Port Chester | |
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Village | |
Nickname(s): Gateway To New England, PC | |
Motto: "Tiny But Mighty" | |
Location of Port Chester, New York |
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Coordinates: 41°0′18″N 73°40′8″W / 41.00500°N 73.66889°WCoordinates: 41°0′18″N 73°40′8″W / 41.00500°N 73.66889°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New York |
County | Westchester |
Government | |
• Mayor | Fritz Falanka |
• Board of Trustees |
|
Area | |
• Total | 2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2) |
• Land | 2.4 sq mi (6.1 km2) |
• Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) |
Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 29,248 |
• Density | 12,000/sq mi (4,600/km2) |
Demonym(s) | Port Chesterian |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 10573 |
Area code(s) | 914 |
FIPS code | 36-59223 |
GNIS feature ID | 0977392 |
Website | http://www.portchesterny.com |
Port Chester (locally pronounced PORT-chester is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is part of the town of Rye. As of the 2010 census, Port Chester had a population of 28,967. The village name is pronounced with the same syllable stress pattern as that of the county which contains it, i.e., "PORT ches-ter", not "Port CHES-ter".
Port Chester is one of only 12 villages in New York still incorporated under a charter; the other villages either incorporated or re-incorporated under the provisions of Village Law.
The Bush-Lyon Homestead, Capitol Theater, Life Savers Building, Putnam and Mellor Engine and Hose Company Firehouse, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, and United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1660, three settlers from Greenwidge (now Greenwich, Connecticut), Thomas Studwell, John Coe, and Peter Disbrow, arranged to buy Manursing Island and the land near the Byram River from the Mohegan Indians. The land that they bought is now Port Chester. The village was originally known as Saw Pit for the saw pits which were in use during the time. Logs were cut in holes in the ground for wood to be used for shipbuilding. The name of Sawpit was used for the first time in 1732. The village eventually outgrew this name and became Port Chester by incorporating as a village in 1868. When Port Chester was first incorporated, it was considered a major seaport.