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Croton-on-Hudson, New York

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Croton-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 7,606 at the 2000 census. As a village, it is located in the Town of Cortlandt. It should not confused with nearby Crotonville, which is actually part of Ossining, NY. The village was incorporated in 1898. There are several theories about the origin of the town's name. Some say it is named after Croton (modern Crotone), Italy and others point to the name of a prominent Native American chief know to have lived in the area - Knoten.

Contents

Local Parks

It is the original home of the Hudson Institute. Near by is the Thomas J. Watson Research Center and the GE John F. Welch executive training center. The village's railroad station, Croton-Harmon, is served by Metro North and Amtrak. Metro North's main shops and yards are located here.

Culture

Croton has an annual event called the Summerfest. Every year the central business district (with corners at the Municipal Building, Grand Street Fire House and Croton Harmon High School) is closed to automobile traffic for music, American food, local fundraisers, traveling and local artists.

Holy Name of Mary is the local Catholic church.

Our Savior Lutheran is the local Lutheran church.

St. Augustine's is the local Episcopal church.

Croton is the North East American base of the Emin Society.

Croton's first Nursery School (started in 1945 and still running) is [Croton Community Nursery School].

Economy

Croton's economy has historically thrived on the Metro North train station that up until 1968 served as the point at which northbound trains would exchange their electric engines for other modes of conveyance. During those days, the train station and its superadjacent area, which currently houses businesses such as Exxon and Jean-Jacques bakery, was known as Harmon. At that time, because the maintenance of diesel and steam engines was very labor-intensive, there were many workers whose needs were served by abundant service businesses, such as restaurants and bars. Because of the separate development of both the Harmon and the Mt. Airy communities, there are two commercial districts, one based around Grand Street, and one based around Harmon that in recent years have connected into one sprawling commercial district. There is also the North Riverside commercial district that serves the communities based around Riverside Drive, Brook Street, Grand Street, and Bank Street.

After the New York Central Railroad folded, Croton's economy slowly stagnated. Although Croton-Harmon station still served as the main transfer point northbound between local and express trains, the laborers who had earlier fueled a bustling service economy were no longer present in Harmon. The exodus of labor during the early 1970s was compounded by the stagflation that was a result of higher oil prices and sky-rocketing interest rates.

Today, Croton's economy is still dependent on the services industry, as evidenced by a town of little over 7000 having no fewer than six pizza places, one pizzeria per 1200 or so people. There are also four gas stations, including Exxon, which many people in the area refer to as "Club Exxon" because of the tendency of high-school kids to mill about there as a sort of intermediary point for wherever their travails take them next. Recently, some high-end services business have opened up in town, including a French bakery, a Turkish grocer and several new and interesting restaurants.

There has been an ongoing effort since the early 1990s to develop the riverfront for recreational use. Among the accomplishments are: a pedestrian bridge spanning Route 9/9A between the lower village and Senasqua Park, the Crossining pedestrian footbridge across the Croton River, the bicycle trail extensions around Half Moon Bay Condominiums, rehabilitation of the 'Picture Tunnel' (repaving and closing it to cars) and acquisition and clearing of the Croton Landing property. According to the [Croton Comprehensive Plan], future development will center on "Passive Recreation" to include facilitating the use of Senasqua Park as a recreational facility, expanding the underutilized boat launch and building a band shell for 3,000 people.

Recently, the town has fought an initiative to open a McDonalds, and in the late 1990s, Croton resident Harvey Brill led a succssful fight against the contruction of a cell-phone tower on top of Hessian Hills Road, the highest point of elevation in Croton. In 1996, the Hudson National Golf club was opened.

Government/ Politics

The Village Mayor, Dr. Gregory J. Schmidt, elected in March 2005, has set forth an agenda to promote recreation in the village. Furthermore, the village has recognized the need for a community center, a gathering place for all residents of Croton.

The Democratic Party currently holds a 3-2 majority on the Village Board of Trustees.

External Political Links

Geography

Croton-on-Hudson is located at [41°12′15″N, 73°53′10″W] (41.204228, -73.886177)[Geographic references#1GR1] on the shores of the Hudson River. The zip code is 10520.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 28.0 km² (10.8 mi²). 12.3 km² (4.8 mi²) of it is land and 15.7 km² (6.1 mi²) of it (56.06%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 7,606 people, 2,798 households, and 2,050 families residing in the village. The population density was 618.3/km² (1,601.7/mi²). There were 2,859 housing units at an average density of 232.4/km² (602.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.52% White, 1.87% African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.06% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.58% from other races, and 1.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.93% of the population.

There were 2,798 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the village the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $84,744, and the median income for a family was $100,182. Males had a median income of $65,938 versus $46,029 for females. The per capita income for the village was $39,441. About 1.8% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.

Trivia

Films shot in Croton-on-Hudson

External links

 

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