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New York Counties

There are 62 counties in the State of New York. The first twelve counties in New York were created immediately after the British annexation of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, although two of these counties have since been abolished. The most recent county formation in New York was in 1912, when Bronx County was created from the portions of New York City that had been annexed from Westchester County. New York's counties are named for a variety of Native American words, British provinces, cities, and royalty, early American statesmen and generals, and state politicians.

Westchester County, New York

Westchester County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: White Plains
Year Organized: 1683
Square Miles: 433

Court House:

148 Martine Avenue
Michaelian Office Building
White Plains, NY 10601-3311

Etymology - Origin of County Name

for Chester, England

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

The first European settlement in Westchester dates from 1639 when Jonas Bronck, a Dane, established a farm between the Bronx and Harlem Rivers. The Bronx, which was named in his memory, was part of Westchester County until it was annexed to New York City, part in 1874, and the rest in 19\895 (my guess is it should be 1895 and someone typed in 1995 and missed the backspace key!). Adriaen Van der Donck, the county’s first lawyer and only patroon, established Colen (Colony) Donck in 1646 north of Spuyten Duyvil. His settlement was known as “Der Jonkheer’s Land” (the young gentleman’s land), from which the name of Yonkers derived. Full History at NYSAC

Learn about our past, our heritage and our roots. This account of the first 300 years of recorded history of Westchester County was prepared by Susan Cochran Swanson and Elizabeth Green Fuller in 1982.

To 1783: Colonial Period to the Revolution

The Elijah Miller house on Virginia Road, North White Plains, was One of Washington's headquarters during the Revolution. Mrs. Miller nursed sick and wounded solders in her home during the war. The Miller house has been restored and is now a museum.
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1783-1865: The Pastoral Life

Smith's Tavern, on Bedford Road in Armonk, is believed to have been built in the late 1700's. John Smith, a former captain in the Continental Army, operated the house as a tavern, post office, and stopping place for the Danbury stage as early as 1797.
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1865-1920: A Period of Change

Muscoot Park, on Route 100 in Katonah, is a beautiful Georgian Colonial house purchased by Ferdinand Hopkins in 1880 and operated as a gentleman's farm. Today, it is a county park with farm animals on display as well as herb and vegetable gardens.
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1920-1983: Westchester Comes of Age

The Medieval Revival style of architecture, also known as Tudor, reached a peak of popularity in Westchester following World War I. Shops, apartment houses, and even gas stations took on the look that during the 20's became synonymous with with stylish living.
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Geography

Westchester County is located in the southeastern end of New York State. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 500 square miles (1,295 km²), of which, 433 square miles (1,121 km²) of it is land and 67 square miles (174 km²) of it (13.45%) is water.

The highest elevation in the county is a U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey benchmark known as "Bailey" at 300 m (985 ft) above sea level in Mountain Lakes Park near the Connecticut state line. The lowest elevation is sea level, along both the Hudson and Long Island Sound.

Officially, the Westchester County Department of Planning divides the county into North, Central and South sub regions.

The closest point on the southern border of Westchester is a little under 11 miles from Columbus Circle in Manhattan (which is a customary point at which distances from New York City are measured), where Pelham Manor meets Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. At over 2,700 acres (11 km2), Pelham Bay Park is the largest of New York City's Parks and forms a substantial 'buffer' between suburban Westchester and urban Bronx County. The closest point on the northern border is a little over 38 miles by air (51 miles by road).

Neighboring Counties:

Putnam County, New York - north
Fairfield County, Connecticut - northeast
Bergen County, New Jersey - southwest
Rockland County, New York - west
Nassau County, New York - southeast, water boundary only, across Long Island Sound
Bronx County, New York - south

Cities and Towns:

- Ardsley	village	Incorporated Area
- Bedford	town
- Briarcliff Manor	village	Incorporated Area
- Bronxville	village	Incorporated Area
- Buchanan	village	Incorporated Area
- Cortlandt	town
- Croton-on-Hudson	village	Incorporated Area
- Dobbs Ferry	village	Incorporated Area
- Eastchester	town
- Elmsford	village	Incorporated Area
- Greenburgh	town
- Harrison	village	Incorporated Area
- Hastings-on-Hudson	village	Incorporated Area
- Irvington	village	Incorporated Area
- Larchmont	village	Incorporated Area
- Lewisboro	town
- Mamaroneck	village	Incorporated Area
- Mount Kisco	village	Incorporated Area
- Mount Pleasant	town
- Mount Vernon	city	Incorporated Area
- New Castle	town
- New Rochelle	city	Incorporated Area
- North Castle	town
- North Salem	town
- Ossining	village	Incorporated Area
- Peekskill	city	Incorporated Area
- Pelham	village	Incorporated Area
- Pelham Manor	village	Incorporated Area
- Pleasantville	village	Incorporated Area
- Port Chester	village	Incorporated Area
- Pound Ridge	town
- Rye	city	Incorporated Area
- Rye Brook	village	Incorporated Area
- Scarsdale	village	Incorporated Area
- Sleepy Hollow	village	Incorporated Area
- Somers	town
- Tarrytown	village	Incorporated Area
- Tuckahoe	village	Incorporated Area
- White Plains (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Yonkers	city	Incorporated Area
- Yorktown	town

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

Online High Schools

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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