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New Rochelle, New York

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New Rochelle City Hall
File:New Roc City 800.jpg
New Roc City

New Rochelle (French: Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of New York in Westchester County, 16 miles (26 km) from Grand Central Terminal in New York City and 2 miles north of the border with The Bronx. It lies on the Long Island Sound east of Mount Vernon. Settled by Huguenots (French Protestants) in 1688, it is mainly residential with some light industry. The city is named after the city of La Rochelle in France, which was a stronghold of the Huguenots. In 2000, the city had a population of 72,182. It is one of the largest suburbs of New York City, the seventh-largest city in the state of New York, and the second-largest city in Westchester County.

History

17th century

New Rochelle's history began with the purchase by Thomas Pell of the Pelham Manor tract, of which the city became part, from the Siwanoy Indians in 1654.

In 1687 a purchase agreement was made between John Pell, nephew of Thomas Pell, and Jacob Leisler

In 1689, thousands of Huguenots - Protestants who left France following the revocation by Louis XIV of the Edict of Nantes, which had protected them from religious persecution - began settling the area. The founded the settlement of Nouvelle-Rochelle, after La Rochelle, the port from which they had departed France. There is a monument in Hudson Park which contains the names of these Huguenot settlers.

Also in 1689, John Pell officially deeded the 6,100 acres (25 km²) of New Rochelle to Jacob Leisler. The Deed requires "as an Acknowledgment to the Lord of the said Manor one Fatt Calfe on every fouer and twentieth day of June yearly and every Year Forever (if demanded)."

18th century

1738 : Last recorded entries in French on town records.

In 1775 General George Washington stops in New Rochelle on his way to assume command of the Army of the United Colonies in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In October of 1776, the British Army occupies New Rochelle and Larchmont. General Sir William Howe establishes headquarters on the heights above North Avenue opposite Eastchester Road. The British support troops, 4,000 Hessians and Waldeckers under Lieutenant-General Baron von Knyphausen, landed at Davenport Neck. The British left New Rochelle on October 25, clogging available roads and leaving destruction behind. Two days later, the Battle of White Plains was fought, bringing victory to the British but allowing Washington to regroup his troops. New Rochelle became part of the "Neutral Ground."

Through the 18th century, New Rochelle, with a 1790 population of 692 residents, remained a modest village. It retained an abundance of agricultural land, 300 acres (1.2 km²) of which was awarded in 1784 to the patriot Thomas Paine by New York State for his service to the cause of independence. Paine, however spent little time at the estate. Now located on a small street in New Rochelle, the Thomas Paine Cottage[1] is a small museum where many Revolutionary re-enactments are played out.

19th century

In 1879, John H. Starin, former United States Congressman and New York transportation king, buys five islands, names them Glen Island and creates perhaps the first theme park open to the public. His 12 steamboats transported millions of New York residents and others to the attractions which included a zoo, a natural history museum, a railway, a German beer garden (around the castle-like structure which still stands today), a bathing beach, and a Chinese pagoda. A chain ferry transported visitors from a mainland dock.

In 1892, the New Rochelle Public Library is established and located in the Trinity School, on Trinity Place. Rose Hill Gardens, located on what is now Rose Hill Avenue, is one of the largest botanical gardens in the country during the 1800s. The first orchid in the United States is cultivated here.

In 1896, David's Island is re-named Fort Slocum after General Henry Warner Slocum, a Civil War officer. Fort Slocum becomes the largest recruiting depot east of the Mississippi River, with greatest use during World War I and World War II.

In 1899, On April 18, Michael J. Dillon wins by a slim margin of 22 votes over Hugh A. Harmer to become New Rochelle's first mayor. The new city charter designates four wards, a board of alderman (two from each ward), and 10 elected from the city at large.

20th and early 21st centuries

In the early part of the 20th century, the County's famous Glen Island Casino on Long Island Sound continued to draw such celebrities as Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers and Ozzie Nelson.

In 1930, New Rochelle's population hit 54,000, up from 36,213, in 1920. In the early 30's it was the wealthiest city per capita in New York State, the third wealthiest in the country.

New Rochelle had two of the first suburban branch department stores in America, with Arnold Constable opening on Main Street in the 1940s and Bloomingdale's purchasing the locally owned Ware's Store in the late 1940s.

New Rochelle was the scene of the first court-ordered school desegregation case in "the north", when the United States Supreme Court decided in 1962 that its Lincoln School boundaries had been intentionally drawn to create segregated elementary school districts. Lincoln School was closed and demolished in 1965, with students of that district allowed to attend certain other city elementary schools. Today the school district is known for its diversity, and the high school honors civil rights leader Whitney Young in the name of its auditorium and civil rights martyr Michael Schwerner in the name of its library.

In May 1968, New Rochelle High School was destroyed by a fire set by a disturbed student. The fire was early in the morning and nobody was killed. Students attended school in trailers and sessions were divided by morning and evening to accommodate all students. The school was eventually rebuilt. Fortunately the facade of the school remained intact allowing builders to construct a new building behind the beautiful, original exterior.

A view on North Avenue looking north towards the Pershing Square Building and Trump Plaza

Part of downtown New Rochelle near the Metro North train station was revitalized in the summer of 1999 with the opening of the $190 million New Roc City, an entertainment complex featuring a 19-screen movie theater, Westchester's first IMAX theater, mini-golf, go karts, an arcade, a health club, restaurants, a hotel, and a supermarket. New Roc City was built on the former Macy's and Mall in New Rochelle sites. The Mall, which had opened in 1968 was an early "downtown mall."

Additional revitalization has come by way of new luxury residences. The construction of Avalon On The Sound East, a luxury apartment complex was unveiled by AvalonBay Communities in 2007. Trump Plaza, a 39-story building which is under construction as of 2007, will be the tallest building in Westchester County at and the tallest between New York City and Albany

Another area in New Rochelle is called Bayberry. Bayberry was established in the early 1950s and is one of New Rochelle's most well-known neighborhoods. It is a public community with approximately 200 houses and 700 residents. Bayberry has a large recreational facility with a basketball court, two pools, a water slide, two tennis courts, a baseball field, and a gaming arcade. Bayberry is connected by trail to the reservoir in Larchmont/New Rochelle. Membership is required to enter the pool facilities, and most residents of Bayberry belong. The residents of Bayberry range in age and many people who grew up in Bayberry return as adults with their families. It is located off of Pinebrook Blvd, and is near Albert Leonard Middle School and William B. Ward Elementary School, two of New Rochelle's public schools.

Geography

The city of New Rochelle has a 2005 population estimate of 72,967

New Rochelle is located at 40°55′43″N 73°47′3″W / 40.92861°N 73.78417°W / 40.92861; -73.78417Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.928584, -73.784230)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.3 km² (13.2 mi²). The city has a rough triangle shape, approximately 10 miles (16 km) from north to south and 1.5 miles (2 km) from east to west at its widest point. alex feldmannnnnnnn

Law, Government and Crime

Noam Bramson has been mayor of the city since January, 2006. He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition[1], a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets," which he started after the Easter Riot at New Roc City. The City of New Rochelle's most crime-ridden and poverty-stricken area is the Hartley Housing Projects, known to the locals as "The Projects". In 2006, there were 14 homicides in New Rochelle.[citation needed] As of September 23, 2007 there were 8 homicides in 2007.[citation needed] The city of New Rochelle is under going revitalization[citation needed].

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 132,182 people. The population density was 2,692.7/km² (6,973.5/mi²). There were 26,995 housing units at an average density of 1,007.0/km² (2,608.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 38.89% White, 29.18% African American, 0.20% Native American, 3.23% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.28% from other races, and 3.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.08% of the population.

There were 104,189 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $55,513, and the median income for a family was $32,723. The per capita income for the city was $31,956. About 30.1% of the population was below the poverty line.

Additional facts about New Rochelle

George M. Cohan's song "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway" is about New Rochelle. Factoring in a walk from Broadway to Grand Central, and a 30-minute Metro-North ride, the city is still about 45 minutes away.

New Rochelle Industries

New Rochelle has been home to a variety of industries over the years, including: Thanhouser Film Studios, Terrytoons Studios, P.J. Tierney Diner Manufacturing (now DeRaffele Manufacturing Company), Flynn Burner Company, New York Seven Up (Joyce Beverages, Inc), RawlPlug, Inc., the Longines Symphonette Society, Conran's USA. Manufacturing and warehousing has declined since the 1990s as industrial land near both exits from Interstate 95 have been converted to "big box" retailer use.

New Rochelle as a birthplace

New Rochelle as a home

New Rochelle in Fiction, Film, Television and Theater

In the early 20th century New Rochelle was home to some of the first movie studios in the country.

  • Edwin Thanhouser establishes Thanhouser Film Corporation on the corner of Warren and Grove Street. Thanhouser's "Million Dollar Mystery" was one of the first serial motion pictures. After a devastating fire in 1913, the studio moved to Main Street near Echo Avenue.
  • Parts of the film Catch Me If You Can take place in New Rochelle (NOTE: Frank Abagnale, the real-life person who the film is loosely based on, grew up in the city).
  • 1941- The cartoon character Mighty Mouse was created at the Terrytoons Studio in New Rochelle. Terrytoons, which was created by Paul Terry in 1929, produced cartoons for 10,000 movie theatres across the country during the 1940s and 1950s.
  • The early 1960s TV hit The Dick Van Dyke Show starring Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore was set in New Rochelle.
  • 1976- Ragtime, a novel written by New Rochelle resident E. L. Doctorow was released and later became a major motion picture of the same name. Other celebrated works include Welcome to Hard Times, Loon Lake and Worlds Fair
  • The Broadway show Ragtime is set in New Rochelle.
  • The Broadway show (and George M. Cohan song) "45 Minutes from Broadway" was about life in New Rochelle in the late 1890s.
  • The music video for the song "Dance, Dance" by the band Fall Out Boy takes place in the gymnasium of Salesian High School in New Rochelle.
  • Scenes in Goodfellas were filmed on Alfred Lane, off Quaker Ridge Road in the Pinebrook Heights neighborhood. The house of the parents of Henry Hill's eventual wife, Karen, is on Alfred Lane. Henry goes across the street and pistol whips the neighbor after the neighbor sexually attacked Karen.
  • The Oscar nominated Burt Reynolds film, Starting Over has the school carnival scene filmed at what is now known as the Hudson Montessori School on Quaker Ridge Road.
  • The song "Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm" from the Broadway show "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" is about Rosemary's desire to become a trophy wife and live in a mansion in New Rochelle.
  • In 1979 the famous Mean Joe Green Coke commercial was shot over a three day period in New Rochelle, New York.
  • Musicals Give My Regards To Broadway and Guys and Dolls both mention New Rochelle.

Transportation

By railroad: the city has a railroad station served by Metro North, the County Bee-Line service. Amtrak also serves New Rochelle.

By Car: major highways include Interstate 95 and the Hutchinson River Parkway.

Formerly served by the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway.

Education

Colleges and universities

Primary and secondary education

Residents are zoned to schools in the City School District of New Rochelle.

Private schools include:

File:NRHS 800.jpg
New Rochelle High School

References

  1. ^ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members".

External links

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