Yorktown is a town on the northern border of Westchester County, New York, United States. A suburb of the New York City metropolitan area, it is approximately 38 miles (61 km) north of midtown Manhattan. The population was 36,081 at the 2010 U.S. Census.

History
Geography
Demographics
Events
Railroads
Buildings
Business
Communities and locations in Yorktown
Education
Notable people
Images for kids
See also

History

Yorktown has a rich historical heritage beginning with the earliest known inhabitants—Mohegan, Osceola, Amawalk, Kitchawan, and Mohansic peoples—after which local places were named.

The Croton River, which runs through the southern part of Yorktown, was dammed by New York City to provide its first major source of clean and reliable water. The first Croton Dam was located in Yorktown and broke in 1842, causing significant damage to property and major loss of life.

First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown in Crompond on a vintage postcard

During the American Revolution, Yorktown was of strategic importance, with the Pines Bridge crossing guarded by a regiment of Rhode Island troops made up mostly of African Americans, who were massacred at the Davenport House in Croton Heights. A memorial to them was erected at the Presbyterian Church in Crompond, New York.

In 1788, the township was officially incorporated as Yorktown, commemorating the decisive Revolutionary War Battle of Yorktown, near Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781.

Moving north after the battle of Yorktown, the French army camped at the site of today's French Hill Elementary School, where cannonballs and other relics have been found.

During the town's bicentennial in 1988, Yorktowners honored their historic heritage, including that of the 19th and 20th centuries, and commemorated their community's participation in events that led up to the birth and growth of the United States. A Bicentennial Committee reviewed the town's remaining historic sites and determined which should be preserved as a link between the Yorktown of yesterday and the Yorktown of tomorrow.

Geography

The north town line is the border of Putnam County, New York. The town of Somers borders Yorktown on the east, and Cortlandt borders Yorktown on the west. New Castle borders Yorktown on the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.3 square miles (102 km²), of which 36.7 square miles (95 km²) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²), or 6.57%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	1,609	—
1820	1,991	—
1830	2,141	7.5%
1840	2,819	31.7%
1850	2,273	−19.4%
1860	2,231	−1.8%
1870	2,625	17.7%
1880	2,481	−5.5%
1890	2,378	−4.2%
1900	2,421	1.8%
1910	3,020	24.7%
1920	1,441	−52.3%
1930	2,724	89.0%
1940	3,642	33.7%
1950	4,731	29.9%
1960	16,453	247.8%
1970	28,064	70.6%
1980	31,988	14.0%
1990	33,467	4.6%
2000	36,318	8.5%
2010	36,081	−0.7%
2016 (est.)	36,996	2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the United States Census of 2000, there were 36,318 people, 12,556 households, and 9,831 families residing in the town. The population density was 989.7 people per square mile (382.1/km²). There were 12,852 housing units at an average density of 350.2 per square mile (135.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.64% White, 3.04% African American, 0.14% Native American, 3.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.82% of the population.

There were 12,556 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.1% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $133,819, and the median income for a family was $154,984 (these figures had risen to $137,253 and $159,413 respectively as of a 2014 estimate). Males had a median income of $96,071 versus $75,899 for females. The per capita income for the town was $63,570. About 1.1% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

For the 2010 census, the results showed 87.9% White, 3.3% African-American, 0.1% American Indian, 4.7% Asian, 9.4% Latino.

Some of Yorktown's multiple ethnic groups, nationalities and religious communities are, for example, Italians, Mexicans and American Jews. There is an annual feast of San Gennaro represents the Italian community. Also there are Irish, Japanese and African-Americans, among others.

Events

The town hosts the yearly Greasestock festival, a showcase of alternative fuel vehicles.

Railroads

Yorktown once had five stations along the New York and Putnam Railroad — Kitchawan, Croton Lake, Croton Heights, Yorktown Heights, and Amawalk. The railroad failed, was purchased by the New York Central Railroad, and was finally abandoned. The old right of way is now part of the North County Trailway, which runs north as far as Carmel, New York.

Buildings

Jefferson Valley Mall, the area's major shopping center, is located in Yorktown, in the hamlet of Jefferson Valley.

Business

IBM's Watson computer at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center

The headquarters for Contractors Register is located in the Hamlet of Jefferson Valley. Contractors Register publishes The Blue Book for Building & Construction: www.thebluebook.com.

The main site of the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center is located in the Kitchawan part of Yorktown. US Postal Service mail for this site is collected at the US Post Office for Yorktown Heights, which makes it look like this site is located in Yorktown Heights.

The law office of Schoen & Peters Law, which represents Apple, Inc., is located in Yorktown.

Communities and locations in Yorktown

Hamlets

Crompond
Jefferson Valley
Mohegan Lake (not completely in the town of Yorktown)
Shrub Oak
Yorktown Heights

Neighborhoods

Croton Heights
Crow Hill
Huntersville
Kitchawan
Osceola Lake
Sparkle Lake
Teatown (not completely in the town of Yorktown)

Education

The Town of Yorktown is served by four school districts: Yorktown Central School District, Lakeland Central School District, Croton-Harmon Union Free School District, and Ossining Union Free School District.

The Yorktown School District encompasses a large part of the Town of Yorktown and small sections of Cortlandt and New Castle. The district includes two, grade K-3 elementary schools; one, grade 4-5 elementary school; one, grade 6-8 middle school; and one grade 9-12 high school.

Lakeland is a suburban school district located in the Northwest corner of Westchester County and includes parts of six towns: Yorktown, Cortlandt, and Somers in Westchester County; Carmel, Philipstown, and Putnam Valley in Putnam County. Lakeland includes five grade K-5 elementary schools, one grade 6-8 middle school, and two grade 9-12 high schools, as well as the Lakeland Alternative High School.

The Croton-Harmon School District encompasses parts of the towns of Cortlandt, Yorktown, and Ossining and includes the village of Croton-on-Hudson. The district population is approximately 15,000 with some 1,700 students attending Croton schools this year. The district includes one, grade K-4 elementary school; one, grade 5-8 middle school; and one, grade 9-12 high school.

The Ossining Union Free School District encompasses parts of the towns of Yorktown, New Castle, Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, and the Village of Ossining. The district includes the Park Early childhood center, which houses three programs: First Steps for Ossining families with children ages 0 to 4, Pre-Kindergarten for four year-olds and Kindergarten, one grade 1-2 elementary school, one, grade 3-4 elementary school, one grade 5 elementary school, one grade 6-8 middle school, and one grade 9-12 high school.

Notable people

Roy Colsey, Major League Lacrosse player, grew up in Yorktown
Nargis Fakhri, Bollywood actress, owns a house in Yorktown
Susan Faludi, American feminist, journalist, author, and Pulitzer Prize winner grew up in Yorktown
Robert Hannsen, convicted Russian spy, lived with his family in Yorktown in the mid-1980s
Margaret Illington, stage actress popular in the first decade of the 20th century, lived on her Dreamlake estate in Yorktown
Consuelo Kanaga, photographer and writer who became well known for her photographs of African-Americans
Andrew Kavovit, actor, grew up in Yorktown
Dave Matthews, singer/songwriter, lived with his family in Yorktown before he moved to Virginia
William Keepers Maxwell Jr., fiction editor for The New Yorker and novelist
Terrence Murphy, Former New York State Senator
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Congresswoman, born in NYC, but moved to Yorktown when she was five and later attended Yorktown High School
Buster Olney, ESPN baseball analyst and former New York Yankees beat writer
Clifford A. Pickover, writer. In his book, The Mobius Strip, he models the fictional New Devonshire on Yorktown. Pickover also used the Jefferson Valley Mall as the locale for his book The Heaven Virus.
Al Roker, meteorologist, lived in Yorktown while he was married to the town clerk, Alice Bell
Anthony "Romeo" Santos, Dominican-American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and lead vocalist of the American bachata band Aventura who is the first Latino artist to sell out Yankee and MetLife Stadium
Lawrence Treat, mystery writer and pioneer of the genre of novels police procedurals
Halsey (H.W.) Wilson, founder of the H. W. Wilson Company, a publisher, lived in the Croton Heights section of Yorktown

Images for kids

The Tudor Revival Yorktown Heights station

Yorktown, New York facts for kids

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