Tarrytown

Tarrytown is a village in the Town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about 25 miles (40 km) north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line. To the north of Tarrytown is the village of Sleepy Hollow (formerly "North Tarrytown"), to the south the village of Irvington and to the east unincorporated parts of Greenburgh. The Tappan Zee Bridge crosses the Hudson at Tarrytown, carrying the New York State Thruway (Interstates 87 and 287) to Nyack and points upstate.

The population was 11,090 at the 2000 census. The population in 2009 was 11,169.

History

The first residents of what eventually became Tarrytown were the Weckquaesgeeks Indians. The Weckquasgeeks were closely related to the Wappinger Confederacy and further related to the Mohicans. They fished the Hudson River for shad, oysters and other shellfish. Their principal settlement was at the foot of Church Street near the Hudson River Shore, between the current location of Losee Park and the Tappan Zee Bridge, at a place they called Alipconk, or the "Place of Elms".

The first European settlers of Tarrytown were Dutch farmers, fur trappers, and fishermen. Records show that the first Dutch residence in Tarrytown was built in 1645; however, the exact location of this residence is not known. Tarrytown sits within the lands of the former Dutch Colony of New Netherland which became British territory in 1674 with the signing of the Treaty of Westminster.

In 1780, in a famous Revolutionary War incident, Major John André was arrested as a spy in Tarrytown. André, a British army officer, was travelling south through the village on the Albany Post Road when he was stopped and searched by three local militiamen. When suspicious papers were found in his boot, he was arrested as a spy and later convicted and hanged. A very interesting account of the capture of André, by militiamen David Williams, John Paulding and Isaac Van Wart, was written by the owner and publisher of the Tarrytown Argus, Marcius D. Raymond.

Tarrytown was described in 1820 by the writer Washington Irving in "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow". Irving began his story, "In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators of the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market town or rural port which by some is called Greenburgh, but which is more generally and properly known by the name of Tarry Town."

The underground railroad, an undercover path for free slaves, ran through Tarrytown prior to the end of the U.S. Civil War.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,090 people, 4,533 households, and 2,765 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,724.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,436.9/km²). There were 4,688 housing units at an average density of 1,574.5 per square mile (607.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 77.44% White, 7.04% African American, 0.22% Native American, 6.49% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.29% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.17% of the population.

There were 4,533 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the village the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $68,762, and the median income for a family was $82,445. Males had a median income of $61,699 versus $41,054 for females. The per capita income for the village was $39,472. About 1.8% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Possible merger with Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow Mayor Philip Zegarelli, in March 2007 met with Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell and district superintendent Dr. Howard Smith to discuss forming a blue ribbon panel that would explore the pros and cons of an intermunicipal agreement.

The two villages have shared a school district for 55 years. The villages already shared some services to lower their expenses, but the greatest reductions, especially in school and property taxes, would come from merging the two villages.

The problem, Zegarelli said, is that each village has its own assessment roll. “People complain about taxes overall. In particular, they’re talking about school taxes,” he said. “By definition it's not equal. It's very important to have a standardized assessment roll.” Zegarelli, who led an unsuccessful attempt in the mid-1970s to disaffiliate Sleepy Hollow from the town of Mount Pleasant, continues to advocate for secession — Sleepy Hollow from Mount Pleasant and Tarrytown from Greenburgh — as another way to save money. “If the idea is to save money, why have two levels of government?” he asked. The town of Mount Pleasant blocked Sleepy Hollow's effort to secede, largely because it did not want to lose tax revenue from General Motors, Zegarelli said.

Transportation

Tarrytown has access to highways I-87 and I-287, and is the site of the eastern end of the New York State Thruway's Tappan Zee Bridge. I-87 continues south to New York City, while I-287 heads east across Westchester to link up with the Saw Mill River Parkway, the Taconic State Parkway, the Sprain Brook Parkway, the Meritt Parkway/Hutchinson River Parkway and I-95.

Tarrytown railway station is served by Metro North Commuter Rail service.Metro North trains go to New York City's Grand Central Terminal, and also go as far north as Poughkeepsie. Tarrytown is a major stop on the Hudson Line due to a large number of commuters crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge from Rockland County to catch express service