Larchmont, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Larchmont, New York
Village
Larchmont Yacht Club
Seal
Location of Larchmont, New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Westchester
Town	Mamaroneck
Area
• Total	1.10 sq mi (2.84 km2)
• Land	1.10 sq mi (2.84 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	52 ft (16 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,630
• Density	6,049.27/sq mi (2,336.15/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	10538
Area code(s)	914
FIPS code	36-41333
GNIS feature ID	0977360
Website	www.villageoflarchmont.org

Village Hall and fire station

Chatsworth Avenue School

Larchmont Public Library

Larchmont is a small village in Westchester County, New York. It is part of the larger Town of Mamaroneck. Larchmont is a suburb of New York City, located about 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Midtown Manhattan. In 2020, about 6,630 people lived here. In 2019, Bloomberg News said Larchmont was one of the wealthiest places in the United States.

History of Larchmont

Early Days and Land Deals

Long ago, the Siwanoy people, an Algonquian tribe, lived in the area now known as Larchmont. In 1614, Dutch explorers visited the land.

In 1661, a merchant from England named John Richbell bought land from the Siwanoy. This land included three peninsulas. One of these is now Larchmont Manor. Another person, Thomas Revell, tried to buy the same land. But Governor Stuyvesant, who was in charge of the Dutch colonies, decided Richbell was the rightful owner in 1662.

Later, in 1664, Great Britain took control of the colonies. Richbell got an English title for his land in 1668. He started to encourage people to settle there.

How Larchmont Got Its Name

In 1700, Samuel Palmer took over the leases for the "Middle Neck" land. By 1722, his family owned it completely.

Larchmont's oldest house, the "Manor House" on Elm Avenue, was built in 1797. It was built by Peter Jay Munro. He was the nephew of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Munro was also involved in the movement to end slavery.

Peter Jay Munro bought most of the land in the "Middle Neck" by 1828. He built his home facing the Boston Post Road. This road could get very dusty. To help with the dust, his gardener planted a special type of larch tree from Scotland. These trees grew quickly and were planted along the front of his property. Eventually, these trees gave the village its name: Larchmont.

Becoming a Summer Resort

After Peter Jay Munro died in 1833, his son Henry inherited the property. Henry lost the land, and it was sold in 1845 to Edward Knight Collins. Collins owned a steamship company.

After the American Civil War in 1865, Collins went bankrupt. His estate was sold to Thompson J.S. Flint. Flint divided the land into building lots. He named his company the Larchmont Manor Company. Flint turned the old Munro Mansion into an inn for people who wanted to buy land. He also saved some land by the water to be a park for future residents.

After 1872, Larchmont became a popular summer vacation spot for wealthy people from New York City. The new New York & New Haven Railroad made it much easier to travel. This helped turn many farms in Westchester into suburbs by the 1900s.

The Village Is Formed

In 1788, the New York government created Mamaroneck as a town. This town included parts of the Village of Mamaroneck, the Village of Larchmont, and other areas. In the 1890s, Larchmont residents needed more services like water, sewage, and police. The town government couldn't provide these.

So, in 1891, the people of Larchmont Manor got a special permission to become an official village. The village's borders were made larger to include more land. This was to meet a law that said villages needed a certain number of people per square mile.

After cars became popular, Larchmont changed from a vacation spot to one of America's first suburbs. Wealthy people could now live in Larchmont and drive to work in New York City every day. Many old Victorian "cottages" and large hotels are still there today. They have been changed into homes or other buildings.

The Larchmont Yacht Club holds a big boat race every year called Race Week. It's next to Manor Park, which has walking paths and views of the water. The Larchmont Shore Club also hosts a swimming challenge across Long Island Sound.

Larchmont, along with nearby Mamaroneck and New Rochelle, has many French American residents. This is partly because of the French-American School of New York.

Geography and Location

Larchmont station is a stop on Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line

Larchmont is located at 40°55′34″N 73°45′11″W / 40.92611°N 73.75306°W / 40.92611; -73.75306. It is about 18 miles (29 km) from Manhattan.

The village covers a total area of about 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), and all of it is land.

It can be a bit confusing because a large part of the area that uses the Larchmont Post Office (zip code 10538) is not actually inside the Village of Larchmont. It's part of the "unincorporated area" of the Town of Mamaroneck.

Population of Larchmont

In 2000, there were 6,485 people living in Larchmont. Most residents were White (92%). There were also smaller groups of African American, Native American, and Asian people. About 5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The median age in the village was 38 years old. About 29% of the population was under 18. The average household had 2.66 people.

In 2009, the average income for a household in Larchmont was $165,375. This shows that Larchmont is a very prosperous community.

Schools in Larchmont

Larchmont is part of the Mamaroneck Union Free School District.

• Chatsworth Avenue School was built in 1903.
• Murray Avenue School was built in 1922.

Other schools in the Town of Mamaroneck include Central School (Larchmont, New York), Hommocks Middle School, and Mamaroneck High School.

There is also a private Catholic school called Saints John and Paul School. It teaches students from kindergarten to 8th grade. It opened in 1952.

Parks and Fun Places

Larchmont has many parks and places for sports and recreation:

• Flint Park has tennis courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, and basketball courts. It also has a picnic area and a playground.
• Hommocks Park features a swimming pool, soccer field, baseball fields, and an ice rink. The New York Raptors, a special needs hockey team, play here. The rink is also home to the Mamaroneck High School hockey team.
• Lorenzen Park is where the village's Little League and Soccer League play.
• Manor Park is along Long Island Sound. It has walking paths and great views of the water. It's open to everyone.
• Pine Brook Park is a play area for young children and has a ballfield.
• Vanderburgh Park is also known as "Turtle Park." It's a play area for small children.
• Willow/Woodbine Park is a good place to see nature along the Premium River. It also has basketball courts, a soccer field, and play areas.
• Memorial Park has four tennis courts, a large field, a picnic area, and a playground. It's located across from the Larchmont train station.

Famous People from Larchmont

Many notable people have lived in Larchmont, including:

• Edward Albee, a famous playwright who won a Pulitzer Prize.
• Douglas Fairbanks, a well-known actor from silent films.
• Timothy Geithner, who was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
• D. W. Griffith, an Academy Award-winning film director.
• Ang Lee, an Oscar-winning movie director.
• Mary Pickford, an Academy Award-winning actress and co-founder of United Artists film studio.
• Joan Rivers, a famous actress and comedian.
• Doc Severinsen, a popular jazz trumpeter.
• Anastasio Somoza Debayle, a former President of Nicaragua, stayed in Larchmont while attending boarding school.

Images for kids

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  Larchmont movie playhouse

See also

In Spanish: Larchmont para niños