Runyon Heights, also known as the area of Nepperhan, is a historically
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 ...
middle-class neighborhood in
northwestern Yonkers, New York
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...
, US.
Runyon Heights can be found along the north side of Tuckahoe Road between
Saw Mill River Parkway
The Saw Mill River Parkway (also known as the Saw Mill Parkway or the Saw Mill) is a north–south parkway that extends for through Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins at the border between Westchester County and the Bro ...
and
New York State Thruway
{{Infobox road
, state = NY
, type = NYST
, alternate_name = Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway
, maint = NYSTA
, map = {{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, type=line, stroke-width=2, type2=line, from2=New Yor ...
. Noteworthy locations include Saint Mary's Cemetery and Kardash Park.
History
Nepperhan, aka Runyon Heights was created as a small part of the Tenth Ward of the city of Yonkers. In those days Yonkers was divided into twelve wards. One of the common features of the Runyon Heights neighborhood is the frequency of dead-end streets, which separate the area from adjacent neighborhoods. Runyon Heights became one of the first predominantly black suburban areas, with few through streets into neighboring white neighborhoods - a feature designed in the years before World War 1. Barber shops and beauty salons doubled as meeting places for the politically active local community. Voters from Nepperhan were noted for crossing party lines when they cast their ballots. Their votes were driven by issues, making them influential in tight local elections. The political philosophy of the Runyon Heights community was that votes should go to candidates that did the most for them and not just voting uncritically for the Democratic Party.
Politics
Black Americans
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 ...
mostly voted democrat after the
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
and
President Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
's
Committee on Civil Rights. Runyon Heights is considered an anomaly. In 1930 77% of voters were Republicans; by 1940 they were losing ground to Democrats, but Republicans held the majority through the
Eisenhower years, and into the mid-1960s. Runyon Heights voters may have been influenced by
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
era loyalties to the
Republican Party. They also leaned
socially conservative
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...
like many other typical suburbs. The residents described themselves as "Eisenhower Republicans".
References
External links
Runyon Heights Improvement Association (Yonkers.gov)->
Neighborhoods in Yonkers, New York
African-American history of Westchester County, New York
{{WestchesterCountyNY-geo-stub