ZIP Code 10573

Port Chester is the largest part of the town of Rye in Westchester County by population. At the 2010 U.S. census, the village of Port Chester had a population of 28,967 and was the fifth-most populous village in New York State. In 2019, its population grew to a census-estimated 29,342 residents. Port Chester is nicknamed the "Gateway to New England" and serves as a transportation hub between New England states and New York. Its economy is primarily stimulated by small businesses, the local government, and several national chain stores, including Stop & Shop, Marshalls, Target, T-Mobile and Metro by T- mobile, Verizon, Boost Mobile, Staples, and Walgreens. The land on which the village was founded was originally known as Haseco by the Wappinger people, meaning "marshy land" or " marshy hassock". Upon colonial settlement, the area became known as Saw Pit (or Sawpits) for the saw pits in use during the time. The name Saw Pit was used for the first time in 1732. The village eventually outgrew this name and became Port Chester by incorporating as a village in 1868. In 1660, three settlers from Greenwidge (now Greenwich, Connecticut) Thomas Studwell, John Coe, and Peter Disbrow arranged to buy Manursing Island and the land near the Byram River from the Native Americans. The tribal affiliation of these Native Americans has been a source of considerable debate. What is known, and documented, is the names of the natives who signed land agreements.

Etymology

The land on which the village was founded was originally known as Haseco by the Wappinger people. Upon colonial settlement, the area became known as Saw Pit (or Sawpits) for the saw pits in use during the time. The name Saw Pit was used for the first time in 1732. The village eventually outgrew this name and became Port Chester by incorporating as a village in 1868. The current name of the village is Port Chester, which was first used in the 19th century. It is located on the banks of the River Dee, which is a tributary to the River Niger. The river runs through the centre of Port Chester and is known as the Port Chester River. It was also known as Port Chester in the early 1800s, when it was first settled. The town was first called Port Chester before it was officially named Port Chester. It has been known as Port Chester since 1868 when it became a village. The word Port Chester is now used to refer to the town's main street, Port Chester Road. It also means "marshy land" or "Marshy hassock" in Swahili. The city's name is derived from the word "Port Chester", which means "Port of Chester" and means "a place where wood is cut in holes in the ground for wood to be used for homesteading". The town's name was first recorded in 1731. The first European settlers arrived in the 1730s and the first saw pits were built.

History

In 1660, three settlers from Greenwidge (now Greenwich, Connecticut) arranged to buy Manursing Island and the land near the Byram River from the Native Americans. This First Purchase on Peningo Neck comprised the lower part of the present town of Rye, on the east side of Blind Brook. Over the course of the next decade, additional purchases filled in the shoreline from Rye to Greenwich. The tribal affiliation of these Native Americans has been a source of considerable debate. What is known, and documented, is the names of the natives who signed land agreements. Their names were written by the English, using their semi-skilled interpretation of the phonetics. It is Shanarocke who the others referred to as their leader or "Sachem". These elder tribe members or "sagamores" made many of the tribal decisions, and there were several instances where agreements could not be signed because he was not present. No Indian name more frequently occurs in the history of the county than that of Wechquaesgeek. It was the name applied to the territorial jurisdiction of a clan of Indians in Westchester County, whose principal village was on the headwaters or tributaries of Armonck or Byram's River. The name is from wigwos, birch bark, and keag, country -- 'the country of the birch Bark.' The name was also used to refer to an Indian village which occupied the site of Dobbs' ferry, which he denominates 'the place of the bark kettle'

Geography

Port Chester has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) due to its location on the coast. Temperatures are neither extremely cold nor warm, and precipitation is plentiful for the entire year. Average annual snowfall is 29.8 inches, which is significantly more than New York City's 25.3 average inches. During the summer, Port Chester is typically warm, however is far cooler than towns even a few miles inland due to the moderating influence of the sea. The village has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), of which 2.33 square miles is land and 0.7 sq miles (1.8 km²) is water. It is located on the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs from New Jersey to New Jersey. The town has a population of 1,071. It has an average annual rainfall of 29 inches (8.7 cm) and an average yearly snowfall of 29.7 inches (9.2 cm) The village is located near the Atlantic seaboard, and has a coastline that runs from North Carolina to New York state. It also has an area of 1.7 square miles, or 0.6 km², of which 0.5 square miles is land. The city has a water supply of 1 km² (0.7 km²). The village's population is 1,084. It was founded in 1881. It had a population in 1883.

Demographics

At the census of 2010, there were 28,967 people, 9,240 households, and 6,348 families residing in the village. The racial and ethnic makeup of Port Chester in 2019 was 30.6% non-Hispanic white, 3.0% Black or African American, 1.7% Asian, 0.3% some other race, and 63.9% Hispanic or Latin American of any race. The median income for a household in Port Chester was $74,920 and the mean income was $99,001. At the 2020 American Community Survey, the Latino population was 14.1% Mexican, 11.8% Guatemalan, 10.3%. Islam was the third largest single religious group (1.5%). The largest religious group in the area is Christianity, dominated by the Roman Catholic Church (47%). The second largest religion in the community is Judaism as of 2021 (5.2%) and the third is Baptists (2.7%). At the 2000 U.S. census, the median income in the town was $45,381, and the median family incomes was $51,025. The largest single group were Mexican Americans (14.4%) and other Hispanics and Latin Americans made up 45.0%. At the 2010 census, there was a median age of 34.4 years, and there were 10,046 housing units at an average density of 4,185.8 per square mile (1,646.9/ km²).

Economy

The Life Savers Candy Company operated a factory in Port Chester from 1920 until 1984. The factory building, which now contains apartments, is one of Port Chester's prominent landmarks. Port Chester is the home of the chili restaurant Pat's Hubba Hubba (also known as "Hubba's") American Automotive Equipment (1969) and National Collector's Mint were headquartered in the city. The city is also home to the American Museum of Natural History, which was established in 1881. The museum is one the nation's oldest. The town's population is about 2,000. It is located on the banks of the Susquehanna River, which flows into the Chester River. The Chester River is a tributary of the Allegheny River which runs through Port Chester. The river is also known as the "Pennsylvania Turnpike" because of the Pennsylvania Turnpikes. The Port Chester Turnpiked was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was named after the town's first postmaster, William Chester, who was born in the town in 1808. The Town of Chester was founded in 1809 and became the city's name in 1811. The first post office was opened in 1812. It has been the site of the Port Chester Post Office since 1813. The City of Chester is home to a number of historic buildings, including the Town Hall, which dates back to the early 19th century. It also is the location of the National collector's Mint, which opened its doors in 1832.

Education

Within the village's borders, there is one public school district, the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District. Established in 1884, it is the oldest school district in Westchester County. The Japanese Weekend School of New York, a hosh jugy k (Japanese weekend school), holds classes at Port Chester Middle School. As of 2006, the school had about 800 students, including Japanese citizens and Japanese Americans. At one time the Westchester Fairfield Hebrew Academy (now Carmel Academy) was in Port Chester. It opened in 1997, in rented space. It is now a private school, Carmel School of the Arts, based in New York City's SoHo neighborhood. The school was founded in the 1970s by a group of Japanese Americans, and has since grown to include students from across the U.S., including Japanese-American citizens. It also has a Hebrew school, which opened in the 1990s, in a rented space in the same building. It has since moved to a new location, which is also located in the village. The village is home to two high schools, Port Chester High School and Port ChesterMiddle School. The high school is the only one of its kind in the state of Westchester, and it is located on the East River. The middle school is also home to a junior high, which has a population of about 1,000. The senior high school has about 2,000 students, most of whom are students from Westchester and Long Island.

Arts and culture

The Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library is an association library funded by and for the villages of Port Chester and Rye Brook. The library was founded in 1876 by the Honorable Jared V. Peck and was dedicated at its present location in 1926 at the intersection of Haseco and Westchester Avenues. Three major renovations have taken place over the years: 1967, 2007 and 2012. The 2012 renovations which cost $1M dollars were paid with the kind bequest of the late Douglas and Elise Lefferts. According to 2011 records; 19,900 people hold library cards, and 10,221 people attended programs including GED and community interest classes. The summer reading program typically draws 13,000 children. Another notable cultural landmark in Port Chester is the Capitol Theatre, a historic music venue that has hosted bands and artists such as The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, The Ramones, and many more. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was quoted as saying, "There's only two theaters, man. that are set up pretty groovy all around for music and for smooth stage changes, good lighting and all that the Fillmore [in Silver Spring, MD] and The Capitol Theatre." JanisJoplin also wrote her song "Mercedes Benz" outside the Capitol theatre. As a result of Garcia's preference for the theatre, a section of Portchester has Grateful Dead-themed adornments on sidewalks, telephone poles, and in local businesses.

Government and politics

Port Chester's government comprises a mayor and seven trustees. The board and mayor also employ a professional village manager. As part of a 2009 U.S. Justice Department consent decree, Port Chester employed cumulative voting for trustee positions. The decree expired in 2016 and after exploring voting options for elections scheduled for March 2019, it adopted cumulative voting in its charter by popular referendum in October 2018. The current mayor of Port Chester is Luis Marino (D). The United States Post Office (Port Chester, New York) is an historic post office building located on Westchester Avenue. It was designed by consulting architects Zoller and Muller for the Office of the Supervising Architect, built in 1932-1933. It is a one-story symmetrical building faced with brick and trimmed in limestone and granite in the Colonial Revival style. The front facade features a projecting central pavilion with a shallow portico composed of two pairs of limestone Corinthian columns echoed by Corinthian pilasters. The lobby features an array of four large New Deal murals and nine slightly smaller lunettes, designed by Domenico Mortellito with Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) funding, and installed in 1936. They depict a wide range of human activities from fire fighting and ship building, to fire baking, iron working, medicine, music, and teaching. The mayor continues to be elected at large. The village's "at large" voting system denied Hispanics representation on the board of trustees and the school board. According to Reuters, "All voters in town elect each board member, whereas dividing the town into six electoral districts would give Hispanics a majority in at least one of them"

Parks and recreation

Port Chester has at least six parks, together totaling nearly 50 acres (0.20 km²) Abendroth Park is a 10.1 acre park which includes a newly renovated section for dogs. Columbus Park has one basketball and two volleyball courts, one large and one small playground, one picnic pavilion with picnic grills, a seasonal water spray playground, and an artificial turf soccer field. The Bush-Lyon Homestead, Capitol Theater, Life Savers Building, Putnam and Mellor Engine and Hose Company Firehouse, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, and United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town of Rye owns Crawford Park, which is used for soccer, tee-ball, and softball by the village. The park has a small playground structure, one adult size baseball field and batting cage, one roller skating rink, and bocce courts with fencing and lighting. Bathroom facilities are available on-site. The city's parks are located on Putnam Avenue, King Street, Parkway Drive, and Locust Avenue, and Willett Avenue from the south. They are also bounded by Putnam Drive on the west, Locust avenues on the east, andWillett Avenue on the south, and Parkway Drive from the north. The parks are open to the public, and there is no admission fee for any of the parks or for the town's parks or recreation facilities. The City of Rye does not charge for admission to any of its parks.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Port Chester, Westchester County, New York = 35.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 36. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Port Chester = 3.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 3,261 individuals with a median age of 37.2 age the population grows by 1.27% in Port Chester, Westchester County, New York population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 12,527.06 persons per square mile. There are average 2.99 people per household in the 9,348 households with an average household income of $54,441 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.00% of the available work force and has dropped -2.78% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 28.44%. The number of physicians in Port Chester per 100,000 population = 518.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Port Chester = 49.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 29.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 111. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 200. 82 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 21 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 49, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Port Chester, Westchester County, New York which are owned by the occupant = 42.86%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 59 years with median home cost = $458,170 and home appreciation of -5.75%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $20.95 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $10,155 per student. There are 14.6 students for each teacher in the school, 675 students for each Librarian and 464 students for each Counselor. 4.79% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 11.89% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.49% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).