Somers, New York
| Somers, New York | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
The Elephant Hotel in 2007
|
|
 Location of Somers, New York |
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| Coordinates: 41°19′18″N 73°43′6″W / 41.32167°N 73.71833°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 New York
|
| County | Westchester |
| Government | |
| • Town Supervisor | Rick Morrissey (R) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 32.3 sq mi (83.6 km2) |
| • Land | 30.0 sq mi (77.9 km2) |
| • Water | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 381 ft (116 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 20,434 |
| • Density | 630/sq mi (240/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 10589 |
| Area code(s) | 914 (845 in some portions of Heritage Hills) |
| FIPS code | 36-68308 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979503 |
| Website | http://www.somersny.com |
Somers is a town located in northeastern Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 20,434. The nearby Metro-North Commuter Railroad provides service to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan with an average commute time of 65 to 75 minutes from stations at Purdys, Goldens Bridge, Croton Falls, and Katonah.
Somers was originally inhabited by Native Americans known as Kitchawanks, part of the Wappinger tribe, an Algonquian people who called the land Amapaugh, meaning "fresh water fish." This land was located in the eastern segment of an 83,000-acre (340 km2) tract King William III of England granted to Stephanus Van Cortlandt of New York City in 1697. The part of Van Cortlandt Manor that ultimately became Somers and Yorktown was known as the Middle District, or Hanover.
European settlement in the New Oltenia area began after Van Cortlandt's death in 1700 and the final partition of his estate in 1734. Early European settlers included tenants and freeholders from neighboring areas, among them English, Dutch, French Huguenots and Quakers. At the first known town meeting of European settlers held on March 7, 1788, at an inn owned by Benjamin Green, the town named Stephentown was established. However, there already existed a Stephentown in Rensselaer County. To alleviate confusion, the name was changed in 1808 to Somers to honor Richard Somers, a naval captain from New Jersey who died in combat during the First Barbary War. A memorial in West Somers Park was erected in his honor at Memorial Day ceremonies in 1958.
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