Yorktown, New York

Yorktown has a rich historical heritage. It was originally inhabited by one or more bands of Wappinger people, including the Kitchawank. Most of Yorktown was part of the Manor of Cortlandt, a Royal Manor granted by King William III for the Van Cortlandt family.{{Cite web |title=Historic Yorktown |url=http://yorktownhistory.org/history/historic-yorktown/ |access-date=October 6, 2022 |website=yorktownhistory.org}}

The Croton River, which runs through the southern part of Yorktown, was dammed by the New York City water supply system to provide the city with its first major source of clean and reliable water. The first Croton Dam was located in Yorktown and broke in 1842, causing significant damage to property and major loss of life.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

File:Yorktown NY Presby PHS837.jpg]]

During the American Revolution, Yorktown saw limited action. Late in the war, the Pines Bridge crossing of the Croton River was guarded by the 1st Rhode Island Regiment made up of White, African American, and Native American soldiers. Several of the soldiers were killed, including the regiment's commander, Colonel Christopher Greene, on May 14, 1781, at the Battle of Pine's Bridge in Croton Heights. A memorial was erected at the Presbyterian Church in Crompond, New York.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} Major John André, a British officer who communicated with Benedict Arnold, ate his final breakfast at the Underhill House at 370 Underhill Avenue on Hanover Street just before his capture and eventual hanging as a spy.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

In 1788, the township was officially incorporated as Yorktown, commemorating the Revolutionary War victory of the Franco-American siege of Yorktown, near Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781. The area had previously been known as Hanover, with a now unwanted association with King George III.

Moving north after the battle of Yorktown, the French army camped at the site of today's French Hill Elementary School, where cannonballs and other relics have been found.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} Although rumors claim that George Washington passed through Yorktown, no factual records confirm this.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

A Bicentennial Committee in 1988 reviewed the town's remaining historic sites and determined which should be preserved.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

The town's northern border is the Town of Putnam Valley in Putnam County. Its eastern border is the Town of Somers. Its southern border is the Town of New Castle. Its western border is the Town of Cortlandt.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of {{convert|39.3|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|36.8|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|2.6|sqmi|km2}}, or 6.57%, is water.

{{ Weather box

| width=auto

| location= Yorktown Heights, New York

| single line= Y

| Jan record high F= 67

| Feb record high F= 73

| Mar record high F= 85

| Apr record high F= 95

| May record high F= 94

| Jun record high F= 94

| Jul record high F= 100

| Aug record high F= 100

| Sep record high F= 95

| Oct record high F= 87

| Nov record high F= 79

| Dec record high F= 73

| year record high F= 100

|Jan high F= 35.5

|Feb high F= 38.6

|Mar high F= 46.8

|Apr high F= 59.7

|May high F= 69.6

|Jun high F= 78.0

|Jul high F= 83.0

|Aug high F= 81.1

|Sep high F= 74.4

|Oct high F= 62.5

|Nov high F= 51.4

|Dec high F= 40.8

|Jan low F= 16.7

|Feb low F= 17.9

|Mar low F= 25.4

|Apr low F= 35.9

|May low F= 47.8

|Jun low F= 55.2

|Jul low F= 60.8

|Aug low F= 59.3

|Sep low F= 51.9

|Oct low F= 40.9

|Nov low F= 31.5

|Dec low F= 23.3

|Jan record low F= -15

|Feb record low F= -10

|Mar record low F= 0

|Apr record low F= 14

|May record low F= 30

|Jun record low F= 38

|Jul record low F= 46

|Aug record low F= 39

|Sep record low F= 32

|Oct record low F= 20

|Nov record low F= 11

|Dec record low F= -9

|year record low F= -15

|precipitation colour= green

|Jan precipitation inch= 3.72

|Feb precipitation inch= 3.06

|Mar precipitation inch= 4.10

|Apr precipitation inch= 3.89

|May precipitation inch= 3.91

|Jun precipitation inch= 5.00

|Jul precipitation inch= 4.32

|Aug precipitation inch= 4.28

|Sep precipitation inch= 4.80

|Oct precipitation inch= 4.61

|Nov precipitation inch= 4.24

|Dec precipitation inch= 4.37

|year precipitation inch= 50.30

|Jan snow inch= 8.8

|Feb snow inch= 12.6

|Mar snow inch= 8.2

|Apr snow inch= 1.8

|May snow inch= 0

|Jun snow inch= 0

|Jul snow inch= 0

|Aug snow inch= 0

|Sep snow inch= 0

|Oct snow inch= 0

|Nov snow inch= 0.5

|Dec snow inch= 7.6

|year snow inch= 39.50

|Jan precipitation days= 11.1

|Feb precipitation days= 8.6

|Mar precipitation days= 10.5

|Apr precipitation days= 11.1

|May precipitation days= 11.6

|Jun precipitation days= 11.3

|Jul precipitation days= 10.3

|Aug precipitation days= 9.9

|Sep precipitation days= 8.9

|Oct precipitation days= 9.4

|Nov precipitation days= 9.1

|Dec precipitation days= 10.5

|Jan snow days= 5.2

|Feb snow days= 4.1

|Mar snow days= 3.3

|Apr snow days= 0.4

|May snow days= 0

|Jun snow days= 0

|Jul snow days= 0

|Aug snow days= 0

|Sep snow days= 0

|Oct snow days= 0

|Nov snow days= 0.5

|Dec snow days= 3.4

|source = NOAA{{cite web|url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00309670&format=pdf|title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020|access-date=May 12, 2022}}}}

{{US Census population

| 1790 = 1609

| 1820 = 1991

| 1830 = 2141

| 1840 = 2819

| 1850 = 2273

| 1860 = 2231

| 1870 = 2625

| 1880 = 2481

| 1890 = 2378

| 1900 = 2421

| 1910 = 3020

| 1920 = 1441

| 1930 = 2724

| 1940 = 3642

| 1950 = 4731

| 1960 = 16453

| 1970 = 28064

| 1980 = 31988

| 1990 = 33467

| 2000 = 36318

| 2010 = 36081

| 2020 = 36569

| estyear = 2022

| estimate = 35545

| estref = {{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/yorktowntownwestchestercountynewyork|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=March 9, 2024}}

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

}}

As of the United States Census of 2000, there were 36,318 people, 12,556 households, and 9,831 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|989.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 12,852 housing units at an average density of {{convert|350.2|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the town was 90.64% White, 3.04% African American, 0.14% Native American, 3.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.82% of the population.

There were 12,556 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.1% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $133,819, and the median income for a family was $154,984 (these figures had risen to $137,253 and $159,413 respectively as of a 2014 estimate{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm%3Dy%26-context%3Dadp%26-qr_name%3DACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR3%26-ds_name%3DACS_2007_3YR_G00_%26-tree_id%3D3307%26-redoLog%3Dfalse%26-_caller%3Dgeoselect%26-geo_id%3D06000US3611984077%26-format%3D%26-_lang%3Den |title=American FactFinder - Results |access-date=March 31, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200216034852/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm%3Dy%26-context%3Dadp%26-qr_name%3DACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR3%26-ds_name%3DACS_2007_3YR_G00_%26-tree_id%3D3307%26-redoLog%3Dfalse%26-_caller%3Dgeoselect%26-geo_id%3D06000US3611984077%26-format%3D%26-_lang%3Den |archive-date=February 16, 2020 }}). Males had a median income of $96,071 versus $75,899 for females. The per capita income for the town was $63,570. About 1.1% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

For the 2010 census, the results showed 87.9% White, 3.3% African-American, 0.1% American Indian, 4.7% Asian, 9.4% Latino.2010 Census summary, 'Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin' https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF [http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table]

Some of Yorktown's multiple ethnic groups, nationalities and religious communities are, for example, Italians, Mexicans and American Jews. There is an annual feast of San Gennaro represents the Italian community.{{Cite web|title=Yorktown Feast of San Gennaro|url=https://www.yorktownny.org/community/yorktown-feast-san-gennaro-1|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=Town of Yorktown New York|language=en}} Also there are Irish, Japanese and African-Americans, among others.

Yorktown is governed by a five-member town board. It determines policy and is the branch of government that appropriates funds for governmental functions and services. The Board is composed of four Council members, who are elected for a four-year term, and the Supervisor who is elected for a two-year term. Terms are staggered. Two Council positions are elected at each biennial election.

{{United States presidential election results table header|place=Yorktown|source={{Cite web|url=https://davesredistricting.org/maps#home|title=DRA 2020|access-date=September 3, 2022}}}}

{{PresRow| 2020 |Democratic | 10244| 11099| 270| New York}}

{{PresFoot| 2016 |Republican | 9140| 9073| 834| New York}}

The town is made up of five business hamlets: Mohegan Lake, Shrub Oak, Jefferson Valley, Crompond, and Yorktown Heights, and twelve historical residential neighborhoods each with their own unique character and identity.

;Hamlets

• Lake Mohegan
• Shrub Oak
• Jefferson Valley-Yorktown
• Crompond (partially in the town of Cortlandt)
• Yorktown Heights

;Historical Neighborhoods

• Copper Beech/Oakside{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
• Croton Heights
• Manhattan Park
• Crow Hill{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
• Huntersville/Hunterbrook
• Kitchawan/Pinesbridge
• Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park (formerly Mohansic Park)
• Quarry/Stony Street{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
• Sparkle Lake/Cottage Farms{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
• Teatown (not completely in the town of Yorktown){{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
• Turkey Hill/Underhill Heights{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
• Yorkhill/Amawalk Nursery{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
• Yorktown{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

The Town of Yorktown is served by four school districts: Yorktown Central School District, Lakeland Central School District, Croton-Harmon Union Free School District, and Ossining Union Free School District.

The Yorktown School District encompasses a large part of the Town of Yorktown and small sections of Cortlandt and New Castle. The district includes two, grade K-3 elementary schools; one, grade 4-5 elementary school; one, grade 6-8 middle school; and one grade 9-12 high school.

Lakeland is a suburban school district located in the Northwest corner of Westchester County and includes parts of six towns: Yorktown, Cortlandt, and Somers in Westchester County; Carmel, Philipstown, and Putnam Valley in Putnam County. Lakeland includes five grade K-5 elementary schools, one grade 6-8 middle school, and two grade 9-12 high schools, as well as the Lakeland Alternative High School.

The Croton-Harmon School District encompasses parts of the towns of Cortlandt, Yorktown, and Ossining and includes the village of Croton-on-Hudson. The district population is approximately 15,000 with some 1,700 students attending Croton schools this year. The district includes one, grade K-4 elementary school; one, grade 5-8 middle school; and one, grade 9-12 high school.

The Ossining Union Free School District encompasses parts of the towns of Yorktown, New Castle, Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, and the Village of Ossining. The district includes the Park Early childhood center, which houses three programs: First Steps for Ossining families with children ages 0 to 4, Pre-Kindergarten for four year-olds and Kindergarten, one grade 1-2 elementary school, one, grade 3-4 elementary school, one grade 5 elementary school, one grade 6-8 middle school, and one grade 9-12 high school.

File:IBM Watson.PNG at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center]]

The main site of the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center is located in the Kitchawan part of Yorktown.

The headquarters for Contractors Register is located in the Hamlet of Jefferson Valley. Contractors Register publishes The Blue Book of Building and Construction.{{cite web |url=http://www.thebluebook.com/ |title=The Blue Book Building & Construction Network - Home |website=www.thebluebook.com |access-date=February 10, 2015}}

Regional bank PCSB Bank is headquartered in Yorktown Heights.{{cite web | url=https://westfaironline.com/84170/pcsb-bank-will-sell-shares-convert-to-stock-savings-bank/ | title=PCSB Bank will sell shares, convert to stock savings bank | publisher=Westfair Business Publications | first=John | last=Golden | date=December 15, 2016 | access-date=April 13, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118213641/https://westfaironline.com/84170/pcsb-bank-will-sell-shares-convert-to-stock-savings-bank/ | archive-date=November 18, 2018 | url-status=live}}

Jefferson Valley Mall, the area's major shopping center, is located in Yorktown, in the hamlet of Jefferson Valley.{{Cite web|url=http://washingtonprime.com/map/profile.dT/jefferson-valley-mall/|title=WASHINGTON PRIME GROUP|date=August 31, 2017|website=washingtonprime.com|access-date=August 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820204645/http://washingtonprime.com/map/profile.dT/jefferson-valley-mall/|archive-date=August 20, 2017|url-status=dead}}

Parks in Yorktown includes several state parks: Donald J. Trump State Park (with north and south sections), sold to the state at a discount by Donald Trump, and Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park.{{Cite web|url=https://parks.ny.gov/parks/148/details.aspx|title = Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park}} There are also many local parks: Downing Park, Granite Knolls Park, Hilltop Hanover Farm & Environmental Center, Kitchawan Preserve, part of the North County Trailway (now also known as the Empire State Trailway), Patriot Park, Railroad Park, Sylvan Glen Park Preserve, Teatown Lake Reservation (partially in the towns of Cortlandt and New Castle), Turkey Mountain Nature Preserve, and Woodlands Legacy Fields Park.

File:Former Yorktown Heights, NY, railroad station.jpg Yorktown Heights station]]

Yorktown once had five stations along the New York and Putnam Railroad — Kitchawan, Croton Lake, Croton Heights, Yorktown Heights, and Amawalk. The railroad was purchased by the New York Central Railroad, and ran into the early 1960s, when changes in vacation patterns impacting the numerous resort hotels further upline in Lake Mahopac and the dominant car culture killed the rail service. The old right of way is now part of the North County Trailway, which runs north as far as Carmel, New York.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} There is currently no rail service in Yorktown, but there are multiple Metro-North Railroad stations nearby, in Katonah in the east on the Harlem Line and Peekskill on the Hudson Line.

One of the New York Central stations was restored and today serves as the centerpiece of a small town park.

• Feast of San Gennaro
• Yorktown Grange Fair
• Battle of Yorktown, a litter cleanup initiative held annually in April
• Greasestock, a yearly festival showcasing alternative fuel vehicles.Norman, Jim. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/automobiles/13GREASE.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin Where There's Never an Oil Shortage]". New York Times. May 13, 2007.

• Roy Colsey, Major League Lacrosse player, grew up in Yorktown
• Nargis Fakhri, Bollywood actress, owns a house in Yorktown{{cite web |url=https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/yorktown/neighbors/happy-birthday-to-yorktowns-nargis-fakhri/408200/|title=Happy Birthday To Yorktown's Nargis Fakhri |website=Yorktown Daily Voice |date=October 20, 2013 |publisher=The Daily Voice|access-date=March 23, 2019}}
• Susan Faludi, American feminist, journalist, author, and Pulitzer Prize winner grew up in Yorktown
• Charlie Gasparino, American financial journalist
• Robert Hannsen, convicted Russian spy, lived with his family in Yorktown in the mid-1980s
• Margaret Illington, stage actress popular in the first decade of the 20th century, lived on her Dreamlake estate in Yorktown{{cite web |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/04/25/112657609.pdf |title=Dreamlake Is Sold - A. D. Geissler Buys Estate of Margaret Illington. |website=timesmachine.nytimes.com |access-date=June 17, 2011}}
• Consuelo Kanaga, photographer and writer who became well known for her photographs of African-Americans
• Andrew Kavovit, actor, grew up in Yorktown
• Dave Matthews, singer/songwriter, lived with his family in Yorktown before he moved to Virginia
• William Keepers Maxwell Jr., fiction editor for The New Yorker and novelist{{cite web |url=http://findinglincolnillinois.com/ross-dyer-brummell.html |title=William Maxwell's Black Characters in Billie Dyer and Other Stories |website=findinglincolnillinois.com |access-date=June 17, 2011}}{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o_r4xQgkMZ8C&q=william+maxwell+yorktown&pg=PR9 | title=William Maxwell: A Literary Life| isbn=9780252030185| last1=Burkhardt| first1=Barbara A.| year=2005| publisher=University of Illinois Press}}
• Terrence Murphy, Former New York State Senator
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Congresswoman, born in NYC, but moved to Yorktown when she was five and later attended Yorktown High School{{cite news|first1=Andy|last1=Newman|first2=Vivian|last2=Wang|first3=Luis|last3=Ferré-Sadurní|title=Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Emerges as a Political Star|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/nyregion/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-bio-profile.html|work=The New York Times|location=New York City|date=June 27, 2018 |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628072729/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/nyregion/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-bio-profile.html |archive-date=June 28, 2018 |url-status=live}}
• Buster Olney, ESPN baseball analyst and former New York Yankees beat writer
• Clifford A. Pickover, writer. In his book, The Mobius Strip, he models the fictional New Devonshire on Yorktown. Pickover also used the Jefferson Valley Mall as the locale for his book The Heaven Virus.
• Al Roker, meteorologist, lived in Yorktown while he was married to the town clerk, Alice Bell
• Anthony "Romeo" Santos, Dominican-American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and lead vocalist of the American bachata band Aventura who is the first Latino artist to sell out Yankee and MetLife Stadium
• Matt Slater, American politician currently serving as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 94th district. Former Town Supervisor of Yorktown.
• Lawrence Treat, mystery writer and pioneer of the genre of novels police procedurals{{cite web |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1998-01-14/news/9801130339_1_mystery-writers-mystery-readers-novel |title=Lawrence Treat, Mystery Writer, 94 |website=Sun Sentinel |access-date=June 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902082411/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1998-01-14/news/9801130339_1_mystery-writers-mystery-readers-novel |archive-date=September 2, 2012 |url-status=dead}}
• Halsey (H.W.) Wilson, founder of the H. W. Wilson Company, a publisher, lived in the Croton Heights section of Yorktown{{cite journal | pmc=199761 | volume=42 | issue=3 |pages = 402–403| journal=Bulletin of the Medical Library Association | title=Halsey W. Wilson|year = 1954}}

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons category|Yorktown, New York}}

• [http://www.citizensforaninformedyorktown.org/ Citizens for an Informed Yorktown]
• [http://www.yorktownny.org/ Town of Yorktown official website]
• [http://www.yorktownfire.org Yorktown Heights Fire Department]

{{Westchester County, New York}}

{{Hudson River}}

{{New York metropolitan area}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|41|17|44|N|73|48|29|W|type:city_region:US-NY|display=title}}

Category:Towns in New York (state)

Category:Towns in the New York metropolitan area

Category:Towns in Westchester County, New York