Yonkers, New York

Yonkers, New York

Yonkers is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the fourth-most populous city in the state of New York. The population of Yonkers was 195,976 as enumerated in the 2010 United States Census; it is estimated to have increased by 2. 2% to 200,370 in 2019.

About Yonkers, New York in brief

Summary Yonkers, New YorkYonkers is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the fourth-most populous city in the state of New York. The population of Yonkers was 195,976 as enumerated in the 2010 United States Census; it is estimated to have increased by 2. 2% to 200,370 in 2019. The city is home to several attractions, including Untermyer Park; Hudson River Museum; Saw Mill River daylighting, wherein a parking lot was removed to uncover a river; Science Barge; and Sherwood House. Yonkers Raceway, a harness racing track, renovated its grounds and clubhouse, and added legalized video slot machine gambling in 2006 in a ‘racino’ called Empire City. The land on which the city is built was once part of a Dutch 24,000-acre land grant called Colen Donck. In July 1645, this area was granted to Adriaen van der Donck, the patroon of Colendonck. His wife, Mary Doughty, was taken captive by Native Americans and later ransomed. Near the site of van Der Donck’s mill is Philipse Manor Hall, a Colonial-era manor house owned by Dutch colonists. Today the manor is preserved and operated as a museum and archive, offering many glimpses into life before the American Revolution. The original structure was built around 1682 by Frederick Philipse and his wife Margaret Hardenbroeck. For its first 200 years, Yonker was a small farming town with an active industrial waterfront.

In 1853, Elisha Otis invented the first safety elevator and the Otis Elevator Company opened the first elevator factory in the world on the banks of the Hudson near what is now Vark Street. Around the same time, the Alexander Smith and Sons carpet company expanded to 45 buildings and more than 4,000 workers. It was known as one of the premier carpet-producing centers in the World. The community was incorporated as a village in 1854 and as a City in 1872. In 1898, Yonkers voted on a referendum to determine if they wanted to become part of New New York City. While the results were positive elsewhere, the two areas that were not included in Yonkers and neighboring Mount Vernon remained independent and remained in the city. The two areas were annexed by New York as part of The Bronx by 1898, including Kingsbridge and Kingsbridge River. In the same year, The Bronx annexed the southern part of the town, includingKingsbridge River and Kingsdale, including Yonkers. The City of Seven Hills, which includes Park, Nodine, Ridge, Cross, Locust, Glen, and Church hills, is a name it takes officially a few miles north in White Plains. It is located directly to the north of the Bronx and approximately two miles north of Manhattan and the northernmost point in Manhattan.