White Plains, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Image:White Plains NY.png White Plains is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,077, but a July 1, 2002 Census estimate put the city's population at 55,394. It is the county seat of Westchester CountyGR6. White Plains is one of the edge cities that have developed outside of New York City.
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[edit] History
The city dates to the colonial period. During the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of White Plains took place on Chatterton Hill, located just west of the downtown area and the Bronx River Parkway.
[edit] Modern history of White Plains
During the late 1960s White Plains developed a site master plan for residential, commercial and mixed-use development that effectivly called for the demolition of its entire central business district from the Bronx River Parkway east to Mamaroneck Avenue. By 1978, there was preparation for a massive urban renewal program that centered around the building of the Westchester County Courthouse (1974), the Westchester One office building (1975), and the Galleria Mall (1978).
At the time, the Westchester One building was the largest office building between New York City and Albany, and west to Hartford.
Beginning in 1950s, many major corporations based in New York City relocated all or part of their headquarters operations to White Plains and other nearby locations. These included General Foods, PepsiCo, Hitachi USA, IBM, Nestle, Snapple and Van Muching, the importer of Heineken beer. At the height of the 1980's at least 50 Fortune 500 corporations called Westchester County and nearby Fairfield County, CT home, but with the corporate mergers and downsizing of the 1990s many of these companies either reduced their operations in White Plains or left the area completely.
The construction of the Galleria Mall ushered in a period of new retail and office construction downtown, but by the early 1990s economic development had stagnated. The city for a time had the dubious distinction of having one of the highest office vacancy rates in the Northeast. Retail consolidation led to the closing of flagship department stores. A B. Altman's store was demolished to make way for a massive retail complex, The Westchester, which opened in 1995. Macy's, since the 1950s the anchor of downtown retail activity, was relocated by its parent, Federated Department Stores, which moved it to the Gallerea Mall, a few blocks away, replacing an existing location, Abraham & Straus. Saks Fifth Avenue, located on the edge of downtown, was closed and eventually demolished and replaced with a larger complex featuring high-end retail (Fortunoff's), local outlets of upscale restaurants (Mortons, The Cheescake Factory) and a very upscale supermarket (Whole Foods). The landmark Macy's store remained vacant for several years until it too was demolished to make way for City Center, a 600,000 square-foot retail, restaurant and entertainment complex and two 35-storey apartment towers, the opening (2003) of which marked the beginning of a downtown retail renaissance.
With the improving economy development and office leasing picked up, such that shortly into the new millenium the city became the leading retail and office center in Westchester County. Other major projects were completed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A new courthouse for the Southern District of New York was opened in 1998 and several vacant office properties in and near downtown, including the former General Foods headquarters building, were refitterd and leased.
Beginning in 2000 the city's permanent population experienced a growth spurt as additional apartment buildings were constructed. An infusion of urban professionals, drawn by the city's relatively moderate housing costs and close commuting distance to midtown Manhattan (35 minutes by express train) gave the city a cosmopolitan atmosphere. However, in large part because of its proximity to New York, the cost of living in White Plains, although lower that that of New York City itself, is by some measures among the highest in the nation.[1]
In 2005, construction began on a second large parcel in the downtown area. The project, dubbed Renaissance Square, will feature two towers each over 40 storeys, with a Ritz-Carlton hotel and more than 400 condominium units. The expected opening date of the first tower is early 2008, at which time the city will once again boast the highest building between New York City and Albany.
[edit] Education
White Plains is home to local campuses of Pace University, Mercy College and the private, business-oriented schools, Berkeley College and The College of Westchester.
[edit] Geography
White Plains is located at (41.023464, -73.761843)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.6 km² (9.9 mi²). 25.4 km² (9.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.91%) is water.
White Plains is served by two Metro North commuter railroad stations, major highways (I-287, the Hutchinson River and Bronx River Parkways) and Westchester County Airport (located in nearby Harrison, NY).
[edit] Neighborhoods
White Plains contains several distinct residential areas within its borders.
[edit] Gedney Farms
Gedney Farms, a neighborhood located in eastern White Plains, is bounded on the west by Mamaroneck Avenue, on the north by Bryant Avenue, on the east by North Street, and on the south by Ridgeway.
The majority of Gedney Farms' residencies are located within the territory of Ridgeway Country Club, which occupies the eastern half of Gedney Farms. The main arteries in Gedney Farms are: Gedney Esplanade, Hathaway Lane, and Heatherbloom Road.
[edit] Incidents
On January 18, 2006, a strong cold front pushed its way into the Tri-State Region, wreaking havoc, especially in Gedney Farms, where strong winds felled multiple trees and closed many roads.
On July 18, 2006, exactly six months to the day of the winter windstorm, a thunderstorm that spawned this Severe Thunderstorm Warning [2] rolled into Gedney Farms, wreaking a large path of havoc. Numerous trees were felled and many residents in the southwestern section of Gedney Farms lost power. Twenty-four hours later, the National Weather Service issued this report on the storm: [3]
[edit] Havilands
The Havilands are bound by North Street on the west, Bryant Avenue on the north and east, and Woodbrook Road on the south.
[edit] Highlands
Unlike the other White Plains neighborhoods, the boundaries of Highlands are less clear-cut. Here is a way to follow the boundaries:
The western boundary is Soundview Avenue north of Hartsdale Avenue. Highlands is to the east of Soundview Avenue, and then the boundary line runs up Byron Avenue, cuts north on South Lexington Avenue, then cuts east on Prospect Street, then cuts north up Longview Avenue, and then cuts east on Maple Avenue. Maple Avenue is the northern boundary of the Highlands.
From there, the eastern boundary of the Highlands is Old Mamaroneck Road, and the southern boundary of the Highlands is Hartsdale Avenue.
[edit] Saxon Woods
Saxon Woods Park History
Date Acquired: 1925 Acres: 700
Background: In Colonial times this area was called Saxton Forest, after William Saxton, who operated a saw mill on the western branch of the Mamaroneck River. Local usage changed the name to Saxon Woods. The property was acquired by the county in 1925 under this title. The park contains an 18-hole golf course as well as a miniature golf course, the county’s largest swimming pool (1.75 million gallons), a children’s aquatic playground, and picnic areas. A trail system connects the southern section to the upland wooded northern part of the park, characterized by mature hardwood forests. The trails are very popular with hikers, cross country skiers and horseback riders. The entire system extends along the Hutchinson River Parkway to Twin Lakes Park and north to Maple Moor Golf Course. It also links to the leather- stocking trail and contains archeologically sensitive areas.
This is two distinct but connected trails. One is on the western side of the Hutch north of Mamaroneck Road. The other is on the eastern side of the Hutch.
[edit] Rosedale
Rosedale is bounded on the west by Mamaroneck Avenue, north by Ridgeway, east by North Street, and south by the Hutchinson River Parkway. In terms of area, it is the biggest neighborhood in White Plains. Rosedale borders Scarsdale and Harrison and is one of the most countrified neighborhoods in White Plains.
[edit] Fisher Hill
A Neighborhood in South-Western White Plains.
[edit] Silver Lake
A Neighborhood in East White Plains bordered by the County Airport and adjacent to the Town Of Harrison and Village of Purchase.
[edit] NOBO
NOBO is a community on the rise in the northern part of White Plains. Bordered by the Westchester Mall and Broadway Pizza, the neighborhood is named after North Broadway, which is the main street that runs through it. Quickly becoming a desired location for young urban professionals, NOBO has seen the opening of restaurants, bars and many new residential high rises. Such luminaries as former Poet Laureate Billy Collins, NY Knick Jamal Crawford and Software Wunderkind Mike Rhodes call the hip and trendy area home.
[edit] Postal Information
Standard Zip Codes: 10601, 10603, 10604, 10605, 10606, 10607.
PO Box Only: 10602, 10610.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 53,077 people, 20,921 households, and 12,699 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,091.1/km² (5,415.5/mi²). There were 21,576 housing units at an average density of 850.1/km² (2,201.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.93% White, 15.91% African American, 0.34% Native American, 4.50% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 10.37% from other races, and 3.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.51% of the population.
There were 20,921 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $58,545, and the median income for a family was $71,891. Males had a median income of $47,742 versus $36,917 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,825. About 6.5% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Historic sites
- Jacob Purdy House used as General George Washington's headquarters.
[edit] Notable residents
- Percy Grainger (1882-1961), Australian-born US composer, pianist and conductor. Lived with his wife, Ella Ström-Brandelius, in the same home from 1921 until his death in 1961. She lived there until her death in 1979. It is now the headquarters of the International Percy Grainger Society and is open to visitors.
- Jonathan Larson (1960-1996), the writer of the musical Rent, attended White Plains High School.
- Danger Mouse, a DJ and one half of Gnarls Barkley, was born in White Plains.
- Andrew S. Tanenbaum, computer scientist and professor, was raised in White Plains.
- Matisyahu, American Jewish reggae artist, was raised in White Plains.
- Ralph Waite, the actor who played John Walton in "The Waltons" television series, was born in White Plains
- Art Monk, NFL wide receiver, was raised in White Plains and graduated from White Plains High School.
- Channing Frye, NBA forward, was born in white plains
- Tupac Shakur, Attended White Plains Middle School, briefly during his childhood.
- Joseph Campbell, Author and expert on myth and legend, born and raised in White Plains.
- David Lee, New York Knicks Power Forward
[edit] External links
- White Plains official website
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- City Center at White Plains
- White Plains Public Library
- White Plains Public Schools
- White Plains Times
- Westchester County Airport (HPN)
- White Plains Hospital Center
- The Battle of White Plains
- White Plains Historical Society
- International Percy Grainger Society
- White Plains Citizen Net Reporter
- White Plains On Line A searchable collection of White Plains public agency meeting agendas, minutes, budgets, and charters.
- WPNY.us Portal for information about White Plains.
fr:White Plains (New York) ja:ホワイト・プレインズ (ニューヨーク州) pl:White Plains (Nowy Jork) fi:White Plains (New York)
