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Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point. 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 of 1949, involving the Civil Rights Congress benefit concert of Paul Robeson, specifically occurred in the neighboring suburb Van Cortlandtville.[1]
[edit] GeographyPeekskill is located at 41°17′20″N 73°55′12″W / 41.28889°N 73.92°W (41.288903, -73.919987)[2] 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 is land and 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²) of it (20.99%) is water. [edit] DemographicsAs of the census[3] 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. [edit] TransportationPeekskill train station provides commuter service to New York City, 41 miles (66 km) away via Metro-North Railroad. The Bee-Line Bus System provides bus service to Peekskill on routes 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 31. The Bear Mountain Bridge, five miles (8 km) 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. [edit] HistoryNew Amsterdam resident Jan Peeck made the first recorded contact with the native tribal people of this area, then identified as "Sachoes". The date is not 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.[citation needed] 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. [1] 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. The Centennial Firehouse, built in 1890, was located under a U.S. Route 9 bridge. During the original construction of the bridge in 1932 part of the roof of the firehouse was removed. As part of a highway reconstruction project it was to be relocated to a new historic district[4]. The city spent $150,000 in grant money in preparing the building. Unfortunately a mechanical failure during a turn caused the building to collapse[5] The current mayor of Peekskill is Mary Foster. [edit] Education[edit] School DistrictThe 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 1999. Until the 1998-1999 school year, each student attended the school closest to his or her home, beginning in kindergarten and ending with graduation from sixth grade. In 1999 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. [edit] Elementary Schools
[edit] Secondary Schools
[edit] Governor George E. Pataki Leadership and Learning CenterThe Governor George E. Pataki Leadership and Learning Center, located in Peekskill, is designed to educate schoolchildren on government using Governor Pataki’s public service as an example.[7] Charles Gargano, Pataki's former economic development chief, led the effort to create the center.[8] On August 14, 2008 the New York Times announced that the center’s sponsors had “filed paperwork with the State Department of Education and are trying to raise $500,000 for a start-up fund so they can open the center in the fall.”[7] The center currently holds Governor Pataki’s official portrait, which will be moved to Albany at the end of 2009.[9] The center has three directors: David Catalfamo, the governor’s former communications chief; Kimberly Cappelleri, Libby Pataki’s former chief of staff; and, Amy Holden, former executive assistant to the governor.[10] [edit] Prominent Peekskill residents
[edit] CulturePeekskill is about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. In the early 90s, the population was dwindling and the downtown area was becoming more vacant. The Common Council decided to make artist studios and galleries an important part of the City’s revitalization strategy. The city wanted to turn its unused downtown spaces into something useful. Similar to Lowell, MA’s strategy, in order to have a vibrant downtown area one must have a population living there, so that the activity does not only happen from nine to five. In creating spaces where artists both live and work, the city created a situation in which there would always be people downtown, 24 hours a day. At the same time the Common Council wanted to get people into downtown Peekskill, rising real estate prices in New York City were driving artists to move further away from even the outer boroughs. Peekskill took an active role in pursuing displaced artists by taking out advertisements in So Ho art magazines and offering them low interest rates. This helped artists buy buildings and convert them into useful spaces. Once a few artists had moved to Peekskill, a buzz was created and more artists made the move north. As an economic development incentive, landlords can be offered tax incentives, grants, facade improvements, and loans to renovate buildings that can be used as live-work spaces by artists. Since 1991, property owners have 58 artist live/work lofts and in 2002, the City of Peekskill and the County of Westchester joined with a private real estate company to development The Peekskill Art Lofts. This 28 unit coop offered artist an opportunity for affordable home ownership. 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. [edit] Sister CityPeekskill's sister city is Castlebar, Ireland. [edit] Popular CultureOn the popular 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life, Peekskill was the location of two fictional educational institutions: Eastland School for Girls and Langley College. Also located in the fictional version of Peekskill were the shops Edna's Edibles and Over Our Heads, therefore making the town the setting for most of the action on the series. [edit] See also[edit] References
[edit] External links
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