Hartsdale, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hartsdale, New York
Town
Location of Hartsdale, New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Westchester
Town	Greenburgh
Area
• Total	0.85 sq mi (2.20 km2)
• Land	0.85 sq mi (2.20 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	184 ft (56 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,377
• Density	3,982.31/sq mi (1,536.75/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	10530
Area code(s)	914
FIPS code	36-32523
GNIS feature ID	0952312

Hartsdale is a small community called a "hamlet" in Westchester County, New York, United States. It's part of the larger Town of Greenburgh. Hartsdale is located about 20 miles (32 km) north of New York City. Many people who live here travel to New York City for work or school.

In 2020, about 3,377 people lived in Hartsdale. This community is famous for being the home of America's first pet cemetery, which started in 1896. It also had the world's first Carvel Ice Cream store, which opened in 1934.

History

Hartsdale has a rich history, from its earliest Native American residents to its important role in the American Revolution. It also saw big changes as it grew from a farming area into a busy commuter town.

Early Settlers

The first people to live in the Hartsdale area were the Wecquaesgeek (pronounced Weck-kwah-sgeek). They were a group of Algonquian Native Americans. Their name, "Weekquaeskeek," means "place of the bark kettle." This kettle is even on the town's official seal today.

Colonial Times and the American Revolution

When British colonists arrived, the land was given to Frederick Philipse, a Dutch merchant. He created a "manor system," where he owned the land and rented it to tenant farmers. These farmers are thought to have lived alongside their Native American neighbors for a while.

Hartsdale played a big part in the Revolutionary War. A battle was fought here on October 28, 1776, near the current train station. The Odell House, built in 1732, was the headquarters for French General Comte de Rochambeau. It's believed that he and George Washington planned their alliance there, which led to the important Battle of Yorktown. The house was later named after John Odell, Washington's guide.

After the war, Frederick Philipse III, who supported the British, had his land taken away. It was then sold to the farmers who lived there. Many of these farmers were descendants of the Hart family. The area where Central Park Avenue and Hartsdale Avenue meet was named "Hart's Corners" after Robert Hart, one of these farmers. By the mid-1800s, the whole area became known as "Hartsdale."

Growth in the 19th Century

For a long time, Hartsdale was mostly farmland. But in 1865, Eleazar Hart gave land for the New York and Harlem Railroad to build a train line to Manhattan. This changed Hartsdale from a quiet farming area into a busy place for people who traveled to work in the city. Between 1880 and 1940, many farms and large estates were divided into smaller plots for houses and apartments. By the 1960s, almost all the farmland was gone.

20th Century Developments

In 1904, a successful banker named Felix M. Warburg bought a large amount of land in Hartsdale. He built his huge "Woodlands" estate there as a summer home. His son, Edward M. M. Warburg, later helped put on the first American performance of a famous ballet called "Serenade" by George Balanchine at the estate in 1934.

After Felix's wife, Frieda Schiff Warburg, passed away in 1958, she gave 150 acres (0.61 km2) of the estate to the town of Greenburgh. This land became the home of the Greenburgh Central School District and Woodlands High School. The main Warburg mansion is now the school district's headquarters.

Hartsdale also played a small part in the history of television! On February 9, 1928, a Scottish inventor named John Logie Baird sent the world's first television signal across the ocean. It went from England to his friend O. G. Hutchinson in the basement of Robert M. Hart's home in Hartsdale.

In 1932, Henry Jacques Gaisman, who invented the Gillette safety razor blade, bought 136 acres (0.55 km2) of land. In 1957, he and his wife, Catherine, gave this land to the New York Archdiocese. Today, this land is the beautiful Hart's Brook Nature Preserve, a place where people can enjoy nature.

Hartsdale Fire Station 1

The famous Carvel ice cream story began in Hartsdale. On a hot day in 1934, Tom Carvelas was selling ice cream from his truck when he got a flat tire in Hartsdale. His ice cream was melting fast, so he decided to sell it right there. It was so popular that he bought the land and opened the first Carvel ice cream store in 1936. The original store closed in 2008, but the Hartsdale Fire Company still gives out Carvel "Flying Saucers" after their Memorial Day parade to remember this history.

Many interesting people have lived in Hartsdale, including Salvation Army leader Evangeline Cory Booth, composer Charles Ives, artist Malvina Hoffman, and actor Peter Riegert.

Geography

Hartsdale is a unique community because it still has two working farms on Secor Road, which is rare for an area so close to New York City. It also has several parks where people can enjoy the outdoors. These include the 25-acre (10 ha) Secor Woods Park, the 170-acre (0.69 km2) Ridge Road Park, and the 86-acre (35 ha) Rumbrook Park.

The town has different neighborhoods, like the "Village" (downtown area), Manor Woods, and Windsor Park. Hartsdale is also known for its large Japanese population. You can find Japanese shops, restaurants, and even a Japanese supermarket in the downtown area.

Ferncliff Cemetery is located in Hartsdale. Many famous people are buried or cremated there, including singer Aaliyah, civil rights leader Malcolm X, actress Judy Garland, and musician Thelonious Monk. British rocker John Lennon and Muppets creator Jim Henson were also cremated there.

The Hartsdale Railroad Station is an important landmark. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. The historic Evangeline Booth House is also in Hartsdale.

Major roads in Hartsdale include NY 100 and the Bronx River Parkway. For public transportation, residents can take the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line to New York City or use the Bee-Line Bus system.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Hartsdale covers a total area of 0.85 square miles (2.2 km2), and all of it is land.

Population Information

In 2000, there were 9,830 people living in Hartsdale. The community is diverse, with people from many different backgrounds. About 76% of the population was White, 8.7% African American, and 10.2% Asian. About 9.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average age of people in Hartsdale in 2000 was 43 years old. About 18% of the population was under 18, and 17.9% were 65 or older. Hartsdale has a notable Japanese American community. There is also an Albanian Catholic Church called "Our Lady of Shkodra" in Hartsdale.

Notable people

Many interesting people have lived in Hartsdale:

• Sean Casten, a Democratic Congressman from Illinois, grew up here and went to Woodlands High School.
• Arleen Auger, a famous soprano singer.
• Mike "SuperJew" Epstein, a Major League Baseball player.
• Michael Jamin, a television writer and producer.
• Morris E. Lasker, a U.S. federal judge.
• Charles Wellford Leavitt, a landscape architect and urban planner.
• Allan Rosenfield, an academic.
• Billy Vera, a composer, singer, and actor, grew up in Hartsdale.
• Mary Ritter Beard, a historian who worked to preserve women's history.
• Tom Carvel, the inventor of soft-serve ice cream and the Carvel ice cream franchise.
• Michael d'Orlando, a racing driver.
• Nicholas d'Orlando, a racing driver.
• Basil Rathbone, an English actor.

In popular culture

Hartsdale has even appeared in popular culture!

• The popular J-pop rap/R&B duo Heartsdales got their name from Hartsdale, because the two members spent a lot of time here.
• In the NBC TV show Heroes, a secret facility called Primatech Research was located in Hartsdale.
• A scene from the comedy movie The Other Guys was filmed at a store in Hartsdale.

See also

In Spanish: Hartsdale para niños