Thornwood, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thornwood, New York
CDP
Thornwood-Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce building
Location of Thornwood in Westchester County, New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Westchester
Town	Mount Pleasant
Area
• Total	1.12 sq mi (2.89 km2)
• Land	1.12 sq mi (2.89 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	269 ft (82 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,960
• Density	3,545.21/sq mi (1,368.99/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	10594
Area code(s)	914
FIPS code	36-73715
GNIS feature ID	0967439

Thornwood is a small community in Westchester County, New York. It is known as a hamlet, which is a type of unincorporated community. This means it's a small place without its own local government. Thornwood is also a census-designated place (CDP) and has its own ZIP Code, 10594. It is part of the larger Town of Mount Pleasant in New York. In 2010, about 3,759 people lived there.

Thornwood's History

Thornwood began to grow in 1891, thanks to Lewis Smadback. A village called Sherman Park was created in 1906. Its name changed to Hillside in 1909. Then, in 1914, the village was dissolved. That's when Thornwood got its current name. It became a hamlet within the Town of Mount Pleasant.

Some people think the name "Thornwood" might come from "Hawthorne's Woods." Hawthorne is a nearby hamlet. Another idea is that it's named after a place in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Marble Quarry

Thornwood once had a big quarry where white Westchester marble was dug up. This quarry was near the center of town. It started in 1845. The marble from Thornwood helped build famous places like St. Patrick's Cathedral. That's why a street in Thornwood is called Marble Avenue. The quarry pit was filled in during the mid-1980s. Now, a shopping mall called Town Center stands there.

The Old Train Station

Thornwood used to have its own train station. It was on the Harlem Line of the Metro-North Railroad. A train ride from Thornwood to Grand Central Terminal in New York City took about 48 minutes. The old station building is still on Commerce Street. However, the train stop was removed in the mid-1980s. This happened when the train line north of North White Plains was updated for electric trains. Thornwood was the only stop that was removed. The train tracks curved too much at Thornwood. This made it hard to build the elevated platform needed for electric trains.

Thornwood's Location

Thornwood is located at 41°7′18″N 73°46′37″W / 41.12167°N 73.77694°W / 41.12167; -73.77694. The U.S. Census Bureau says the hamlet covers about 2.9 square kilometers (1.1 square miles). All of this area is land.

Thornwood's People

In 2000, there were 5,980 people living in Thornwood. There were 1,886 households and 1,559 families. The population density was about 1,761 people per square mile (680 people per square kilometer). Most residents, about 91%, were White. About 2.4% were African American, and 4% were Asian. About 5.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Many households, about 40.7%, had children under 18 living with them. Most families, 72.5%, were married couples. The average household had 3.06 people. The average family had 3.39 people.

The median age in Thornwood was 38 years old. About 28.3% of the people were under 18. Another 13.3% were 65 years or older.

In 2000, the median income for a household was $88,971. For a family, it was $98,313. This means that half of the households earned more than this amount, and half earned less. Only a small number of families, about 2.2%, lived below the poverty line.

Thornwood's Economy

Thornwood is home to the North American headquarters for the Carl Zeiss Corporation. This is a large German company. They make things like optical systems, tools for industrial measurements, and medical devices.

Religious Buildings

The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic religious institute. They have a center in Thornwood called Our Lady of Thornwood Conference, Education and Training Center. It's built on the site of an old IBM facility. Students who are studying to become Catholic priests used to study philosophy here. However, these studies will now happen at the Legionaries' Seminary in Rome, Italy. The building in Thornwood will be sold.

Emergency Services

Thornwood residents are protected by the Mt. Pleasant Police Department. They also have the volunteer Thornwood Fire Department. This fire department serves about 5,000 people in a 5 square mile (13 square kilometer) area.

Fire Department Equipment

The Thornwood Fire Department has several important vehicles:

• Engine 88 - A 2010 Sutphen Monarch pumper truck.
• Engine 89 - A 2017 Sutphen Monarch pumper truck.
• Rescue 75 - A 2005 Pierce Dash rescue pumper.
• Tower Ladder 1 - A 1998 Sutphen 95-foot ladder truck.
• Utility 55 - A 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD truck.
• Mini Attack 19 - A Polaris Utility Body 6x6 vehicle.
• 2471, 2472, 2473 - These are cars used by the fire chiefs.

• 

  Car 2471

• 

  Car 2472

• 

  Engine 88

• 

  Rescue 75

• 

  Tower Ladder 1

• 

  1917 Ford Model T, department antique

Ambulance Services

The Pleasantville Volunteer Ambulance Corps (VAC) helps Thornwood. Their vehicles include 7601, 7602, 7603, Rehab 7605, and Captains Car 7611. Their station is located at 30 Gramercy Place in Thornwood. It is across from the town center.

Education in Thornwood

Thornwood is part of the Mt. Pleasant Central School District. This district includes several schools:

• Hawthorne Elementary School
• Columbus Elementary School
• Westlake Middle School
• Westlake High School

The old Thornwood Elementary School closed in the 1980s. It was turned into apartments. The former Thornwood Junior High School later became Columbus Elementary School.

Notable People from Thornwood

• Rob Astorino - A politician who used to be the Westchester County Executive.
• Carmen Carrozza - A famous accordion player.

See also

In Spanish: Thornwood (Nueva York) para niños