Everything about Peekskill totally explained
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.
Geography
Peekskill is located at (41.288903, -73.919987) 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's land and 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²) of it (20.99%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
census 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.
Transportation
Peekskill train station provides
commuter service to
New York City, 41 miles (66 km) away via
Metro-North Railroad. 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.
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 isn't 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.
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.
(External Link
) 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.
(External Link)
The current mayor of Peekskill is Mary Foster.
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.
Elementary Schools
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.
Secondary Schools
Peekskill Middle School educates the district's seventh and eighth graders. It is located at 212 Ringgold Street. Peekskill Middle School currently doesn't have a principal. Under construction right now is the new Peekskill Middle school. After many delays it's 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. 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.
Prominent Peekskill Residents
New York Governor George Pataki (served 1995–2006) was born in Peekskill. He also served as mayor from 1981-1984.
Andrew Berger is a rising young star from Peekskill
Richard Jackson, a former Peekskill mayor, was the first African-American mayor in New York State.
Chauncey M. Depew was chairman of the board of the New York Central Railroad and then served as a United States senator for New York.
Cornelius A. Pugsley was a congressman and preservationist whose name is still attached to a national preservation award for public parks.
William Nelson was a colleague to Abraham Lincoln, leading to President-elect Lincoln's brief 1861 stop at the Peekskill village on his way to the Washington D.C. inauguration.
Henry Ward Beecher was an influential Civil War-era minister who built his impressive family mansion on East Main Street in 1878.
Moses S. Beach was responsible for initiating the Associated Press (AP) while publisher of the New York Sun newspaper.
T. C. Boyle (b. 1948), a novelist, is a former Peekskill resident.
Actors Mel Gibson, Paul Reubens and Stanley Tucci were born in Peekskill.
Former NFL lineman Tre Johnson graduated from Peekskill High School, and had a stellar nine-year NFL career highlighted by his selection to the 2000 Pro Bowl with the Redskins.
Basketball stars Elton Brand and Hilton Armstrong are Peekskill High School graduates.
Hayward Burns graduated from Peekskill High School before going on to be editor of the Harvard Law Review and to help draft the constitution of South Africa.
John Leslie, a Peekskill native, was working for IBM in 1957 when he conceived of the idea that a computer could prepare a tax return.
Longtime Marvel Comics artist Herb Trimpe (The Incredible Hulk) was raised in Peekskill.
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.
Sister City
Peekskill's sister city is Castlebar, Ireland.
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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Peekskill'.
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