Valhalla, New York

Valhalla, New York
CDP
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Westchester
Area
• Total	3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2)
• Land	2.7 sq mi (6.9 km2)
• Water	0.8 sq mi (2.2 km2)
Elevation	256 ft (78 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	5,379
• Density	2,010.6/sq mi (776.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	10595
Area code	914
FIPS code	36-76639
GNIS feature ID	0968353

Valhalla is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,379 at the 2000 census. Its name was inspired by a fan of opera composer Richard Wagner, and its celebrity status comes from its relationship to the final burial places of famous people. The hamlet's school district, Valhalla UFSD has two elementary schools (Virginia Road Elementary School and Kensico School) and one middle-high school (Valhalla Middle/High School), all advised by Dr. Diane Ramos-Kelly and the recently elected Board of Education

History of Valhalla

Origin of name

It gained its name when controversy arose over the naming of a post office in the 19th century, due to the flooding of an existing town (Kensico) now under water of the lake created by the Kensico Dam, part of the New York City Water System. According to local historians and published work, the wife of a postmaster was a devoted fan of Richard Wagner and she shared the composer's interest in Norse mythology. Her preference led to the choice of name Valhalla, after the heavenly hall of slain warriors in that mythology. The area still maintains its association with death through its world famous cemetery area.

Kensico Cemetery

Kensico Cemetery is a cemetery founded in 1889 in Valhalla at a time when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full and rural cemeteries were founded near the railroads which served the city. Initially 250 acres (1 km²), it was expanded to 600 acres (2.4 km²) in 1905, and reduced to 461 acres (1.9 km²) in 1912 when a portion was sold to the neighboring Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

This is where the remains are found of Herbert Howard Booth, son of Salvation Army founder William Booth and founder of the Salvation Army Musical Department. Billie Burke who played Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz is also buried there and so is bandleader Tommy Dorsey; New Yorker cartoonist, Peter Arno ;CBS-TV News President, Fred Friendly; New York Yankees baseball star, Lou Gehrig; film star Danny Kaye; pianist, composer and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff, author Ayn Rand, NBC founder David Sarnoff, first Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America James E. West and many other famous personalities.

Recent Events

On July 12, 2006, the Westchester Tornado, an F2 tornado touched down in nearby Hawthorne and proceeded to move into Valhalla, causing much destruction in the Stonegate section of Valhalla. This was one of the strongest tornadoes the area had ever seen as tornadoes of this magnitude are mostly in the midwest. Powerlines were knocked down and hundreds of trees were uprooted. There were no deaths but much of Valhalla changed as a result.

On September 11, 2006, a memorial to September 11 victims was dedicated at the Kensico Dam by Westchester County and the Westchester County September 11 Memorial Committee. The piece, known as "The Rising", honors the 109 county residents who were killed in the terrorist attacks.

In July 2007, Valhalla hosted the opening ceremony of the 2007 Empire State Games. The ceremony was held at the Kensico Dam honoring the athletes and their families and was attended by Governor Eliot Spitzer among other politicians. ESPN's Jeremy Schaap was a keynote speaker

Geography

Valhalla is located at 41°5′14″N 73°46′28″W (41.087195, -73.774511)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the hamlet has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), of which, 2.7 square miles (6.9 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²) of it (24.15%) is water.

Highlights

Valhalla is the location of the Mount Pleasant Town Hall as well as the Mount Pleasant Town Pool and Community Center. The main street in Valhalla is Columbus Avenue which runs the length of the hamlet. Along this road is the Valhalla Train Station, the Kensico Dam, Holy Name of Jesus Church as well as other shops and restaurants. The Valhalla ZIP code (10595) includes portions of the towns of Mount Pleasant, Greenburgh and North Castle. The hamlet is bordered by the North White Plains area of the Town of North Castle, the northernmost portion of the Town of Greenburgh and the hamlets of Thornwood and Hawthorne, both within Mount Pleasant. The Valhalla School District, comprising parts of the three towns, is served by The Virginia Road Elementary School, located in the southern most part of the hamlet in Greenburgh, and the Kensico School and Valhalla Middle and High Schools, all located along Columbus Avenue in Mount Pleasant. Some residents with Valhalla addresses are in the Mount Pleasant Central School District, served by Westlake high school in Thornwood. The Valhalla train station is located right off the Taconic State Parkway, across from the hamlet's commercial center. The train station is the next major stop of Metro North Railroad after North White Plains.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 5,379 people, 1,847 households, and 1,470 families residing in the hamlet. The population density was 2,010.6 per square mile (774.9/km²). There were 1,886 housing units at an average density of 704.9/sq mi (271.7/km²). The racial makeup of the hamlet was 95.85% White, 0.76% African American, 0.07% Native American, 2.12% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.36% of the population.

There were 1,847 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% 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 3.20.

In the hamlet the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the hamlet was $76,003, and the median income for a family was $91,205. Males had a median income of $60,814 versus $38,608 for females. The per capita income for the hamlet was $33,939. About 0.6% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

Medical Center and Colleges

It is also the location of Westchester County Medical Center and New York Medical College. The Westchester Community College of the State University of New York is also in Valhalla.

Notable residents

• Dalmazio Santini, composer (1923-2001)
• Ayn Rand, novelist and philosopher (1905-1982)
• Charlie Criss, NBA player for the Atlanta Hawks, San Diego Clippers, and the Milwaukee Bucks (1948-)

See also

• Viking
• Clive Cussler
• Mark Guglielmo