Overview
Rye is the oldest permanent settlement in Westchester County. It began in 1660 when Peter Disbrow, John Coe and Thomas Studwell came from Greenwich with a small group of settlers. Their first treaty with the Mohegan Indians gave them the land between Milton Point and the Byram River (Peningoe Neck); then the mile-long “Manussing” Island. Within several years their combined purchases comprised all of what is now the City of Rye, Town of Rye, Harrison, White Plains, parts of Greenwich, North Castle, and Mamaroneck.
During the 1920’s, the post-war boom and the creation of parkways and commuter trains brought a rush of prospective suburbanites and summer residents to the growing village. This was Rye’s greatest period of growth and by 1930, there were nearly 9,000 people. As Rye developed, the residents began to desire complete independence from the Town government. City status offered many advantages, one being relief from paying a disproportionate share of the Town welfare tax. In 1940, the Legislature approved the Rye City Charter and on January 1, 1942, Rye became Westchester’s sixth and smallest city.
The City of Rye (not to be confused with the Town of Rye) covers 20 square miles which includes 5.8 square miles of land and 14.2 square miles of water. There are approximately 17,000 residents.
Neighborhoods
Home styles in the area are diverse ranging from smaller Colonial and Cape Cod style homes to larger properties and grand estates. Rye's downtown center offers a wide variety of privately-owned shops, chain stores (e.g. Starbucks, Cosi), restaurants, a smoke shop, a bookstore and more.
Rye is famous for its amazing two mile coastline and Oakland Beach. Adjoining the beach is historic Rye Playland, one of the first ever built in America. Playland offers a roller coaster, an ice skating rink and a miniature golf course. Playland has been the setting for several key scenes in major movies.
South of Playland one will find Milton Point and Parsonage point, home to some of Rye’s most beautiful ocean front estates.
There are many marinas in Rye both public and private. For golfers, there are private courses as well as the Rye Municipal Golf Club which is available exclusively to all Rye residents. The club features an 18-hole golf course with Whitby Castle clubhouse, an Olympic-size swimming pool and three wading pools.
For nature lovers, you can take advantage of the Rye Nature center’s 46-acres, a bird sanctuary and 120-acre Marshland Conservancy on the water front.
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