Mt. Airy, New York

Often referred to as "The Mount", the Mt. Airy neighborhood is situated immediately south of Furnace Woods and north of Croton, and is partially situated in both unincorporated Cortlandt and the village of Croton-on-Hudson.

Geography

The neighborhood is bounded to the west by Furnace Dock Road and the hamlet of Crugers, to the south by Grand St. and the Village of Croton, and to the east by the Croton River. To the north of the neighborhood is mostly undeveloped woods, beyond which lies the Furnace Woods and Cortlandt Manor hamlets of Cortlandt.

Population

Although no official statistics are available (Mt. Airy is not a census designated place), the demographics of the area are extremely homogenous. It is overwhelmingly white, and mostly upper and upper-middle class. Towards the southern end of the road is low-income housing subsidized by the Village, known as Mt. Airy Woods, but fewer than 30 families reside there. The total population of Mt. Airy is difficult to gauge, but is likely somewhere around 1,500 people.

Transportation and schools

Mt. Airy is situated entirely within the Croton-Harmon School District and the Croton-on-Hudson post office (10520). Unlike the more densely populated neighborhoods of the village proper, the homes on Mt. Airy Road and its tributaries are very spread out, and retain a rural feel that belies its location in the suburbs. The neighborhood is the very definition of a bedroom community, and is almost completely dead during weekdays, when parents are at work in New York City, White Plains, and several other local cities, and children are at school in the Upper Village. Residents along the neighborhood's western end use Route 9's Montrose exit in Crugers to commute to New York, White Plains, the Croton-Harmon train station, and the Harmon neighborhood. Most other residents travel down South Mt. Airy Rd. to reach these same destinations, while residents along the northeastern edges, by Route 129, use that road to travel into the village and to the Taconic State Parkway in Yorktown, where many travel southwards into White Plains. A rush-hour commuter bus runs along Route 129 to the train station.

History

In the early 20th century, Mt. Airy was known as Red Hill for its importance to the American Communist Party. Many high-ranking members, in addition to several communist actors, lived in the hamlet, and John Reed himself lived in Croton's Upper Village. The highly controversial Peekskill Riot took place less than five miles away, and after this event, the Communist Party's influence slowly withered away as the Cold War escalated.

Current events

Some potential issues facing the hamlet in the future are possible annexation of the unincorporated section by the village, and the sure to be controversial trans-Westchester highway project. The lack of a major east-west highway in Northern Westchester has been a thorn in the side of many local residents, and Mt. Airy Road is one of the last remaining corridors for development of such a highway that is not too overpopulated. This is unlikely to ever happen, however, because of the wealthy residents whose land would be at risk.