Yorktown Heights is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) in the

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

of Yorktown in

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.

History

Yorktown Heights is in the town of Yorktown, New York, in northern Westchester County, 45 miles from New York City, with forty square miles of rolling hills, farmland, residential areas and light industry including the IBM

Thomas J. Watson Research Center The Thomas J. Watson Research Center is the headquarters for IBM Research. The center comprises three sites, with its main laboratory in Yorktown Heights, New York, U.S., 38 miles (61 km) north of New York City, Albany, New York and wit ...

. First settled in 1683, Yorktown was of strategic importance during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, with the Pines Bridge crossing of the

Croton River The Croton River ( ) is a river in southern New York with three principal tributaries: the West Branch, Middle Branch, and East Branch. Their waters, all part of the New York City water supply system, join downstream from the Croton Falls R ...

guarded by the 1st

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Regiment, an integrated unit which included

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 ens ...

s and Native Americans. Yorktown was incorporated in 1788 and named in commemoration of the Franco-American decisive victory at

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Co ...

. The

Yorktown Heights Railroad Station Yorktown Heights station is a former railroad station on the Putnam Line in Yorktown Heights, New York, United States. It is a wooden building located on Commerce Street at the intersection of Underhill Avenue in Railroad Park. The station was ori ...

, which last had passenger service on the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mi ...

Putnam Division The New York and Putnam Railroad, nicknamed the Old Put, was a railroad line that operated between the Bronx and Brewster in New York State. It was in close proximity to the Hudson River Railroad and New York and Harlem Railroad. All three cam ...

in 1958, was added to 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 artistic ...

in 1981.

Geography

Yorktown Heights is at (41.277347, −73.781290). The Yorktown Heights

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) has a total area of , all land. Like much of northern Westchester County, Yorktown is largely hilly and wooded.

Climate

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 7,972 people, 2,629 households, and 2,163 families residing in the CDP. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 1,399.3/mi² (540.0/km²). There were 2,661 housing units at an average density of 467.1/mi² (180.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.49%

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 ...

, 2.41%

, 0.06% Native American, 4.69% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.85% from other races, and 1.48% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 5.59% of the population. There were 2,629 households, out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.0% 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 ...

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 15.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.37. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $108,648, and the median income for a family was $137,580. Males had a median income of $91,365 versus $80,261 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 CDP was $41,349.

Landmarks

Yorktown Heights possesses many historical landmarks, specifically related to Colonial times and the Revolutionary War. They include the Hyatt House, Lanes Tavern, and one of the first Presbyterian churches in the region. Another landmark famous to the town is the former railroad station, which was built in 1905, and had been a stop on the New York and Putnam Railroad Line (also called the "Old Put"). A popular hiking destination is Turkey Mountain, maintained by the Yorktown Land Trust. The

North County Trailway The North County Trailway is a long paved rail trail stretching from Eastview to Baldwin Place in Westchester County, New York. It is also part of the statewide Empire State Trail. History and route The North County Trailway was constructed ...

is a popular running and bike path that can be accessed from Yorktown Heights.

Transportation

U.S. Route 202 passes through Yorktown Heights. The

Taconic State Parkway The Taconic State Parkway (often called the Taconic or the TSP and known administratively as New York State Route 987G or NY 987G) is a parkway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest in the U.S. state of New York. It follows ...

is nearby, to the west.

was closed in 1958, a year before passenger service was abandoned along the

New York Central The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid ...

Notable people

* George Cehanovsky, baritone * Steve Cohen, magician * Roy Colsey, professional lacrosse player ( Philadelphia Barrage) *

Jonathan de Marte Jonathan de Marte (born April 29, 1993) is an American-Israeli professional baseball pitcher and pitches for Team Israel. He is 6-1 and weighs 205 lbs.Susan Faludi Susan Charlotte Faludi (; born April 18, 1959) is an American feminist, journalist, and author. She won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1991, for a report on the leveraged buyout of Safeway Stores, Inc., a report that the Pulitze ...

, journalist and writer * Robert Hanssen, Russian Spies residency while in NY who was later arrested in 2001 * Paul W. Jones, U.S. diplomat, Ambassador to Poland (since 2015), Ambassador to Malaysia (2010–2013) * Andrew Kavovit, actor *

Biff Liff Samuel "Biff" Liff (April 14, 1919 – August 10, 2015) was an American Broadway stage manager and producer. Early life Samuel Liff was born on April 14, 1919, in Boston, Massachusetts.James BarronBiff Liff, Broadway Manager and Powerhouse Agent, ...

, Broadway theater producer * Dave Matthews, singer and musician (

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...

) *

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of ...

, U.S. Representative *

Buster Olney Robert "Buster" Olney (born ) is an American sports journalist for ESPN, ''ESPN: The Magazine'', and ESPN.com. He previously covered the New York Giants and New York Yankees for ''The New York Times''. He is also a regular analyst for the ES ...

, sportswriter *

Karen Olsen Beck Rita Karen Olsen Beck (born January 31, 1933 Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish American- Costa Rican diplomat, politician and social worker. She has served as the First Lady of Costa Rica during the governments of her husband Jose Figueres Fe ...

, Costa Rican diplomat and politician, First Lady of Costa Rica (1954–1958, 1970–1974) * RoseMarie Panio, politician * Elisabeth Rethberg, soprano * Alex Robinson, comic book writer and artist *

Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose. Rose began ...

, WWE wrestler *

Dave Ross Dave Ross (born April 10, 1952) is a talk show host on Seattle's KIRO-FM radio station. He joined KIRO as a news anchor in 1978 and was given his own talk show in 1987. He has sometimes broadcast his show while on assignment in other locations, ...

, radio talk show host *

Rich Silverstein Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (also known as GSP) is an advertising agency based in San Francisco. History The agency was founded on April 15, 1983 as Goodby, Berlin & Silverstein by Jeff Goodby, Andy Berlin and Rich Silverstein. Andy Berlin le ...

, advertising executive and creative direcor (

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (also known as GSP) is an advertising agency based in San Francisco. History The agency was founded on April 15, 1983 as Goodby, Berlin & Silverstein by Jeff Goodby, Andy Berlin and Rich Silverstein. Andy Berlin le ...

) *

George Yancopoulos George D. Yancopoulos (born 1959) is a Greek-American biomedical scientist who is the co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Yancopoulos is the holder of more than 100 patents. He is a principal inventor ...

, biomedical scientist *

Rebekah Mercer Rebekah Mercer is an American heiress and Republican political donor who is the director of the Mercer Family Foundation. She began overseeing day-to-day operations of political projects for the Mercer family when the Mercers became involved ...

, director of the

Mercer Family Foundation The Mercer Family Foundation is a private grant-making foundation in the United States. As of 2013, it had $37 million in assets. The foundation is run by Rebekah Mercer, the daughter of computer scientist and hedge fund manager Robert Mercer. Un ...

References

External links

Yorktown Landmarks
{{authority control Yorktown, New York Census-designated places in New York (state)