The village of Pelham is 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 t ...

in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 6,910 at the 2010 census. It is located in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

of Pelham, which is colloquially referred to as Pelham.

History

On June 27, 1654,

Thomas Pell Thomas Pell, 1st Lord of Pelham Manor (1608 – September 21, 1669) was an English-born physician who bought the area known as Pelham, New York, as well as land that now includes the eastern Bronx and southern Westchester County, New York, and fou ...

purchased from the Native American tribe of the

Siwanoy The Siwanoy () were an Indigenous American band of Wappinger people, who lived in Long Island Sound along the coasts of what are now The Bronx, Westchester County, New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut. They were one of the western bands o ...

s. The purchase included an area which is known today as Pelham,

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

, and portions of Bronx County. Among the land that he purchased, of course, was all the land that constitutes today's village of Pelham. Upon his death in 1669, Thomas Pell left the land to his nephew and sole heir, John Pell. The original Village of Pelham was incorporated in 1896, bounded by the

New Haven Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

's main line to north, Colonial Avenue to the south, New Rochelle to the east, and the

Hutchinson River The Hutchinson River is a freshwater stream located in the Bronx, and Southern Westchester County, New York. The river forms in Scarsdale at Brookline Road and flows 10 miles (16 km) south until it empties into Eastchester Bay in th ...

to the west. The Village of North Pelham was incorporated on August 29, 1896. Its boundaries were the New Haven Railroad to the south, New Rochelle to the east and northeast, and the Hutchinson River to the west and northwest. By 1940, the Village of Pelham's population was 1,918 and the Village of North Pelham had a population of 5,046. In June 1975, the Village of North Pelham merged with the existing Village of Pelham.

Geography

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. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the village has a total area of 0.8 square mile (2.1 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 6,400 people, 2,287 households, and 1,687 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberP ...

was 7,785.5 people per square mile (3,013.5/km²). There were 2,337 housing units at an average density of 2,842.9 per square mile (1,100.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 83.22%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 6.66%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

, 0.09% Native American, 4.95% Asian, 2.47% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.61% from two or more races.

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 form ...

or Latino of any race were 7.20% of the population. There were 2,287 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living with them who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.30. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $82,430, and the median income for a family was $95,929. Males had a median income of $67,339 versus $41,364 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 village was $43,397. About 1.3% of families and 3.3% of the population 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 ...

, including 4% of those under age 18 and 4% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

References

External links

Village of Pelham official website

Historic Pelham Web Site by Town Historian

Historic Pelham Daily Blog by Town Historian
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in Westchester County, New York Pelham, New York