- Chappaqua, New York
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"Chappaqua" redirects here. For the film, see Chappaqua (film).
Chappaqua, New York — CDP — Coordinates: 41°9′57″N 73°45′55″W / 41.16583°N 73.76528°WCoordinates: 41°9′57″N 73°45′55″W / 41.16583°N 73.76528°W Country United States State New York County Westchester Area - Total 9.4 sq mi (24.4 km2) - Land 9.4 sq mi (24.3 km2) - Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) Elevation 492 ft (150 m) Population (2000 census) - Total 11,009 - Density 1,009.8/sq mi (389.9/km2) Time zone EST (UTC-5) - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) ZIP code 10514 Area code(s) 914 FIPS code 36-13805 GNIS feature ID 0946393 Website Town of New Castle which includes Chappaqua Zip code: 10514 Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 11,009. Chappaqua is located in the Town of New Castle.
Contents
History
In the early 1730s a group of Quakers moved north from Purchase, New York, to settle in present-day Chappaqua. They built their homes on Quaker Street and held their meetings at the home of Abel Weeks. Their meeting house was built in 1753 and still holds weekly meetings each Sunday. The area around the meeting house, known as Old Chappaqua Historic District, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1] Horace Greeley's home still stands in Chappaqua, he built it himself.
Various spellings were used for the name they heard Native Americans use for their valley and hillside. It was an Algonquian word, "shah-pah-ka," and it meant "the rustling land" or "the rattling land," or a place where nothing is heard but the rustling of the wind in the leaves. The quakers spelled it Shapiqua, Shapaqua, Shapequa, Shappaqua, and, finally, Chappaqua. Their meeting was often referred to as the Shapequa Meeting as early as 1745.[2]
Creation of the Town of New Castle
On March 18, 1791, the government of New York decided to split the overly large town of North Castle (jokingly called "the two saddlebags") into two smaller towns, one of which was named New Castle. The border was drawn from the southwest corner of Bedford to the northeast edge of Mount Pleasant. New Castle's borders have remained the same since 1791, except for a small piece of land received from Somers in 1846.
Early businesses
Chappaqua had great streams such as the Saw Mill River and the Roaring Brook. These bodies of water powered mills to crush corn and press oil from beans. The eastern half of Chappaqua was very suitable for farming. The majority of the Quaker settlers of Chappaqua were farmers. The popular farming industry also helped give way to Chappaqua's high milk production. Other popular industries from Chappaqua included shoes, hardware, vinegar, pickles, eyeglasses, and furniture.
Railroad
In 1846 when the New York and Harlem Railroad extended through Chappaqua, business became centered on the new train station. These businesses included a hotel, livery stables, a public library, and various stores and small factories.
The first railroad commuter
The coming of the railroad marked the arrival of the commuter, the tireless person who traveled to New York City and back everyday. One very famous commuter who would make his way back and forth from Chappaqua to New York City was Horace Greeley, the successful editor of the New York Tribune. This free-thinker and politician came to Chappaqua to live out the quiet and peaceful life of a country farmer. In 1853 he bought 78 acres (320,000 m2) of land just east of the railroad. His land included upland pastures near present-day Aldridge Road, Greeley Hill, and the marshy fields now the site of the Bell Middle School fields and the shopping area along South Greeley Avenue. Horace and his wife loved the streams, the large evergreen trees, and their clean, fresh, ice-cold spring. Horace Greeley's house still stands on King Street, just east of the train station and South Greeley Avenue and is home to the historical society.
Schools
Main article: Chappaqua Central School DistrictToday, the schools in Chappaqua are reputed to be among the best in the country,[3] but this was not always so. Small one-room schoolhouses devoid of windows were prevalent in the 1800s. In the Chappaqua region there were eight such schoolhouses.[citation needed] These small schools prevailed until around 1870, when the Quakers built a large school called the Chappaqua Mountain Institute on Quaker Street. In the year 1885 the school caught fire,[4] and much refurbishing was done, with the addition of two new wings. It was sold in 1908 and now belongs to the Children's Aid Society.
Around 1928, Robert E. Bell Middle School,[5] known at the time as Horace Greeley School, was built. The present day Horace Greeley High School was built in 1957. Robert E. Bell Middle School has the bulldog as its mascot while Horace Greeley High School has the quaker as its mascot. The three elementary schools in Chappaqua were completed over a twenty year period: Roaring Brook School[6] in 1951, Douglas G. Grafflin[7] in 1962, and Westorchard[8] in 1971.
in 2003, after the opening of the new middle school, Seven Bridges, and the moving of the fifth grade from Chappaqua's elementary schools to the middle schools, the district added a full day kindergarten.[9][10]
Parent expectations in the school district are high, and the educational environment has been described as highly competitive and somewhat stressful.[11]
The district's modern commitment to education was exemplified in the 1950s when Horace Greeley High School principal, Donald Miles, began hiring teachers based primarily on their subject knowledge, eschewing the "professional teacher". One of the most notable hires was Edwin Barlow, a math teacher whose controversial classroom methods and enigmatic life are chronicled in the 2009 memoir, Teacher of the Year: The Mystery and Legacy of Edwin Barlow.[12] One of the current (2011) Chemistry and AP Chemistry teachers, Richard Goodman, won the "Chemistry Teacher of the Year" award in 2009.
Also Horace Greeley High School is home to the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program, which brings motivated and aspiring students to Chappaqua for four weeks over three summer to take classes while living with host families in Chappaqua.[13]
Geography
Chappaqua is located at 41°9′57″N 73°45′55″W / 41.16583°N 73.76528°W (41.165925, -73.765244)[14].
Parts of the Chappaqua ZIP code area are located in the Towns of Mount Kisco, New Castle, Millwood, Mount Pleasant, Yorktown, and Bedford. Parts of the Chappaqua Central School District include homes in other zip codes, such as 10570, the Pleasantville, New York zip code.
Climate
Climate data for Chappaqua, NY Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 67
(19)73
(23)85
(29)95
(35)94
(34)94
(34)100
(38)100
(38)95
(35)87
(31)79
(26)73
(23)100
(38)Average high °F (°C) 34
(1)37
(3)46
(8)58
(14)69
(21)77
(25)82
(28)80
(27)73
(23)62
(17)50
(10)39
(4)59 Average low °F (°C) 18
(−8)19
(−7)28
(−2)38
(3)49
(9)58
(14)63
(17)61
(16)53
(12)42
(6)34
(1)24
(−4)41 Record low °F (°C) −15
(−26)−10
(−23)0
(−18)14
(−10)30
(−1)38
(3)46
(8)39
(4)32
(0)20
(−7)11
(−12)−9
(−23)−15
(−26)Precipitation inches (mm) 4.06
(103.1)3.09
(78.5)4.20
(106.7)4.39
(111.5)4.84
(122.9)4.21
(106.9)4.63
(117.6)4.55
(115.6)4.75
(120.7)4.09
(103.9)4.51
(114.6)3.81
(96.8)51.13
(1,298.7)Source: [15] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 24.4 km² (9.4 mi²). 24.3 km² (9.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 9,468 people, 3,118 households, and 2,687 families residing in the Census-designated place. The population density was 389.7/km² (1,009.8/mi²). There were 3,181 housing units at an average density of 130.9/km² (339.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.80% White, 0.94% African American, 0.03% Native American, 5.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population. 14.3% were of Italian, 11.4% Russian, 10.6% Irish, 7.1% United States or American, 6.0% English and 5.7% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.4% spoke English, 3.6% Spanish and 1.0% Italian as their first language.
There were 3,118 households out of which 52.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.1% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.8% were non-families. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 32.8% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $163,201, and the median income for a family was $180,451. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $71,875 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $77,835. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Nationwide, Chappaqua ranks 42nd among the 100 highest-income places in the United States (with at least 1,000 households). In 2008, CNNMoney listed Chappaqua fifth in their list of "25 top-earning towns."[17] Chappaqua 2007 estimated median household income was $198,000.[18]
Public safety
Emergency Medical Service and fire protection are provided by volunteer agencies. The Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CVAC) provides Basic Life Support services to most of New Castle, including Chappaqua. The hamlet is protected by the New Castle Police Department, which also provides first-response services for medical emergencies. The volunteer-based Chappaqua Fire Department provides firefighting services to the hamlet of Chappaqua.[19] The Chappaqua Fire Department is in its 100th year of operation,[20] and currently maintains two firehouses in town.[21]
Although Chappaqua's crime rate is far below the national average,[22] the area has had several high-profile murders. In 1996, a battle between a lottery winner and his former lover over custody of their 5-year-old child resulted in a gun battle; the winner was acquitted of the murder of his former lover on the basis of self defense, and convicted of the shooting of the woman's father.[23] In November 2006 a disbarred attorney drove the body of his severely injured wife to Northern Westchester Hospital, claiming that the couple had been ambushed and shot in nearby Millwood. She died soon after. For over a year, police expressed skepticism about the husband's account and did not rule him out as a suspect. In December 2007 the man was charged with his wife's murder after trying to collect on life insurance policies.[24][25] Carlos Perez-Olivo was convicted October 4, 2008 for murder of his wife, Peggy Perez-Olivo, a teacher aide at Grafflin Elementary School in Chappaqua.[26]
Notable residents
Some notable Chappaqua residents, past and present, include:
- Jake Goldberg Child Actor
- William Ackman,[27] investor and CEO & Founder of Pershing Square Capital Management
- Adam Arkin,[28] American television, film, and stage actor, son of Alan Arkin
- Alan Arkin,[29] Academy Award–winning actor, best known for his roles in such films as The In-Laws, Catch-22, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Wait Until Dark, and Little Miss Sunshine.
- Bibi Besch,[30] actress
- Dave Bickler,[31] lead singer of Survivor
- Dan Biederman,[32] urban redevelopment expert
- Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President and former Governor of Arkansas, and
- Hillary Clinton, current United States Secretary of State, former Senator (D-N.Y.), former First Lady, candidate in 2008 U.S. presidential election. The Clintons purchased their home in Chappaqua for $1.7 million near the end of Bill Clinton's presidency in 1999.[33]
- Renee Cox, African-American Artist, Photographer, Political Activist and Curator
- Andrew Cuomo, New York Governor and former Attorney General of New York
- Ace Frehley,[34] lead guitarist of Kiss
- Eric Fromm[citation needed] - tennis player, reached the semi-finals of the French Open and a career high ranking of 38 in the world
- Jean Craighead George, author of 1960s classic children's novel My Side of the Mountain
- Earl G. Graves, Jr.,Former NBA player resides in Chappaqua now
- Horace Greeley, newspaper editor, reformer, politician
- Nora Guthrie,[35] daughter of Woody Guthrie and sister of Arlo Guthrie
- David A. Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee[36]
- Roxanne Hart, American television, film and stage actress, appeared in Highlander, nurse on Chicago Hope among other roles
- David Ho, prominent AIDS researcher
- Mary Beth Hurt, Actress
- Paul F. Iams, founder of the Iams pet food company
- Kenneth T. Jackson, American historian
- Stu Jackson, former NBA head coach and current senior vice president of the NBA
- Herman Kahn, Cold War military strategist
- Heather Paige Kent, actress
- Jonathan Klein, President of CNN
- Peter Kunhardt, documentary film-maker
- Sandra Lee, host of Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, a show on the Food Network.
- Brian Leiser, musician
- Paul Levitz, President of DC Comics
- Ferdinand Lundberg, author, journalist, economist
- William F. May, former chairman and chief executive of the American Can Company, co-founder of the Film Society of Lincoln Center.[37]
- Richard McKelvey, noted Political scientist and professor at California Institute of Technology
- Daniel O'Keefe, Reader's Digest editor and inventor of the secular holiday Festivus. His son, Dan O'Keefe, popularized the holiday in 1997 by writing it into the plot of the television sitcom Seinfeld.[38]
- Frank R. Pierson, screenwriter and film director
- Robert L. "Nob" Rauch, a financier and flying disc sports executive
- Andy Rubin, technology pioneer (hand-held devices)
- Jay O. Sanders, an American character actor
- Peter Saul, painter
- Simon Schama, British historian
- Paul Schrader, Writer and Director
- Ben Stiller, actor
- Rene Syler, journalist
- Michael Jeffrey Shapiro, composer and conductor of The Chappaqua Orchestra
- John and Elizabeth Sherrill, Christian writers
- Bert Sugar, boxing historian*
- Martin J. Sullivan, former President and former Chief Executive Officer of American International Group, Inc.[39]
- The Honorable Tina L. Brozman, former Chief Justice of the Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York.
- Martin Sullivan: Briton blamed by Congress as a villain of the global financial crisis] Telegraph, October 12, 2008.</ref>
- Jeff Van Gundy used to live there,[40] formerly head coach of the Houston Rockets, formerly head coach of the New York Knicks
- Kevin Wade, screenwriter known best for Working Girl[41]
- Dar Williams,[28] singer, songwriter
- Vanessa Williams,[28] Miss America 1984 beauty pageant, model, actress, singer
- Jenna Wolfe, sportscaster
- Christine Taylor, Actress
Notable structures
- The Chappaqua Friends Meeting House, circa 1753, is the oldest Quaker meeting house standing in Westchester County.
- America's first concrete barn. It was completed by Horace Greeley on his Chappaqua farm in 1856. It was also one of the first concrete buildings ever built in the U.S.
- The world headquarters of Reader's Digest is in Chappaqua, although its mailing address is in neighboring Pleasantville, New York. The building has statues of Pegasus on it.
- One of Horace Greeley's homes. Part of the original structure still stands, and is part of the present-day New Castle Historical Society.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ Warde, Robert (1982). Chappaqua: Our Connections to Its Past. Chappaqua Central School District (CCSD).
- ^ GREELEY HIGH CALLED ONE OF BEST IN U.S. by Lena Williams, The New York Times, September 27, 1981.
- ^ DRIVEN OUT BY THE FIRE; THE QUAKER SCHOOLHOUSE AT CHAPPAQUA BURNED. THE TEACHERS AND CHILDREN IN THE BITTER COLD IN THEIR NIGHT CLOTHES--COOL YOUNG FARRAGUT. The New York Times, February 22, 1885.
- ^ Robert E. Bell Middle School
- ^ Roaring Brook School
- ^ Douglas G. Grafflin
- ^ Westorchard
- ^ IN THE SCHOOLS; The Half-Day Stress Of Kindergarten by Merri Rosenberg, The New York Times, February 23, 2003.
- ^ Minutes, Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education, May 25, 2004.
- ^ A New Uncertainty About Life After High School; Students at Horace Greeley Wonder if the Best Years of Their Lives Are Ahead or Behind by Lydia Richardson, The New York Times, June 17, 1992.
- ^ Meyers, Lawrence. Teacher of the Year: The Mystery and Legacy of Edwin Barlow, H.H. & Sons, 2009
- ^ http://chappaquasummerscholarship.org/cssp/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=9&Itemid=41
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "Average Weather for Chappaqua, NY - Temperature and Precipitation". Weather.com. http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/10514. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ 25 top-earning towns: Wondering where the wealth is? Residents of these 25 places have the highest median household incomes in the country by Jeff Cox, CNNMoney.com contributing writer.
- ^ Feeling the Wall Street Pinch at Home by Joseph Berger, The New York Times, November 1, 2008
- ^ Chappaqua Fire Department
- ^ The Chappaqua Fire Department will celebrate our 100th Anniversary., Chappaqua Fire Department.
- ^ http://www.chappaquafd.org/fire_stations.php
- ^ Crime stats from a real estate relocation site.
- ^ Lotto Winner Guilty in a Killing, Cleared in 2d, The New York Times, March 21, 1998.
- ^ Husband Not Ruled Out in Murder Probe, Jim Fitzgerald, the Associated Press, November 22, 2006.
- ^ Westchester Lawyer Charged in Wife’s 2006 Shooting Death by Robert D. McFadden and Fernanda Santos, The New York Times, December 21, 2007
- ^ Lawyer Convicted in Wife’s Death, Associated Press, 10/5/08.
- ^ William Ackman: Targeting Target
- ^ a b c Footlights by Roberta Hershenson, The New York Times, March 27, 2005.
- ^ Stardom Was a Catch-22 for Alan Arkin, but His Wife and a Guru Helped Beat the System by Louise Lague, People Magazine, March 26, 1979
- ^ Bibi Besch, 54, Dies; TV and Film Actress And a Force in Guild by Lawrence Van Gelder, The New York Times, September 14, 1996.
- ^ Survivor’s lead singer is a Real Man of Genius who teaches tunes to Chappaqua kids by Chris Serico, Journal News, November 29th, 2007.
- ^ bryantpark.org
- ^ The Clintons Are Coming and Chappaqua Braces by David Montgomery, The Washington Post, September 4, 1999.
- ^ Ace Frehley Goin’ Solo (Again) by Ted Mann, Journal News, February 19th, 2008
- ^ Plucking New Songs From Guthrie Archives by Thomas Staudter, The New York Times, January 4, 2004.
- ^ AJC Executive Director David A. Harris writes a monthly letter offering his insights and analysis of current concerns facing American and world Jewry: Letter from Chappaqua, February 29, 2004
- ^ Chamoff, Lisa (2011-09-22). "William May, former chairman and CEO of Greenwich's American Can Co., dies at 95". Connecticut Post. http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/William-May-former-chairman-and-CEO-of-2184470.php. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
- ^ A Festivus for the rest of us by Mindie Paget , December 18, 2005.
- ^ Sherwell, Philip (October 11, 2008). "Martin Sullivan: Briton blamed by Congress as a villain of the global financial crisis It has been a rough few months for Martin Sullivan, the jovial Essex boy who was until recently feted as the most influential British businessman in America.". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/3179840/Martin-Sullivan-Briton-blamed-by-Congress-as-a-villain-of-the-global-financial-crisis.html. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- ^ The Clintons Are Coming and Chappaqua Braces by David Montgomery, Washington Post Staff Writer, September 4, 1999
- ^ Kevin Wade Filmography, Fandango
External links
- Town of New Castle
- Chappaqua Central School District
- VIEW; A Friend From Chappaqua Writes . . . by Timothy Jack Ward, : an open letter to the Clintons about Chappaqua, published shortly after the Clintons bought their Chappaqua house, The New York Times, September 5, 1999.
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hamletsBanksville | Bedford Corners | Bedford Hills | Cortlandt Manor | Granite Springs | Katonah | Millwood | Montrose | Pocantico Hills | Purchase | South Salem | Waccabuc
Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Categories:- Populated places in Westchester County, New York
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