Bedford (town), New York

Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census.[6]

Bedford, New York
Town
Location of Bedford in New York
Coordinates: 41°13′33″N 73°39′54″W
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyWestchester
TownBedford
Established1680
Government
 • TypeManager-Council
 • Town SupervisorChris Burdick (D)
 • Town Board
Area
 • Total39.42 sq mi (102.10 km2)
 • Land37.17 sq mi (96.27 km2)
 • Water2.25 sq mi (5.82 km2)
Elevation381 ft (116 m)
Population
 • Total17,335
 • Estimate 
(2016)[4]
17,906
 • Density481.72/sq mi (185.99/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
10506,10507,10536,10549
Area code(s)914
FIPS code36119-05320
GNIS feature ID978717
Websitewww.bedfordny.gov
[5]

The town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County and contains the four hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford, Katonah and Bedford Corners.

History

The town of Bedford was founded on December 23, 1680, when 22 Puritans from Stamford, Connecticut, purchased a tract of land three miles square known as the "Hopp Ground" from Chief Katonah and several other Native Americans for coats, blankets, wampum and cloth.[7]

Bedford was made a part of Connecticut in 1697 when a patent fixed the boundaries as a six-mile square. Only when King William III of England issued a royal decree in 1700 settling a boundary dispute did Bedford become part of New York.

The town served as the county seat of Westchester County during the American Revolutionary War after the Battle of White Plains, until Bedford was burned by the British in July 1779.[8][9] British forces led by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton burned the town leaving only one structure standing in the town.[10] After the Revolution, Bedford was made one of two seats of county government, alternating with White Plains, until 1870. Westchester County's oldest government building is the Court House in Bedford village, which was built in 1787 and renovated in the 1960s.

Stepping Stones - Historic Home of Bill & Lois Wilson (respective cofounders of Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon Family Groups, Bedford Village Historic District, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Palmer-Lewis Estate and The Woodpile are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11]

Geography
Aerial view of the town of Bedford along with neighboring towns of Mount Kisco, Bedford Hills and Katonah.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.4 square miles (102.1 km2), of which 37.2 square miles (96.3 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.8 km2), or 5.70%, is water.[6] The town is bordered to the west by Mount Kisco and the town of New Castle, to the south by Armonk in the town of North Castle, to the north by Lewisboro and to the east by Pound Ridge.

The Cross River Reservoir is situated on the northern portion of the town. The town is part of the Croton River watershed. The northern portion of the Byram Lake Reservoir is situated on the southern limits of the town.

The Mianus River runs throughout the town of Bedford. The northernmost point of the river is also located in the town. The river originates in a series of small ponds in Armonk and flows north into the town of Bedford. The river flows north along Greenwich Road and begins to turn just south of the Bedford Village Town Park before crossing Greenwich Road. The river reaches its northernmost point at the entrance of Middle Patent Road. The river then runs south and enters the Mianus River Gorge Preserve which is located in the town of Bedford. The river flows south through the entirety of the Mianus River Gorge Preserve and eventually leaves the town and enters Stamford, Connecticut.[12]

Landmarks

The Town of Bedford's Hamlet of Katonah has a two significant National Historic Landmarks, which are "Stepping Stones - Historic Home of Bill & Lois Wilson" (home of the Alcoholics Anonymous co-founders; "Bill W.", who died in 1971 and "Lois W.", who died in 1988 and "John Jay Homestead", home of one of the United States Founding Fathers and first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Some minor landmarks are centered on Bedford Green in the Town of Bedford's Hamlet of "Bedford", a small patch of green space at the center of the Bedford Village Historic District (along Route 22), including the former court house, the oldest government building in Westchester County and now a museum. There is a small graveyard dating back to the founding of the town; the old one-room stone schoolhouse; and a few colonial-era houses, still lived in, which are kept painted white with black or green shutters.

Bedford Oak, July 2012

The Bedford Free Library is located in Bedford, on the Village Green and is a member of the Westchester Library System. Bedford Hills and Katonah are also members of the system.

Along Route 22, at Hook Road, there is a large 500-plus-year-old white oak known as the Bedford Oak.[13][14]

The Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women is located in the town.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
17902,470—
18202,432—
18302,75013.1%
18402,8222.6%
18503,20713.6%
18603,63913.5%
18703,6971.6%
18803,7310.9%
18903,291−11.8%
19003,4865.9%
19105,62961.5%
19205,9054.9%
19308,65346.5%
19409,2486.9%
195010,88817.7%
196014,65634.6%
197018,32925.1%
198015,137−17.4%
199016,90611.7%
200018,1337.3%
201017,335−4.4%
Est. 201617,906[4]3.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[15]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 18,133 people, 5,731 households and 4,395 families residing in the town. The population density was 486.9 people per square mile (188.0/km2). There were 6,020 housing units at an average density of 161.6 per square mile (62.4/km2). The racial/ethnic makeup of the town was 87.50% White, 7.12% Black, 1.98% Asian and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.57% of the population. 0.09% ethnic Native American. 0.08% ethnic Pacific Islander and 1.88% from other ethnicities.

There were 5,731 households, out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.3% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64 and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $100,053 and the median income for a family was $118,820. Males had a median income of $88,561 versus $47,468 for females. The per capita income for the town was $53,046. About 2.4% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those of age 65 or over.

Local media

The Record-Review, a weekly newspaper, reports on local issues in Bedford and Pound Ridge. The newspaper began publishing in 1995.

Bedford Magazine, a bi-monthly publication, began publication in the area in 2005. The magazine is distributed through qualified circulation for free to Bedford homeowners.

Communities and locations in Bedford
  • Bedford Corners – A small hamlet neighboring the village of Mount Kisco in the southern part of town.
  • Bedford Hills – A hamlet in the western part of the town, just south of Katonah. The historic Richard H. Mandel House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[11]
  • Bedford – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town, commonly known as Bedford Village. The Bedford Village Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[11]
  • Katonah – A hamlet at the north town line.

Notable people

Notes
  1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  5. Bedford NY. ZIP Code Lookup.
  6. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Bedford town, Westchester County, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  7. "Deed to the Hopp Ground". www.westchesterarchives.com.
  8. "The Town of Bedford New York / The Official Home Page NY". www.bedfordny.info.
  9. "Bedford Historical Society, The Burning of Bedford (Published in the Record Review Friday, July 9, 2004)" (PDF).
  10. "Bedford | New York, United States". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  11. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  12. "Fly fishing forecast report". www.whackingfatties.com. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  13. Tessa Melvin (November 7, 1993). "If You're Thinking of Living in/Bedford Village; 'New England' 44 Miles From Broadway". The New York Times.
  14. "Bedford Oak — Bedford Historical Society - Bedford, NY". Bedford Historical Society. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  15. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  16. ...Beatrice Arthur has sublet the family's cooperative apartment on Central Park West and the country home in Bedford, New York ... Moritz, Charles (editor) (1973) "Arthur, Beatrice" Current Biography Yearbook, 1973 H. W. Wilson, New York, pp. 17-20, page 20, ISBN 0-8242-0543-X
  17. Chamoff, Lisa, "Westport to host Clinton fundraiser", news article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, Norwalk edition, July 25, 2007, page A13 ("[...] Chevy Chase, a resident of Bedford, N.Y. [...]")
  18. Baron, Zach. "What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser?". GQ. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  19. "Physics Today Obituaries: John Battiscombe Gunn". American Institute of Physics. February 13, 2009. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  20. "HV Native Felicity Huffman Charged In College Admissions Scheme". Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch. March 12, 2019.
  21. Kate Mara on IMDb
  22. Serico, Chris (August 16, 2010). "Meet Rooney Mara, she's not just following in her sister's footsteps Archived February 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine". The Journal News. Retrieved on September 5, 2010.
  23. "Theodore Eliopoulos obituary". San Francisco Chronicle. December 5, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
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