Bronxville is a village in Westchester County, New York, located about 15 miles (24Â km) north of midtown Manhattan. It is part of the town of Eastchester. The village comprises 1 square mile (2.5Â km2) of land in its entirety, approximately 20% of the town of Eastchester. As of the 2010 U.S. census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323. As of 2016, Bronxville was rated the number one most expensive suburb around America's ten largest cities by CNBC with a median home value of $2.33 million. In 2017 it was ranked 8th in Bloomberg's "America's 100 Richest Places".
History
Bronxville - Lawrence Hospital - Fly-around rendering. Lillibridge Healthcare Services.
Millionaire real-estate and pharmaceutical mogul William Van Duzer Lawrence sparked the development of Bronxville as an affluent suburb of New York City with magnificent homes in a country-like setting. The area, once known as "Underhill's Crossing", became "Bronxville" when the village was formally established. The population grew in the second half of the 19th century when railroads allowed commuters from Westchester County to work in New York City. Lawrence's influence can be seen throughout the community, including the historic Lawrence Park neighborhood, the Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate Corporation, and Lawrence Hospital. John F Kennedy, the President of the United States, also resided here for a time.
The village was home to an arts colony in the early 20th century during which time many noteworthy houses by prominent and casual architects were built. After the Bronx River Parkway was completed in 1925, the Village expanded rapidly with the construction of several apartment buildings and townhouses much of it built by the Lawrence family. As of 1959, they continued to own or manage 97% of the rental market. In both rentals and ownership, the village discouraged and effectively prohibited Jewish residency, earning the name "The Holy Square Mile."
The Gramatan Hotel on Sunset Hill was a residence hotel in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Gramatan was the name of the chief of the local Siwanoy Indian tribe that was centered in the Gramatan Rock area above Bronxville Station. Chief Gramatan sold the land to the settlers. The hotel was demolished in 1970, and a complex of townhouses was built on the site in 1980.
Elizabeth Clift Bacon, General George Armstrong Custer's widow, lived in Bronxville, and her house still stands to this day.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church, located in the downtown area, was attended by the Kennedys when they were residents from 1929 to about 1941. In 1958 future-senator Ted Kennedy married Joan Bennett in St. Joseph's Church. In 1960, the Village voted 5:1 for Nixon over Kennedy.
The US Post Officeâ€"Bronxville was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Other sites on the National Register are the Bronxville Women's Club, Lawrence Park Historic District, and Masterton-Dusenberry House.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 6,543 people, 2,312 households and 1,660 families residing in the village. The population density was 6,869.3 per square mile (2,659.2/km²). There were 2,387 housing units at an average density of 2,506.0 per square mile (970.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.88% White, 1.15% African American, 0.05% Native American, 4.83% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.93% of the population.
There were 2,312 households of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.27.
Age distribution was 29.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.
The median household income was $203,931, the average household income is $317,060, and the median family income was $256,883, making it one of the wealthiest and most affluent places with more than 1000 households, or population of 1000, in the United States. It is currently ranked 16th in highest median income in the country. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $61,184 for females. The per capita income for the village was $111,207. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over. In 2016 it was named one of the ten most expensive suburbs around America's major cities by Forbes.
Postal code
Bronxville's 10708 ZIP Code covers the village of Bronxville proper, plus Chester Heights and other sections of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe, and Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa, and other sections of Yonkers. This brings the ZIP code's population to 22,411 (2000 census), covering an area more than twice as large as the municipality of Bronxville itself and encompassing several notable institutions, such as Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers. In fact, there are more residents of Yonkers using a Bronxville mailing address than living in the village itself. The Bronxville Post Office serves residents of the village.
Education
Bronxville is home to Concordia College, a liberal arts college operated by the Lutheran Churchâ€"Missouri Synod. Adjacent to the Concordia College campus is the Chapel Schoolâ€"a pre-K-8 school affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
The Bronxville Public School is known as The Bronxville School. The school was started as a progressive educational institution in the 1920s.
Parks and recreation
The Village of Bronxville has over 70 acres (280,000 m2) of parkland including athletic fields, woodlands, and a very small part of the Bronx River Parkway Reservation. The Reservation, Westchester’s oldest park, was created as an adjunct to the Bronx River Parkway that opened in 1925, and was the first linear park in the United States. The Reservation features ponds, wooden footbridges and hundreds of varieties of native trees and shrubs. The park is owned by Westchester County, and it is a favorite place for bicycling, walking, running, and nature study. It is sometimes referred to by locals as "The Duck Pond."
The Bronxville School's athletic fields contain a football field, three smaller fields used for various sports like field hockey and lacrosse, and a running track (which is only 380 meters in Lane 1 because of space issues). Bacon Woodlands, located on Kensington Road, is a natural rock outcropping which has been left in its natural state, the flatter portion of which is used as an informal play area by children. Scout Field, a Westchester County Park which is located predominantly in Yonkers and Mount Vernon but is controlled by Bronxville, is heavily utilized by the Bronxville schools' soccer, football, baseball and cross-country running programs. In 2006, Chambers Field was replaced with turf, which was funded by the community and parents of athletes in Bronxville.
From April to June and September to October, a 7-mile (11Â km) stretch of the Bronx River Parkway (no part of the roadway of which is in Bronxville) from Scarsdale Road in Yonkers (north of Bronxville) to White Plains closes to automobile traffic each Sunday (except on holiday weekends) between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. During those times, the Westchester County Parks Department runs "Bicycle Sundays" along this stretch of the parkway.
Notable people
In popular culture
- The Bronxville School appears in Stepmom starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon and in Firstborn (1984) starring Teri Garr and Peter Weller.
- The Siwanoy Country Club, located in Eastchester, is featured in Rounders starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton. Siwanoy Country Club is also featured in Six Degrees of Separation starring Will Smith, Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland
- The film Baby Mama was shot, partly, on Legget Road in Bronxville.
- The opening scene in the 1990 film Tales from the Darkside was shot in Bronxville.
- A few scenes from Admission were filmed in Value Drugs and Womwraths in Bronxville
Image gallery
See also
- Eastchester
- William Van Duzer Lawrence
- US Post Officeâ€"Bronxville
- Bronxville Women's Club
- Lawrence Park Historic District
- Masterton-Dusenberry House
- Bronxville Union Free School District
- Lawrence Hospital
References
External links
- Village of Bronxville official website
- 'My Hometown' Bronxville
- Bronxville High School Alumni
- Bronxville Government Access TV