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Chappaqua, New York

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This article is about the hamlet; for the film, see Chappaqua (film).
Chappaqua, New York
CDP
Map
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyWestchester
Area
 • Total
9.4 sq mi (24.4 km2)
 • Land9.4 sq mi (24.3 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation
492 ft (150 m)
Population
 (2000 census)
 • Total
11,009
 • Density1,009.8/sq mi (389.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
10514
Area code914
FIPS code36-13805
GNIS feature ID0946393
WebsiteTown 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.

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. Horace Greeley's home still stands in Chappaqua.

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.[1]

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 around 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

Today, the schools in Chappaqua are reputed to be among the best in the country,[2] 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,[3] 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, 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 in 1951; Douglas G. Grafflin in 1962; and Westorchard in 1971.

Finally, Seven Bridges Middle School was built in 2003 and added to the town's school system as a solution to the overcrowding of the only middle school in Chappaqua, Robert E. Bell. Before Seven Bridges was constructed, all students, regardless of which elementary school they attended, would have moved on to Robert E. Bell. But, because of population growth, half now move up to Bell and half move up to Seven Bridges. Westorchard and half of Roaring Brook were combined to make up the student population at Seven Bridges. Grafflin and the other half of Roaring Brooks were combined together to make up the student population at Bell. Both schools come together at the high school level.

In the fall of 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.[4][5]

Parent expectations in the school district are high, and the educational environment has been described as highly competitive and somewhat stressful.[6]

In 2001, a scandal involving parental supervision erupted when a Chappaqua couple was arrested for hosting a pre-season party for the high school football team featuring a stripper, drugs, and alcohol.[7] The couple pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and were sentenced to 100 hours of community service and one year of probation.[8] Also in 2001, Chappaqua students made national news in a scandal about cyberbullying.[9]

The singer/songwriter Dar Williams grew up in Chappaqua and graduated from Greeley High School. The area's briefly high teenage suicide rate in the mid 1980s [10] is said to have influenced her song lyrics.[11]

Geography

Chappaqua is located at 41°9′57″N 73°45′55″W / 41.16583°N 73.76528°W / 41.16583; -73.76528Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.165925, -73.765244)Template:GR.

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.

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 censusTemplate:GR 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."[12] Chappaqua 2007 estimated median household income was $198,000.[13]

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. [citation needed] The volunteer-based Chappaqua Fire Department provides firefighting services to the hamlet of Chappaqua.[14]. The Chappaqua Fire Department is in it's 97th year of operation [15], and currently maintains two fire houses in town [16].

Although Chappaqua's crime rate is far below the national average[17], 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.[18] 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. She died soon after. For over a year, police expressed skepticism about the husband's account and did not ruled 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.[19][20]. Perez-Olivo was convicted October 4, 2008[21]

Notable residents

Some notable Chappaqua residents, past and present, include:

Notable structures

Reader's Digest headquarters at Chappaqua
  • 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

  1. ^ Warde, Robert (1982). Chappaqua: Our Connections to Its Past. Chappaqua Central School District (CCSD).
  2. ^ GREELEY HIGH CALLED ONE OF BEST IN U.S. by Lena Williams, The New York Times, September 27, 1981.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ IN THE SCHOOLS; The Half-Day Stress Of Kindergarten by Merri Rosenberg, The New York Times, February 23, 2003.
  5. ^ Minutes, Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education, May 25, 2004.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Alcohol Wars Give 'Party Jitters' A Whole New Meaning by David Scharfenberg, The New York Times, February 20, 2005.
  8. ^ Metro Briefing | New York: Chappaqua: No Jail For Party Parents, The New York Times, June 1, 2002.
  9. ^ Cyber slammed, by Amy Benfer, Salon, July 3, 2001.
  10. ^ FOURTH TEEN-AGER'S SUICIDE SHOCKS 2 SUBURBAN COUNTIES by Lena Williams, The New York Times, February 23, 1984.
  11. ^ Cool As it Can Be by Lucy O'Brien, Diva Magazine, December 1996/January 1997.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Feeling the Wall Street Pinch at Home by Joseph Berger, The New York Times, November 1, 2008
  14. ^ Chappaqua Fire Department
  15. ^ The Chappaqua Fire Department will celebrate our 100th Anniversary.,Chappaqua Fire Department.
  16. ^ http://www.chappaquafd.org/fire_stations.php
  17. ^ Crime stats from a real estate relocation site.
  18. ^ Lotto Winner Guilty in a Killing, Cleared in 2d, The New York Times, March 21, 1998.
  19. ^ Husband Not Ruled Out in Murder Probe, Jim Fitzgerald, the Associated Press, November 22, 2006.
  20. ^ Westchester Lawyer Charged in Wife’s 2006 Shooting Death by Robert D. McFadden and Fernanda Santos, The New York Times, December 21, 2007
  21. ^ Lawyer Convicted in Wife’s Death, Associated Press, 10/5/08.
  22. ^ [1]
  23. ^ 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
  24. ^ Footlights by Roberta Hershenson, The New York Times, March 27, 2005.
  25. ^ Bibi Besch, 54, Dies; TV and Film Actress And a Force in Guild by Lawrence Van Gelder, The New York Times, September 14, 1996.
  26. ^ bryantpark.org
  27. ^ The Clintons Are Coming and Chappaqua Braces by David Montgomery, The Washington Post, September 4, 1999.
  28. ^ Survivor’s lead singer is a Real Man of Genius who teaches tunes to Chappaqua kids by Chris Serico, Journal News, November 29th, 2007.
  29. ^ Ace Frehley Goin’ Solo (Again) by Ted Mann, Journal News, February 19th, 2008
  30. ^ Plucking New Songs From Guthrie Archives by Thomas Staudter, The New York Times, January 4, 2004.
  31. ^ The Clintons Are Coming and Chappaqua Braces by David Montgomery, Washington Post Staff Writer, September 4, 1999
  32. ^ 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
  33. ^ A Festivus for the rest of us by Mindie Paget , December 18, 2005.
  34. ^ New York, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Hamptons, Shelter Island, North Fork & Palm Beaches Neighborhoods, Real Estate
  35. ^ Martin Sullivan: Briton blamed by Congress as a villain of the global financial crisis Telegraph, October 12, 2008.
  36. ^ Metro Briefing | New York: Albany: State Bar Association Names Chief by STACY ALBIN (NYT); compiled by ANTHONY RAMIREZ, The New York Times, June 2, 2004
  37. ^ [2]
  38. ^ Kevin Wade Filmography, Fandango
  39. ^ Footlights by Roberta Hershenson, The New York Times, March 27, 2005.
  40. ^ Footlights by Roberta Hershenson, The New York Times, March 27, 2005.

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