Valhalla, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Valhalla is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,379 at the 2000 census. Its name was inspired by a fan of Opera composer Richard Wagner, and its celebrity status comes from its relationship to the final burial places of famous people.
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[edit] History of Valhalla
[edit] Origin of name
It gained its name when controversy arose over the naming of a post office in the 19th Century. According to local historians and published work, the wife of a postmaster was a devoted fan of Richard Wagner and she shared the composer's interest in Norse mythology. Her preference led to the choice of name Valhalla, after the heavenly hall of slain warriors in that mythology. The area still maintains its association with death through its world famous cemetery area.
[edit] Kensico Cemetery
Kensico Cemetery is a cemetery founded in 1889 in Valhalla at a time when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full and rural cemeteries were founded near the railroads which served the city. Initially 250 acres (1 km²), it was expanded to 600 acres (2.4 km²) in 1905, and reduced to 461 acres (1.9 km²) in 1912 when a portion was sold to the neighboring Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
This is where the remains are found of Herbert Howard Booth, son of Salvation Army founder William Booth and founder of the Salvation Army Musical Department. Billie Burke who played Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz is also buried there and so is bandleader Tommy Dorsey; New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno ;CBS-TV News President Fred Friendly; baseball stars Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth; film star Danny Kaye; pianist, composer and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff, author and Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand, NBC founder David Sarnoff, first Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America James E. West and many other famous personalities.
[edit] Area link to Norse mythology
Because of its association to Norse mythology and Viking legends, the area also became the focus of the novel Valhalla Rising written by Clive Cussler which was published in 2001. Cussler's book featured a sci-fi story about Vikings which is set against the backdrop of nearby Tarrytown and other associated locations of the Hudson River Valley of Westchester County in New York.
Valhalla, New York also became a part of the strange obsession of Mark Guglielmo, who grew up in Bedford, Westchester County. He was sentenced in Florida for the murder of his wife which had taken place in that state during 1994. Guglielmo transported her remains in the trunk of his car to Westchester County where he disposed of her dismembered corpse at two different locations near Valhalla. Guglielmo then took a mock Viking sword and helmet which had been made at a Westchester County faire for burial at Peggys Cove in Nova Scotia, Canada. He did this because he believed that Leif Ericson's Vikings had once landed there. This same Viking association between Nova Scotia, Canada and Westchester County, New York was also made by Clive Cussler in his book several years later.
[edit] Recent Events
On July 12, 2006, the Westchester Tornado, an F2 tornado touched down in nearby Hawthorne and proceeded to move into Valhalla, causing much destruction in the Stonegate section of Valhalla. This was one of the strongest tornadoes the area had ever seen as tornadoes of this magnitude are mostly in the midwest. Powerlines were knocked down and hundreds of trees were uprooted. There were no deaths but much of the Valhalla landscape has changed as a result.
On September 11, 2006 a memorial to September 11 victims was dedicated at the Kensico Dam by Westchester County and the Westchester County September 11th Memorial Committee. The piece, known as "The Rising", honors the 109 county residents who were killed in the terrorist attacks.
[edit] Geography
Valhalla is located at (41.087195, -73.774511)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the hamlet has a total area of 9.1 km² (3.5 mi²). 6.9 km² (2.7 mi²) of it is land and 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (24.15%) is water.
[edit] Highlights
Valhalla is the location of the Mount Pleasant Town Hall as well as the Mount Pleasant Town Pool and Community Center. The main street in Valhalla is Columbus Avenue which runs the length of the the hamlet. Along this road is the Valhalla Train Station, the Kensico Dam, Holy Name of Jesus Church as well as other shops and restaurants. Valhalla is bordered by the Town of North Castle and the hamlets of Thornwood and Hawthorne, both within Mount Pleasant. Valhalla has its own school district, the Valhalla School District, comprised of The Virginia Road Elementary School, located in the southern most part of the hamlet, and The Kensico School, Columbus Elementary, and Valhalla Middle and High Schools, all located along Columbus Avenue.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 5,379 people, 1,847 households, and 1,470 families residing in the hamlet. The population density was 774.9/km² (2,010.6/mi²). There were 1,886 housing units at an average density of 271.7/km² (704.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the hamlet was 95.85% White, 0.76% African American, 0.07% Native American, 2.12% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.36% of the population.
There were 1,847 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the hamlet the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the hamlet was $76,003, and the median income for a family was $91,205. Males had a median income of $60,814 versus $38,608 for females. The per capita income for the hamlet was $33,939. About 0.6% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Medical Center and Colleges
It is also the location of Westchester County Medical Center and New York Medical College. The Westchester Community College of the State University of New York is also in Valhalla.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
