Coordinates: 40°56′29″N 73°51′52″W / 40.94139°N 73.86444°W / 40.94139; -73.86444
City of Yonkers |
— City — |
Yonkers Public Library |
Flag |
Seal |
|
Nickname(s): The Central City, The Land of Hudson, The Terrace City, The City of Hills, The City of Vision |
Location in the State of New York |
Coordinates: 40°56′29″N 73°51′52″W / 40.94139°N 73.86444°W / 40.94139; -73.86444 |
Country |
United States |
State |
New York |
County |
Westchester |
Founded |
1646 |
Incorporated |
1872 |
Government |
• Type |
Mayor-Council |
• Body |
Yonkers City Council |
• Mayor |
Mike Spano (D) |
Area |
• Total |
20.3 sq mi (52.6 km2) |
• Land |
18.1 sq mi (46.8 km2) |
• Water |
2.2 sq mi (5.8 km2) |
Elevation |
82 ft (25 m) |
Population (2010) |
• Total |
195,976 |
• Density |
10,827.4/sq mi (4,187.5/km2) |
Time zone |
EST (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) |
EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP codes |
10701, 10702 (post office), 10703, 10704, 10705, 10707 (shared with Tuckahoe, NY), 10708 (shared with Bronxville, NY) 10710 |
Area code(s) |
914 |
FIPS code |
36-84000[1] |
GNIS feature ID |
0971828[2] |
Website |
http://www.yonkersny.gov |
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (behind New York City, Buffalo and Rochester), and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976 (according to the 2010 Census). Yonkers borders the New York City borough of The Bronx and is 2 miles (3 km) north of Manhattan at the cities' closest points.
The city is home to several attractions: the Hudson River Museum, the Sherwood House, the Science Barge, Cross County Shopping Center, Ridge Hill Shopping Center, and Yonkers Raceway, a harness racing track that has renovated its grounds and clubhouse and added legalized video slot machine gambling in 2006 in a "racino" called Empire City. There are also many large shopping areas along Central Park Avenue (NY 100), informally called "Central Ave" by area residents, a name it takes officially a few miles north in White Plains, New York.
The city is spread out over hills rising from near sea level at the eastern bank of the Hudson River to 416 feet (126 m) at Sacred Heart Church, whose spire can be seen from Long Island, New York City, and New Jersey. Its landscape has been compared to San Francisco, Sarajevo, and Rome.
The city occupies 20.3 square miles (52.6 km²), including 18.1 square miles (46.8 km²) of land and 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²) (11.02%) of water, according to the United States Census Bureau. The Bronx River separates Yonkers from Mount Vernon, Tuckahoe, Eastchester, Bronxville, and Scarsdale to the east. The town of Greenburgh is to the north, and on the western border is the Hudson River.
On the south, Yonkers borders the Riverdale, Woodlawn, and Wakefield sections of The Bronx. In addition, the southernmost point of Yonkers is only 2 miles (3 km) north of the northernmost point of Manhattan when measured from Broadway & Caryl Avenue in Yonkers to Broadway & West 228th Street in the Marble Hill section of Manhattan. The gentilic for residents is alternately Yonkersonian or Yonkersite [3]
Climate: Yonkers has cold winters and warm summers. Temperature ranges average lows of 27 degrees F in January, and average highs of 84 degrees F in July.
Historical populations |
Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
1860 |
8,218 |
|
—
|
1870 |
12,733 |
|
54.9% |
1880 |
18,892 |
|
48.4% |
1890 |
32,033 |
|
69.6% |
1900 |
47,931 |
|
49.6% |
1910 |
79,803 |
|
66.5% |
1920 |
100,176 |
|
25.5% |
1930 |
134,646 |
|
34.4% |
1940 |
142,598 |
|
5.9% |
1950 |
152,798 |
|
7.2% |
1960 |
190,634 |
|
24.8% |
1970 |
204,297 |
|
7.2% |
1980 |
195,351 |
|
−4.4% |
1990 |
188,082 |
|
−3.7% |
2000 |
196,086 |
|
4.3% |
2010 |
195,976 |
|
−0.1% |
As of the census of 2010,[4] there are 195,976 people in the city. The population density is 10,827.4 people per square mile (4,187.5/km²). There are 80,839 housing units at an average density of 4,466.2 per square mile (1,727.3/km²). The cultural makeup of the city is 55.8% White, 18.7% African American, 0.7% Native American, 5.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 14.7% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. 34.7% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any racial background. Non-Hispanic Whites were 41.4% of the population in 2010,[5] down from 89.9% in 1970.[6]
According to the 2000 Census[1], 19.9% were of Italian and 11.6% Irish descent. 61.3% spoke English, 22.7% Spanish, 3.9% Italian, 5% Arabic and 1.3% Portuguese as their first language.
There were 74,351 households out of which 30.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them in 2000, 44.2% are married couples living together, 17.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% are non-families. 29.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.23.
In 2000, the city the population is spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 25, 30.6% from 25 to 45, 21.2% from 45 to 65, and 15.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,663 in 2000, and the median income for a family is $53,233. Males have a median income of $41,598 versus $34,756 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,793. 15.5% of the population and 13.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The land on which the city is built was once part of a 24,000 acre (97 km²) land grant called Colen Donck that ran from the current Manhattan/Bronx border at Marble Hill northwards for 12 miles (19 km), and from the Hudson River eastwards to the Bronx River. This grant was purchased in July 1645 by Adriaen van der Donck, a lawyer, scholar, and author who had emerged as a leader of the New Netherland colony. Van der Donck was known locally as the Jonkheer or Jonker (etymologically, "young gentleman," derivation of old German jung and Herr; in effect, "Esquire"), a word from which the name "Yonkers" is directly derived.[7] Van der Donck built a saw mill near where the Nepperhan Creek met the Hudson; the Nepperhan is now also known as the Saw Mill River. Van der Donck and his family were killed in the Peach Tree War.
Near the site of van der Donck's mill is Philipse Manor Hall, a Colonial-era manor house which today serves as a museum and archive, offering many glimpses into life before the American Revolution. The original structure (later enlarged) was built around 1682 by Frederick Philipse and his wife Margaret Hardenbroeck. Frederick was a wealthy Dutchman who by the time of his death had amassed an enormous estate, which encompassed the entire modern City of Yonkers, as well as several other Hudson River towns. Philipse's great-grandson, Frederick Philipse III, was a prominent Loyalist during the American Revolution, who, because of his political leanings, was forced to flee to England. All the lands that belonged to the Philipse family were confiscated and sold.
For its first two hundred years, Yonkers was a small farming town with an active industrial waterfront. Yonkers's later growth rested largely on developing industry. 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. It relocated to larger quarters (now the Yonkers Public Library) in the 1880s. Around the same time, the Alexander Smith and Sons Carpet Company (in the Saw Mill River Valley) expanded to 45 buildings, 800 looms, and over 4,000 workers and was known as one of the premier carpet producing centers in the world. In 1892, Smith carpets were sent to Moscow for the tsar's coronation. Bakelite, the first completely synthetic plastic, was invented in Yonkers circa 1906 by Leo Baekeland, and manufactured there until the late 1920s. Today, two of the former Alexander Smith and Sons Carpet Company loft buildings located at 540 and 578 Nepperhan Avenue have been repurposed to house the YoHo Artist Community, a collective group of talented artists that works out of private studios there.[8]
Dignitaries at the 2005 Yonkers Saint Patrick's Day Parade
The community was incorporated as a village in the northern part of the Town of Yonkers in 1854, and as a city in 1872. The southern part of the Township became part of The Bronx. The city declined to join the City of Greater New York,and plans were dropped to extend the new subway to Getty Square.
Early in the 20th Century, Yonkers also hosted a brass era automobile maker, Colt Runabout Company;[9] despite the car's seemingly glowing performance, the company went under.
Yonkers was also the headquarters of the Waring Hat Company, at the time the nation's largest hat manufacturer. World War II saw the city's factories manufacture such items as tents and blankets in the Alexander Smith and Sons Carpet Factory and tanks in the Otis Elevator factory.
After World War II, however, with increased competition from less expensive imports, Yonkers lost much of its manufacturing activity. The Alexander Smith Carpet mill fell on hard times and ceased operation on June 24, 1954. In 1983, the Otis Elevator Factory finally closed its doors. With the loss of jobs in the city itself, Yonkers (predominantly the east side) became primarily a residential city and some neighborhoods of the city, such as Crestwood, became popular with wealthy New Yorkers wishing to live outside the city but not in an entirely suburban environment. Yonkers' excellent transportation infrastructure, including three commuter railroad lines (now two, the Harlem and Hudson Lines) and five parkways and thruways, as well as its 15-minute drive from Manhattan and picturesque "period" homes and apartments, made it a desirable city in which to live. Yonkers' manufacturing sector has recently shown a resurgence. A Kawasaki railroad cars assembly plant opened in 1986 in the former Otis plant, producing the new R142A, R143 and R160B cars for the New York City Subway, and the PA4 and upcoming PA5 series for PATH.
Aside from being a manufacturing center, Yonkers also played a key role in the development of entertainment in the United States. In 1888, Scottish immigrant John Reid founded the first golf course in the United States, St. Andrew's Golf Club, in Yonkers. On January 4, 1940, Yonkers resident Edwin Howard Armstrong transmitted the first FM radio broadcast (on station W2XCR) from the Yonkers home of C.R. Runyon, a co-experimenter. Yonkers also had the longest running pirate radio station, owned by Allan Weiner during the 1970s through the 1980s.
The city's struggles with racial discrimination and segregation were highlighted in a decades-long federal lawsuit. After a 1985 decision and an unsuccessful appeal, Yonkers' schools were integrated in 1988. The federal judge, Leonard B. Sand, ruled that Yonkers had engaged in institutional segregation in housing and school policies for over 40 years and tied the illegal concentration of public housing and private housing discrimination to the city's resistance to ending racial isolation in its public schools.[citation needed]
Yonkers moved to the center of national/international attention during the summer of 1988, when the city was found in contempt of the federal courts, after it refused to build promised municipal public housing in the eastern portions of the city. It had earlier agreed to do so in a consent decree, after losing the appeal in 1987. Being fined one dollar, doubling every day until the council passed the ordinance set out in the consent decree, Yonkers remained in contempt of the courts until September 9, 1988. On that date, the City Council relented, in the wake of library closures, sanitation cutbacks, while looking at massive city layoffs, which would have been required to continue its resistance to desegregation.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Yonkers developed a national reputation for racial tension, based on a long-term battle between the City of Yonkers and the NAACP over the building of subsidized low-rent housing. The City wanted to use federal funds to create or expand high-rise housing projects in southwest Yonkers; other groups, led by the NAACP, felt that concentrating subsidized housing in traditionally poor neighborhoods perpetuated poverty. The climax of the battle came when United States district court Judge Leonard Sand imposed a fine on Yonkers which started at $1 and doubled every day until the City capitulated to the federally mandated plan.
Mayor Nicholas Wasicsko, in his first term, fought to save the city from financial disaster and bring about unity. He was a lonely figure in city politics at the time, which was scarred with the stigma of the "Balkanization of Yonkers." He succeeded in helping to end the city's contempt of the courts, but was voted out of office as a result. Yonkers still suffers the stigma of having bitterly opposed desegregation.
The Irish-American community is prominent in Yonkers, and the city hosts one of the nation's oldest St. Patrick's Day parades. There is also home to a large Italian-American community, and the city hosts a large Columbus Day festival with a Miss Italian-American pageant.Yonkers also has a significant Portuguese population.
Another large community is the Slavic community. In the early and mid 20th Century a large amount of people emigrated from Poland, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, Russia, and Croatia. Recently a large number of immigrants from the former Yugoslavia have called Yonkers home. The Slavic community is centered around St. Casimir's Roman Catholic Church, Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, and St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church. Yonkers still has a large Slavic community. The city also has a "stanytsia" (branch) of Plast.
There also once was a significant Jewish population (the Broadway plays Hello Dolly! and Lost in Yonkers both take place within the Yonkers Jewish community). However, it has dwindled. In the 2000s, some areas bordering similar neighborhoods in Riverdale began seeing an influx of Orthodox Jews. Subsequently, Riverdale Hatzalah Volunteer Ambulance Service began serving some neighborhoods in the southwest section of the city.[10] There is also a small Jewish Cemetery, the Sherwood Park Cemetery [1]
Though Yonkers contains many small residential enclaves and communities, it can conveniently be divided into four quarters, demarcated by the Saw Mill River. There are 37 or more distinct neighborhoods, many of these names being rarely used except by real estate agents.
Northeast Yonkers, the wealthiest area of the city, is a primarily Irish-American and Italian-American area. Though suburban, it is noticeably less so than the Town of Greenburgh to the north. House sizes vary widely, from small houses set close together, to some larger houses in areas like Lawrence Park West. Tuckahoe Road, which intersects Central Avenue (NY 100), contains many stores as well. Notable former residents include Steven Tyler (born Steven Tallarico) of the rock band Aerosmith, whose childhood home was just off Central Avenue on Pembrook Drive. Northeastern Yonkers contains the desirable Crestwood, Colonial Heights, Cedar Knolls, and Beech Hill sections of the city, as well as several other wealthy enclaves such as Lawrence Park West. Landmarks include St Vladimir's Seminary, as well as Sarah Lawrence College, and the Tanglewood Shopping Center (one-time home of the The Tanglewood Boys gang). The northeast section of Yonkers consists of more upscale housing than the rest of the city, and, due to the proximity of several Metro-North commuter railroad stations, its residents tend to be employed in corporate positions in Manhattan.
Former factories along the Hudson slated for replacement.
Northwest Yonkers is a collection of widely varying neighborhoods, spanning from the Hudson River to around the New York State Thruway/I-87 and from Ashburton Avenue north to the Hastings-on-Hudson border. With the Hudson River bordering it to the west, this area has many beautiful Victorian-era homes with panoramic views of the Palisades. An interest in historic preservation has taken hold in this neighborhood in recent years, as demonstrated on streets like Shonnard Terrace, Delavan Terrace and Hudson Terrace. The population of northwestern Yonkers is probably the most ethnically diverse in the city.
Landmarks include the Hudson River Museum, Untermyer Park and the Lenoir Nature Preserve. The significant amount of surviving Victorian architecture and 19th century estates in northwest Yonkers has attracted many filmmakers in recent years.
The two block section of Palisade Ave between Chase and Roberts Ave in northwest Yonkers is colloquially known as "the north end" or "the end". It was and still is the only retail and food shopping area in the neighborhood, and was well known by the local kids for an original soda fountain store, "Urich's" and Robbins Pharmacy. It was once the end of the # 2 trolley line. The # 2 bus replaced the trolley line. One part of Yonkers that is sometimes overlooked is Nepera Park. This is a small section at the northern part of Nepperhan Avenue on the Hastings-on-Hudson border. Nepperhan Avenue in Nepera Park has a large A & P Supermarket, Walgreens, KFC, and several smaller stores, such as a bakery, deli, dry cleaners, a few beauty salons,etc.
Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church
Southeast Yonkers is mostly Irish-American (many of the Irish being native born) and Italian-American. Many of the businesses and type of architecture in southeast Yonkers bear a greater resemblance to certain parts of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, or Staten Island than to points north. This is not surprising as southeastern Yonkers is largely within walking distance of the Riverdale, Woodlawn, and Wakefield sections of the Bronx. Many residents regard eastern McLean Avenue, home to a vibrant Irish community shared with the Woodlawn section of the Bronx, to be the true hub of Yonkers.
#4 Beeline bus heading west on McLean Ave. at Central Ave. in southeast Yonkers
Similarly, a portion of Midland Avenue in the Dunwoodie section has been called the "Little Italy" of Yonkers. Landmarks of southeastern Yonkers include the Cross County Shopping Center, Yonkers Raceway, and St. Joseph's Seminary in the Dunwoodie neighborhood, which was visited by Pope John Paul II in October 1995 and later by Pope Benedict XVI in April 2008.
Predominately Black and Latino, this area in Yonkers has suffered from past economic, political, and social challenges. Early in the 21st century a decrease in crime rate and a juxtaposition of poverty and revitalization mirrored newly gentrified neighborhoods of New York City's Harlem and Brooklyn. Off South Broadway (a major thoroughfare) one can find residential neighborhoods, such as Nodine Hill, Park Hill, and Hudson Park (off the Hudson River) with residential streets of turn-of-the-century mansions, and upscale luxury rentals and condominiums. Other upscale neighborhoods are Ludlow Park, Hudson Park & Van Cortlandt Crest, off Riverdale Avenue, right over the Riverdale border - the former alongside the Hudson River.
Riverdale Avenue looking north from the
Bronx line
The area is also home to significant historical and educational institutions including the historic Philipse Manor Hall (a New York State Historic Site that houses one of three papier mache ceilings in the United States), The Science Barge, Beczak Environmental Education Center, and a 2003 Yonkers Public Library.[11]
Many southwesterners are of African, Caribbean, Italian, or Hispanic descent while an influx those from other cultural backgrounds has continued to shape a culturally diverse community. Some neighborhoods right on the Riverdale border are increasingly becoming home to Orthodox Jews. The revitalization of the downtown Yonkers/Getty Square area has helped to nurture growth for Southwest Yonkers.
In the early 2000s several new luxury apartment buildings were built along the Hudson. There is also a new "Sculpture Meadow on the Hudson," renovation of a Victorian-era pier, and a new public library housed in the remodeled Otis elevator factory. Peter Kelly's award-winning fine dining restaurant X20 - Xaviars on Hudson is located at the renovated pier with much success.[12][13] There are new proposals along with the current projects which are intended to revitalize downtown Yonkers.
The Yonkers Metro-North train station.
Yonkers has the eighth-highest rate of public transit ridership among cities in the United States. It has four Hudson Line Metro-North Railroad stations providing commuter service to New York City: Ludlow, Yonkers, Glenwood and Greystone. The Yonkers station is also served by Amtrak. Several Harlem Line stations are on or very near the city's eastern border. These include Wakefield, Mt. Vernon West, Fleetwood, Bronxville, Tuckahoe and Crestwood.
Bus service is provided by the Westchester County Bee-Line Bus System, and an MTA Bus Company express route to Manhattan.
New York Water Taxi formerly operated a ferry service from downtown Yonkers to Manhattan's Financial District, but it ceased in December 2009.[14]
Major limited-access roads in Yonkers include Interstate 87 (the New York State Thruway), the Saw Mill, Bronx River, Sprain Brook and Cross County parkways. US 9, NY 9A and 100 are important surface streets.
The former New York and Putnam Railroad running through the middle of Yonkers has been converted into a paved walking and bicycling path, called the South County Trailway. It runs north-south in Yonkers from the Hastings-on-Hudson border in the north to the Bronx border in the south at Van Cortlandt Park.
The historic Croton Aqueduct tunnel has a hard-packed dirt trail running above it for most of its length in Yonkers, with a few on-street routes near Getty Square.
Public schools in Yonkers are operated by Yonkers Public Schools.
Libraries are operated by the Yonkers Public Library.
The Japanese School of New York was located in Yonkers for one year. On August 18, 1991 the school moved to Yonkers from Queens, New York City. On September 1, 1992 classes began at its current location in Greenwich, Connecticut.[15] St. Peter's Catholic Elementary School at 204 Hawthorne Avenue, founded by the Sisters of Charity, celebrated its 100th anniversary in September 2011
Yonkers is typically a Democratic stronghold just like the rest of Westchester County and most of New York state, but until recently it had a Republican lean. In 1992, Yonkers voted for George H. W. Bush over Bill Clinton and Ross Perot for president, but has voted solidly Democratic ever since. That said, recent mayors of Yonkers have included Republicans Phil Amicone and John Spencer, while the Yonkers City Council was also mostly controlled by Republicans until recent years. In the State Assembly, Yonkers is represented by Democrats J. Gary Pretlow and Mike Spano, and in the New York State Senate, by Democrats Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Jeffrey Klein. At the federal level, Democrats hold both congressional districts that include parts of Yonkers, with representatives Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey holding the seats as of 2011.
Yonkers is governed via a mayor council system. The council consists of six members each elected from one of six districts. The mayor and city council president are elected in a citywide vote.
The city of Yonkers is protected 24/7, 365 by the professional firefighters of the city of Yonkers Fire Department (YFD). Founded in 1896, the YFD operates out of 12 Fire Stations, located throughout the city in 2 Battalions. The Yonkers Fire Department also operates a fire apparatus fleet of 11 Engines(including 1 Squad Engine), 6 Ladders, 1 Rescue, 1 Mask Service Unit, 1 Collapse Unit, 1 Foam Unit, 1 Fire Investigation Unit, 1 Urban Search and Rescue Unit, 1 Field Command Unit, 1 Field Communications Unit, 1 Safety Battalion Unit, 1 Water Tender, and numerous other special, support, and reserve/spare units. The YFD responds to over 16,000 emergency calls annually. The current Fire Commissioner is George Kielb.
Engine Company |
Ladder Company |
Special Unit |
Battalion Chief |
Address |
|
Tower Ladder 71 |
Rescue 1, MSU. 1, Safety Battalion |
|
7 New School St. |
Engine 303 |
|
|
Battalion 1 |
96 Vark St. |
Engine 304 |
Ladder 74 |
|
|
36 Radford St. |
Engine 306 |
|
|
|
81 Oak St. |
Engine 307 |
|
Fire Investigation Unit |
|
441 Central Park Ave. |
Engine 308 |
|
Fireboat 1 |
|
571 Warburton Ave. |
Engine 309 |
Ladder 72 |
|
|
53 Shonnard Pl. |
Engine 310 |
|
|
|
573 Saw Mill River Rd. |
Squad 11 |
|
Collapse Unit |
|
433 Bronxville Rd. |
Engine 312 |
Tower Ladder 75 |
|
Battalion 2 |
75 Fortfield Ave. |
Engine 313 |
Ladder 73 |
Foam Unit |
|
340 Kimball Ave. |
Engine 314 |
Ladder 70 |
|
|
2187 Central Park Ave. |
- Note - The Yonkers Fire Department also operates 3 Spare Engines, 3 Reserve Engines, 3 Spare Ladders, 3 Reserve Ladders, 1 Reserve Squad, and 1 Reserve Rescue. Engine 300(Spare) is quartered with Engine 312, Tower Ladder 75, and Battalion 2; Engine 315(Spare) is quartered with Engine 304 and Ladder 74; Engine 318(Spare) is quartered with Engine 314 and Ladder 70; Ladder 76(Spare) is quartered with Engine 307; Tower Ladder 81(Spare) is quartered with Engine 303; Engine's 316, 317, and 319(Reserve) are all located at the Special Operations Division at 460 Nepperhan Ave., as are Ladder 77(Reserve), Ladder 78(Reserve), Ladder 79(Reserve), Tower Ladder 80(Spare), Squad 21(Reserve), Rescue 2(Reserve), and the Special Operations Units. All antique fire apparatus, used for parades, are located at Engine 308's quarters.
Amidst a growing need for increased economic viability in Yonkers, a vast revitalization project proposal, promising to add luxury housing, waterfront development, commercial and retail space, has been designed for the city. With hopes of increasing the city's tourism and economic importance in the state and county, the project is one of the largest revitalization projects ever proposed for any locality within the New York Metropolitan Area, totaling more than $3 billion.[16]
The project is headed by Westchester County's Louis R. Cappelli, Struever Bros. of Baltimore, and New Jersey's Fidelco Realty. The project is expected to include a Minor League Baseball stadium, New Yonkers Fire Department Headquarters Building (Station 1), and an expansive retail and residential project, adding approximately 800 residential units throughout the downtown area and the waterfront.
In the Depression-era film Don't Tell the Wife (1937) Guy Kibbee's character, Malcolm J. Winthrop, lives in Yonkers. One of the characters jokes that going to jail is "better than Yonkers."
Yonkers is the setting of two feature films by local filmmaker Robert Celestino: Mr. Vincent, a 1997 Sundance Film Festival entrant in the non-competition Spectrum section, and Yonkers Joe, a scheduled 2009 release by Magnolia Pictures, starring Chazz Palminteri and Christine Lahti.[17][18] Yonkers' locations also provide the setting for A Tale of Two Pizzas, a "Romeo and Juliet" theme played out among two rival pizza owners.
Yonkers' decades-long struggle with racial discrimination and housing segregation was described in a documentary, "Brick by Brick: A Civil Rights Story," seen on PBS stations in 2007.
The film "Doubt", starring Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier, filmed scenes for this movie at St. Marks Lutheran Church's school. Yonkers is also the location for many major filming projects: Catch Me if You Can, with Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet; Mona Lisa Smile, with Julia Roberts; A Beautiful Mind, with Russell Crowe, Big Daddy, with Adam Sandler, The Preacher's Wife (a remake of "The Bishop's Wife), with Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston; and Kate and Leopold, with Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman. Some episodes of the new TV series Fringe were taped in the downtown. The City Hall Courtroom is also the setting for many film and commercial scenes.
The starting scene from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind where Joel Barish played by Jim Carrey drives his car up Riverdale Ave. and then turns right on Valentine Lane to his apartment.
In Max Brooks's novel, World War Z, the US armed forces are defeated in the Battle of Yonkers by an army of zombies.
Steve Meretzky created several Infocom games, such as Sorcerer. One of the spells in that game, "Yonk", is named after Yonkers.
Dunder Mifflin, the fictional paper supply company from NBC's The Office at one time had a branch in Yonkers, but the branch was closed during the course of the show.
Yonkers is one of the settings in the musical Hello Dolly!
A character in the musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable is named after Yonkers.
Neil Simon wrote a play entitled Lost In Yonkers, set in the city. The story is about two young boys during World War II, whose father leaves them with their grandmother in Yonkers so he can earn money for the family.
In the episode "The One With Ross' Tan" of Friends, Yonkers is mentioned as the town where Monica and Phoebe's old friend, Amanda Bouvamonteezi, is from.
In the episode "The Handcuffs" of I Love Lucy, Mr Walters, the locksmith, has to return to his house in Yonkers.
In the Twilight Zone episode "What's In The Box" a philandering cab driver, played by William Demarest, tells his wife he was late coming home because he had to take a "fare" up to Yonkers.
Yonkers was shown on A Shot at Love 2 with Tila Tequila as it was contestant Kristy's hometown.
Yonkers is mentioned in Bon Jovi's song Raise Your Hands.
Yonkers was mentioned in the Family Guy Episode:"Stew-Roids" in a cutaway about a Charles Paumpert Movie: Distracting Trumpet.
Yonkers is mentioned in an episode of the show Grounded for Life, where character Lily Finnerty is supposedly going for a party.
In the 2010 film "Bounty Hunter," Gerard Butler's character Milo Boyd tells Jennifer Aniston's character Nicole Houston of a "great pizza place on Yonkers."
In the 2011 film "MIB III (Men In Black 3) Will take place in Radio Shack in Cross County.
American Idol Season 10 Contestant Melinda Ademi lives in Yonkers.
In the White Collar episode "Book of Hours" the character "Burrelli" mentions his vet in Yonkers.
In 2011, rapper Tyler, The Creator of Odd Future released his song "Yonkers" as the second single from his sophomore album Goblin.[19] The song's music video has gone viral and currently has 44,312,977 views as of May 30, 2012.[20]
On October 21, 2011, filming was done for the movie Disconnect (2012) at the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers.
Yonkers is twinned with:
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Paul Dickson (Wordsmith.org)
- ^ "American Fact Finder". U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_QTPL&prodType=table. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
- ^ "Yonkers (city), New York". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/3684000.html.
- ^ "New York - Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990". U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html.
- ^ Erik says: (2009-08-19). "Interactive Map: Dutch Place Names in New York | Dutch New York". Thirteen.org. http://www.thirteen.org/dutchny/interactives/dutch-place-names-in-new-york-city/6/. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ Fallon, Bill (March 3, 2008). “Industrial Arts: Carpet Mills Become Studio Central.” Westchester County Business Journal, p. 49.
- ^ No apparent relation to Colt's Patent Firearms. Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.63.
- ^ Riverdale Hatzalah
- ^ "Welcome to the Yonkers Public Library!-Hours and Directions". Ypl.org. 2008-12-07. Archived from the original on July 29, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080729014156/http://www.ypl.org/hoursanddirec.htm#RIV. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
- ^ Johnson, Liz (3 Feb 2010). ‘No Reservations’ Hudson Valley Style: Tony Bourdain and Bill Murray Dine at X20. "Small Bites: Food Finds in the Lower Hudson Valley". Accessed 6 Feb 2011.
- ^ X2O Xaviars On The Hudson. Xaviars Restaurant Group. Accessed 6 Feb 2011.
- ^ New York Water Taxi. "Ferry Between Manhattan and Yonkers Is Set to Stop", New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "本校の歩み." The Japanese School of New York. Retrieved on January 10, 2012. "1980.12.22 Queens Flushing校に移転。" and "1991.8.18. Westchester Yonkers校へ移転。" and "1992.9.1 Connecticut Greenwich校へ移転。 授業開始。"
- ^ "yonkersecondev.com". yonkersecondev.com. http://www.yonkersecondev.com/home.php. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
- ^ Filmmaker: "Tribeca Director Interview: Robert Celestino, Yonkers Joe", April 23, 2008
- ^ Magnolia Pictures: Yonkers Joe press notes
- ^ http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/02/11/tyler-the-creator-gets-odd-in-yonkers/
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSbZidsgMfw
- ^ Kamza binjakëzim me Yonkers, INA, 2011-10-28 (in Albanian)
- ^ Hodara, Susan (Sunday, October 26, 2008). "Communities; Cities Find Sisters Abroad". © The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE2DD143FF932A3575AC0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
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Counties |
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Major city |
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Cities and towns
100k–999k |
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Cities and towns
25k–99k |
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Cities and towns
10k–25k |
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Sub-regions |
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(2010 U.S. Census Bureau)
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