most common, and easiest, is that bobcats were seen near Catskill creek and the present-day village of Catskill, and the name followed from there. However there is no record of bobcats ever having been seen in significant numbers on the banks of the Hudson, and the name Catskill does not appear on paper until 1655, more than four decades later. Other theories include:
- A corruption of kasteel, the Dutch sailors' term for the Indian stockades they saw on the riverbank. According to one Belgian authority, kat occurs in many place names throughout Flanders and has nothing to do with cats and everything to do with fortifications.
- It was to honor Dutch poet Jacob Cats, who was also known for his real estate prowess, profiting from speculation in lands reclaimed from the sea.
- A ship named The Cat had gone up the Hudson shortly before the name was first used. In nautical slang of the era, cat could also mean a piece of equipment, or a particular type of small vessel.
- It has also been suggested that it refers to lacrosse, which Dutch visitors had seen the Iroquois natives play. Kat can also refer to a tennis racket, which a lacrosse stick resembles, and the first place the Dutch saw this, further down the river in the present-day Town of Saugerties, they gave the name Kaatsbaan, for "tennis court," which is still on maps today. The confusion over the exact origins of the name led over the years to variant spellings such as Kaatskill and Kaaterskill, both of which are also still used, the latter as the name of a creek and mountain, the former in the regional magazine Kaatskill Life. The supposed Indian name for the range, Onteora or "land in the sky," was actually created by a white man in the mid-19th century to drum up business for a resort. It, too, persists today as the name of a school district.

See also:


- Catskill High Peaks
- Catskill State Park
- History of the Catskill Mountains

External links


- [http://www.catskillvacation.net/Catskill/default.asp Official Tourism Site of the Catskill Region]
- [http://www.catskillguide.com Online Guide to the Catskill Mountains]
- [http://www.catskillarchive.com The Catskill Archive - history of the Catskill Mtns.]
- [http://www.catskillcenter.org The Catskill Center]
- [http://www.brown.edu/Research/Catskills_Institute/ The Catskills Institute - the Catskills in American Jewish Life]
- [http://www.ottawa.rasc.ca/astronomy/earth_craters/panther_mountain/index.html Aerial Exploration of the Panther Mountain Structure] Category:Mountain ranges of New York Category:Plateaus

Westchester County, New York

Westchester County is a suburban county with about 940,000 residents located in the U.S. state of New York. It was named after Chester, in England. The county seat is White Plains.

History

The first Europeans to explore Westchester were Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524 and Henry Hudson in 1609. The first white settlers were sponsored by the Dutch West India Company in the 1620s and 1630s. English settlers arrived from New England in the 1640s. Westchester County was an original county of the Province of New York, one of twelve created in 1683. At the time, it also included the present Bronx County, which constituted the Town of Westchester and portions of three other towns: Yonkers, Eastchester, and Pelham. In 1846, a new town, West Farms, was created by secession from Westchester; in turn, in 1855, the Town of Morrisania seceded from West Farms. In 1873, the Town of Kingsbridge seceded from Yonkers. 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 1914, those parts of the then New York County which had been annexed from Westchester County were constituted the new Bronx County.

Image

At least in part due to the wealth of some of its residents, their manicured lawns and country clubs — the county has 12 — Westchester has acquired an image of affluence, homogeneity, insularity, and elitism. Like most stereotypes, this is a false generalization. Westchester is an economically and demographically diverse region, neither at peace nor a haven of snobs. It is home to a maximum security state prison, Sing Sing, and a nuclear power plant, Indian Point. Westchester is among the most densely populated counties in the U.S., and has a slightly higher crime rate than that of neighboring suburban counties.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,295 km² (500 mi²). 1,121 km² (433 mi²) of it is land and 174 km² (67 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 13.45% water. Westchester County is in the southeastern part of New York State. It is bordered to the south by the borough of The Bronx in New York City, to the west by the Hudson River (New Jersey is across the river from Yonkers; most of the rest of the county is across the Hudson from Rockland County), to the east by Connecticut and the Long Island Sound and to the north by Putnam County. The highest elevation in the county is a U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey benchmark known as "Bailey" at 300 m (985 feet) 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. In popular conception, Westchester County is generally divided into northern and southern areas. The northern portion (places north of Interstate 287/Cross Westchester Expressway) is often seen as rural and wealthy; the southern portion (White Plains and south) is more urban and less well-to-do. These generalities, however, do not necessarily hold true in all communities. For example, Bronxville, Larchmont, Rye, and Scarsdale in the southern portion are among the wealthiest communities in the entire U.S., and Peekskill in the northern portion is relatively urban and low-middle income. The Westchester County Department of planning divides the county into North, Central and South sub-regions[http://www.westchestergov.com/planning/research/Census2000/Oct03Updates/maps/subregionsbig.jpg]. At the closest point, Westchester is only 2 miles north of Manhattan (from Broadway & Caryl Avenue in southern Yonkers to Broadway & West 228th Street in the Marble Hill section.) However, most places in Westchester are much farther from most places in Manhattan than this unusual example may suggest.

Cities

Marble Hill There are six cities in Westchester County.
- Mount Vernon
- New Rochelle
- Peekskill
- Rye (Rye is also the name of a town.)
- White Plains
- Yonkers

Towns and Villages

There are 19 towns in Westchester County. Any land area in the county that is not contained in one of the cities is in a town. A town may contain zero, one or multiple villages. The towns of Harrison, Mount Kisco, and Scarsdale are coterminous with the village of the same name. Two villages are split between two towns—Briarcliff Manor crosses the border between Ossining town and Mount Pleasant, and Mamaroneck village straddles the boundary between Mamaroneck town and Rye town. With the exception of the towns of Rye and Pelham, all the towns contain area and residents which do not belong to any village. These areas may contain communities referred to as hamlets. Hamlets have no legal status and depend upon the town for all municipal government and services. There are also areas called census-designated places (CDPs), which are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. A CDP may or may not correspond to a hamlet. Because some municipalities have the same name, it is often necessary to indicate whether one is referring to the city, town, village, or hamlet. For example, the town of Rye is completely separate from the city of Rye. Pelham is the name of a town and also of a village in the town. The village of Mamaroneck is located partially in the town of Mamaroneck and partially in the town of Rye, but has nothing to do with the city of Rye. The towns are listed as follows:
- Town
  - Villages (if any), one per bullet
  - CDPs (if any), all listed on a single bullet
  - Communities not in a village or CDP (if any), all listed on a single bullet :(The list of towns, villages and CDPs is complete. The listing of additional communities should not be considered complete.)
- Bedford, containing no villages
  - (contains the CDP of Bedford)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no CDP, including the communities of Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah)
- Cortlandt, containing two villages:
  - Buchanan
  - Croton-on-Hudson
  - (contains the CDPs of Crugers and Verplanck)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no village or CDP, including the communities of Montrose and Cortlandt Manor)
- Eastchester, containing two villages:
  - Bronxville
  - Tuckahoe
  - (contains the CDP of Eastchester, which encompasses all area outside the villages)
- Greenburgh, containing six villages:
  - Ardsley
  - Dobbs Ferry
  - Elmsford
  - Hastings-on-Hudson
  - Irvington
  - Tarrytown
  - (contains the CDPs of Fairview, Greenville and Hartsdale)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no village or CDP, including the communities of Edgemont and Glenville)
- Harrison, coterminous with the village of the same name
  - (plus additional area belonging to no CDP, including the community of Purchase)
- Lewisboro, containing no villages
  - (contains the CDP of Golden's Bridge)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no village, including the communities of Cross River, Lewisboro, South Salem, Vista and Waccabuc)
- Mamaroneck, containing two villages:
  - Larchmont
  - Mamaroneck (This village is shared with the Town of Rye.)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no village)
- Mount Kisco, coterminous with village of same name
- Mount Pleasant, containing three villages:
  - Briarcliff Manor (This village is shared with the Town of Ossining.)
  - Pleasantville
  - Sleepy Hollow (formerly named North Tarrytown)
  - (contains the CDPs of Hawthorne, Thornwood and Valhalla)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no village or CDP, including the communities of Eastview and Pocantico Hills)
- New Castle, containing no villages
  - (contains the CDP of Chappaqua)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no CDP, including the communities of Millwood and Tompkins Corners)
- North Castle, containing no villages
  - (contains the CDP of Armonk )
  - (plus additional area belonging to no CDP, including the community of Banksville)
- North Salem, containing no villages
  - (contains the portion of the CDP of Peach Lake that is not in Putnam County)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no CDP, including the communities of Croton Falls, Purdys and Salem Center)
- Ossining, containing two villages:
  - Briarcliff Manor (This village is shared with the Town of Mount Pleasant.)
  - Ossining (The village of Ossining is contained within the Town of Ossining.)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no village)
- Pelham, containing two villages:
  - Pelham (The Village of Pelham is contained within the Town of Pelham.)
  - Pelham Manor
  - (The villages cover the entire area of the town.)
  - (The village of North Pelham existed from 1896 to 1975, when it was merged into the village of Pelham.)
- Pound Ridge, containing no villages
  - (contains the CDP of Scotts Corners)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no CDP)
- Rye (Rye is also the name of a city.), containing three villages:
  - Mamaroneck (This village is shared with the Town of Mamaroneck. The portion in Rye is unofficially also called "Rye Neck". The city of Rye separates Mamaroneck from the rest of the town of Rye.)
  - Port Chester
  - Rye Brook (Prior to 1982, Rye Brook was the area of the town not belonging to any village.)
  - (The villages cover the entire area of the town.)
- Scarsdale, coterminous with village of same name
- Somers, containing no villages
  - (contains the CDPs of Heritage Hills, Lincolndale and Shenorock)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no CDP, including the communities of Amawalk, Baldwin Place, Granite Springs, and Somers)
- Yorktown, containing no villages
  - (contains the CDPs of Crompond, Jefferson Valley-Yorktown, Lake Mohegan, Shrub Oak and Yorktown Heights)
  - (plus additional area belonging to no CDP, including the communities of Kitchawan and Yorktown)

Government

Westchester County

The county executive is Andrew J. Spano (Dem.). The County Clerk is Leonard N. Spano (Rep.). The District Attorney is Jeanine F. Pirro (Rep.). The Board of Legislators has seventeen members, each representing a district in the county, eleven of them Democrats and 6 Republicans.

Politics

Although the county used to lean Republican, it swung Democratic in the early 1990s, and nowadays Westchester voters tend to be far more Democratic than the rest of the nation. In fact, Westchester, after New York City and Albany has produced the biggest margins for statewide Democrats in recent years. Democratic voters are mainly in the southern and central parts of the county. 58% of Westchester County voters chose John Kerry in the U.S. presidential election of November 2004, the highest total of any county outside New York City and Albany. However, Westchester county is less Democratic in state elections. Hence, it voted for Pataki with a margin of 23.07% against his Democratic opponent in the gubernatorial race of 2002, and of 26.22% in 1998. Westchester County is the home of former president Bill Clinton and New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who live in Chappaqua, New York.

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 923,459 people, 337,142 households, and 235,325 families residing in the county. The population density is 824/km² (2,134/mi²). There are 349,445 housing units at an average density of 312/km² (807/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 71.35% White, 14.20% African American, 0.25% Native American, 4.48% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.63% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races. 15.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 337,142 households out of which 34.00% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% are married couples living together, 12.20% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% are non-families. 25.70% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.30% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.67 and the average family size is 3.21. In the county the population is spread out with 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.30 males. The median income for a household in the county is $63,582, and the median income for a family is $79,881. Males have a median income of $53,136 versus $39,966 for females. The per capita income for the county is $36,726. 8.80% of the population and 6.40% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.00% of those under the age of 18 and 7.60% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. The Census Bureau estimates 2003 population at 940,302[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36119.html]. 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.

Population time line


- 1900—184,257
- 1910—283,055
- 1920—344,436
- 1930—520,947
- 1940—573,558
- 1950—625,816
- 1960—808,891
- 1970—894,104
- 1980—866,599
- 1990—874,866
- 2000—923,459

Transportation

Westchester County is served by Interstate 87 (the New York State Thruway), Interstate 95, Interstate 287 and Interstate 684. Parkways 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 development corridors in the county have defined sections and follow transportation corridors. The main north-south corridors are, from west to east, the 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 country in a north-eastern path, beginning in Yonkers, and terminating at I-684 in Bedford, mostly following the path of an old commuter rail line that was abandoned a few decades ago. 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 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 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. Commuter train service in Westchester is provided by Metro-North Railroad (operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority). Metro-North operate three lines in the county; west to east, they are the Husdon, the Harlem and the New Haven lines. Amtrak serves Croton-Harmon, New Rochelle and Yonkers. Bus service is provided by the Bee-Line Bus System (operated by the Westchester County Department of Transportation). Westchester County Airport is adjacent to White Plains.

Education

Public School Districts

Westchester County Airport There are forty public school districts in Westchester County[http://westchestergov.com/ed/district.htm]. Most school districts do not adhere to municipal boundaries, although the six city school districts do have the same boundaries as their cities.

- Ardsley Union Free School District
- Bedford Central School District
- Blind Brook-Rye School District
- Briarcliff Manor UFS
- Bronxville UFSD
- Byram Hills Central School
- Chappaqua Central School
- Croton Harmon UFSD
- Dobbs Ferry UFSD
- Eastchester UFSD
- Edgemont UFSD - Greenburgh
- Elmsford UFSD
- Greenburgh Central School
- Harrison Central School
- Hastings Central School
- Hendrick Hudson Central School
- Irvington Union Free School
- Katonah Lewisboro UFSD
- Lakeland Cent. Sch. Shrub Oak
- Mamaroneck UFSD
- Mount Pleasant Central School
- Mount Vernon City School
- New Rochelle City School
- North Salem Central School
- Ossining Union Free School
- Peekskill City School
- Pelham Union Free School
- Pleasantville UFS
- Pocantico Hills
- Port Chester - Rye UFS
- Rye City Schools
- Rye Neck UFS
- Scarsdale UFS
- Somers Central School District
- Tarrytown UFSD
- Tuckahoe UFS
- Valhalla UFS
- White Plains City Schools
- Yonkers City Schools
- Yorktown Central School
This list excludes Special Act Grade Organization districts, which overlap the districts listed above.

Colleges and Universities


- Berkeley College, White Plains, New York
- Concordia College, Bronxville, New York
- College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, New York
- Iona College, New Rochelle, New York
- Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York
- Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, New York
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
- Pace University, Pleasantville, New York
- Purchase College, State University of New York, Purchase New York
- Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York
- Westchester Community College, Valhalla, New York

Libraries

Westchester County is served by the Westchester Library System[http://www.westchesterlibraries.org/libs/wlslibs/]. Established in 1958, the Westchester Library System is comprised of 38 public libraries.

Historic and Cultural Attractions


- [http://www.emelin.org/ Emelin Theatre], Mamaroneck, New York
- Ever Rest, historic home of painter Jasper Francis Cropsey, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
- Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York
- [http://www.hrm.org/ Hudson River Museum of Westchester], Yonkers, New York
- [http://www.irvingtontheater.com/ Irvington Town Hall Theater], Irvington, New York
- [http://www.burnsfilmcenter.org/ Jacob Burns Film Center], Pleasantville, New York
- [http://www.loc.gov/bicentennial/propage/NY/ny-18_h_lowey4.html Jay Heritage Center], historic homestead of John Jay, Rye, New York
- Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens, PepsiCo, Inc. World Headquarters, Purchase, New York
- Kykuit, historic home of John D. Rockefeller, Sleepy Hollow, New York
- Lyndhurst, historic Gothic Revival home, Tarrytown, New York
- [http://www.neuberger.org/ Neuberger Museum of Art], Purchase College, Purchase, New York
- [http://www.paramountcenter.org/index.php Paramount Center for the Arts], Peekskill, New York
- Philipsburg Manor, historic site, Sleepy Hollow, New York
- Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, Yonkers, New York
- Playland amusement park. America's only government owned and operated amusement park, Rye, New York
- [http://www.artscenter.org/toppage1.html The Performing Arts Center] at Purchase College, Purchase, New York
- Sunnyside, historic home of author Washington Irving, Tarrytown, New York
- [http://www.tarrytownmusichall.org/ Tarrytown Music Hall], Tarrytown, New York
- Thomas Paine National Historical Association, New Rochelle, New York
- Union Church, Pocantico Hills, New York
- [http://www.westjazzorch.org/ Westchester Jazz Orchestra], Mount Kisco, New York
- [http://www.westchesterphil.org/info.asp?pb=192&pg=1 Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra], White Plains, New York
- Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York

Interesting Facts


- In the Marvel Comics universe, Charles Xavier's School of Gifted Youngsters is located in Westchester County.
- Radio "shock jock" Howard Stern started his professional DJ career at WRNW-FM radio in 1977, a low power station located in Briarcliff Manor, the central part of the county, this was also noted in Stern's movie. A tape, frequently played on his morning radio show, was made after his promotion to the station's program management.
- Notorious serial killer, child predator and cannibal Albert Fish committed his most infamous murder in Westchester, and was tried and convicted in White Plains.

See also


- Political subdivisions of New York State

External links


- [http://www.westchestergov.com/ Westchester County official website]
- [http://www.WestchesterTowns.com/ Westchester County Information Directory]
- [http://www.westchestergov.com/planning/research/Census2000/Oct03Updates/research/censusmaps.htm Census maps of Westchester County]
- [http://www.westchestergov.com/planning/research/DataBookPDF01/COMPLETE20023.pdf Westchester County Databook 2001] (PDF 7.38 MB)
- [http://www.hudsonvalleydirectory.com/westchester Westchester County Page at Hudson Valley Directory] Category:New York counties

Rockland County, New York

Rockland County is a county located in the state of New York. As of 2000, the population is 286,753. The county seat is New City. The name comes from "rocky land," an early description of the area given by settlers. Rockland is the southern most county west of the Hudson River in New York State, and is largely suburban in nature, serving as a suburb of New York City. New York City

History

The area that would become Rockland County was originally habitanted were Algonquin Indians, including Mohegans and Munsees, or Lenni Lenape. In 1609, Henry Hudson, thinking he had found the legendary "Northwest Passage", sailed up the river that would one day bear his name and anchored near the area that is now Haverstraw before continuing to disillusionment at Albany. The area was originally settled by the Dutch, and a number of unique Dutch-style red sandstone houses still stand, and many placenames in the county reveal their Dutch origin. When the Duke of York (who became King James II of England established the first twelve counties New York in 1683, present-day Rockland County was part of Orange County. Orangetown was created at the same time, originally encompassing all of modern Rockland County. Haverstraw was separated from Orangetown in 1719 and became a town in 1788; it included the present-day Clarkstown, Ramapo and Stony Point. Clarkstown and Ramapo became towns in 1791, followed by Stony Point in 1865. Rockland County was split from Orange County in 1798. During the American Revolution, when the control of the Hudson River was viewed by the British as strategic to dominating the American territories, Rockland saw skirmishes at Haverstraw, Nyack and Piermont, and significant military engagements at the Battle of Stony Point, where General "Mad" Anthony Wayne earned his nickname. George Washington was headquartered for a time at John Suffern's tavern, later site of Suffern. British Major John André, met with American traitor Benedict Arnold near Stony Point to buy the plans for the fortifications at West Point. André was captured with the plans in Tarrytown on his way back to the British lines; he brought to Tappan for trial in the Tappan church, found guilty, hanged and buried nearby. The American Industrial Revolution was supplied, in part, from forests and iron mines in Rockland county. Resource utilization extracted a heavy toll on the region, especially lumbering and agriculture, since the poor, thin soils on hillsides were easily depleted. By the early 1900s development along the lower Hudson River had begun to destroy much of the area's natural beauty. Many unsuccessful efforts were made to turn much of the Hudson Highlands into a forest preserve. However, when the State of New York tried to relocate Sing Sing Prison to Bear Mountain in 1909, some of the wealthy businessmen who had made homes in the area, led by Union Pacific Railroad president E. H. Harriman, donated land as well as large sums of money for the purchase of properties in the area of Bear Mountain. Bear Mountain/Harriman State Park became a reality in 1910, and by 1914 it was estimated that than a million people a year were coming to the park.

Geography

1914] Rockland County lies just north of the New Jersey-New York border, west of the Hudson River, and south of Orange County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 516 km² (199 mi²). 451 km² (174 mi²) of it is land and 65 km² (25 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 12.60% water. Approximately 30% of Rockland County is parkland. The highest elevation in the county is Rockhouse Mountain, at 391 m (1,283 feet). However, nearby Jackie Jones Mountain also has a summit above 390 m (1,280 feet) whose exact elevation is not known and may well be higher. The lowest elevation is sea level along the Hudson River. Rockland is the smallest county in New York north of New York City.

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 286,753 people, 92,675 households, and 70,989 families residing in the county. The population density is 636/km² (1,646/mi²). There are 94,973 housing units at an average density of 210/km² (545/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 76.91% White, 10.98% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 5.52% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 3.78% from other races, and 2.51% from two or more races. 10.18% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 92,675 households out of which 37.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.80% are married couples living together, 10.30% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.40% are non-families. 19.30% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.80% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.01 and the average family size is 3.47. In the county the population is spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.30 males. The median income for a household in the county is $67,971, and the median income for a family is $78,806. Males have a median income of $51,148 versus $37,032 for females. The per capita income for the county is $28,082. 9.50% of the population and 6.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.30% of those under the age of 18 and 7.60% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Communities in Rockland

Towns


- Clarkstown
- Haverstraw
- Orangetown
- Ramapo
- Stony Point

Incorporated Villages


- Airmont
- Chestnut Ridge
- Garnerville
- Grand View-on-Hudson
- Haverstraw
- Hillburn
- Kaser
- Montebello
- New Hempstead
- New Square
- Nyack
- Piermont
- Pomona
- Sloatsburg
- South Nyack
- Spring Valley
- Suffern
- Upper Nyack
- Wesley Hills
- West Haverstraw

Unincorporated Hamlets


- Bardonia
- Blauvelt
- Central Nyack
- Congers
- Hillcrest
- Monsey
- Mount Ivy
- Nanuet
- New City
- Orangeburg
- Pearl River
- Tappan
- Thiells
- Valley Cottage
- Viola
- West Nyack

External links


- [http://www.co.rockland.ny.us/ Rockland County official website]
- [http://www.co.rockland.ny.us/corner/history.htm Rockland History]
- [http://www.hudsonvalleydirectory.com/rockland Rockland County Page at Hudson Valley Directory] Category:New York counties Category:New York metropolitan area ja:ロックランド郡 (ニューヨーク州)



Dutchess County, New York

Dutchess County is a county located in the state of New York. As of 2000, the population is 280,150. The county seat is Poughkeepsie. The county was named in honor of Mary of Modena, Duchess of York, second wife of the future King James II. (Somehow, a "t" got added to the county name.)

History

In 1683, the Province of New York established its first twelve counties. Dutchess County was one of them. Its boundaries at that time included the present Putnam County, and a small portion of the present Columbia County (the towns of Clermont and Germantown). Until 1713, Dutchess was administered by Ulster County. In 1812, Putnam County was detached from Dutchess.

The patents

In the twelve years 1685-1697 lawful patents had been granted securing for their purchasers every foot of Hudson River shoreline in the original county. Three additional patents, to 1706, laid claim to the remaining interior lands. #1685 Rombout, or Fishkill #1686 Minisink #1686 Kip #1688 Schuyler (Poughkeepsie) #1688 Schuyler (Red Hook) #1688 Ærtsen-Roosa-Elton #1696 Pawling-Staats #1697 Rhinebeck #1697 (Great) Nine Partners #1697 Philipse #1697 Cuyler #1703 Fanconnier #1703 Beekman (Back Lots) #1706 (Little) Nine Partners

1719: The wards

1731: The oblong

1737: The precincts

Geography

Dutchess County is located in eastern New York State, between the Hudson River on its west and the New York-Connecticut border on its east, about halfway between the cities of Albany and New York. It contains two cities: Beacon and Poughkeepsie. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,138 km² (825 mi²). 2,076 km² (802 mi²) of it is land and 62 km² (24 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.88% water. The terrain of the county is mostly hilly, especially in the Hudson Highlands in the southwestern corner and the