Mount Airy, New York
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Often referred to as Mt. Airy, this neighborhood is situated immediately south of Furnace Woods and north of Croton, and is partially situated in both unincorporated Cortlandt and the village of
Croton-on-Hudson Croton-on-Hudson is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 8,327 at the 2020 United States census over 8,070 at the ...
in
Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
, United States.


Geography

The neighborhood is bounded to the west by Furnace Dock Road and the hamlet of Krugers, to the south by Grand St. and the Village of Croton, and to the east by the Croton River. To the north of the neighborhood is mostly undeveloped woods, beyond which lies the Furnace Wood,
Cortlandt Manor Cortlandt Manor is a hamlet located in the Town of Cortlandt in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. Cortlandt Manor is situated directly east, north and south of Peekskill, and east of three sections of the Town of Cortlandt, ...
and the hamlets of Cortlandt and Yorktown.


Population

In the early 1700s, the population on Mt. Airy was predominantly Dutch and English. Although no official statistics are available (Mt. Airy is not a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
), the demographics of the area are extremely homogenous. It is overwhelmingly white, and mostly upper and upper-middle class. Towards the southern end of the road is low-income housing subsidized by the Village, known as Mt. Airy Woods, but fewer than 30 families reside there. The total population of Mt. Airy is difficult to gauge, but is likely somewhere around 1,500 people.


Transportation and schools

Mt. Airy is situated entirely within the Croton-Harmon School District and the Croton-on-Hudson post office (10520). Unlike the more densely populated neighborhoods of the village proper, the homes on Mt. Airy Road and its tributaries are very spread out, and retain a rural feel that belies its location in the
suburbs A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
. The neighborhood is the very definition of a bedroom community, and is almost completely dead during weekdays, when parents are at work in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, White Plains, and several other local cities, and children are at school in the Upper Village. Residents along the neighborhood's western end use Route 9's Montrose exit in Crugers to commute to New York, White Plains, Yorktown, the Croton-Harmon train station, the Harmon neighborhood and the village of Croton-on-Hudson. Most other residents travel down South Mt. Airy Rd. to reach these same destinations, while residents along the northeastern edges, by
Route 129 The following highways are numbered 129: Canada * Ontario Highway 129 * Prince Edward Island Route 129 Costa Rica * National Route 129 India * National Highway 129 (India) Japan * Japan National Route 129 United States * Interstate 129 * ...
, use that road to travel into the village and to the Taconic State Parkway in Yorktown, where many travel southwards into White Plains. A rush-hour commuter bus runs along Route 129 to the train station.


History

In the early 20th century, Mt. Airy was known as Red Hill for its importance to the American Communist Party. Many high-ranking members, in addition to several communist actors, lived in the hamlet, and John Reed himself lived in Croton's Upper Village. The highly controversial Peekskill Riot took place less than five miles away, and after this event, the Communist Party's influence slowly withered away as the Cold War escalated.''Mount Airy Road: Reds-on-Hudson'' (Houlihan Lawrence)
Mt Airy was home to the
Hessian Hills School Hessian Hills School (1925–1952) was a progressive school in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Croton-on-Hudson, New York. The school was founded as a community school by Elizabeth Moos and Margaret Hatfield. Children were welcomed from age 2 to 15. ...
, which was founded by Elizabeth Moos in the 1920s and lasted until the early 1950s. In 1932, Mount Airy and Harmon, which were then separate communities, were incorporated into the village of Croton-on-Hudson. Each area had a distinct identity that contributed to the cultural richness of the Croton-on-Hudson community. Mount Airy had remained a Quaker enclave into the 1800s but evolved in the early 1900s into a summer colony that attracted many Greenwich Village artists and writers. Writers such as
New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a spiritual movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy from ...
writer Ralph Waldo Trine, who built a cabin there.


References

{{Westchester County, New York Hamlets in New York (state) Geography of Westchester County, New York Socialism in New York (state)