White Plains, New York Totally Explained

Everything about White Plains New York totally explained

City of White Plains is the county seat of Westchester County, New York. It is located in the south-central of Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound. It is bordered to the north by the town of North Castle, to the north and east by the town/village of Harrison, to the south by the town/village of Scarsdale and to the west by the town of Greenburgh. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,077, but a 2002 census estimate put the city's population at nearly 60,000 and subsequent residential development has raised this figure even higher. White Plains is one of the edge cities that have developed outside of New York City. The daytime weekday population is estimated at over 200,000.

History

Early history

At the time of the Dutch settlement of Manhattan in the early 17th century, the region had been used as farmland by the Weckquaeskeck tribe, members of the Mohican nation and was called "Quarropas". To early traders it was known as "the White Plains", either from the groves of white balsam which are said to have covered it, or from the heavy mist that local tradition suggests hovered over the swamplands near the Bronx River. The first non-native settlement came in November, 1683, when a party of Connecticut Puritans moved westward from an earlier settlement in Rye and bought about, presumably from the Weckquaeskeck. However, one John Richbell of Mamaroneck, NY, claimed to have earlier title to much of the territory, he also having purchased a far larger plot extending inland, perhaps from a different tribe. The matter wasn't settled until 1721, when a Royal Patent for White Plains was granted by King George II.
In 1758, White Plains became the seat of Westchester County when the colonial government for the county left West Chester, which was located in what is now the northern part of the borough of the Bronx, in New York City. The unincorporated village remained part of the Town of Rye until 1788, when the Town of White Plains was created.

Education

Public schools

The White Plains Public School System, (External Link

) with a 2006 enrollment of over 6,000 pupils, maintains 5 elementary schools (grades K-5), 2 middle schools (6-8) and 1 high school (9-12), as well as auxiliary facilities including a pre-kindergarten program,(External Link

) a community school (grades 7-12),(External Link

) adult and continuing education,(External Link

) and a program(External Link

) for school-age patients at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, (External Link

) which campus is located in the city.
Since 1988 the district has operated under a Controlled Parents' Choice Program(External Link

) whereby the parents of elementary and middle school children can select the school which their child attends based on factors other than proximity to the school. (All public school children have the option of being bussed to the school that they attend.)
   The five elementary schools, and to a lesser extent, the two middle schools, in addition to teaching core competencies, have different educational focuses including science & technology, communication arts and global understanding. The primary distinction between the two middle schools is the number of pupils enrolled. The smaller "Eastview" Campus has about 1/3 the amount of students as the "Highlands" campus. Also, in the smaller middle school, foreign language education begins in the sixth grade rather than in the eighth. This enables Eastview students to acquire a High School credit for their 3 years of study.
   White Plains High School located on a 72 acre campus and serves all public school students in grades 9-12.
   The district is governed by a seven-member Board of Education, elected at-large for staggered three-year terms. A schools superintendent reports to the Board.
   White Plains is also the home of the German School New York (GSNY), one of the only six German schools in the United States. With some 350 students the school provides education from kindergarten until 12th grade and makes it possible for German students to reach their Abitur (German High School Diploma) away from home.

Parochial schools

White Plains is home to a number of primary and secondary parochial schools, including:

Archbishop Stepinac High School on Mamaroneck Avenue in the Gedney area
Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School on North Broadway, adjacent to the Pace University campus
Good Counsel Academy Elementary School on North Broadway
Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School in the Gedney area
Solomon Schechter School of Westchester in the Gedney area, off of Dellwood Road

Colleges and universities with locations in White Plains

Pace University (External Link

), formerly the College of White Plains, and its Law School

Mercy College

The College of Westchester, formerly known as the Westchester Business Institute

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 53,077 people, 20,921 households, and 12,699 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,415.5 people per square mile (2,091.1/km²). There were 21,576 housing units at an average density of 2,201.4/sq mi (850.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.93% White, 15.91% African American, 4.50% Asian, 0.34% Native American, 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.

Transportation

Westchester County Airport serves the city.
Two Metro-North Railroad stations serve the city; the North White Plains (Metro-North station) and the White Plains (Metro-North station) downtown at Main Street and the Bronx River. The Bronx River Parkway is the main north-south highway, and has a bikeway running south to Bronxville. Interstate Highway 287 is the main east-west highway through White Plains. Current highway works include pedestrian walkways over the highway, an extra lane on either side, and on/off ramps to help motor traffic and pedestrians. Vegetation removals have upset some of the community and it's reported that the area will be fixed and trees will be replanted when work on the highway comes to an end.

Historic sites

White Plains Armory (External Link

) (1910), erected on the site of the first Westchester County Courthouse. A monument in front of the building commemorates the first public reading in New York of the Declaration of Independence, on July 11, 1776.

White Plains Rural Cemetery (External Link

) (incorporated 1854, although in use as a cemetery from 1797). The cemetery office occupies the structure that was the first Methodist Church in White Plains (1795, rebuilt in 1797 after a fire on the day of its original dedication).

Percy Grainger Home, (External Link

) occupied by the composer from 1921 until his death in 1961, and by his widow, Ella Ström-Brandelius, until her death in 1979. It is now maintained as a museum by the International Percy Grainger Society. (External Link

)

Jacob Purdy House

   It was used as General George Washington's headquarters in 1778 and possibly in 1776 during the Battle of White Plains of the American Revolutionary War. Constructed prior to 1730, in the 1960s it was repaired and restored, and in 1973 the structure was moved to its present location. It is now the headquarters of the White Plains Historical Society.
   A National Register Historic Places plaque commemorates the dates of George Washington's occupancy. The house came into the possession of Jacob Purdy about 1785. Beginning in the fall of 1959, this committee began working to erect a 300 foot high stone obelisk on Chatterton Hill to commemorate the battle which took place there between British and American armies on October 28, 1776. Due to the $400,000-$600,000 price tag, the monument was never built, however the Monument Committee found another mission in 1963 when it purchased the historic Jacob Purdy House, set to be demolished by the City of White Plains Urban Renewal Agency. This 1721 wood frame structure had been documented as George Washington’s Headquarters both during the Battle of White Plains in 1776 and later in 1778. The Monument Committee repaired the house, which was moved in 1973 to its current location on Park Avenue, at the top of Purdy Hill. On April 31, 1979, the House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
   In 1985, the Battle of White Plains Monument Committee officially changed its name and incorporated as the White Plains Historical Society. The purpose of the Society is the discovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge about the history, past and present, of the City of White Plains, New York.

Present

Society membership is open to the public upon the paying of annual dues, and Trustee Meetings are held on the second Monday of every month at the Jacob Purdy House (except August). An annual dinner is hosted in early May and regularly features prominent historical authors, as well as the annual awarding of the Society’s "Citizen Extraordinaire". The Society also holds annual commemorations for the Battle of White Plains and Washington’s Birthday at the Jacob Purdy House.
It also gets involucrated on housing decisions on White Plains.

Notable residents

John Jay (1745-1829), 1st Chief Justice of the United States, 2nd Governor of New York, buried in Rye.

Percy Grainger (1882-1961), Australian-born U.S. composer, pianist and conductor.

Garrick Ohlsson, the internationally acclaimed concert pianist, was raised in White Plains.

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.

Tupac Shakur, briefly attended White Plains High School

Alan Alda (born Alfonso Joseph D'Abruzzo) attended Archbishop Stepinac High School.

Andrew S. Tanenbaum, computer scientist and professor, was raised in White Plains.

Matisyahu, American Jewish reggae artist, was raised in White Plains.

Ralph Waite, actor who played John Walton in "The Waltons" television series, born in White Plains.

Art Monk, NFL wide receiver, was raised in White Plains and graduated from White Plains High School.

Dan Duryea (1907-1968), actor, was born in White Plains

Bob Hyland, NFL lineman, born and raised in White Plains and graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High Schoolin 1963.

Channing Frye, NBA forward, was born in White Plains.

Joseph Campbell, Author and expert on myth and legend, born and raised in White Plains.

J.C. Penney, the department-store magnate, lived in White Plains from the 1920s until the mid-1950s.

Leon Davidson, engineer, lived in White Plains and is buried there.

A.J. Hammer (born Andrew Goldberg), TV personality, is a 1984 graduate of White Plains High School.

Vanessa Rousso, a professional poker player, was born in White Plains.

Jackson Davis, founder of charity organization, Protect A Paw.

Gordon Parks, Jr., African-American film director best known for directing the film Superfly, and son of famous photographer Gordon Parks Sr. attended White Plains High School.

David Sanger, New York Times White House correspondent and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Graduated White Plains High School in 1978.

Julianna Rose Mauriello, actress known for portraying the character Stephanie on the children's TV show LazyTown.

Eddy Curry, NBA Player, for the New York Knicks.

David Lee (basketball), NBA Player, for the New York Knicks.Further Information

Get more info on 'White Plains New York'.

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