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Some notable Chappaqua residents, past and present, include:
Some notable Chappaqua residents, past and present, include:


* Al Arkin, Academy Award-winning actor, best known for starring in such films as ''The In-Laws'', ''Catch-22'', ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'', ''Wait Until Dark'', and ''[[Little Miss Sunshine]]''.
* [[Al Arkin]], Academy Award-winning actor, best known for starring in such films as ''The In-Laws'', ''Catch-22'', ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'', ''Wait Until Dark'', and ''[[Little Miss Sunshine]]''.
* [[Adam Arkin]], American television, film, and stage actor, son of Al Arkin
* [[Adam Arkin]], American television, film, and stage actor, son of Al Arkin
* [[Bibi Besch]], actress
* [[Bibi Besch]], actress

Revision as of 00:44, 20 August 2007

Chappaqua, New York
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyWestchester
Population
 (2000 census)
 • Total9,468
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
WebsiteTown of New Castle which includes Chappaqua
Zip code: 10514
This article is about the hamlet; for the film, see Chappaqua (film).

Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 9,468.

Chappaqua is located in the Town of New Castle. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton own a home in Chappaqua which they purchased toward the end of Clinton's presidency in 1999 for $1.7 million.[1]

Nationwide, Chappaqua ranks 42nd among the 100 highest-income places in the United States (with at least 1,000 households).


History

[2]

Origins of the Hamlet of Chappaqua

In the early 1730's a group of Quakers moved north from Purchase, NY to settle in present-day Chappaqua. They built their homes on Quaker Street and held their meetings at the home of Abel Weeks. Their meeting house was built in 1753 and still holds weekly meetings each Sunday. All sorts of spellings were used for the name they heard Native Americans use for their valley and hillside. It was an Algonquian word, "shah-pah-ka," and it meant "the rustling land" or "the rattling land," or a place where nothing is heard but the rustling of the wind in the leaves. The quakers spelled it Shapiqua, Shapaqua, Shapequa, Shappaqua, and, finally, Chappaqua. Their meeting was often referred to as the Shapequa Meeting as early as 1745.

Chappaqua and the American Revolution

From late 1776 to 1781, the main troop lines of the American Army moved back and forth between White Plains and Peekskill thirty miles to the North. As the American lines moved, the British lines also moved North and South, with a narrow "no man's land" always between the two sets of lines. It was well known that North Castle, and in particular, the Quaker village of Shapequa (the most common spelling of the time), were areas where pacifists and neutrals lived. Indeed, most of mid-Westchester was supposed to be "Neutral Ground." Rather than being left alone equally by both sides, though, it was raided by each side equally. The Quakers suffered terribly from this raiding. Crops and livestock were stolen and weapons were seized. The Chappaqua Quaker Meeting House on Quaker Street served as a hospital for Americans wounded after the Battle of White Plains in 1776 and again in 1778. It is probably true that General Washington visited his wounded troops there.

Creation of the Town of New Castle

On March 18, 1791, the government of New York decided to split the overly large town of North Castle (jokingly called "the two saddlebags") into two smaller towns, one of which was named New Castle. The border was drawn from the southwest corner of Bedford to the northeast edge of Mount Pleasant. New Castle's borders have remained the same since 1791, except for a small piece of land received from Somers in 1846.

Early businesses of Chappaqua

Chappaqua had great streams such as the Saw Mill River and the Roaring Brook. These bodies of water were used to power mills used to crush corn and press oil from beans. The eastern half of Chappaqua was very suitable for farming. The majority of the Quaker settlers of Chappaqua were farmers. The popular farming industry also helped give way to Chappaqua's high milk production. Other popular industries from Chappaqua included shoes, hardware, vinegar, pickles, eyeglasses, and furniture.

Railroad

In 1846 when the New York and Harlem Railroad extended through Chappaqua, business became centered around the new train station. These businesses included, a hotel, livery stables, a public library, and various stores and small factories.

The First Rail Road Commuter, Horace Greeley

The coming of the railroad marked the arrival of the commuter, the tireless person who traveled to New York City and back everyday. One very famous commuter who would make his way back and forth from Chappaqua to NYC was Horace Greeley. Horace Greeley was a very successful editor of the New York Tribune, which he started in 1841 when he was only 30 years of age. This free-thinker and politician came to Chappaqua to live out the quiet and peaceful life of a country farmer. In 1853 he bought 78 acres of land just east of the railroad. His land included upland pastures near present-day Aldrich Road, Greeley Hill, and the marshy fields now the site of the Bell Middle School fields and the shopping area along South Greeley Avenue. Horace and his wife loved the streams, the large evergreen trees, and their clean, fresh, ice-cold spring. Horace Greeley's house still stands on King Street, just east of the train station and South Greeley Avenue and is home to the historical society.

Schools

Today, the schools in Chappaqua are by reputation among the best in the country.[3] But this was not always so. With 18 student classes in the 1890's and a one room schoolhouse, schools were less than accommodating. These schoolhouses were completely devoid of windows, creating an atmosphere that was restrictive to learning. By standards of today, these schoolhouses were the worst possible educational facilities.

In the Chappaqua region there were eight such schoolhouses, each as devoid of sunlight and full of opressive air as the last. These small schools prevailed until around 1870, when the Quakers built a large school called the Chappaqua Mountain Institute on the aptly named Quaker Street. In the year 1885 the school caught fire, and much refurbishing was done, with the addition of two new wings. It was sold in 1908 and now belongs to the Children's Aid Society.

Around 1928, Robert E. Bell Middle School, known at the time as Horace Greeley School, was built. The present day Horace Greeley High School was built in 1957, and three elementary schools were completed over a twenty year period: Roaring Brook School in 1951; Douglas G. Grafflin in 1962; and Westorchard in 1971.

Finally, Seven Bridges Middle School was built in 2003 and added to the town's school system as a solution to the overcrowding of previously the only middle school in Chappaqua, Robert E. Bell. Before Seven Bridges was constructed, all students, regardless of which elementary school they attended, would have moved on to Robert E. Bell. But, because of population growth, half now move up to Bell and half move up to Seven Bridges. Substantially all of the hamlet of Chappaqua is included in the Chappaqua Central School District. The school district currently consists of Roaring Brook, Westorchard, and Douglas G. Grafflin Elementary Schools; Robert E. Bell and Seven Bridges Middle Schools; and Horace Greeley High School. 99% of Greeley graduates attend 4-year colleges.

Parent expectations in the school district are high, and while many Greeley graduates get into top-ranked colleges, school officials have complained that because of parental pressure, students apply to colleges beyond their reach.[4] [5] The educational environment is highly competitive and somewhat stressful..[6] In 2001, parental support an enthusiasm for students went badly awry when a Chappaqua couple was arrested for hosting a pre-season party for the high school football team featuring a stripper, drugs, and alcohol.[7] This made national headlines. The couple pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and one year of probation.[8] Also in 2001, Chappaqua students made national news in a scandal about cyberbullying. [9]

The singer/songwriter Dar Williams grew up in Chappaqua and graduated from Greeley High School. The area's briefly high teenage suicide rate in the mid 1980s [10] figures into her discussion of her music and her song lyrics. [11][12]

In the fall of 2003, after the opening of the new middle school, Seven Bridges, and the moving of the fifth grade from Chappaqua's elementary schools to the middle schools, the district added full day kindergarten.[13][14] In 2006, the Chappaqua Central School District has come under criticism for assigning excessive homework at the elementary level. [15]

Chappaqua's above-average house prices have been linked to the quality of its public schools. [16][17]

Geography

Chappaqua is located at 41°9′57″N 73°45′55″W / 41.16583°N 73.76528°W / 41.16583; -73.76528Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.165925, -73.765244)Template:GR.

Parts of the Chappaqua ZIP code area are located in the Towns of Mount Kisco, New Castle, Millwood, Mount Pleasant, Yorktown, and Bedford. Parts of the Chappaqua Central School District include homes in other zip codes, such as 10570, the Pleasantville, New York zip code.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 24.4 km² (9.4 mi²). 24.3 km² (9.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 9,468 people, 3,118 households, and 2,687 families residing in the Census-designated place. The population density was 389.7/km² (1,009.8/mi²). There were 3,181 housing units at an average density of 130.9/km² (339.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.80% White, 0.94% African American, 0.03% Native American, 5.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population. 14.3% were of Italian, 11.4% Russian, 10.6% Irish, 7.1% United States or American, 6.0% English and 5.7% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.4% spoke English, 3.6% Spanish and 1.0% Italian as their first language.

There were 3,118 households out of which 52.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.1% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.8% were non-families. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 32.8% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $163,201, and the median income for a family was $180,451. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $71,875 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $77,835. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Additional information

Like in many suburbs and rural areas in the Northeast, Emergency Medical Service and fire service are provided by volunteer agencies. The Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CVAC) provides Basic Life Support services to most of New Castle, including Chappaqua. The hamlet is protected by the New Castle Police Department, which provides first-response services for medical and fire emergencies, too.

Although Chappaqua's crime rate is far below the national average[18], the area has had several high profile murders. in 1996, a battle between a lottery winner and his former lover over custody of their 5-year-old child resulted in a gun battle; the lottery winner was acquitted of the murder of his former lover on the basis of self defence, and convicted of the shooting of the woman's father.[19] And in November of 2006, a disbarred attorney who is a neighbor of the Clinton's on Old House Lane, drove the body of his severely injured wife, Peggy Perez-Olivo, a special education teaching assistant at Grafflin Elementary, to Northern Westchester Hospital, claiming the couple had been ambushed and shot. She died soon after. The police has not yet been solved, but police have expressed skepitcism about the husband's account and have not yet ruled him out as a suspect.[20]

Chappaqua is the birthplace of Festivus, the secular holiday invented by resident and Reader's Digest editor Daniel O'Keefe. His son, Dan O'Keefe, popularized the holiday in 1997 by writing it into the plot of the television sitcom Seinfeld.

Notable residents

Some notable Chappaqua residents, past and present, include:

Famous structures

  • The Chappaqua Friends Meeting House, circa 1753, is the oldest Quaker meeting house standing in Westchester County.
  • America's first concrete barn. It was completed by Horace Greeley on his Chappaqua farm in 1865. It was also one of the first concrete buildings ever built in the U.S.
  • World headquarters of Reader's Digest (physically located in Chappaqua, though its mailing address is in neighboring Pleasantville, New York; it really does have statues of pegasus on it).
  • One of Horace Greeley's homes. Part of the original structure still stands, and is part of the present-day New Castle Historical Society.

References

  1. ^ The Clintons Are Coming and Chappaqua Braces by David Montgomery, The Washington Post, September 4, 1999.
  2. ^ Warde, Robert (1982). Chappaqua: Our Connections to Its Past. Chappaqua Central School District (CCSD). {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  3. ^ GREELEY HIGH CALLED ONE OF BEST IN U.S. by Lena Williams, The New York Times, September 27, 1981.
  4. ^ A Difficult Year for the College-Bound by Tessa Melvin, The New York Times, May 1, 1988.
  5. ^ A letter to the editor in which a Chappaqua parent describes the role of parental ambitions in the local educational climate, The New York Times, November 11, 1990.
  6. ^ A New Uncertainty About Life After High School; Students at Horace Greeley Wonder if the Best Years of Their Lives Are Ahead or Behind by Lydia Richardson, The New York Times, June 17, 1992.
  7. ^ Alcohol Wars Give 'Party Jitters' A Whole New Meaning by David Scharfenberg, The New York Times, February 20, 2005.
  8. ^ Metro Briefing | New York: Chappaqua: No Jail For Party Parents, The New York Times, June 1, 2002.
  9. ^ Cyber slammed, by Amy Benfer, Salon, July 3, 2001.
  10. ^ FOURTH TEEN-AGER'S SUICIDE SHOCKS 2 SUBURBAN COUNTIES by Lena Williams, The New York Times, February 23, 1984.
  11. ^ Dar Williams bio
  12. ^ Cool As it Can Be by Lucy O'Brien, Diva Magazine, December 1996/January 1997.
  13. ^ [http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F10F11F93A590C708EDDAB0894DB404482 IN THE SCHOOLS; The Half-Day Stress Of Kindergarten] by Merri Rosenberg, The New York Times, February 23, 2003.
  14. ^ Minutes, Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education, May 25, 2004.
  15. ^ The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It by Sarah Bennett & Nancy Kalish (2006), pp. 71-72.
  16. ^ "...the school districts in which the houses are situated. This fact, more than any other, may determine the value of a home.
    Maerhoff, Gene I. (1982-10-17). "As the Schools Go, So Do House Prices". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  17. ^ The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It by Sarah Bennett & Nancy Kalish (2006), pp. 71-72.
  18. ^ Crime stats from a real estate relocation site.
  19. ^ Lotto Winner Guilty in a Killing, Cleared in 2d, The New York Times, March 21, 1998.
  20. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/22/AR2006112200256.html Husband Not Ruled Out in Murder Probe], Jim Fitzgerald, the Associated Press, November 22, 2006.

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