Port Chester, New York
Port Chester is a village in the U.S. state of New York and the largest part of the town of Rye in Westchester County by population. At the 2010 U.S. census, the village had a population of 28,967 and was the fifth-most populous village in New York State.[3] In 2019, its population grew to a census-estimated 29,342 residents.[4] Located in southeast Westchester, Port Chester forms part of the New York City metropolitan statistical area. Port Chester borders Connecticut and the town of Greenwich to the east. It is one of only 12 villages in New York still incorporated under a charter; other villages either incorporated or reincorporated under the provisions of Village Law.[5]
For the locality in England, see Portchester. For the port on the Delaware River, see Port of Chester.
Port Chester, New York
The village of Port Chester is nicknamed the "Gateway to New England" and serves as a transportation hub between New England states and New York. Its economy is primarily stimulated by small businesses, the local government and several national chain stores.
Names[edit]
The Wappinger people called the land on which the village was founded "Haseco", meaning "marshy land" or "marshy hassock".[6] Upon colonial settlement, the area became known as Saw Pit (or Sawpits[7]) for the saw pits in use during the time. Logs were cut in holes in the ground for wood to be used for homesteading. The name Saw Pit was used for the first time in 1732. The village outgrew this name and became Port Chester by incorporating as a village in 1868.[8][9][10]
Education[edit]
Within the village's borders, there is one public school district, the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District. Established in 1884, it Westchester County's oldest school district. Two notable schools in Port Chester are Port Chester Middle and Port Chester High School.
The Westchester Fairfield Hebrew Academy (now Carmel Academy) opened in Port Chester in 1997, in rented space. It has since moved out of town.[36]
The Japanese Weekend School of New York, a hoshū jugyō kō (Japanese weekend school), holds classes at Port Chester Middle School.[37] As of 2006, the school had about 800 students, including Japanese citizens and Japanese Americans, at locations in Westchester County and Long Island.[38]
Arts and culture[edit]
The Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library is an association library funded by and for the villages of Port Chester and Rye Brook. The library was founded in 1876 by Jared V. Peck and was dedicated at its present location in 1926 at the intersection of Haseco and Westchester Avenues. Three major renovations have taken place, in 1967, 2007, and 2012. The latest renovation included the creation of a teen room, a multipurpose meeting room, the addition of new furniture and carpets, and the relocation of the children's room and the implementation of an elevator. Although the renovation did not add square footage to the original three-story, 18,900-square-foot building, it provided a more open design, with better use of space and light to promote parent and child reading activities. The 2012 renovations, which cost $1 million, were paid for with the bequest of Douglas and Elise Lefferts. According to 2011 records, 19,900 people hold library cards and 10,221 people attended programs including GED and community interest classes. The summer reading program typically draws 13,000 children.[39]
Another notable cultural landmark in Port Chester is the Capitol Theatre, a music venue that has hosted bands and artists such as The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and The Ramones. Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead said, "There's only two theaters, man... that are set up pretty groovy all around for music and for smooth stage changes, good lighting and all that—the Fillmore [in Silver Spring, Maryland] and The Capitol Theatre." Because of Garcia's fondness for the theatre, a section of Port Chester has Grateful Dead-themed adornments on sidewalks and telephone poles and in local businesses. Joplin also wrote her song "Mercedes Benz" outside the Capitol Theatre.
Port Chester has at least six parks, together totaling nearly 50 acres (0.20 km2):
Transportation[edit]
The Bee-Line Bus System provides bus service to Port Chester on routes 13 and 61.
Connecticut Transit Stamford Division provides bus service to Port Chester on routes 311 and 311B. The 13 was combined with the southern portion of the former 76 route on December 31, 2011.[47]
Metro-North Railroad's Port Chester train station is on the New Haven Line, and provides commuter rail service to Grand Central Terminal in New York City and to Stamford Transportation Center and New Haven-Union Station in Connecticut.
Port Chester is twinned with: