Mount Vernon, New York

Not to be confused with Mount Vernon, Erie County, New York.

Mount Vernon, New York
City
northeast at statue and Community Church of the Circle in Mount Vernon on a cloudy afternoon
Flag Seal
Location within Westchester County and the state of New York
Interactive map of Mount Vernon
Coordinates: 40°54′51″N73°49′50″W / 40.91417°N 73.83056°W / 40.91417; -73.83056
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Westchester
Incorporated (as a village)	1853 [1]
Reincorporated (as a city)	1892 [1]
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
•  Mayor	Shawyn Patterson-Howard (D)
• City Council	Members' List Derrick Thompson (D) President Danielle Browne (D) President Pro Tempore Cathlin Gleason (D) Acting President Pro Tempore Lisa Copeland (D) Edward Poteat (D)
Area [2]
• Total	4.41 sq mi (11.42 km2)
• Land	4.39 sq mi (11.38 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation	108 ft (33 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	73,893
• Density	16,824.45/sq mi (6,495.76/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
Area code	914
FIPS code	36-49121
GNIS feature ID	0957917
Website	cmvny.com

Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, ^[3] making it the 24th-largest municipality in the state and largest African-American majority city in the state. Mount Vernon has 12,898 Jamaicans with African and Indian descent that had immigrated from their homeland of Jamaica after the country gained its independence from Britain on August 6, 1962.

Mount Vernon has two major sections. South-side Mount Vernon is more urban, while north-side Mount Vernon is more residential. Mount Vernon's downtown business district is on the city's south side, which includes City Hall, Mount Vernon's main post office, Mount Vernon Public Library, office buildings, and other municipal establishments. ^[4]

History

South Fourth Avenue in the 1890s

Former trolley company building, Southside

The Mount Vernon area was first settled in 1664 by families from Connecticut as part of the Town of Eastchester. ^[1] Mount Vernon became a village in 1853, and a city in 1892. ^[1] Early development was driven by the New York Industrial Home Association No. 1, a home building cooperative organized to build homes for "tradesmen, employees, and other persons of small means". ^[5]

Mount Vernon takes its name from George Washington's Mount Vernon plantation in Virginia, much as neighboring Wakefield (in the Bronx) was named for the Virginia plantation where Washington was born. ^[4]

In 1894, the voters of Mount Vernon participated in a referendum on whether to consolidate into a new "City of Greater New York". The cities of Brooklyn (coterminous with Kings County) and Long Island City, the western towns and villages of Queens County, and all of Richmond County (present day Staten Island) all voted to join with the existing city (present day Manhattan and The Bronx). However, the returns were so negative in Mount Vernon and the adjacent city of Yonkers that those two areas were not included in the consolidated city and remain independent to this day. ^[6]

The Mount Vernon Public Library, a gift to the city from Andrew Carnegie, opened in 1904 and is now part of the Westchester Library System, providing educational, cultural and computer services to county residents of all ages. The Mount Vernon Trust Company, opened in 1903. It was the largest bank in Westchester County, with branches in the east and west sections of the city. ^{[7] [8]}

During the 1960s, Mount Vernon was a divided city on the brink of a "northern style" segregation. Many African Americans from the southern United States migrated north and settled in the city of Mount Vernon for better job opportunities and educational advancements. At the same time, many white Americans from the Bronx and Manhattan looked to Mount Vernon as a new "bedroom community" because of rising crime in New York City (a "white flight" factor contributed as well). As a result, Mount Vernon became divided in two by the New Haven Line railroad tracks of the Metro-North Railroad: North Side and South Side. The population south of the tracks became predominantly African-American, while that north of the tracks was largely white.

At the height of this segregation in the 1970s, August Petrillo was mayor. When he died, Thomas E. Sharpe was elected mayor. Upon Sharpe's death in 1984, Carmella Iaboni took office as acting mayor until Ronald Blackwood was elected; Blackwood was the first Afro-Caribbean mayor of the city (as well as of any city in New York State). In 1996, Ernest D. Davis was elected the mayor of Mount Vernon; he served until 2007. Clinton I. Young, Jr. became the city's mayor on January 1, 2008. Four years later, on January 1, 2012, Ernest D. Davis became the 21st mayor of Mount Vernon. In 2013, Davis was investigated for failure to report rental income. ^[9] In 2015, Richard Thomas defeated Davis in an upset victory in the September primary. in the November general election, Thomas received 71% of the votes to become the mayor of Mount Vernon. ^{[10] [11]}

In the subsequent 2019 election, Shawyn Patterson-Howard unseated the incumbent Mayor Thomas in a hotly contested June primary to become the new Democratic nominee and went on to capture 81% of the vote to defeat André Wallace (who had since been named Acting Mayor and ran as a Republican) in the general election in November to become the first black woman mayor of Mount Vernon (and of any city in Westchester County). ^{[12] [13]}

Mount Vernon has in recent years undergone a transition from a city of homes and small businesses to a city of regional commerce. Between 2000 and 2006, Mount Vernon's economy grew 20.5%, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the New York metropolitan area. ^[14]

In January 2019, Moody withdrew its credit rating for Mount Vernon because of the city's failure to provide audited financial statements. ^[15] The failure to prepare and deliver audited financial statements stemmed from a disagreement as to which entity would pay for the audit of the Urban Renewal Agency (URA), one of the city's agencies, and which auditing firm would perform the audit. ^{[16] [17] [18]} Further clouding the city's financial condition is the prospect that it might have a repayment obligation to HUD in connection with grants previously awarded to the city ^[19]

2019 Mayoral dispute

On July 9, 2019, mayor Richard Thomas pleaded guilty to stealing campaign funds and lying to the State Board of Elections. ^[20] Thomas was ordered to resign from office by September 30, 2019. The city council then appointed council president Andre Wallace as acting mayor. ^[21] Thomas refused to resign from his post. Wallace then appointed Shawn Harris as new police commissioner. After arriving for work, Thomas ordered the Mount Vernon Police to arrest Harris for trespassing. ^[22] Harris was released after an order from the Westchester County District Attorney. Both Thomas and Wallace occupied offices in the city hall, with Thomas in the mayor's office, under the guard of the Mount Vernon Police. ^[21] Finally, before a packed courtroom in White Plains, Judge Ecker made a decisive ruling that Thomas had actually vacated the office of mayor on July 8, that Wallace had automatically assumed the office at that time, and that Wallace would be the acting mayor of Mount Vernon until January 1, 2020.

Mount Vernon Charter Revision Commission

In March 2019, Mayor Richard Thomas called for the formation of the Mount Vernon Charter Revision Commission, suggesting the charter was antiquated, dating to the late 19th century. ^[23] In August 2019, the Commission presented its final report ^[24] which included four key proposed changes to the City's Charter:

1. A new requirement for annual financial audits.
2. Quarterly financial reports showing the city's fiscal condition.
3. An updated comprehensive plan for economic growth.
4. A periodic review of the city charter. ^[25]

Notable sites

St. Paul's Church is a Mount Vernon attraction designated as a National Historic Site. ^[26]

Mount Vernon sites included on the National Register of Historic Places include:

• First United Methodist Church
• John Stevens House
• Trinity Episcopal Church Complex
• United States Post Office on First Street
• Former Con Edison Westchester County HQ, which is now Westchester County Social Services (Mount Vernon)

Geography

The corner of Gramatan Avenue and Grand Street in Fleetwood

Location

Mount Vernon is at 40°54′51″N73°49′50″W / 40.914060°N 73.830507°W / 40.914060; -73.830507 (40.914060, −73.830507). ^[27] It is the third-largest and the most densely populated city in Westchester County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²), of which 0.015 square miles (0.04 km²), or 0.39%, is water. ^[28]

Mount Vernon is bordered by the village of Bronxville and city of New Rochelle to the north, by the town of Pelham and village of Pelham Manor to the east, by the Hutchinson River and the Eastchester and Wakefield sections of the Bronx to the south, and by the city of Yonkers and the Bronx River to the west. ^[29]

Elevation

Mount Vernon's elevation at City Hall is about 235 feet (72 m)^{[ citation needed ]}, reflecting its location between the Bronx River to the west and the Hutchinson River to the east. On a clear day, the Throgs Neck Bridge can be seen from 10 miles (20 km) away from many parts of the city, while at night, the bridge's lights can also be seen. The city's seal, created in 1892, depicts what were then considered the highest points in Mount Vernon: Trinity Place near Fourth Street, Vista Place at Barnes Avenue, and North 10th Avenue between Washington and Jefferson places. Since then, it was discovered that the city's highest elevation is on New York Route 22, North Columbus Avenue, at the Bronxville line.^{[ citation needed ]}

Neighborhoods

Map of Mount Vernon's neighborhoods

The Circle at Lincoln and Gramatan Avenues

Mount Vernon is typically divided into four major sections in four square miles: Downtown, Mount Vernon Heights, North Side, and South Side.

Downtown

Downtown Mount Vernon features the Gramatan Avenue and Fourth Avenue shopping district (known as "The Avenue" by locals ^[30] ) and the Petrillo Plaza transit hub, and houses the city's central government.

Downtown is in the same condition it was 40 years ago. It features the same mid-century architecture and format. Former mayor Clinton Young vowed to make Mount Vernon a new epicenter with a new central business district. His failed plans included establishing commercial office space and rezoning to allow high density development in the downtown, as well as affordable and market rate housing. ^[31]

Mount Vernon Heights

Mount Vernon Heights' highly elevated terrain has earned the moniker "the rolling hills of homes".^{[ citation needed ]} It is home to the city's commercial corridor, along Sandford Boulevard (6th Street). Vernon Hills has been reclaimed from the Village of Easchester that used it as the name the name as open mall shopping center.

Sandford Blvd (6th Street)—also known as "Sandford Square"—is a commercial corridor which attracts residents from Mount Vernon, nearby communities in Westchester County and the Bronx a well as other locales.

Most of the commercial development in this corridor has occurred since the 1980s. The area is still undergoing revitalization to encourage economic development within this 400-acre (1.6 km²) of land along and around the boulevard. ^[14]

North Side

Fleetwood Welcome Sign

Mount Vernon's North Side is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Westchester County. The northern part of the city consists of five neighborhoods: Chester Heights, Estate Manor/Aubyn Estates, Fleetwood, Huntswood, and Oakwood Heights. In Fleetwood, many large co-op buildings line the center of town, which is bisected by Gramatan Avenue.

South Side

Church housed in a former synagogue on the South Side

Mount Vernon's South Side, which abuts The Bronx, resembles New York City and includes the neighborhoods Parkside, South Side and Vernon Park. Numerous industrial businesses are in Parkside, while the rest of South Side Mount Vernon features multi-family homes, apartment buildings, and commercial businesses.^{[ citation needed ]}

South Side Mount Vernon features notable city landmarks such as Brush Park, Hutchinson Field, the Boys and Girls Club, and St. Paul's Church National Historic Site.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	2,700		—
1880	4,586		69.9%
1890	10,830		136.2%
1900	21,228		96.0%
1910	30,919		45.7%
1920	42,726		38.2%
1930	61,499		43.9%
1940	67,362		9.5%
1950	71,899		6.7%
1960	76,010		5.7%
1970	72,778		−4.3%
1980	66,713		−8.3%
1990	67,153		0.7%
2000	68,381		1.8%
2010	67,292		−1.6%
2020	73,893		9.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [32] 2010 [33] 2020 [34]

Mount Vernon city, New York – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the U.S. Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000 [35]	Pop 2010 [33]	Pop 2020 [34]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	16,677	12,449	9,077	24.39%	18.50%	12.28%
Black or African American alone (NH)	39,889	44,655	41,226	58.33%	61.26%	60.43%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	160	200	140	0.23%	0.30%	0.19%
Asian alone (NH)	1,433	1,206	1,398	2.10%	1.79%	1.89%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	36	27	21	0.05%	0.04%	0.03%
Other race alone (NH)	663	922	1,459	0.97%	1.37%	1.97%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	2,440	1,670	3,140	3.57%	2.48%	4.25%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	7,083	9,592	14,003	10.36%	14.25%	18.95%
Total	68,381	67,292	73,893	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census data

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 67,292 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 61.3% Black, 18.5% White, 0.3% Native American, 1.8% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race and 2.5% from two or more races. 14.3% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census data

As of the 2000 census, ^[36] 68,381 people, 27,048 households, and 18,432 families resided in the city. The population density was 14,290.3 inhabitants per square mile (5,517.5/km²), with 28,558 housing units at an average density of 7,205.9 per square mile (2,782.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.58% African American, 28.63% White, 10.48% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 4.85% from other races, 4.44% from two or more races, 2.12% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 0.32% Native American. A significant proportion of the population is of Brazilian descent; Brazilians can be included in the African American, White, Multiracial and/or Latino categories. Similarly, a significant part of the Black and/or Latino population is of Caribbean origin.

There were 27,048 households, of which 40.9% were married couples living together, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were non-families, and 28.0% had a female householder with no husband present. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years.

For every 100 females, there were 82.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,128, and the median income for a family was $55,573. Males had a median income of $41,493 versus $37,871 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,827. 13.9% of the population and 11.8% of families were below the poverty line. 12.7% of the population was 65 or older.

Economy

Mount Vernon's three major employers are the Mount Vernon city school district with (1,021 employees), Michael Anthony Jewelers (712 employees), and Mount Vernon Hospital (700 employees).^{[ citation needed ]}

Mount Vernon has a large commercial sector, with industries such as electronics, engineering, high tech, historical metal restoration, and manufacturing mainly in the Southside section of the city.

Mount Vernon also has an established Empire Zone for commercial and industrial use, in the southern portion of the city.

Parks and recreation

The grandstand at Memorial Field. The aging structure was finally demolished in May 2018.

The city limits contain a number of city parks large and small ^{[ citation needed ]}, and Willson's Woods Park, a 23-acre (93,000 m²) county-owned park. One of the oldest parks in the county system, Willson's Woods offers a wave pool, water slides, and a spray deck and water playground, against the backdrop of an English Tudor style bathhouse. The park also has areas for picnicking and fishing. ^[37]

• Dead Presidents (1995) ^[38]
• Empty Places (1999) ^[39]
• The Thomas Crown Affair (1999): shot a scene in Willson's Woods Park, which was transformed to look like Central Park; the Vernon Woods co-op complex was used to stage and store equipment during the scene. ^[40]
• Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) ^[40]
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) ^[41]
• The Book of Henry (2017): the ending scene with the main characters walking out of the courthouse.^{[ citation needed ]} It is unclear if the entire story took place in Mount Vernon or not.

Television

Scenes from multiple TV shows have been shot in Mount Vernon, such as:

• Sneaky Pete (Amazon series)^{[ citation needed ]}
• The Leftovers ^[42]
• The Suburbs (web series) (2008–present) ^[43]

See also

• New York (state)portal
• Tree Cities USA

References

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37. "Parks". parks.westchestergov.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
38. "City of Mount Vernon General Page". Mount Vernon Public Library.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
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41. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: About the film". gradesaver.com. March 9, 2012. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
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43. Vermeulen, Timotheus (2014). "Introduction". Scenes from the Suburbs: The Suburb in Contemporary US Film and Television. Edinburgh University Press. p. 13. ISBN   9780748691661. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2020.

External links

• City of Mount Vernon official website at cmvny.com