The
City of White Plains is the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
of
Westchester County, New YorkWestchester County is a primarily suburban county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles and has a diverse population of approximately 950,000, residing in 45 municipalities...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the
Hudson RiverThe Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. It rises at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains, flows past Albany, and finally forms the border between New York City and New Jersey at its mouth before emptying into...
and northwest of
Long Island SoundLong Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean and various rivers in the United States that lies between the coast of Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound...
. It is bordered to the north by the town of
North CastleNorth Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,849 at the 2000 census. It has no villages.-Geography:...
, to the north and east by the town/village of
HarrisonHarrison is a coterminus town/village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 24,154 at the 2000 census and estimated at 26,665 today...
, to the south by the town/village of
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a community in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City.Scarsdale is located in japan...
and to the west by the town of
GreenburghGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 86,764 at the 2000 census. Paul J. Feiner has been Town Supervisor since 1991.-Geography:...
. As of the 2000 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 53,077, while a 2006 census estimate put the city's population at 57,081. White Plains is one of the edge cities that have developed outside of
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. According to the city government, the daytime weekday population is estimated at 250,000.
Early history
At the time of the
DutchThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
settlement of
ManhattanManhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.New York County, which has the same boundaries as the Borough of Manhattan , is the most densely populated county in the United States, with a 2008 population of 1,634,795...
in the early 17th century, the region had been used as farmland by the Weckquaeskeck tribe, members of the
Mohican-Native Americans:* Mahican , a Native American tribe who lived in and around the Hudson Valley* Mohegan, a functional confederation of several branches of Native Americans during the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century...
nation and was called "Quarropas". To early traders it was known as "the White Plains", either from the groves of white balsam which are said to have covered it, or from the heavy mist that local tradition suggests hovered over the swamplands near the
Bronx RiverThe Bronx River, approximately long, flows through southeast New York in the United States. It is named after Colonial settler Jonas Bronck.It originally rose in what is now the Kensico Reservoir, in Westchester County north of New York City...
. The first non-native settlement came in November 1683, when a party of
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
Puritans moved westward from an earlier settlement in
RyeRye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it was received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
and bought about , presumably from the Weckquaeskeck. However, John Richbell of
MamaroneckMamaroneck, New York may refer to two places in the United States:*Mamaroneck , New York, a town in Westchester County*Mamaroneck , New York, a village partially within the town...
, claimed to have earlier title to much of the territory through his purchase of a far larger plot extending inland, perhaps from a different tribe. The matter wasn't settled until 1721, when a
Royal PatentA land patent is evidence of right, title, and/or interest to a tract of land, usually granted by a central, federal, or state government to an individual or private company....
for White Plains was granted by
King George IIGeorge II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death....
.
In 1758, White Plains became the seat of Westchester County when the colonial government for the county left West Chester, which was located in what is now the northern part of the borough of the Bronx, in New York City. The unincorporated village remained part of the Town of Rye until 1788, when the Town of White Plains was created.
On July 9, 1776, a copy of the
Declaration of IndependenceA declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
was delivered to the New York Provincial Congress, which was meeting in the county courthouse. The delegates quickly adopted a resolution approving the Declaration, thus declaring both the colony's independence and the formation of the State of New York. The Declaration itself was first publicly read from the steps of the courthouse on July 11.
During September and October 1776, troops led by
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the first President of the United States of America...
took up positions in the hills of the village, hotly pursued by the British under General Sir William Howe, who attacked on October 28. The
Battle of White PlainsThe Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on October 28, 1776, in the area surrounding White Plains, New York.-Prelude:...
took place primarily on Chatterton Hill, (later known as "Battle Hill," and located just west of what was then a swamp but is now the downtown area) and the Bronx River. Howe's force of 4,000-6,000 British and Hessian soldiers required three attacks before the Continentals, numbering about 1,600 under the command of Generals Alexander McDougall and Israel Putnam, retreated, joining Washington's main force, which did not take part in the battle. Howe's forces had suffered 250 casualties, a severe loss, and he made no attempt to pursue the Continentals, whose casualties were about 125 dead and wounded. Three days after the battle Washington withdrew north of the village, which was then occupied by Howe's forces. But after several inconclusive skirmishes over the next week Howe withdrew on November 5, leaving White Plains to the Continentals. Ironically, one of Washington's subordinates, Major John Austin, who was probably drunk after having celebrated the enemy's withdrawal, reentered the village with his detachment and proceeded to burn it down. Although he was court-martialed and convicted for this action, he escaped punishment.
The first
United States CensusThe United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding...
, conducted in 1790, listed the White Plains population at 505, of whom 46 were slaves. (New York City's population at that time was about 33,000.) By 1800, the population stood at 575 and in 1830, 830. By 1870, 26 years after the arrival of the
New York Central RailroadThe New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
, it had swelled to 2,630 and by 1890 to 4,508. In the decades that followed the count grew to 7,899 (1900) and 26,425 (1910). White Plains was incorporated as a village in 1866 and as a city in 1916.
Modern history
Early in the 20th century, White Plains' downtown area developed into a dominant suburban shopping district and featured branch stores of many famous New York-based department and specialty stores. Some of these retail locations were the first large scale suburban stores built in the United States, and ushered in the eventual post-
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
building boom. With the construction of the parkways and expressways in the 1940s and 1960s, White Plains' role as a destination retail location was only enhanced. With a city opening ceremony Macy's launched a grand White Plains store on Main Steet across from City Hall in 1949. As the mayor said at the time, this was a signicant event in the life of White Plains. Other stores later followed such as B. Altman & Co., Rogers Peet,
Saks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market with Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus...
,
Alexander'sAlexander's was a former department store chain in the New York metropolitan area. Catering to low- and middle-income consumers, Alexander's offered discounted designer fashions and high-quality private label goods. At its height, the company operated 16 stores...
, Wallach's and a short-lived branch of
Bergdorf GoodmanBergdorf Goodman is a luxury goods department store based in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is owned by Neiman Marcus.-Beginnings:The company began in 1899 when Herman Bergdorf, an immigrant from Alsace, opened a tailor shop just above Union Square in downtown Manhattan...
, which was later converted to sister chain,
Neiman MarcusNeiman Marcus is a luxury specialty retail department store, operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and competes with other exclusive department stores such as Barneys New York, Bloomingdale's, and Saks Fifth Avenue...
, in 1981.
During the late 1960s, the city of White Plains developed an extensive urban renewal plan for residential, commercial and mixed-use redevelopment that effectively called for the demolition of its entire central business district from the
Bronx River ParkwayThe Bronx River Parkway is a long parkway in downstate New York. It is named for the nearby Bronx River, which it parallels. The southern terminus of the parkway is at Story Avenue near Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx neighborhood of Soundview...
east to Mamaroneck Avenue. By 1978, the
urban renewalUrban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of reconstruction...
program centered around the construction of the Westchester County Courthouse (1974), the Westchester One office building (1975), the
Galleria at White PlainsThe Galleria at White Plains is a large enclosed urban shopping mall located in the downtown area of White Plains, New York, a commercial and residential suburb north of New York City....
mall (1978), and a number of other office towers, retail centers and smaller commercial buildings.
At the time of its construction, the Westchester One building was the largest office building between New York City and
AlbanyAlbany is a city in the United States of America; it is the capital of the state of New York and the county seat of Albany County. Albany is roughly 136 miles north of the city of New York, and slightly south of the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. The city sits on the Hudson River and...
, and east to
HartfordHartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located in Hartford County on the Connecticut River, north of the center of the state, south of Springfield, Massachusetts. Its 2006 population of 124,512 ranks Hartford as the state's second-largest city, after Bridgeport. New...
.
Beginning in the 1950s, many major corporations based in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
relocated operations to White Plains and other nearby locations. These included
General FoodsGeneral Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
,
PepsiCoPepsiCo, Incorporated is a Fortune 500, American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, NY with interests in manufacturing and marketing a wide variety of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, as well as salty, sweet and grain-based snacks, and other foods...
,
Hitachiis a Japanese multinational corporation specializing in high-technology and services headquartered in Marunouchi Itchome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan...
USA,
IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM, is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, Town of North Castle, New York, United States. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating...
,
NestleNestlé S.A. is a multinational packaged food company founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange with a turnover of over 87 billion Swiss francs...
,
SnappleSnapple is a brand of iced tea and juice drinks owned by The Dr Pepper Snapple Group and based in Plano, Texas.-History:Snapple was founded by Hyman Golden, Arnold Greenberg and Leonard Marsh in Valley Stream, New York, on Long Island in 1972. The word "Snapple" was introduced in the early 1980s...
and Heineken USA. At the height of the 1980s, at least 50
Fortune 500The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
corporations called Westchester County and nearby Fairfield County, CT home, but with the corporate mergers and downsizing of the 1990s many of these companies either reduced their operations in White Plains or left the area completely.
White Plains is also home to the Arts Exchange Building, which serves as the headquarters of the Westchester Arts Council. Since March 1999, visual and performing artists, emerging cultural organizations and new creative businesses have studios and offices in the building. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The construction of the
Galleria at White PlainsThe Galleria at White Plains is a large enclosed urban shopping mall located in the downtown area of White Plains, New York, a commercial and residential suburb north of New York City....
mall in the 1970s ushered in a new era of downtown retail and office development, but by the early 1990s, economic development had stagnated, hampered by a deep recession and the overbuilding of the commercial real estate markets. For a time, White Plains had the dubious distinction of having one of the highest office vacancy rates in the Northeast. Consolidation within the retail industry led to the closing of many of downtown's original department and specialty stores as well. After its bankruptcy, the B. Altman store closed in 1989 and was eventually demolished to make way for the massive upscale retail mall,
The WestchesterThis article is about the mall in White Plains, NY. For the shopping center in Mohegan Lake, NY, formerly known as the Westchester Mall, see Cortlandt Town CenterThe Westchester is a 890,000 s.f., upscale shopping mall in downtown White Plains, New York...
, which opened in 1995 with anchors
NordstromNordstrom, Inc. is an upscale bridge department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
and
Neiman MarcusNeiman Marcus is a luxury specialty retail department store, operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and competes with other exclusive department stores such as Barneys New York, Bloomingdale's, and Saks Fifth Avenue...
. A freestanding branch of
Macy'sMacy's is a chain of mid-to-high range American department stores. Its selection of merchandise can vary significantly from location to location, resulting in the exclusive availability of certain brands in only higher-end stores...
, one of downtown's original retail
anchor storeIn retail an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant, is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s, was relocated two blocks away to The Galleria mall by its parent company,
Federated Department StoresMacy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelry, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
, replacing the location of sister retailer,
Abraham & StrausAbraham & Straus , now defunct, was a major New York City department store, based in Brooklyn, New York. Federated Department Stores eliminated the A&S brand shortly after its 1994 acquisition of R.H. Macy & Company...
when these two store divisions were merged in 1995. In early 2002, the
Saks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market with Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus...
location was also closed and demolished; it was replaced in 2004 with the large retail complex called
The Source at White PlainsThe Source at White Plains is a large urban-style shopping complex in downtown White Plains, New York. Located across the street from The Westchester mall and a large Crowne Plaza hotel, it features several major brand-name retailers and restaurants, such as The Cheesecake Factory], Whole Foods...
, featuring the high-end jewelry and home goods store
FortunoffFortunoff was a New York-based retailer of home, jewelry and furniture stores founded in 1922 by Max and Clara Fortunoff. The original Fortunoff store was on Livonia Avenue in Brooklyn, New York....
's, and local outlets of the upscale restaurants Morton's of Chicago,
The Cheesecake FactoryThe Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is a restaurant company in the United States. The company currently operates 146 dining restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory name in 34 states and the District of Columbia...
, and the gourmet supermarket chain Whole Foods Markets. Note: As of July 20, 2009, the Fortunoff and Mayrock families re-acquired the Fortunoff brand and intellectual property; all Fortunoff stores are currently closed.
Other major projects were completed in the late 1990s and early 2000s that have further altered the urban character of downtown White Plains. A new courthouse for the Southern District of New York was opened in 1998 and several large scale office properties in and near downtown, including the former General Foods headquarters building, were retrofitted and leased to accommodate smaller businesses. The Macy's store on Main Street remained vacant for several years until it was also later demolished to make way for the massive City Center White Plains complex. This large mixed-use development features
two 35-story apartment and condominium towersTrump Tower at City Center is a 35-story high-rise condominium apartment building built in White Plains, Westchester County, New York. It was completed in 2005. The Trump Organization led the development, sales, and management of the building. It has 212 condominium residences that opened...
, of retail, restaurant and entertainment space and new parking facilities. Aside from the Arts Exchange building (which used to be a bank), another bank next to the City Center was renovated to become
Zanaro'sZanaro's is a New York-based Italian restaurant controlled by Apple-Metro.inc that has made chains for restaurants, such as; Applebee's and Chevys. Zanaro's is a fairly new restaurant and currently has only one location on 1 Mamaroneck Avenue & Corner of Main St. White Plains, NY district code...
, a Westchester-award-winning Italian restaurant. City Center's opening in 2003 marked the beginning of a new downtown development renaissance, and with the improving economy and healthy office leasing activity, White Plains entered the new millennium as the leading retail and office center in Westchester County.
In 2005, construction began on a second large parcel in the downtown area. The project, dubbed
Renaissance SquareRenaissance Square is a high-rise complex located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The complex includes two towers: One Renaissance Square and Two Renaissance Square. The taller tower is Two Renaissance Square, which rises 28 floors and in height. One Renaissance Square has 26...
, will feature two residential and hotel towers, each 40 stories tall, featuring a luxury
Ritz-CarltonThe Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotel and resort with 70 properties located in major cities and resorts in 23 countries worldwide.It is also has major service training operations in its Ritz-Carlton Learning Institute and Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, created by Ritz-Carlton executive ...
hotel and more than 400 condominium units. The expected opening date of the first tower is early 2008. The Ritz-Carlton Westchester is one of the tallest buildings between
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
and Boston, Massachusetts, exceeded only by City Place in Hartford.
Beginning in 2000, the city's permanent population experienced a growth spurt as additional apartment buildings were constructed. The city's relatively moderate housing costs and close commuting distance to midtown Manhattan (35 minutes by express train) have also attracted a lot of people who commute to New York City for work. However, in large part because of its proximity to New York, the cost of living in White Plains, although lower than that of New York City itself, is by some measures among the highest in the world.
Economy
The economy of White Plains revolves around large companies that have relocated to the city such as the Starwood Hotels,
ITT CorporationITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company with 2008 revenues of $11.7 billion. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
, Ichan Enterprises, and Combe inc. At the turn of the second millennium, there was a boom in commercial businesses and residential living and as a result the city's infrastructure grew substantially with two double towers being 40 plus stories and both being high-end apartments.
Public schools
The White Plains Public School System, with a 2006 enrollment of over 6,000 pupils, maintains five elementary schools (grades K-5), two middle schools (6-8) and one high school (9-12), as well as auxiliary facilities including a pre-kindergarten program, a community school (grades 7-12), adult and continuing education, and a program for school-age patients at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which campus is located in the city.
Since 1988 the district has operated under a Controlled Parents' Choice Program, whereby the parents of elementary and middle school children can select the school which their child attends based on factors other than proximity to the school.
The five elementary schools, and to a lesser extent, the two middle schools, in addition to teaching core competencies, have different educational focuses including science & technology, communication arts and global understanding. The primary distinction between the two middle schools is the number of pupils enrolled. The smaller "Eastview" Campus has about 1/3 the amount of students as the "Highlands" campus. There are about 1100 students at Highlands and only about 400 at Eastview. Also, in the smaller middle school, foreign language education begins in the sixth grade rather than in the eighth. This enables Eastview students to acquire a High School credit for their 3 years of study.
White Plains High School, built in the late 1950s on a campus, serves all public school students in grades 9-12. The school has a swimming pool that overlooked a small valley which included the track and football field. The White Plains Recreation Department worked in cooperation with the schools to offer many programs.
The district is governed by a seven-member Board of Education, elected at-large for staggered three-year terms. A school superintendent reports to the Board.
Private schools
White Plains is home to the German School New York (GSNY), one of only six German schools all across the United States. With some 350 students the school provides education from kindergarten through 12th grade and makes it possible for German students to obtain their Abitur (German High School Diploma) away from home.
Parochial schools
White Plains is home to a number of primary and secondary parochial schools, including:
- Archbishop Stepinac High School
Archbishop Stepinac High School is an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It was founded in 1948 and named for Blessed Aloysius Stepinac, who was archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia at the time.- History :Archbishop...
on Mamaroneck Avenue in the Gedney area
- Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel
Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel is an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York....
on North Broadway, adjacent to the Pace University campus
- Good Counsel Academy Elementary School on North Broadway
- Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School in the Gedney area
Colleges and universities
- Pace University
Pace University is a private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York. Pace was founded by two brothers, Homer S. Pace and Charles A...
and its Law School. This campus originally belonged to Good Counsel College, later named the College of White Plains (1972-1976). The College of White Plains merged with Pace University in 1976.
- Mercy College
Mercy College is a private, non-profit liberal arts college with its main campus in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and satellite locations throughout southeastern New York, including the Bronx, Manhattan, White Plains and Yorktown...
- The College of Westchester
The College of Westchester , located in White Plains, New York, is a private institution granting certificates and Associate's Degrees. In 2008, the NY State Board of Regents authorized CW to offer the Bachelor of Business Administration Degree...
, formerly known as the Westchester Business Institute
- Berkeley College
Berkeley College is a private, for-profit college specializing in business, with seven locations in New York and New Jersey, plus Berkeley College Online....
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 53,077 people, 20,921 households, and 12,704 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 5,415.5 people per square mile (2,091.1/km²). There were 21,576 housing units at an average density of 2,201.4/sq mi (850.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.93% White, 15.91% African American, 4.50% Asian, 0.34% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 10.37% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.51% of the population.
There were 20,921 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 33.4% 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 2.47 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $58,545, and the median income for a family was $71,891 (these figures had risen to $73,744 and $92,215 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $47,742 versus $36,917 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $33,825. About 9.2% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Westchester County AirportWestchester County Airport is a public airport located in the towns of Harrison, North Castle and Rye in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is approximately 3 nautical miles northeast of the central business district of White Plains, New York. It serves the areas of Westchester, a...
, located in neighboring
HarrisonHarrison is a coterminus town/village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 24,154 at the 2000 census and estimated at 26,665 today...
, serves the city.
Two
Metro-North RailroadThe Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. Metro–North runs service between New York City to its...
stations serve the city; the
North White Plains (Metro-North station)The North White Plains Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of northern White Plains, New York via the Harlem Line. It is the north terminal for most trains that run local to the south and, until 1984, was the northern limit of electrification. Adjacent to the station is a yard/support...
and the
White Plains (Metro-North station)The White Plains Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of White Plains, New York via the Harlem Line. It is 22.3 miles from Grand Central Terminal and the average travel time varies between 30 and 44 minutes .Though it is not a terminal station, White Plains is one of the key stations...
downtown at Main Street and the Bronx River. The
Bronx River ParkwayThe Bronx River Parkway is a long parkway in downstate New York. It is named for the nearby Bronx River, which it parallels. The southern terminus of the parkway is at Story Avenue near Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx neighborhood of Soundview...
is the main north-south highway, and has a bikeway running south to Bronxville.
The
Cross-Westchester ExpresswayThe Cross Westchester Expressway is the name given to the part of Interstate 287 which runs from the Interstate 87/287 interchange in the town of Greenburgh to I-287's eastern terminus at Interstate 95 near the Rye-Port Chester boundary...
(
I-287Interstate 287 is a major Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York. It is a partial Beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in New York. I-287 follows a roughly horseshoe-shaped route...
) is the main east-west highway through White Plains. Current highway works include pedestrian walkways over the highway, an extra lane on either side, and on/off ramps to help motor traffic and pedestrians. Vegetation removals have upset some of the community and it is reported that the area will be fixed and trees will be replanted when work on the highway comes to an end.
Bee LineA bee line means taking the shortest route or a straight line between two points :* Beeline, a method for locating a feral bee hive.In transportation:* Bee-Line Bus System of Westchester County, New York, United States...
is Westchester County's public bus system and several routes pass through White Plains offering local service to many surrounding communities. A few routes serve the Bronx and connect with the New York City subway. The main Bee Line hub in White Plains is the Trans-Center, adjacent to the Metro-North station. Other regional bus services that serve White Plains include the Tappan-Zee Express to Rockland County; Leprechaun Lines to
PoughkeepsiePoughkeepsie can refer to:*Poughkeepsie, New York, a city in Dutchess County, New York and its county seat**Poughkeepsie , a railroad station in the same city*Poughkeepsie , New York, a town surrounding the city...
, CT Transit's I-Bus to
Stamford-Places:In the United States:*Stamford, Connecticut, the largest and most populous city named Stamford*Stamford, Nebraska*Stamford , New York*Stamford , New York*Stamford, South Dakota*Stamford, Texas*Stamford, Vermont...
, CT as well as
GreyhoundThe greyhound is a breed of hunting dog that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, but with a recent resurgence of popularity increasingly as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a soft and intelligent breed that often becomes attached to its owners...
, Trailways and
Coach USACoach USA LLC is a holding company for various American transportation service providers providing scheduled intercity bus service, local and commuter bus transit, city sightseeing, tour, yellow school bus, and charter bus service...
service to upstate New York and Long Island.
Historic sites
- White Plains Armory (1910), erected on the site of the first Westchester County Courthouse. A monument in front of the building commemorates the first public reading in New York of the Declaration of Independence, on July 11, 1776.
- White Plains Rural Cemetery (incorporated 1854, although in use as a cemetery from 1797). The cemetery office occupies the structure that was the first Methodist Church in White Plains (1795, rebuilt in 1797 after a fire on the day of its original dedication).
- Percy Grainger Home, occupied by the composer from 1921 until his death in 1961, and by his widow, Ella Ström-Brandelius, until her death in 1979. It is now maintained as a museum by the International Percy Grainger Society.
Jacob Purdy House
The Jacob Purdy House was used as General George Washington's headquarters in 1778 and possibly in 1776 during the
Battle of White PlainsThe Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on October 28, 1776, in the area surrounding White Plains, New York.-Prelude:...
of the
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
. Originally constructed prior to 1730, in the 1960s it was repaired and restored, and in 1973 the structure was moved to its present location. A further renovation was conducted around 1980, involving both professional craftsmen and local teenagers in an apprentice program. The Jacob Purdy House is now the headquarters of the White Plains Historical Society.
A National Register of Historic Places plaque commemorates the dates of George Washington's occupancy. The house came into the possession of Jacob Purdy about 1785.
See also
Washington's HeadquartersWashington's Headquarters refers to locations used as a headquarters by General George Washington, commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.Among the places Washington used as headquarters are:...
for other locations used by George Washington as headquarters.
Notable residents
- Captain Lou Albano
Louis Vincent Albano was an American professional wrestler, manager and actor. Throughout his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and four singles competitors to championship gold. A unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band facial piercings, and loud outfits, he was...
(1933-2009), professional wrestler, attended Archbishop Stepinac High SchoolArchbishop Stepinac High School is an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It was founded in 1948 and named for Blessed Aloysius Stepinac, who was archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia at the time.- History :Archbishop...
- Alan Alda
Alan Alda is an American actor, director and screenwriter. He is perhaps best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
(born Alfonso Joseph D'Abruzzo) attended Archbishop Stepinac High SchoolArchbishop Stepinac High School is an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It was founded in 1948 and named for Blessed Aloysius Stepinac, who was archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia at the time.- History :Archbishop...
- Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
, author and expert on myth and legend, was born and raised in White Plains
- Sloane Crosley
Sloane Crosley is a writer living in New York. She is best known as the author of a best-selling collection of essays, I Was Told There'd Be Cake.-Background and Education:...
, (b. 1978) author of the bestselling "I Was Told There'd Be Cake," attended White Plains High School
- Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry Jr. is an American professional basketball player in the NBA currently with the New York Knicks. He was born in Harvey, Illinois...
, NBA player for the New York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, known familiarly as the Knicks, are a professional National Basketball Association team based in New York City, and the most valuable franchise in the league, valued at $608 million...
.
- Danger Mouse
Brian Joseph Burton, better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American artist and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined acappellas from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from the album The Beatles .He formed Gnarls Barkley with...
, a DJ and one half of Gnarls BarkleyGnarls Barkley is a Grammy award-winning American musical group collaboration between multi-instrumentalist and producer Danger Mouse from New York, and rapper/vocalist Cee-Lo Green , from Atlanta. Their first album, St...
, was born in White Plains.
- Leon Davidson
Leon Davidson was one of a handful selected to work on the atomic bomb. He is buried in Hawthorne, New York...
, engineer, lived in White Plains and is buried there.
- Dan Duryea
Dan Duryea was an American actor of film, stage and television. Duryea graduated from Cornell University in 1928. While at Cornell, Duryea was elected into the Sphinx Head Society...
(1907-1968), actor, was born in White Plains
- Channing Frye
Channing Thomas Frye is an American professional basketball player. His positions are center and power forward. He attended the University of Arizona. Standing at 6 ft 11 in and 245 lb, Frye was selected 8th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2005 NBA Draft, and was the first college senior to...
, NBA forward, was born in White Plains
- Danilo Gallinari
Danilo Gallinari is an Italian professional basketball player with the New York Knicks of the NBA. He is 2.08 m in height and 102 kg in weight...
NBA forward for the New York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, known familiarly as the Knicks, are a professional National Basketball Association team based in New York City, and the most valuable franchise in the league, valued at $608 million...
- Percy Grainger
George Percy Grainger was an Australian-born composer, and pianist, who worked under the stage name of Percy Aldridge Grainger.-Early life and career :Percy Grainger was born in Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria...
(1882-1961), Australian-born U.S. composer, pianist and conductor
- A.J. Hammer (born Andrew Goldberg), TV personality, is a 1984 graduate of White Plains High School
- Bob Hyland
Robert Joseph Hyland is a former American football guard who played eleven seasons in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, New York Giants, and the New England Patriots. He played college football at Boston College and was drafted in the first round of the 1967...
, NFL lineman, born and raised in White Plains and graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High SchoolArchbishop Stepinac High School is an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It was founded in 1948 and named for Blessed Aloysius Stepinac, who was archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia at the time.- History :Archbishop...
in 1963
- John Jay
John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, President of the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1779 and, from 1789 to 1795, the first Chief Justice of the United States...
(1745-1829), 1st Chief Justice of the United States, 2nd Governor of New York, buried in Rye
- Jonathan Larson
Jonathan Larson was an American composer and playwright noted for the serious social issues of multiculturalism, addiction, homophobia, and AIDS explored in his work. Typical examples of his use of these themes are found in his works, Rent and tick, tick... BOOM!...
(1960-1996), the writer of the musical RentRent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under...
, attended White Plains High School
- David Lee
David Lee is an American professional basketball player. He is currently playing for the New York Knicks. Lee played collegiately for the Florida Gators of the University of Florida as a power forward....
, NBA player for the New York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, known familiarly as the Knicks, are a professional National Basketball Association team based in New York City, and the most valuable franchise in the league, valued at $608 million...
- Matisyahu
Matthew Paul Miller , better known by his Hebrew name Matisyahu, is an American Hasidic Jewish reggae musician.Known for blending traditional Jewish themes with Reggae, rock and hip hop sounds, Matisyahu is most recognizable for his single "King Without a Crown", which was a surprise Top 40 hit...
, American Jewish reggae artist, was raised in White Plains
- Julianna Rose Mauriello
Julianna Rose Mauriello is an American actress. She starred in LazyTown, and has appeared in various Broadway musicals....
, actress known for portraying the character Stephanie on the children's TV show LazyTown
- Art Monk
James Arthur "Art" Monk is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles...
, NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver, was raised in White Plains and graduated from White Plains High School
- Garrick Ohlsson
Garrick Ohlsson is an American classical music pianist.Ohlsson was the first American to win first prize in the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in 1970. He also won first prize at the Busoni Competition in Italy and the Montreal Piano Competition in Canada...
, the internationally acclaimed concert pianist, was raised in White Plains
- J.C. Penney, the department-store magnate, lived in White Plains from the 1920s until the mid-1950s
- Scott Reiniger
Scott Hale Reiniger, Prince of Ghor is an American actor, one of the stars of the 1978 film Dawn of the Dead....
, actor and as "Prince of Ghor" a hereditary prince, was born in White Plains in 1948
- Peter Revson
Peter Jeffrey Revson was a racecar driver from United States who had successes in Formula One and the Indianapolis 500.-Background:Peter Revson was born in New York City....
(1939-1974), racecar driver
- Vanessa Rousso
Vanessa Ashley Rousso is a French American law student at the University of Miami and a professional poker player. She is also known by her Pokerstars online screen name Lady Maverick. Born in , Rousso has dual citizenships with the United States and France. Rousso is a member of Team PokerStars,...
, a professional poker player, was born in White Plains
- David Sanger
David E. Sanger is the Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times. A 1982 graduate of Harvard College, Sanger has been writing for the Times for over 26 years covering foreign policy, globalization, nuclear proliferation, and the presidency...
, New York Times White House correspondent and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Graduated White Plains High School in 1978
- Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He has sold 75 million albums to date and is one of the best-selling music artists in the world. In addition to his status as a top-selling recording artist, Shakur was a promising actor and a social...
(1971-1996) lived in White Plains, and attended Highlands Middle School for six months
- Andrew S. Tanenbaum
Andrew Stuart "Andy" Tanenbaum is a professor of computer science at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He is best known as the author of MINIX, a free Unix-like operating system for teaching purposes, and for his computer science textbooks, regarded as standard texts in the...
, computer scientist and professor, was raised in White Plains
- Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is a controversial American film and television actor. He came to prominence at the end of the 1960s, with a performance as a would-be hustler in 1969's Best Picture winner, Midnight Cowboy, for which he earned his first Academy Award nomination...
, Oscar Award actor, graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High School in 1956
- Ralph Waite
Ralph Waite is an American actor. His most famous role may be John Walton Sr. on the 1970s CBS program The Waltons and he is also well known for his portrayal of the slaver first mate Slater in the mini-series Roots. He also more recently appeared on the HBO series Carnivàle...
, the actor who played John Walton in "The Waltons" television series, was born in White Plains
- James Whitmore
James Whitmore was an American film actor.-Early life:Born as James Allen Whitmore, Jr. in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, and spent his senior year at the...
(1921-2009), actor, was born in White Plains
- Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American billionaire and entrepreneur best known for co-founding the popular social networking site Facebook. Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook with fellow classmates Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin and Chris Hughes while attending Harvard. Zuckerberg serves as...
, founder of FacebookFacebook is a global social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and...
, was born in White Plains
External links