Harrison is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

Westchester County Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...

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

, United States. It is a suburb of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, located northeast of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. The population was 28,218 at the 2020 census.

History

17th century

Harrison was established in 1696 by a patent granted by the British government to John Harrison and three others, who had a year earlier bargained with local Native Americans to purchase an area of land above Westchester Path, an old trail that led from

Port Chester Port Chester is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the largest part of the town of Rye (town), New York, Rye in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County by populati ...

and below Rye Lake. Local custom holds that Harrison was given 24 hours to ride his horse around the area he could claim, and the horse could not swim or did not want to get its feet wet, but this is folklore. In fact, the land below Westchester Path and along

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

had already been purchased and partly developed by the settlers of

Rye, New York Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, within the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. It received its charter as a city in 1942, making it the most recent such charter in the state. Its area of ...

. The area that became Harrison had also been sold in 1661 or 1662, and again in 1666, to Peter Disbrow, John Budd, and other investors or early residents of Rye. Disbrow and Budd evidently lost their paperwork and the land was ultimately granted to Harrison and his co-investors in 1696. So upset were the people of Rye that they seceded to the Colony of Connecticut until 1700, when the King of England ordered Rye to rejoin the Colony of New York.

18th century

The first permanent residents of Harrison's Purchase, as it was called, arrived in about 1725, and many early settlers were Quakers, who set up a Friend's Meeting House at a settlement located in the part of Harrison now called

Purchase Purchasing is the procurement process a business or organization uses to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary g ...

. Harrison's Purchase was administered jointly by the settlers of Rye until it was incorporated as a town on March 7, 1788, by an act of the New York State legislature. Merritt's Hill in West Harrison was the site of the

Battle of White Plains The Battle of White Plains took place during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War on October 28, 1776, near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward from N ...

during the Revolutionary War. Among the 367 regiments in the battle, Regiment 182 of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

was composed solely of people from Harrison.

19th century

During the 1830s, David Haviland settled in Harrison where he produced

Haviland China Haviland & Co. is a manufacturer of Limoges porcelain in France, begun in the 1840s by the American Haviland family, importers of porcelain to the US, which has always been the main market. Its finest period is generally accepted to be the late 19 ...

which he sold in his store in New York City before returning to his native France. Today there exists a Haviland Street in the downtown business district, as well as a Haviland Road in the Sterling Ridge neighborhood of Harrison, whose only street sign is of a historic

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

design in scrolled shapes, quite older than many others throughout the town. In 1867, Benjamin Holladay purchased a tract of land, which is now the campus of

Manhattanville College Manhattanville University is a private university in Purchase, New York, United States. Founded in 1841 as a school at 412 Houston Street in Lower Manhattan, it was initially known as the "Academy of the Sacred Heart". In 1917, the academy recei ...

. He constructed an elaborate granite mansion, now known as the college's Reid Castle, and an elaborate Norman-style Roman Catholic chapel for his wife. The castle hosted the King and Queen of

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

in the early 1930s. The castle was at one time known as Ophir House, in reference to different owners. In 1875, Sunny Ridge farm mansion was renovated to include a 14th-century woodcut from Europe, installed into the wall over the living room fireplace, among several other ancient relics, built into the home. The home was sold for the first time since the 1920s renovation in the summer of 2017, and was demolished to make way for two new homes. It was not protected by any state or local

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK) is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

acts. What is the present-day

Metro-North Railroad The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company , also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State publ ...

New Haven Line The New Haven Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Metro-North Railroad in the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Connecticut. Running from New Haven, Connecticut, to New York City, the New Haven Line joins the Harlem Line ...

, running from

in New York City, to

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

, first came through Harrison in 1848, though the first station was not built until 1870. Before that time, Harrisonites had to flag down the train to get a ride. Harrison remained generally free of factories through the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

, while large factory districts grew in the neighboring towns of White Plains,

and

Mamaroneck Mamaroneck ( ), is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Villag ...

20th century

In 1929, the

Hutchinson River Parkway The Hutchinson River Parkway (known colloquially as the Hutch) is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access Parkways in New York, parkway in southern New York (state), New York in the United States. It extends for from the Bruckner Interc ...

was extended to Harrison. The same year, Harrison's former Sunnyridge Farm, located less than a half mile from the train station, was purchased by real estate developer Sidney H. Sonn, of H. & S. Sonn Co., based in New York City, and subdivided into lots for a real estate development. H. & S. Sonn laid out new streets throughout, preserving the farm's private access road to the farm residence as today's Sunny Ridge Road. According to a 1928 article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, " . & S. Sonnvirtually transformed their part of the old farm into a park, installed winding tree-lined motorways and water, gas, sewers, and electricity, and landscaped the entire 165 acres, then they erected ten English-type houses which were designed by Julius Gregory, one of them being completely furnished by Charles of London." H. & S. Sonn contracted Julius Gregory to develop house plans for single family houses in their new Sunny Ridge development, as it was termed. A new model was developed to construct homes that were of durable materials, to be resistant to exterior maintenance, using only brick, stone, and old-growth oak timber as exterior materials. The fashionable new neighborhood attracted the attention of New York banking, business, and entertainment elites, attracting Wall Street financier William Harty, then owner of

Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Nast (businessman), Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the FiDi, Financial Dis ...

, Joseph J. Lane; musical star

Louise Groody Louise Groody (March 27, 1897 – September 16, 1961) was an American Broadway musical comedy star of the 1920s who introduced to New York audiences the song "Tea for Two (song), Tea for Two" in the musical ''No, No, Nanette''. Early life Louis ...

; and Fitzhugh Green, of Putnam's Publishing House, among the first residents of the new neighborhood. Sidney Sonn renovated the farm's original house, an immense, elaborate, 20-room, 1875

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

mansion, into an

English Tudor English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, designed by renowned architect Julius Gregory, father of the American Tudor-Revival style and movement of the 1920s, as a residence for himself. Only a small handful of homes were sold and constructed before the economic downturn of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. The remaining vast majority of homes were constructed beginning in the middle-1940s, with the last plots filled during the 1950s. The styles of the newer, 1940s-era homes was primarily of

colonial revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

style, with the newest ranging into Mid-century-Modern. The older, Tudor homes as a result remain quite notable. In 1967, 200 residents stated support for a plan to incorporate

, a community in Harrison, so that corporations could not build in the community. In response, officials from the Town of Harrison put forward plans to try to become a city to try to stop Purchase from seceding from Harrison. The resolution was for the Town became a hybrid "Town / Village", which it remains today. John A. Passidomo (1921–2005) was first elected mayor in 1965 by only 67 votes. Re-elected eight times, he served until 1983 when he resigned to become Commissioner of the

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYSDMV or DMV) is the department of the New York state government responsible for vehicle registration, vehicle inspections, driver's licenses, learner's permits, photo ID cards, and adjudicat ...

. In his two and a half years at that job, he helped pass one of the nation's first seat-belt laws despite the law's unpopularity. Harrison's "Platinum Mile", a string of corporate office parks along I-287 in the Purchase section of Harrison, developed under Passidomo. The mayor played an instrumental role in attracting large corporations such as

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...

, MasterCard and

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Independ ...

. In the early 1970s, under Passidomo's supervision, a group in the Purchase section of town, concerned about the town's overdevelopment, attempted to incorporate as a village and thereby separate from the town of Harrison. Creatively, to avoid being served papers that would have begun the legal proceedings for Purchase to incorporate as a village, Passidomo entered his office through the fire escape. He then immediately made sure that the town Harrison became a village but remained as a town to end to the possibility of Purchase's secession, since a village cannot legally be formed in another village. The documented list of supervisors and mayors begins in 1946; though there were mayors before that. The documented list includes: * Alfred F. Sulla Jr. 1946–1955. James M. Landis 1955-1958 * Alfred F. Sulla Jr. 1958–1965 * John Passidomo 1965–1983 * Pat V. Angarano 1983–1990 * Charles Balancia 1990–1994 * Philip A. Marraccini (R) 1994–1998 * Ronald Bianchi (D) 1998–2002 * Stephen Malfitano (R) 2002–2008 * Joan Walsh (D) 2008–2012 * Ronald Belmont (R) 2012–2022 * Richard Dionisio (R) 2022–present

Geography

Harrison is an affluent town and village in Westchester County, New York, approximately northeast of

, New York City. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town (and coterminous village) has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.22%, is water. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The distance from Harrison Station to

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

is about . Harrison is bordered by North Castle, White Plains,

Rye town Rye United Football Club was a football club based in Rye, East Sussex, England. They were the founding members of the Sussex County League Division Two in 1952. The club were members of Division One of the league, but withdrew from league foot ...

, Rye city,

, and Scarsdale. The

New England Thruway Interstate 95 (I-95) is part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from Miami, Florida, to the Canada–United States border near Houlton, Maine. In the US state of New York, I-95 extends from the George Washington Bridge in New York ...

(

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

) runs through the town (without any interchanges), as well as the

Cross Westchester Expressway Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving northern New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in New York. I-2 ...

and the

I-684 Interstate 684 (I-684) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in the state of New York (state), New York in the United States. There is also a short portion in Connecticut with no junctions. The highway connects Interstate 84 in New York, I-84 ...

passes through Harrison and ends at the Cross Westchester Expressway and the Hutchinson Parkway.

Climate

Areas and neighborhoods

The boundaries of the town of Harrison are the approximate shape of a figure-eight. The southern half is known as simply Harrison, or downtown, while the hamlets of

and

West Harrison West Harrison is a town in Harrison Township, Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 289 at the 2010 census. History Settlers at West Harrison found numerous mounds constructed by Indians. West Harrison was laid out in 1 ...

are located in the northern portion of the town. The "downtown" southern half of Harrison is divided into four general areas: Brentwood Plaza, Sunny Ridge, Sterling Ridge/The Trails, and the Village part of Harrison. West Harrison is an isolated community, lodged between a tall hill bordered by a lake, Interstate 287, a tall relatively steep hill, and a cliff at the northern edge. Because of this, there is a general lack of street entrances. There is really only one road into it, although there are a few other "back" ways into it. The road is called Lake Street, flanked on one side by Silver Lake Park, bordering the lake, and by a small business district on the other side of the street. West Harrison contains the Passidomo Veterans Memorial Park and Pool and the Leo Mintzer Center. West Harrison also contains the site of the

from the Revolutionary War. West Harrison is also the home of Buckout Road, which was said to have been a home of witches, albinos, and slaughters. Downtown is split into the four sections mentioned above, and is flanked by

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

, the

, and the

. The manmade lines create isolation to areas, with few areas to cross each. Harrison's only middle school, Louis M. Klein Middle School, and only High School, Harrison High School, are located in the "downtown" area. The four areas of downtown, as separated by the boundaries of Interstate 95 and the

railroad tracks Railway track ( and UIC terminology) or railroad track (), also known as permanent way () or "P way" ( and Indian English), is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers (railroad ties in American E ...

as well as separated by

wealth gap The distribution of wealth is a comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in a society. It shows one aspect of economic inequality or heterogeneity in economics, economic heterogeneity. The distribution of wealth differs from the i ...

s, are very diverse. The "Downtown" with Halstead Ave as the main thoroughfare, starting on the City of Rye border, is parallel to the Metro North railroad, delivers traffic into the Village of Mamaroneck. This area consists of mixed use century old buildings with new luxury rentals taking over the area. Flanking Halstead Ave are streets consisting of older two- family homes with new duplexes gentrifing the community. The housing stock consists of every wealth level.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

In the 2010 census the population was 76.9 percent

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

, 2.4 percent

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 7.5 percent Asian, and 11.7%

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any descent.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 24,154 people, 8,394 households and 6,186 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 8,680 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 89.78%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.43%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.09% Native American, 5.44% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.59% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 6.70% of the population. There were 8,394 households, of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males. According to a 2009 estimate, the

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $104,640, and the median family income was $130,224. The per capita income for the village was $63,742. About 4.2% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Harrison is and has been home to the corporate headquarters of several well-known companies, including the MasterCard headquarters,

MasterCard International Global Headquarters The Mastercard International Global Headquarters is an office building located at 2000 Purchase Street in the hamlet of Purchase, New York. It was constructed in the early 1980s as part of a movement of large corporations onto suburban estate set ...

, and Central National-Gottesman.

Atlas Air Atlas Air, Inc. is a major American cargo airline, charter airline, passenger charter airline, and Aircraft lease, aircraft lessor based in White Plains, New York. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. Atlas Air is t ...

and subsidiary

Polar Air Cargo Polar Air Cargo Worldwide Inc. is a cargo airline based in Purchase, New York, United States. It operates scheduled all-cargo services to North America, Asia, and Europe. Its main base is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, with ...

have their headquarters in Purchase.

's headquarters, a building, was in Harrison.Brenner, Elsa.
IN BUSINESS; Morgan Stanley Seals Deal on Texaco Headquarters
" ''

''. Sunday March 31, 2002. Retrieved on October 3, 2009. In 2002, after

Chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock la ...

and Texaco merged, Chevron sold the former

Texaco Headquarters Texaco Headquarters is a corporate campus in White Plains, New York. When it opened in 1977, the building became the new head office of Texaco, which had been based in the Chrysler Building in Manhattan since 1930. Design was undertaken by Skidmo ...

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 42 countries and more than 80,000 employees, the firm's clients in ...

. Morgan Stanley bought the building and the surrounding for $42 million. Previously,

Lenovo Lenovo Group Limited, trading as Lenovo ( , zh, c=联想, p=Liánxiǎng), is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, servers, conv ...

had its U.S. headquarters in Purchase. In 2006, the company announced it was moving to

Morrisville, North Carolina Morrisville is a town located primarily in Wake County, North Carolina, United States (a small portion extends into neighboring Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the populatio ...

.Hogan, Patrick. "Lenovo shifting U.S. headquarters to Morrisville, but will cut 300-350 Triangle jobs." ''

Triangle Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...

''. Thursday March 16, 2006. Updated Friday March 17, 2006
p.1
Retrieved on October 12, 2012.

Arts and culture

Sites listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

include: * The Hadden-Margolis House, a pre-revolutionary home originally constructed around 1750. * Stony Hill Cemetery, an African-American burial ground used during the 19th century. *The

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

, a stone, Greek-revival building, featuring the

Doric Order The Doric order is one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of t ...

, built in 1938, and featuring a

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

mural.

Parks and recreation

Westchester Country Club Westchester Country Club is a private country club located in Harrison, New York. Founded in 1922 as a destination for sportsmen, it was known to professional golfers and spectators for more than four decades as the home of the Westchester Cla ...

, a private golf club.

Education

Public

Harrison Central School District operates Harrison High School, and Louis M. Klein Middle School, both located in the Downtown area. Additionally, the district also operates four public elementary schools. Purchase School serves Purchase and the northern section of West Harrison, Preston School serves the Silver Lake area of West Harrison, and Parsons School serves South Downtown. The fourth school, Harrison Avenue School, serves the remaining area of "Downtown", Sunnyridge, Sterling Ridge/The Trails, and The Brentwood.

Private

The

Keio Academy of New York is a private high school in Purchase, Harrison, New York, in the New York City metropolitan area. It is sponsored by Keio University,Lyman, Rick.THE JAPANESE WAY IN A QUIET NEW YORK SCHOOL, 463 CHILDREN OF \ JAPAN'S CORPORATE ELITE GET A PROPER ...

is a private high school located in

Colleges and universities

In 2008,

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

opened its Westchester campus in West Harrison.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Roads and highways

* (Cross-Westchester Expressway) * (New England Thruway) * * * * *

Bus

Harrison is served by

Bee-Line Bus System The Westchester County Bee-Line System, branded on the buses in lowercase as ''the bee-line system'', is a bus system serving Westchester County, New York. The system is owned by the county's Department of Public Works and Transportation. Histor ...

Rail

Harrison is served by the

of the

at the

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places Australia * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin Canada * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Port H ...

station.

Airport

Harrison is served by

Westchester County Airport Westchester County Airport is a county-owned airport in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States, northeast of downtown White Plains, New York, White Plains, with territory in the Town (New Y ...

, which is partially located in

Fire department

Harrison is protected by one combination and two all-volunteer fire districts. The Harrison Fire Department being the combination department, the West Harrison Fire Department, and the Purchase Fire Department being all volunteer. The total fire apparatus amount in the town/village are three trucks, nine engines, two rescues, and many other special units. Altogether, there are four fire departments that protect Harrison. On June 22, 2023, Harrison agreed to settle an employment discrimination lawsuit brought by the Justice Department. The $450,000 settlement is one of the largest payments by a municipality in an employment discrimination case brought by the United States on behalf of a single individual. The municipality and fire department also agreed to federal monitoring as part of the settlement for two years.

Notable people

Lou Bender Louis "Lulu" Bender (March 8, 1910 – September 10, 2009)Mallozzii, Vincent M ''The New York Times'', September 12, 2009. Accessed September 13, 2009. was an American basketball player who helped turn the sport into a popular success in New Yo ...

(1910–2009), pioneer player with the

Columbia Lions The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is Peter Pilling. History Intercollegia ...

and in early pro basketball, who was later a successful trial attorney. * James B. Chanin (born 1947), civil rights attorney. * Kenneth Cole (born 1954), fashion designer and entrepreneur *

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

(1897–1937), the aviator lived in Harrison in a home on what is now Amelia Earhart Lane off Locust Avenue while she was married to publisher George Putnam. A monument consisting of a bronze plaque with a propeller attached to a stone, was laid in a small park in Harrison after she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. * Tex Fletcher (1909–1987), a singing cowboy with credits as a recording artist, Broadway and movie actor, night club performer, and radio and television personality. *

Ralph Friedgen Ralph Harry Friedgen (born April 4, 1947) is a former American football coach. He was most recently the special assistant coach for Rutgers in 2015 after serving as their offensive coordinator in the 2014 season. He was the head coach at the Un ...

(born 1947), former head football coach at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

from 2001 to 2010. *

Bobby Gonzalez Robert P. Gonzalez (born March 18, 1963) is a basketball head coach. Gonzalez was previously scout for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association, head coach at Manhattan College and Seton Hall University. He is well known for le ...

, former men's basketball coach for the

Seton Hall Pirates The Seton Hall Pirates are the intercollegiate athletic sports teams representing Seton Hall University, located in South Orange, New Jersey. The Pirates compete as a member of the NCAA Division I level (non-football sub-level), primarily compet ...

." * Fitzhugh Green, of Putnam's Publishing House. *

, musical star and actress, resided in Harrison beginning in 1928. *

Bobby Jordan Robert G. Jordan (April 1, 1923 – September 10, 1965) was an American actor, most notable for being a member of the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids, the Little Tough Guys, and the Bowery Boys. Early life and career Jordan was born ...

(1923–1965), one of the

Dead End Kids The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York City who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play '' Dead End'' in 1935. In 1937, producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film. They ...

. *

Rick Marotta Richard Thomas Marotta (born January 7, 1948) is an American drummer and percussionist. He has appeared on recordings by leading artists such as Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Hall & Oates, Ste ...

, drummer and composer of the theme song for ''

Everybody Loves Raymond ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American television sitcom created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch and Wor ...

''. *

John McGillicuddy John Francis McGillicuddy (December 30, 1930 – January 4, 2009) was an American banking industry executive who oversaw the merger between Manufacturers Hanover Trust and Chemical Bank in the early 1990s. McGillicuddy played football for ...

(1930–2009), CEO of Manufacturer's Hanover Trust and then, after its merger with Chemical Bank, its CEO in the 1990s. * George P. Putnam (1887–1950), publisher and husband of Amelia Earhart. *

Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian Americans, Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and " ...

(born 1969), pitcher with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. *

Scott Rogowsky Scott Rogowsky (born December 4, 1984) is an American comedian and television personality. He is best known for his time hosting HQ Trivia, a mobile game show. Early life Rogowsky was born in Manhattan and raised in Harrison, New York. He gradu ...

, host of HQ Trivia. * Alan Rosen (born 1969), restaurant and bakery owner, and author * Brothers Eric and Jeff Rosenthal, the hip-hop sketch comedians collectively known as ItsTheReal. *

Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen (; born Eugenio Saraceni, February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of seven major championships. He is one of six players (alon ...

(1902–1999, born Eugenio Saraceni) American golfer.

Notes

References

External links

Town/Village of Harrison official website
{{authority control Towns in Westchester County, New York Towns in New York (state) Towns in the New York metropolitan area Villages in Westchester County, New York Populated places established in 1696 1696 establishments in the Province of New York Villages in New York (state)