Rye Brook, New York

Geography

Rye Brook is located at 41°1′11″N 73°41′0″W (41.019767, -73.683419).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), all of which is land.

History

Rye Brook is located in southeastern Westchester County and shares its eastern border with Greenwich, Connecticut. The village was an unincorporated section of the town of Rye until its incorporation as a village on July 7, 1982.

In 1982, 150 residents of the unincorporated area proposed to establish the village of Rye Brook and organized a petition containing 1,536 signatures. The petition drive, which contained the signatures of approximately 36% of the registered voters in the unincorporated area, was organized by the Independent Civic Association. It was reported by The New York Times that one resident commented, "There is a time for a community to redefine itself," further stating that residents of the unincorporated area "should be able to elect their own officers" and "protect their tax base."

The residents of the unincorporated area voted on June 23, 1982 to create the Village of Rye Brook. It was the first village created in New York State in 54 years. The referendum to create the new political identity passed with 58% of the voters in favor (1,991 to 1,434). The first election in the Village's history was held to elect a mayor and four trustees. The first village official was Lee Russillo, who was sworn in as Rye Brook's first Village Clerk, and was responsible for the first election day.

The village is home to the William E. Ward House, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Also known as Ward's Castle, it was the home of the National Cartoon Museum, established by Mort Walker, the creator of Beetle Bailey, from 1976 to 1992.

In 1983, 800 Westchester Avenue, described as the "Taj Mahal of Rye Brook" and the "contemporary equivalent to the classical villa," was constructed as the General Foods Corporate Headquarters.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,602 people, 3,122 households, and 2,435 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,479.0 people per square mile (957.1/km²). There were 3,224 housing units at an average density of 929.1 per square mile (358.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.96% White, 1.03% African American, 0.21% Native American, 4.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.36% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.44% of the population.

There were 3,122 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the village, the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

Government

The village of Rye Brook is made up of a five-member Board of Trustees, all volunteers. The mayor is Paul S. Rosenberg. All boards of the village are made up of volunteers.

Trustees:

Rye Brook has its own police and fire departments. The fire department is made up of one firehouse, and the Port Chester Fire Department has a contract with the village to respond to calls.

Village of Rye Brook Administrator: Christopher Bradbury

Village of Rye Brook Police Department Chief: Chief Gregory J. Austin

Parks and recreation

Rye Brook has six main parks totaling nearly 100 acres (0.40 km²):

The village has two alternative passive parks:

Education

Within the village lie two school districts, the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District and the Blind Brook School District. Blind Brook makes up approximately 70% of the village and Port Chester covers the remaining 30%.

Blind Brook High School is the only high school in the Blind Brook School District.

Media

Personal income

The median income for a household in the village was $98,864, and the median income for a family was $111,287. Males had a median income of $75,712 versus $45,698 for females. The per capita income for the village was $48,617. About 1.8% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

Industry

Universal American is headquartered in Rye Brook. Formerly, Snapple, Kraft Foods and IBM had their headquarters in the village.

WRNN-TV is an independent television station is located at 800 Westchester Avenue.

Transportation

Commuters have the option of using the Westchester County-operated Bee-Line Bus System.

Part of the Westchester County Airport is located in the northern part of the village.

Major roads that serve the area include, in the northern part of the village:

In the southern part of the village:

Other major routes include:

Flood control

The Bowman Avenue Dam, a project to mitigate flooding in the area, is located within the village.

Notable people