Irvington, New York
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Irvington is a village located in Westchester County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 6,631.
The Village of Irvington is located on the western side of the Town of Greenburgh.
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History
Irvington was named after the American author Washington Irving, who had a residence there that still exists today, preserved as a museum. Sleepy Hollow (formerly North Tarrytown) is the neighboring town after which Irving wrote his most famous work, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Among Irvington's other famous residents was Madame C.J. Walker, America's first black female millionaire. She made her fortune in creating the first ever hair-straightening method, which including a shampooing technique along with a chemical product that helped the process. In 1917, Madame Walker had a $250,000 country home built on Broadway in Irvington. The neo-Palladian-style mansion still stands today; recently, however, several plots of the land have been sold to make room for newer homes.
Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz also built a residence in Irvington. "Shadowbrook", as it is called, is less than a mile from both Washington Irving's home and the Walker mansion.
Irvington is also home to one of the few surviving octagon houses. As with all river towns in Westchester County, Irvington is traversed by a stretch of the Croton Aqueduct (about 3-miles of aqueduct run through village).
Today, Irvington is home to several important businesses and companies, including Eileen Fisher, the designer, the Internet portals iWon, Excite and MyWay, and the Nevis Laboratories of Columbia University. Irvington has a policy to not allow any franchises to open businesses in the village. Most businesses are located on or adjacent to Main Street, the heart of the village.
For some history, written as well as photographic, of Irvington, NY, check out Wolfert's Roost (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0404094376/qid=1117160206/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/104-5590452-7001508?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) from the Irvington Public Library (http://www.westchesterlibraries.org/libs/irvington/).
Geography
Irvington is adjacent to the Hudson River.
Irvington is located at 41°2'4" North, 73°51'56" West (41.034371, -73.865471)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 10.5 km² (4.0 mi²). 7.2 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is land and 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 30.94% water.
Commuter service to New York City is available via the Irvington and Ardsley-on-Hudson train stations, served by Metro-North Railroad.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 6,631 people, 2,518 households, and 1,812 families residing in the village. The population density is 917.7/km² (2,377.4/mi²). There are 2,601 housing units at an average density of 359.9/km² (932.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 88.66% White, 1.45% African American, 0.11% Native American, 6.95% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.16% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 3.79% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
For population by religious background, Irvington has a strong Jewish population totaling over 25% of the total 6,631 residents--- current local estimates rate the Jewish population at around or above 30%. (See note---) The rest of the population is made up of a variety of Christian faiths as well as a myriad of other faiths which have not progressed as fast as the Jewish population, or the Christian majority. NOTE: In the last decade, the Jewish population of Westchester experienced a boom of Jewish residents, with the total population growing by over 40%. In Irvington, this change has reflected the society there. Current estimates show that on average, over a quarter of new sold houses are sold to Jewish families. The Jewish population is now the largest non-majority ethnic group in Irvington.)
There are 2,518 households out of which 37.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% are married couples living together, 7.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% are non-families. 24.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.60 and the average family size is 3.13.
In the village the population is spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $96,467, and the median income for a family is $120,895. Males have a median income of $85,708 versus $50,714 for females. The per capita income for the village is $59,116. 3.1% of the population and 1.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 0.0% of those under the age of 18 and 0.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Irvington official website (http://www.ci.irvington.ny.us/)