Mount Airy, New York facts for kids
Mt. Airy is a neighborhood in Westchester County, New York. It is located just south of Furnace Woods and north of Croton. This area is partly in Cortlandt and partly in the village of Croton-on-Hudson. People often call it Mt. Airy for short.
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Where is Mt. Airy Located?
Mt. Airy has clear boundaries. To the west, you'll find Furnace Dock Road and the small community of Krugers. To the south, it borders Grand Street and the Village of Croton. The Croton River forms its eastern edge. North of Mt. Airy, there are mostly undeveloped woods. Beyond these woods are Furnace Wood, Cortlandt Manor, and the communities of Cortlandt and Yorktown.
Who Lives in Mt. Airy?
In the early 1700s, most people living in Mt. Airy were from Dutch and English backgrounds. Today, Mt. Airy is not an official census area, so exact numbers are hard to get. However, most residents are white and belong to upper or upper-middle-class families. There is a small area called Mt. Airy Woods with low-income housing. Fewer than 30 families live there. It's thought that about 1,500 people live in Mt. Airy in total.
Getting Around and Schools
Mt. Airy is part of the Croton-Harmon School District. It also uses the Croton-on-Hudson post office (zip code 10520). Unlike busier parts of the village, homes in Mt. Airy are quite spread out. This gives the area a rural feel, even though it's in the suburbs.
Many parents living here work in New York City, White Plains, or other nearby cities. Children attend school in the Upper Village. This makes Mt. Airy a "bedroom community." It means the area is very quiet during weekdays when most adults are at work and kids are at school.
Residents on the western side of Mt. Airy use the Montrose exit on Route 9. This helps them get to New York City, White Plains, Yorktown, and the Croton-Harmon train station. Most other residents travel down South Mt. Airy Road to reach these same places. People living near Route 129 use that road. It takes them into the village and to the Taconic State Parkway in Yorktown. From there, many travel south to White Plains. During rush hour, a bus runs along Route 129 to the train station.
A Look Back: Mt. Airy's Past
In the early 1900s, Mt. Airy was known as Red Hill. This was because it was important to the American Communist Party. Many important members and actors who supported communism lived here. Even John Reed, a famous journalist, lived in Croton's Upper Village.
The Peekskill Riot, a very controversial event, happened less than five miles away. After this event, the Communist Party's influence slowly faded as the Cold War became more intense. Mt. Airy was also home to the Hessian Hills School. Elizabeth Moos founded this school in the 1920s, and it operated until the early 1950s.
In 1932, Mount Airy and Harmon were separate communities. They later became part of the village of Croton-on-Hudson. Each area had its own special character. Mount Airy was a Quaker community until the 1800s. Then, in the early 1900s, it became a summer spot. Many artists and writers from Greenwich Village came to visit. For example, New Thought writer Ralph Waldo Trine built a cabin there.
