Peekskill, New York

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Peekskill, New York
Downtown Peekskill
Downtown Peekskill
Peekskill, New York (New York)
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill, New York
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 41°17′20″N 73°55′12″W / 41.28889, -73.92
Country United States
State New York
County Westchester
Government
 - Mayor Mary E. Foster
Area
 - Total 5.5 sq mi (14.2 km²)
 - Land 4.3 sq mi (11.2 km²)
 - Water 1.2 sq mi (3.0 km²)
Elevation 128 ft (39 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 22,441
 - Density 5,189.7/sq mi (2,003.8/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 10566
Area code(s) 914
FIPS code 36-56979
GNIS feature ID 0960097

Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River.

This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products. The Binney and Smith Company, now makers of Crayola products, started as the Peekskill Chemical Company at Annsville in 1864.

Peekskill's manufacturing base operated well into the late 1900s, with the Fleischmann Company making yeast by-products under the Standard Brands corporate name.

The population is 22,441 according to the year 2000 census.

The well-publicized Peekskill Riots, which occurred in the summer of 1949, involving controversial entertainer Paul Robeson and area World War II veterans, actually occurred in nearby Van Cortlandtville.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Peekskill is located at 41°17′20″N, 73°55′12″W (41.288903, -73.919987)[1] in northwestern Westchester County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²), of which, 4.3 square miles (11.2 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²) of it (20.99%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 22,441 people, 8,696 households, and 5,348 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,189.7 people per square mile (2,005.7/km²). There were 9,053 housing units at an average density of 2,093.6/sq mi (809.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.12% White, 25.54% African American, 0.42% Native American, 2.38% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 9.83% from other races, and 4.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.92% of the population.

There were 8,696 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,177, and the median income for a family was $52,645. Males had a median income of $38,091 versus $34,757 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,595. About 10.3% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line.

[edit] Transportation

Peekskill train station provides commuter service to New York City, 41 miles (66 km) away via Metro-North Railroad. The Bee-Line Bus System provides bus service to Peekskill on its 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 routes. The Bear Mountain Bridge, five miles to the northwest, gives road access to Bear Mountain State Park across the Hudson River, and to the United States Military Academy at West Point via US 6 and US 202. The Croton Expressway portion of US 9 ends here. NY 9A and NY 35 also run through the city.

[edit] History

New Amsterdam resident Jan Peeck made the first recorded contact with the native tribal people of this area, then identified as "Sachoes". The date is not certain, (possibly early 1640s), but agreements and merchant transactions took place, formalized into the Ryck's Patent Deed of 1684. Peeck's Kil (from "stream" in Dutch thus became the recognized name for this locale.

European style settlement took place slowly in the early 1700s. By the time of the American Revolution, the tiny community was an important manufacturing center from its various mills along the several creeks and streams. These industrial activities were attractive to the Continental Army in establishing its headquarters here in 1776.

The mills of Peek's Creek provided gunpowder, leather, planks, and flour. Slaughterhouses were important for food supply. The river docks allowed transport of supply items and soldiers to the several other fort garrisons placed to prevent British naval passage between Albany and New York City. Officers at Peekskill generally supervised placing the first iron link chain between Bear Mountain and Anthony's Nose in the spring of 1777.

Though Peekskill's terrain and mills were beneficial to the Patriot cause, they also made tempting targets for British raids. The most damaging attack took place in early spring of 1777, when an invasion force of a dozen vessels led by a warship and supported by infantry overwhelmed the American defenders. Another British operation in October 1777 led to further destruction of industrial apparatus. As a result, the Hudson Valley command for the Continental Army moved from Peekskill to West Point, where it stayed for remainder of that war.[citation needed]

Peekskill's first legal incorporation of 1816 was reactivated in 1826 when Village elections took place. The Village was further incorporated within the Town of Cortlandt in 1849 and remained so until separating as a city in 1940.

Peekskill was the landing point of a fragment of the Peekskill Meteorite, just before midnight on October 9, 1992. The meteoric trail was recorded on film by at least 16 different people. [1] This is only the fourth meteorite in history for which an exact orbit is known. The rock had a mass of 12.4 kg (27.3 lb) and punched through the trunk of Peekskill resident Michelle Knapp's red 1980 Chevrolet Malibu sedan as it struck.

Valentine Deli on Second Street has been cited for numerous health violations beginning in 2005.[2]

The current mayor of Peekskill is Mary Foster.

[edit] School District

The Peekskill City School District is headed by Superintendent Judith Johnson, the 2008 New York State School Superintendent of the Year. It consists of four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The elementary schools operated on a "neighborhood" basis until 1997. Until that school year, each student attended the school closest to his or her home, beginning in kindergarten and ending with graduation from sixth grade. In 1997 the elementary schools were integrated, each school housing two grades. The middle school houses all seventh and eighth grade students. The high school serves grades nine through twelve.

[edit] Elementary Schools

  • The Uriah Hill, Jr. School houses the district's Early Childhood Education program. The ECC consists of a pre-school and a kindergarten program. The Uriah Hill, Jr. school is located at 980 Pemart Avenue.
  • Oakside Elementary School caters to the district's first and second grade students. The school is located at 200 Decatur Avenue.
  • Woodside Elementary School houses the third and fourth graders. It is located on Depew Street.
  • Hillcrest Elementary School educates the district's fifth and sixth graders. It is located at 4 Horton Drive.

[edit] Secondary Schools

  • Peekskill Middle School educates the district's seventh and eighth graders. It is located at 212 Ringgold Street. Peekskill Middle School currently does not have a principal. Under construction right now is the new Peekskill Middle school. After many delays it is set to open in 2009.
  • Peekskill High School educates most of the district's ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders. The high school is located on the grounds of the original Peekskill Military Academy at 1072 Elm Street.[citation needed] For the second consecutive year Peekskill High School is listed on Newsweek's 2008 Washington Post Challenge Index of the top high schools in the nation. This year, the school ranked in the top 5% of all high schools nationally based on the ratio of graduating seniors and students taking Advanced Placement Tests.

[edit] Prominent Peekskill residents

[edit] Culture

Peekskill has drawn a number of artists and art appreciators to its environs recently. Local highlights include: Paramount Center for the Arts (Theater), which regularly screens independent films, the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, and the Peekskill Coffee House, which showcases local acts.

[edit] Sister City

Peekskill's sister city is Castlebar, Ireland.

[edit] Popular Culture

On the popular 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life, Peekskill was the location of the fictional Eastland School for Girls and was therefore the setting for most of the action on the series.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  4. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  5. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  6. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  7. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  8. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  9. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  10. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  11. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  12. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  13. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  14. ^ Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York
  15. ^ Green Skin's Grab-Bag: "An Interview with Herb Trimpe"

[edit] External links

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