Dobbs Ferry is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

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 ...

, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

of Greenburgh. The village ZIP code is 10522. Most of the village falls within the boundaries of the Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District. Dobbs Ferry was ranked seventh in the list of the top 10 places to live in New York State for 2014, according to the national online real estate brokerage Movoto. Dobbs Ferry is also the first village in New York State certified as a Climate Smart Community and was granted in 2014 the highest level given out in the state.

History

Multiple groups of native peoples lived in what is now known as Dobbs Ferry since at least 4500BC. The most recent tribe who claimed territory of the area are the

Wecquaesgeek The Wecquaesgeek (also Manhattoe and Manhattan) were a Munsee-speaking band of Wappinger people who once lived along the east bank of the Hudson River in the southwest of today's Westchester County, New York,Their presence on the east bank of th ...

, maintaining villages up until the 1600's. Numerous artifacts from the tribe continue to be found along Wicker's Creek in

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not a ...

middens. Dobbs Ferry was named after Jeremiah Dobbs, a descendant of William Dobbs, of Swedish and Dutch ancestry whose family ran a ferry service that traversed the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

at this location. Dobbs was a fisherman and settled near the southern part of what is now Dobbs Ferry, and he "added to his meager income by ferriage of occasional travelers across the Hudson. He used a style of boat known at that day as a periauger, a canoe hollowed out of a solid log. . . From this primitive ferry the village took its name." Dobbs Ferry played a vital role in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

. The position of the village opposite the northernmost end of the Palisades gave it importance during the war. The region was repeatedly raided by camp followers of each army; earthworks and a

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, commanding the Hudson ferry and the ferry to

Paramus, New Jersey Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...

, were built; the British army made Dobbs Ferry a ''rendezvous'', after the Battle of White Plains in November 1776, and the continental division under General Benjamin Lincoln was here at the end of January 1777. In July and August 1781, during the seventh year of the war, Continental Army troops commanded by General George Washington were encamped in Dobbs Ferry and neighboring localities, alongside allied French forces under the command of the Comte de Rochambeau. A large British army controlled

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

at the time, and Washington chose the Dobbs Ferry area for encampment because he hoped to probe for weaknesses in the British defenses, just to the south. But on August 14, 1781, a communication was received from French Admiral Comte de Grasse in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

, which caused Washington to change his strategy. De Grasse's communication, which advocated a joint land and sea attack against the British in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

, convinced Washington to risk a march of more than to the

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: * Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay * Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated p ...

region of Virginia. Washington's new strategy, adopted and designed in mid-August 1781, at the encampment of the allied armies, would win the war. The allied armies were ordered to break camp on August 19, 1781: on that date the Americans took the first steps of their march to Virginia along present-day Ashford Avenue and Broadway, en route to victory over General Cornwallis at the

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virg ...

and to victory in the Revolutionary War. DF GW orders to dismantle structures at Dobbs Ferry as they depart 8-19-81

The village was originally incorporated in 1873 as Greenburgh, but the name was changed to Dobbs Ferry in 1882. The current local government of Dobbs Ferry is headed by Mayor Vincent Rossillo, a Democrat, who was elected in November 2019. The

Estherwood and Carriage House Estherwood is a late 19th-century mansion located on the campus of The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, United States. It was the home of industrial tycoon James Jennings McComb, who supported Masters financially in its early years when ...

Hyatt-Livingston House Hyatt-Livingston House was an historic home located at Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, New York, at the corner of Colonial Avenue and Broadway (Route 9). Originally constructed as part of the Philipsburg Manor around 1690 South Presbyterian Church, and

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 10,622 people, 3,792 households, and 2,570 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 4,350.0 people per square mile (1,680.8 per km²). There were 3,941 housing units at an average density of 1,614.0 per square mile (623.6 per km²). The racial makeup of the village was 80.70%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 7.38%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.08% Native American, 7.56% Asian, 0.09%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 1.93% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 7.00% of the population. There were 3,792 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. Of all households, 27.6% were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.13. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $70,333, and the median income for a family was $93,127. Males had a median income of $65,532 versus $50,091 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $35,090. About 1.8% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Dobbs Ferry is located at (41.012729, −73.866026). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and , or 23.03%, is water. The village is bounded on the west by the

, and on the east by the Saw Mill River. Wickers Creek (name derived from the indigenous

Weckquaesgeek The Wecquaesgeek (also Manhattoe and Manhattan) were a Munsee-speaking band of Wappinger people who once lived along the east bank of the Hudson River in the southwest of today's Westchester County, New York,Their presence on the east bank of the ...

) runs east to west through the center of the village from its main source in the Juhring Nature Preserve, Todd's Pond. The village consists of a series of neighborhoods as defined in the 2010 Vision Plan, the

Master Plan Master Plan, Masterplan or The Master Plan may refer to: General usage *Master Plan East or Generalplan Ost, a 1941–1945 Nazi plan for genocide and ethnic cleansing in Central and Eastern Europe *Master Plan Neighborhood areas in Detroit, urban ...

for the village. These neighborhoods are not popularly recognized as of 2014. As the Vision Plan states, "Sometimes the boundaries of these neighborhoods are clearly defined, but other times less so. Where necessary, boundaries have been interpolated." The neighborhoods are: Springhurst Park, Broadway, Wickers Creek, Waterfront, Old Town, Fairmead, Riverview Manor, Villard, Osborne, Belden, Maple, Walgrove, Virginia, Beacon Hill, Campuses and Woods, Parkway, Southfield, Knoll, Northfield, and Juhring. (Homes in Juhring are commonly referred to by real estate brokers as part of the Ardsley Park neighborhood, which encompasses the Juhring neighborhood in Dobbs Ferry and the Ardsley-on-Hudson neighborhood of

Irvington, New York Irvington, sometimes known as Irvington-on-Hudson,Staff (ndg"The Irvington Gazette (Irvington-On-Hudson, N.Y.) 1907-1969"Library of Congress is a suburban village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is l ...

Climate

Education

A majority of the village is within the Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District, which consists of Springhurst Elementary, grades K–5, Dobbs Ferry Middle School, grades 6–8, and the Dobbs Ferry High School, grades 9–12.

Mercy College Mercy College may refer to: * Mercy Catholic College, Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia * Mercy College (Dublin), Ireland * Mercy College, Sligo, Ireland * Mercy College of Detroit, Michigan, since merged with the University of Detroit * Mer ...

, a private institution with undergraduate and graduate programs, has its main campus in Dobbs Ferry. Our Lady of Victory Academy, a local parochial school offering grades 9–12 for girls, was located on the campus of Mercy College until its closing in 2011. The Masters School is a private school located south of the town center that offers grades 5–12 for boys and girls. It is a boarding or day school that was founded in 1877 by Eliza Masters. The school contains a mansion called Estherwood. An Alcott

Montessori School The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

is located in the town.

Public transit

Almost 10% of households do not own a car and rely on public transit, bicycling, and walking. Dobbs Ferry MNRR station-005

Several lines of the

Bee-Line Bus System The Westchester County Bee-Line System, branded on the buses in lowercase as ''the bee-line system'', is a bus system serving Westchester County, New York. The system is owned by the county's Department of Public Works and Transportation. History ...

run through Dobbs Ferry, facilitating north-south travel along the Broadway/Route 9 corridor and east-west along Ashford Avenue. The village operates a shuttle bus from the

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing ...

in the afternoon and evenings. Commuter rail service to

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern termi ...

is available via the Dobbs Ferry station, served by

Metro-North Railroad Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York and under contract with the Connecticut ...

. The train runs on the Hudson Line, and travel time from Dobbs Ferry to

is approximately 37 minutes on an express train and 43 minutes on a local train. Many Metro North riders connect to the New York City Subway's at Marble Hill to reach destinations on the west side of Manhattan, or at Harlem–125th Street station for the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street (Man ...

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. There is no precise definition of inter-city rail; its meaning may vary from country ...

trains travel on the Hudson Line tracks, but trains do not stop in the village. The closest

stations are

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

and Croton–Harmon stations.

Culture

In 2018 Brooke Lea Foster of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' stated that it was one of several "Rivertowns" in New York State, which she described as among the "least suburban of suburbs, each one celebrated by buyers there for its culture and hip factor, as much as the housing stock and sophisticated post-city life." Of those, Foster stated that Dobbs Ferry had the most ethnic/cultural diversity.

Parks and recreation

The village's Recreation Department runs a variety of programs out of the Embassy Community Center, including art and dance classes, sports leagues, summer camp, and other activities open to the public. Programs for older adults are also well-funded and used. Additional sports leagues for baseball and soccer are run independently but use village facilities. There are a variety of village public parks, in order of size: *Juhring Nature Preserve, a 76-acre wooded park with trail entrances from the Ardsley Park (Juhring), Northfield, and Knoll neighborhoods in Dobbs Ferry. *Waterfront Park on the

shoreline with playground, soccer field, and open space. It serves as the site of the Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District graduation ceremony, summer concerts, and Independence Day fireworks. *Gould Park in the center of the Village, with a public swimming pool, playground, basketball court, and multi-sport ballfields. *Memorial Park has a wading pool, baseball field, basketball court, and

bocce (, or , ), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to British bowls and French , with a common ancestry from ancien ...

court. In 2014, the American Legion Post 148, which leased space in the park, collapsed and was razed. Two linear parks used for active transportation and recreation traverse Dobbs Ferry as well. The

Old Croton Aqueduct Trailway The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842. The great aqueducts, which were among the first in the United States, carried water by gravity from ...

, a linear State Park, runs north-south through the village on its western side. The South County Trailway, a linear

Westchester County 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 ...

park also runs north-south through the village, but on its eastern side along the bank of the Saw Mill River. There are also segments of trails unconnected to each other, including the Gateway Trail near Estherwood Avenue and Spoiler's Run near Belden Avenue.

Emergency services

Dobbs Ferry PD cars 908 and 905, autumn 2006

Dobbs Ferry is served by a paid police department, a volunteer fire department (housing three pumpers and one tower ladder in two firehouses) and a volunteer ambulance corps (possessing two ambulances (one equipped with four-wheel-drive) and a fire rehab unit). As a part of the Town of Greenburgh, the village is eligible for additional coverage from the town services. Mutual aid agreements exist with neighboring municipalities for further coverage.

Notable people

* Jane Alexander, actress *

Jacob M. Appel Jacob M. Appel (born February 21, 1973) is an American author, poet, bioethicist, physician, lawyer and social critic.Nagamatsu, Sequoia "A Few Words with the Ubiquitous Jacob M. Appel" ''Prince Mincer'' Journal http://primemincer.com/ confirmed ...

, novelist, essayist * Rex Beach, novelist, playwright, and Olympic water polo player, whose most famous novel is commemorated by the Spoiler's Run walking/bike trail. * Mark Blount, NBA basketball player *

Jason Blum Jason Ferus Blum "Jason Ferus Blum was born in LA in 1969 to Shirley Neilsen, an art professor, and Irving Blum, an art dealer" (; born 1969) is an American film and television producer. He is the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, whi ...

, film producer *

Bradley Bolke Bradley Bolke (October 1, 1925 – January 15, 2019) was an American voice actor. Early life Bolke was born on October 1, 1925, in New York City. He later lived in Dobbs Ferry, New York Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York ...

(1925–2019), voice actor * William C. Conner (1920–2009), federal judge for the

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of New York State. Two of these are in New York City: New ...

* Augusta Dabney (1918–2008), actress * Alvin Dark (1922–2014), Major League Baseball player and manager *

Cyrus West Field Cyrus West Field (November 30, 1819July 12, 1892) was an American businessman and financier who, along with other entrepreneurs, created the Atlantic Telegraph Company and laid the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean in 1858. Early ...

, inventor of electromagnetic trans-Atlantic telecommunication *

Paul Fix Peter Paul Fix (March 13, 1901 – October 14, 1983) was an American film and television character actor who was best known for his work in Westerns. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career ...

(1901–1983), film and television character actor *

Jean Fritz Jean Guttery Fritz (November 16, 1915 – May 14, 2017) was an American children's writer best known for American biography and history. She won the Children's Legacy Literature Award for her career contribution to American children's literature ...

, author * Max Greenfield, actor *

Bernice Gottlieb Bernice Gottlieb (née Friedman, born January 8, 1931, in Bronx, New York) was an early leader in the trans-racial adoption (also known as interracial adoption) movement in the United States. In later years, she led a residential real estate firm ...

, pioneer in trans-racial adoption movement *

Edwin Gould Edwin Gould Sr. (February 26, 1866 – July 12, 1933) was an American investor and railway official. Biography Gould was born in Manhattan, New York City, to railroad financier Jay Gould on February 26, 1866. He studied at Columbia University ...

, early 20th century railroad executive and son of robber baron

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made him ...

* Lewis Hine (1874–1940), sociologist and photographer *

Joel Higgins Joel Franklin Higgins (born September 28, 1943) is an American actor and singer with a stage career spanning over 40 years. Life and career A graduate of Michigan State University where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraterni ...

, actor * Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–1899), lawyer, politician, orator, advocate of agnosticism * J. Howard Kitching, Civil War brevet Brigadier General *

Eric Paschall Eric Paschall (; born November 4, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for the Fordham Rams and the Villanova Wildcats. He was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2 ...

, NBA basketball player *

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...

, actress * Stone Phillips (born 1954), former co-anchor of ''

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasio ...

'' * Dusty Rhodes, baseball player, member of

1954 World Series The 1954 World Series matched the National League champion New York Giants against the American League champion Cleveland Indians. The Giants swept the Series in four games to win their first championship since , defeating the heavily favored Ind ...

champion New York Giants *

James Henry Salisbury, M.D. James Henry Salisbury, M.D. (January 12, 1823 – September 23, 1905) was a 19th-century American physician, and the inventor of the Salisbury steak. Early life Salisbury was born in Scott, New York, in 1823. He earned a Bachelor of Natural S ...

(1823–1905) 19th-century American physician, and the inventor of the Salisbury steak. *

Charles Sheeler Charles Sheeler (July 16, 1883 – May 7, 1965) was an American artist known for his Precisionism, Precisionist paintings, commercial photographer, commercial photography, and the avant-garde film, ''Manhatta'', which he made in collaboration wit ...

(1883–1965), artist and photographer * Fanny Garrison Villard (1844-1928), co-founder of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

, and leader of women's suffrage movement * Henry Villard (1835-1900), journalist, newspaper publisher, financier and railroad baron. *

Mark Zuckerberg Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (; born ) is an American business magnate, internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding the social media website Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.), of ...

, co-founder of

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

* Randi Zuckerberg,

Marketing Director A chief marketing officer (CMO), also called a global marketing officer or marketing director, or chief brand officer, is a corporate executive responsible for managing marketing activities in an organization. Whilst historically these titles may ...

of Facebook

References

External links

*
Village of Dobbs Ferry official website

''The Rivertowns Enterprise'', hometown newspaper

Dobbs Ferry Conference 1781
{{authority control Greenburgh, New York New York (state) populated places on the Hudson River Villages in Westchester County, New York