Mount Vernon is a city in
Westchester County,
New York, United States. It is an
inner suburb of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, immediately to the north of the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle ...
of
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
. As of the
2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it the eighth most populous city in the state (2010).
Mount Vernon has two major sections. South-side Mount Vernon is more urban while north-side Mount Vernon is more residential. Mount Vernon's downtown business district is on the city's south side, which features the City Hall, Mount Vernon's main post office, Mount Vernon Public Library, office buildings, and other
municipal
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
establishments.
History
The Mount Vernon area was first settled in 1664 by families from
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
as part of the
Town of Eastchester.
Mount Vernon became a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
in 1853, and a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...
in 1892.
Mount Vernon takes its name from
George Washington's
Mount Vernon plantation in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
, much like neighboring
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population ...
(in the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
) was named for the
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
plantation where Washington was born (now part of
George Washington Birthplace National Monument).
In 1894, the voters of Mount Vernon participated in a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of ...
on whether they wanted to consolidate into a new "
City of Greater New York
The City of Greater New York was the term used by many politicians and scholars for the expanded City of New York created on January 1, 1898, by consolidating the existing City of New York with Brooklyn, western Queens County, and Staten I ...
." The cities of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...
(coterminous with
Kings County Kings County or King's County may refer to:
Places Canada
*Kings County, New Brunswick
*Kings County, Nova Scotia
*Kings County, Prince Edward Island
** King's County (electoral district), abolished in 1892
Ireland
* County Offaly, formerly call ...
) and
Long Island City, the western towns and villages of
Queens County, and all of
Richmond County (present day Staten Island) all voted to join with the existing city (present day
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
and
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
). However, the returns were so negative in Mount Vernon and the adjacent city of
Yonkers that those two areas were not included in the consolidated city and remained independent to this day.
The Mount Vernon Public Library, a gift to the city from
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in ...
, opened in 1904 and is now part of the
Westchester Library System
Westchester Library System (WLS) is the library system for the residents of Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1958. The system has 38 public libraries across the county and its headquarters are located in the town of Greenburgh, ...
, providing educational, cultural and computer services to county residents of all ages. The
Mount Vernon Trust Company
The Mount Vernon Trust Company, was a bank that operated in Mount Vernon, New York from 1903 until its acquisition by County Trust Company in 1952. It was chartered as a bank on March 5, 1903, and was largest commercial bank in Westchester Coun ...
, opened in 1903. It was the largest bank in
Westchester County, with branches in the east and west sections of the city.
During the 1960s, Mount Vernon was a divided city on the brink of a "northern style" segregation. Many African Americans from the
southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
migrated north and settled in the city of Mount Vernon for better job opportunities and educational advancements. At the same time, many
white Americans from the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
and
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
looked to Mount Vernon as a new "
bedroom community" due to rising crime in New York City (a "
white flight" factor contributed as well). As a result, Mount Vernon became divided in two by the
New Haven Line
The Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line is a commuter rail line running from New Haven, Connecticut to New York City. It joins the Harlem Line at Mount Vernon, New York and continues south to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The New Hav ...
railroad tracks of the
Metro-North Railroad: North Side and South Side. The population south of the tracks became predominantly African American, while that north of the tracks was largely white.
At the height of this segregation in the 1970s, August Petrillo was mayor. When he died, Thomas E. Sharpe was elected mayor. Upon Sharpe's death in 1984, Carmella Iaboni took office as "acting mayor" until
Ronald Blackwood
Ronald Alexander Blackwood (January 19, 1926 – February 22, 2017) was a Jamaican-born American politician who served as the mayor of Mount Vernon, New York, for eleven years from 1985 until 1996. On January 25, 1985, Blackwood became the first ...
was elected; Blackwood was the first
Afro-Caribbean
Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the ...
mayor of the city (as well as of any city in New York State). In 1996, Ernest D. Davis was elected the mayor of Mount Vernon; he served until 2007. Clinton I. Young, Jr. became the city's mayor on January 1, 2008. Four years later, on January 1, 2012, Ernest D. Davis became the 21st mayor of Mount Vernon. In 2013, Davis was investigated for failure to report rental income. In 2015, Richard Thomas ran against Davis (and several other opponents) and defeated him in an upset victory during the September primary. Thomas had to run again in the November general election, where he received 71% of the votes to become the Mayor of Mount Vernon.
In the subsequent 2019 election, Shawyn Patterson-Howard unseated the incumbent Mayor Thomas (as well as fellow candidates Clyde Isley and Councilman André Wallace, and others not on the final ballot including former Mayor Ernie Davis) in a hotly contested June primary to become the new Democratic nominee and went on to capture 81% of the vote to defeat André Wallace (who had since been named Acting Mayor and ran as a Republican) in the general election in November to become the first black woman elected mayor of Mount Vernon (and of any city in Westchester County).
Mount Vernon has in recent years undergone a transition from a city of homes and small businesses to a city of regional commerce. Between 2000 and 2006, the city of Mount Vernon's economy grew 20.5%, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the New York metropolitan area.
January 2019 Loss of Moody's Rating
In January 2019, Moody withdrew its credit rating for Mount Vernon due to the City's failure to provide audited financial statements. According to local press accounts of the situation and internal city memos obtained from the Mount Vernon city website, the failure to prepare and deliver audited financial statements stems from a disagreement as to which entity would pay for the audit of the Urban Renewal Agency (URA), one of the City's agencies, and which auditing firm would perform the audit. Further clouding the City's financial condition is the prospect that it might have a repayment obligation to HUD in connection with grants previously awarded to the City
2019 Mayoral dispute
On July 9, 2019, mayor Richard Thomas pled guilty to stealing campaign funds and lying to the
State Board of Elections
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
. As part of the terms of the guilty plea, Thomas was ordered to resign from office by September 30, 2019. The city council moved to remove Thomas from office under the city charter's provision disqualifying felons from office, and appointed council president Andre Wallace as acting mayor.
Thomas refused to resign from his post, citing the terms of the plea bargain. Wallace then appointed Shawn Harris as new police commissioner. After arriving for work, Thomas ordered the Mount Vernon Police to arrest Harris for trespassing. Harris was only released after an order from the Westchester County District Attorney. Both Thomas and Wallace occupied offices in the city hall, with Thomas in the mayor's office, under the guard of the Mount Vernon Police.
Finally, before a packed courtroom in White Plains, Judge Ecker made a decisive ruling that Thomas had actually vacated the office of mayor on July 8, that Wallace had automatically assumed the office at that time, and that Wallace would be the acting mayor of Mount Vernon until January 1, 2020.
Mount Vernon Charter Revision Commission
In March 2019, Mayor Richard Thomas called for the formation of the Mount Vernon Charter Revision Commission, suggesting the charter was antiquated, dating to the late 19th century. In August 2019, the Commission presented its final report which included four key proposed changes to the City's Charter:
# A new requirement for annual financial audits.
# Quarterly financial reports showing the city's fiscal condition.
# An updated comprehensive plan for economic growth.
# A periodic review of the city charter.
Notable sites
St. Paul's Church is a Mount Vernon attraction designated as a
National Historic Site.
Mount Vernon sites included on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
include:
*
First United Methodist Church
*
John Stevens House
John Stevens House is a historic home located at Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York. It was built between 1849 and 1851 and is a five-by-three-bay, -story, substantial frame farmhouse. It features a 1-story porch across the front eleva ...
*
Trinity Episcopal Church Complex
*
United States Post Office on First Street
*Former Con Edison Westchester County HQ, which is now Westchester County Social Services (Mount Vernon)
Geography
Location
Mount Vernon is at (40.914060, -73.830507).
It is the third-largest and the most densely populated city in Westchester County. According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.39%, is water.
Mount Vernon is bordered by the village of
Bronxville and city of
New Rochelle to the north, by the town of
Pelham and village of
Pelham Manor to the east, by the
Hutchinson River and the
Eastchester and
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population ...
sections of the Bronx to the south, and by the city of
Yonkers and the
Bronx River to the west.
Elevation
Mount Vernon's elevation at City Hall is about , reflecting its location between the
Bronx River to the west and the
Hutchinson River to the east. On a clear day, the
Throgs Neck Bridge can be seen from away from many parts of the city, while at night, the bridge's lights can also be seen. The city's seal, created in 1892, depicts what were then considered the highest points in Mount Vernon: Trinity Place near Fourth Street, Vista Place at Barnes Avenue, and North 10th Street between Washington and Jefferson places. Since then, it was discovered that the city's highest elevation is on
New York Route 22, North Columbus Avenue, at the
Bronxville line.
Neighborhoods
Mount Vernon is typically divided into four major sections in four square miles: Downtown, Mount Vernon Heights, North Side, and South Side.
Downtown
Downtown Mount Vernon features the Gramatan Avenue and Fourth Avenue shopping district (known as "The Avenue" by locals) and the Petrillo Plaza transit hub, and houses the city's central government.
Downtown is in the same condition it was 40 years ago. It features the same mid-century architecture and format. Former mayor Clinton Young vowed to make Mount Vernon a new epicenter with a new central business district. His failed plans included establishing commercial office space and rezoning to allow high density development in the downtown, as well as affordable and market rate housing.
Mount Vernon Heights
Mount Vernon Heights' highly elevated terrain has earned the moniker "the rolling hills of homes". It is home to the city's commercial corridor, along Sandford Boulevard (6th Street).
Sandford Blvd (6th Street)—also known as "Sandford Square"—is a certified commercial corridor, which anchors businesses such as
Bed Bath & Beyond,
Best Buy, Colonial Plaza (a strip mall),
CVS Pharmacy,
Famous Footwear,
Petco,
Restaurant Depot
Nathan "Natie" Kirsh (born 6 January 1932) is a South African born, Swazi billionaire businessman. He heads the Kirsh Group, which holds a majority stake in New York state cash and carry operation Jetro Holdings, owner of Restaurant Depot and ...
,
Staples,
Stop and Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, known as Stop & Shop, is a regional chain of supermarkets located in the northeastern United States. From its beginnings in 1892 as a small grocery store, it has grown to include 406 stores chain-wide.
St ...
, and
Target. Sandford Square attracts residents from Mount Vernon, nearby communities in Westchester County and the Bronx, and shoppers from as far away as Connecticut via the
Merritt Parkway and I-95, which merge onto the
Hutchinson River Parkway
The Hutchinson River Parkway (known colloquially as The Hutch) is a north–south parkway in southern New York (state), New York in the United States. It extends for from the massive Bruckner Interchange in the Throggs Neck section of the Bron ...
.
Most of the commercial development in this corridor has occurred since the 1980s. The area is still undergoing revitalization to encourage economic development within this of land along and around the boulevard.
North Side
Mount Vernon's North Side is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Westchester County. The northern part of the city consists of five neighborhoods: Chester Heights, Estate Manor/Aubyn Estates, Fleetwood, Huntswood, and Oakwood Heights. In Fleetwood, many large co-op buildings line the center of town, which is bisected by Gramatan Avenue.
South Side
Mount Vernon's South Side, which abuts
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
, resembles
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
and includes the neighborhoods Parkside, South Side and Vernon Park. Numerous industrial businesses are in Parkside, while the rest of South Side Mount Vernon features multi-family homes, apartment buildings, and commercial businesses.
South Side Mount Vernon features notable city landmarks such as Brush Park, Hutchinson Field, the
Boys and Girls Club, and
St. Paul's Church National Historic Site
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Sites (United States), National Historic Site located in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of the Borough (New York City), New York City borough of The Bronx. The ...
.
Demographics
2020 census
''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''
2010 census data
As of the
2010 United States Census, there were 67,292 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 61.3% Black, 18.5% White, 0.3% Native American, 1.8% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race and 2.5% from two or more races. 14.3% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2000 census data
As of the 2000
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
,
68,381 people, 27,048 households, and 18,432 families resided in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 14,290.3 people per square mile (5,792.7/km
2), with 28,558 housing units at an average density of 7,205.9 per square mile (3,509.3/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 59.58%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 28.63%
White
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 10.48%
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race, 4.85% from
other races, 4.44% from two or more races, 2.12%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander, and 0.32%
Native American. A significant proportion of the population is of
Brazilian descent; Brazilians can be included in the
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
,
White
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
,
Multiracial and/or
Latino categories. Similarly, a significant part of the Black and/or Latino population is of
Caribbean origin.
There were 27,048 households, of which 40.9% were
married couples living together, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were non-families, and 28.0% had a female householder with no husband present. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years.
For every 100 females, there were 82.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,128, and the median income for a family was $55,573. Males had a median income of $41,493 versus $37,871 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $24,827. 13.9% of the population and 11.8% of families were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
. 12.7% of the population was 65 or older.
Economy
Mount Vernon's three major employers are the Mount Vernon city school district with (1,021 employees), Michael Anthony Jewelers (712 employees), and Mount Vernon Hospital (700 employees).
Mount Vernon has a large
commercial sector, with industries such as
electronics
The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
,
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
,
high tech, historical metal restoration, and
manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ...
mainly in the Southside section of the city.
Mount Vernon also has an established
Empire Zone for commercial and industrial use, in the southern portion of the city.
Parks and recreation
The city limits contain a number of city parks large and small , and
Willson's Woods Park, a county-owned park. One of the oldest parks in the county system, Willson's Woods offers a wave pool, water slides, and a spray deck and water playground, against the backdrop of an English
Tudor style bathhouse. The park also has areas for picnicking and fishing.
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Government
The City of Mount Vernon is governed by a five-member city council, a mayor, and a comptroller. As per the city charter, to balance power, the mayor runs every four years with two council members, and the comptroller runs two years after the mayor with three council members. Therefore, in 2019, the mayor and two council seats were up for re-election; in 2021 the remaining offices will be up for election. Beyond the regular political powers of elected officials, the City of Mount Vernon also has a checks and balances voting session called the Board of Estimate.
City Council
The city council consists of five representatives, elected at-large, one of whom is the city council president. The city council president is appointed/elected by the existing city council members. Under normal circumstances the council presidency is rotated, as are the council committee assignments as chair of the four council committees. In recent years, the full rotation has ceased to reappoint the more experienced council members. The council president also serves as mayor, in the absence of the mayor. This can occur when the mayor is out of town, had resigned, or dies in office. When this happens the president pro tempore becomes acting city council president and the acting president pro tempore becomes assumes his/her duties.
Mayor
Comptroller
Board of Estimate
The Board of Estimate is composed of the mayor, the city council president, and the comptroller. The city council president votes of behalf of the city council. All monetary decisions, including the annual budget and many legal ramifications, must pass vote of the Board of Estimate, which meets every Tuesday after the city council's Wednesday legislative session.
Court system
The Mount Vernon city court is part of the
New York State Unified Court System
The Judiciary of New York (officially the New York State Unified Court System) is the judicial branch of the Government of New York, comprising all the courts of the State of New York (excluding extrajudicial administrative courts).
The Cou ...
. It has three elected full-time judges who serve for ten years and one part-time associate judge who is appointed by the mayor for a period of eight years. The judges of the court are William Edwards, Adrian Armstrong, and Nichelle Johnson. Adam Seiden serves as an associate judge of the court. The court handles a wide variety of cases, including initial processing of all felony criminal cases; handling of all misdemeanor cases from inception through trial; civil proceedings with a limited monetary jurisdiction of up to $15,000; all landlord tenant cases originating in the city; small claims cases; and all vehicle and traffic law matters. The court is housed in the public safety complex, which is adjacent to City Hall.
Education
Mount Vernon City School District consist of 11 elementary schools, two middle schools, two high schools and one alternative high school.
Westchester Community College has an extension site education facility, downtown.
In 2011, ''
The Journal News'' featured an article titled "Region's Aging Schools Crumble as Finances Falter", by Cathey O'Donnell and Gary Stern. The article discussed several old school buildings within the region that were in disrepair, how much it would cost to fix them, and which if any might need to be demolished. The Mount Vernon school district was included in the article, which stated:
:"In Mount Vernon, meanwhile, where a high school wall collapsed last year, inspectors flagged buildings for insufficient smoke detectors, poor air quality, evidence of rodents and vermin, halls without emergency lighting and junction boxes with exposed live wires."
Infrastructure and services
Fire department
The city of Mount Vernon is protected by the Mount Vernon Fire Department (FDMV). The FDMV currently operates out of four firehouses, throughout the city, under the command of a Deputy Chief each shift. The department operates four engine companies, two ladder companies, and one rescue company. The department responds to approximately 8,000 emergency calls annually.
Police department
As of 2021, the Mount Vernon Police Department has 184 officers.
In May 2021, the District Attorney for Westchester County requested intervention by the
Department of Justice (DOJ) for civil rights violations by the Mount Vernon Police Department. The DOJ announced its civil investigation in December 2021.
Healthcare
The 115-year-old Mount Vernon Hospital has 228 beds. It is part of the
Montefiore Health System
Montefiore Medical Center is a premier academic medical center and the primary teaching hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York City. Its main campus, the Henry and Lucy Moses Division, is located in the Norwoo ...
and provides in-patient, critical care, and ambulatory services to residents of Mount Vernon and neighboring communities. The hospital is most known for its premier Chronic Wound Treatment and Hyperbaric Center, which is one of the most advanced in the Northeast. It also offers a variety of services, including the Assertive Community Treatment Center (ACT), the Family Health and Wellness Center, the Hopfer School of Nursing, Hyperbaric Medicine, and Intensive Case Management.
Mount Vernon Hospital is one of four hospitals in the county that provides programs in medicine, nursing, podiatry, and surgery. (
Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital,
Westchester Medical Center, and
White Plains Hospital are the others.)
Mount Vernon Hospital's emergency room treats 25,000 patients a year and is going to be expanded at a cost of $2.5 million, doubling its size from . The expansion plans include 15 private treatment rooms and upgrades to the waiting area, triage room and other areas in the emergency department.
The area around the hospital has many medical office buildings and treatment facilities which provide healthcare to residents living in Mount Vernon, the southeast section of Yonkers, and the north Bronx, which shares a border with the city. For example, Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, the
Planned Parenthood affiliate that serves New York's
Putnam Putnam may refer to:
People
* Putnam (surname)
Places Canada
* Putnam, Ontario, community in Thames Centre
United States
* Putnam, Alabama
* Putnam, Connecticut, a New England town
** Putnam (CDP), Connecticut, the main village in the town
...
,
Rockland Rockland may refer to:
People
*Per Bergsland, nicknamed Peter Rockland, one of three successful escapees from Stalag Luft III (the "Great Escape")
Places
;In Canada
*Rockland, Greater Victoria
*Rockland, Nova Scotia
*Rockland, Ontario
;In the Uni ...
,
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...
and Westchester Counties, opened its first medical center in Mount Vernon in 1935; the affiliate remains a vital source for reproductive health care services to Mount Vernon residents.
Places of worship
The city's previous motto was "A City That Believes". This is reflected in the houses of worship in the city that represent more than 25 denominations.
Research has confirmed the tradition that Grace Baptist Church was founded in 1888 by a few women who formally had been enslaved and it discovered their names: Emily Waller, Matilda Brooks, Helen Claiborne, Sahar Bennett, and Elizabeth Benson.
Transportation
In late 2005, the RBA Group conducted a study and found that over 5,000 commuters traverse the area on a daily basis; about 3,600 commuters use the Westchester County
Bee-Line Bus System, and 1,500 use the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Metro-North Railroad commuter rail service.
* Petrillo Plaza, adjacent to Metro North's Mount Vernon East station in downtown Mount Vernon, is the hub for Westchester's
Bee-Line Bus System service in Mount Vernon. The Mount Vernon's taxi services operate from Petrillo Plaza as well.
*
Bee-Line Bus routes serving Mount Vernon are 7, 40, 41, 42, 43, 52, 53, 54, 55, as well as the 91, which operates during the summer.
* A
New York City Bus route (MTA) serves two blocks in Mount Vernon along the NYC border. The travels along Mundy Lane (S. 11th Avenue) between W. 5th Street (Nereid Avenue) and W. Sandford Blvd (Pittman Avenue).
* The Metro-North's north–south
Harlem Line stops at
Mount Vernon West and
Fleetwood, both on the western edge of Mount Vernon; the west–east
New Haven Line
The Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line is a commuter rail line running from New Haven, Connecticut to New York City. It joins the Harlem Line at Mount Vernon, New York and continues south to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The New Hav ...
stops at
Mount Vernon East, in the heart of downtown.
* Both the (
IRT White Plains Road Line) and the (
IRT Dyre Avenue Line) of the
New York City Subway system have terminals just south of the Mount Vernon border, served by the Bee-Line. The terminates at
241st Street in
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population ...
. The terminates at
Dyre Avenue Dyre may refer to:
People:
* Emil Dyre (born 1984), Danish professional football midfielder
* Mette Dyre (c. 1465), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish noblewoman
Rapid transit:
* IRT Dyre Avenue Line, a New York City Subway line
* Eastchester–Dyre A ...
in
Eastchester. Additionally, the goes to
Nereid Avenue during rush hours in the peak direction. Both locations are within 5 minutes walking distance of Southside Mount Vernon.
Notable people
*
A.D.O.R.
A.D.O.R., born Eddie Castellanos Sr., is a U.S. hip hop artist whose work includes the Pete Rock-produced hit "Let It All Hang Out" (Atlantic, 1992), and "One for the Trouble" (Atlantic, 1994), produced by Marley Marl. The latter has been sample ...
*
Camille Akeju
*
Lou Albano
*
Bob Baldwin
*
Alessandra Biaggi
*
John Branca
*
Ralph Branca
*
Jonathan Briley
*
Art Carney
*
Jonathan Stuart Cerullo
*
Susie Essman
*
David Chase
*
Dick Clark
*
Sean Combs
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
*
Isaiah Cousins
Isaiah Devonte Cousins (born March 13, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Krka of the Adriatic League and the Slovenian Basketball League. He played college basketball for the University of Oklahoma before playing professi ...
*
Andre Drummond
*
DJ Eddie F
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...
*
Damion Easley
*
Linda Fairstein
*
Adelaide Gescheidt
Mary Adelaide Gescheidt (February 16, 1877 – September 18, 1946) was an American voice teacher, writer, and clubwoman, based in New York City.
Early life
Gescheidt was born in Mount Vernon, New York, the daughter of Albert F. Gescheidt and ...
*
Robin Givens
*
Seth Godin
*
Ben Gordon
*
Paul Grassi
The fifth season of the American version of '' The Mole'' began airing on ABC on June 2, 2008, after being pushed back a week by ABC. Casting information was announced online.
After the fourth season in 2004, ABC declined to pick up ''The Mole'' ...
*
Rudy Hackett
*
Mark Harris
*
Christine E. Haycock
*
Heavy D
*
W.C. Heinz
Wilfred Charles Heinz (January 11, 1915February 27, 2008) was an American sportswriter, war correspondent, journalist, and author.
Newspaper and magazine career
Heinz was born in Mount Vernon, New York. Following his graduation from Middlebur ...
*
Michael Imperioli
*
Kay Johnson
*
Kevin Jones
*
Andy Karl
*
Roz Kelly
*
Harvey Kurtzman
*
Benton MacKaye
*
Johnny Marks
*
Frances Marlatt
*
Danny Mastrogiorgio
*
Rodney McCray
*
Scooter McCray
Carlton Lamont "Scooter" McCray (born February 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He had a career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1983 to 1987. He was selected large-school player of the year in 1978 ...
*
The Mello-Kings (vocal group)
*
Stephanie Mills
*
Lowes Moore
*
Robin Morgan
*
Robert Mosbacher
*
Sal Mosca
*
Asia Nitollano
*
Michael O'Keefe
*
Floyd Patterson
*
Sidney Poitier
*
Adam Clayton Powell
*
Phylicia Rashad
*
Leon Robinson
Leon Preston Robinson (born March 8, 1962), usually credited as simply Leon, is an American actor who began his professional career as a film actor in the early 1980s. Robinson is best known for his roles as David Ruffin in the TV film '' The ...
*
Pete Rock
*
Larry Romano
*
Wayne Allyn Root
*
James Rowson
James Frank Rowson (born September 12, 1976) is an American professional baseball coach. He is currently the assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously a coach in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Min ...
*
Davetta Sherwood
*
John Simon
*
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blue ...
*
Ken Singleton
Kenneth Wayne Singleton (born June 10, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and designated hitter from to , most prominently as a member ...
*
Roy Smith
*
J. B. Smoove
Jerry Angelo Brooks (born December 16, 1965), commonly known by his stage name J. B. Smoove, is an American actor, comedian and writer. After beginning his career in 1995 on ''Def Comedy Jam'', he was a writer and performer on NBC's ''Saturday Ni ...
*
Lionel Stander
*
John M. Sternhagen
John Meier Sternhagen (March 21, 1888 – September 25, 1954) was a member of the US Board of Tax Appeals and a judge of the Tax Court of the United States, from July 16, 1924, until June 1, 1946.
*
Al B. Sure!
*
Earl Tatum
*
Denzel Washington
*
Barbara Werle
*
E. B. White
*
Gus Williams
*
Ray Williams
*
Sylvia Woods
Sylvia Woods (February 2, 1926 – July 19, 2012) was an American restaurateur who founded the restaurant Sylvia's in Harlem on Lenox Avenue, New York City with her husband, Herbert Woods, in 1962. The soul food eatery is a popular gatheri ...
*
DMX
Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album ''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' in 1998, to both critical acclaim ...
In popular culture
Motion pictures
Advertising
*Memorial Field in Mount Vernon was used to film the classic "
Mean Joe Greene
Charles Edward Greene (born September 24, 1946), better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1 ...
"
Coca-Cola commercial in May 1979.
Films
Multiple movies have been set in or featured Mount Vernon, such as:
*''
Dead Presidents'' (1995)
* ''
Empty Places'' (1999)
* ''
The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1999): shot a scene in Willson's Woods Park, which was transformed to look like
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
; the Vernon Woods co-op complex was used to stage and store equipment during the scene.
* ''
Riding in Cars with Boys'' (2001)
* ''
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004)
* ''
The Book of Henry'' (2017): the ending scene with the main characters walking out of the courthouse. It is unclear if the entire story took place in Mount Vernon or not.
Television
Scenes from multiple TV shows have been shot in Mount Vernon, such as:
* ''
Sneaky Pete'' (Amazon series)
*''
The Leftovers''
* ''The Suburbs'' (web series) (2008–present)
See also
*
References
External links
City of Mount Vernon official websiteat cmvny.com
{{Authority control
1664 establishments in the Province of New York
Cities in New York (state)
Cities in the New York metropolitan area
Cities in Westchester County, New York
Populated places established in 1664
Populated places established in 1850