Bronxville

Bronxville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States, located approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of Midtown Manhattan.[3] It is part of the town of Eastchester. The village comprises one square mile (2.5 km2) of land in its entirety, approximately 20% of the town of Eastchester. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Bronxville had a population of 6,656.[4] In 2016, Bronxville was rated by CNBC as the most expensive suburb of any of America's ten largest cities, with a median home value of $2.33 million.[5] It was ranked eighth in Bloomberg's "America's 100 Richest Places" in 2017 and 2018 and ninth in 2019 and is the second-richest town in the state of New York.

The region that includes the contemporary village of Bronxville was deeded to British colonists in 1666, but first settled by Europeans in the early 18th century. The two founding inhabitants were the Underhill and Morgan families. The Underhills built a sawmill and a gristmill, which was the first factory in the area, on the Bronx River. After they built a wooden bridge, the area became known as Underhill's Crossing.[6]

Millionaire real-estate and pharmaceutical mogul William Van Duzer Lawrence sparked the development of Bronxville as an affluent suburb of New York City by building grand homes in a rustic setting.[7] The area became "Bronxville" when the village was formally established. The population grew in the second half of the 19th century when railroads allowed commuters from Westchester County to work in New York City.[7] Lawrence's influence can be seen throughout the community, including the historic Lawrence Park neighborhood, the Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate Corporation, and Lawrence Hospital.

The village was home to an arts colony in the early 20th century, when many noteworthy houses were built by prominent and casual architects.[8] After the Bronx River Parkway was completed in 1925, the village expanded rapidly with the construction of several apartment buildings and townhouses, many of them built by the Lawrence family. As of 1959, the family continued to own or manage 97% of the rental market.[9]

The Gramatan Hotel on Sunset Hill was a residence hotel in the late 19th century and early 20th century.[10] Gramatan was the name of the chief of the local Siwanoy Indian tribe that was centered in the Gramatan Rock area above Bronxville Station. Chief Gramatan sold the land to the settlers. The hotel was demolished in 1970, and a complex of townhouses was built on the site in 1980.[10]

Elizabeth Clift Bacon, General George Armstrong Custer's widow, lived in Bronxville, and her house still stands to this day.[11][12]

St. Joseph's Catholic Church, located in the downtown area, was attended by the Kennedys when they were residents from 1929 to about 1938 before moving to London;[13] Edward Kennedy returned to St. Joseph's in 1958 for his wedding to Joan Bennett. Two years later, in the 1960 Presidential Election voters in the Village overwhelmingly chose Richard Nixon over Edward's brother, John, by a 5-to-1 margin.[14]

The US Post Office–Bronxville was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Other sites on the National Register are the Bronxville Women's Club, Lawrence Park Historic District, and Masterton-Dusenberry House.[15]

Bronxville Public Library

"Owl House" in the Gramatan Hill section of Bronxville (1898)

Gramatan Hotel

As of the 2020 census, there were 6,656 people and 2,212 households. The population density was 6,861.86 per square mile (17,772.1/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 87.5% White, 1.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 7.1% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latinos of any race were 7.3% of the population.[4] As of 2000, there were 2,387 housing units, at an average density of 2,506.0 per square mile (970.1/km2).

There were 2,312 households, of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. In the village, 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71, and the average family size was 3.27.

Age distribution was 29.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.

The median household income was $205,781, the average household income was $340,448, and the median per capita income was $116,698—making it one of the wealthiest and most affluent places with more than 1,000 households, or a population greater than 1,000, in the United States. Median income is currently ranked 16th highest in the country. Males had a median income of $100,000, versus $61,184 for females. The per capita income for the village was $116,698 and the average family income was $417,772. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over. In 2016, Forbes named it one of the ten most expensive suburbs of America's major cities.

Bronxville's 10708 ZIP code covers the village of Bronxville proper, plus Chester Heights and other sections of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe, and Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa, and other sections of Yonkers. These areas are collectively known as "Bronxville P.O."[17] This brings the ZIP code's population to 22,411 (2000 census), covering an area more than twice as large as the municipality of Bronxville itself and encompassing several notable institutions, such as Sarah Lawrence College.[18] [19]

Bronxville was home to Concordia College, a liberal arts college operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. The college was shuttered on January 28, 2021 following financial difficulties accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Plans are set for the campus to become acquired by nearby Iona College (New York).[20] Adjacent to the Concordia College campus is the Chapel School—a pre-K-8 school affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

The Bronxville Public School is known as The Bronxville School.[21] The school was started as a progressive educational institution in 1922.

St. Joseph School is a Catholic parochial school run by St. Joseph's Church. It was established in 1951, and schools children from kindergarten through eighth grade.[22]

The Village of Bronxville has more than 70 acres (280,000 m2) of parkland including athletic fields, woodlands, and a very small part of the Bronx River Parkway Reservation. The Reservation, Westchester’s oldest park, was created as an adjunct to the Bronx River Parkway that opened in 1925, and was the first linear park in the United States. The Reservation features ponds, wooden footbridges and hundreds of varieties of native trees and shrubs. The park is owned by Westchester County, and it is a favorite place for bicycling, walking, running, and nature study. It is sometimes referred to by locals as the "Duck Pond".

The Bronxville School's athletic fields contain a football field, three smaller fields used for various sports like field hockey and lacrosse, and a running track (which is only 380 meters in Lane 1 because of space issues). Bacon Woodlands, located on Kensington Road, is a natural rock outcropping which has been left in its natural state, the flatter portion of which is used as an informal play area by children. Scout Field, a Westchester County Park which is located predominantly in Yonkers and Mount Vernon but is controlled by Bronxville, is heavily utilized by the Bronxville schools' soccer, football, baseball, and cross-country running programs.[23] In 2006, Chambers Field was replaced with turf, which was funded by the community and parents of athletes in Bronxville.

Bronxville's Downtown

Bronxville Metro-North Train Station

Kraft Avenue

St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

Train tracks

Boy Scout Cabin

Park

Commuter train station

Bronx River

Downtown

Reformed Church of Bronxville

Christ Church

Village Hall