A census-designated place ( CDP ) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
84-456: Yorktown Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County , New York , United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census. Yorktown Heights is in the town of Yorktown, New York, in northern Westchester County, 45 miles from New York City, with forty square miles of rolling hills, farmland, residential areas and light industry including
168-421: A CDP have no legal status and may not always correspond with the local understanding of the area or community with the same name. However, criteria established for the 2010 census require that a CDP name "be one that is recognized and used in daily communication by the residents of the community" (not "a name developed solely for planning or other purposes") and recommend that a CDP's boundaries be mapped based on
252-574: A drive just for the fun of it" and "unquestionably among the most scenic roadways in the Northeast, winding along the Hudson Valley with a painter's eye for landscape and a gearhead's idea of fun." The Lonely Planet New York State guidebook calls it a "highway masterpiece". The parkway's engineering principles evolved over the four decades it took to build, with northern sections reflecting improvements in construction technology and lessons learned from
336-720: A half mile (0.80 km) north of that exit, northbound traffic can also exit, and southbound traffic enters, at Pines Bridge Road. The roadways grow far apart over the next mile before coming together again at the NY ;134 exit, as Turkey Mountain , one of the Manhattan Hills, looms ahead. The Taconic then enters Yorktown , the last town along the Taconic in Westchester County, and split again until they are 1,500 feet (460 m) apart, with neighborhoods and houses between them, to
420-628: A long curve to the east and back. At Nine Partners Road, the Taconic is back on a northward heading as it slips east of the Stanford town line. It begins to climb onto the high ground between the Hudson and the Taconic Mountains to the east. To the west there are occasional glimpses across the river valley to the Catskill Escarpment to the west. From here the parkway bends eastward again, entering
504-630: A now-closed overlook on the eastern side, with the two roadways 500 feet (150 m) apart in the densely wooded country, signs on both roadways mark the Taconic's highest elevation, almost 1,200 feet (370 m) above sea level. A short distance beyond that, a stone bridge marks the NY 301 exit that serves as the main access to the state park and the bathing area and hiking trails at nearby Canopus Lake . The parkway begins to descend again, entering its last Putnam County town, Kent . It bends east again, and within two miles (3.2 km) it crosses into Dutchess County . Continuing its easterly slant,
588-455: A population of at least 10,000. For the 1970 Census , the population threshold for "unincorporated places" in urbanized areas was reduced to 5,000. For the 1980 Census , the designation was changed to "census designated places" and the designation was made available for places inside urbanized areas in New England. For the 1990 Census , the population threshold for CDPs in urbanized areas
672-441: A steep ridge, narrowing to less than 100 feet (30 m), with a high stone retaining wall along the east side, to Peekskill Hollow Creek and the exit for the similarly named road, briefly entering the town of Carmel in the process. It starts to climb again just past the exit, and 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) to the north it goes into an S-curved section with both segments having extremely narrow radii. The Taconic moves to
756-481: A wide valley carved by a tributary of the Hudson, the first place where the road begins to respond to the increasing relief of the landscape. The Taconic then passes through undeveloped woods, part of another local park, and under a footbridge carrying a hiking trail. Curving northeast, the exits for NY 132 and US 6 (recently improved), with residences on either side of the parkway, herald Shrub Oak and Jefferson Valley . A short distance past that exit,
840-566: Is largely hilly and wooded. As of the census of 2000, there were 7,972 people, 2,629 households, and 2,163 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,399.3/mi (540.0/km). There were 2,661 housing units at an average density of 467.1/mi (180.2/km). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.49% White , 2.41% African American , 0.06% Native American , 4.69% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.85% from other races , and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.59% of
924-502: Is nearby, to the west. Yorktown Heights Railroad Station was closed in 1958, a year before passenger service was abandoned along the New York Central 's Putnam Division . Yorktown Central School District is the area school district. Census-designated place CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places , such as self-governing cities , towns , and villages , for
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#17328441502621008-457: Is on the west side, with the downtown area on the east. It is the only densely developed community the road goes through rather than near. After crossing under the stone arch bridge carrying Legion Drive over the parkway, the first of many such rustic overpasses, the Taconic begins a long section going past Gate of Heaven Cemetery and paralleling the railroad tracks past the small Mount Pleasant Metro-North train station, built to allow access to
1092-400: Is similar to that in northern Dutchess, with more views opening up in the north as the road levels out. The surrounding farms and woods get more extensive. After entering the county, the Taconic continues due north through the town of Gallatin through unbroken woods. It bends slightly to the intersection with CR 8 to pass the beach at Lake Taghkanic State Park , with the access road for
1176-755: Is the last before the Thruway tolls at the end of the road. The last exit for Rock City Road is open only to southbound traffic, allowing commercial vehicles that have ventured onto the parkway to exit. A toll gantry for exit B2 on the Berkshire Section of the New York State Thruway ( I-90 ), marks the administrative end of the Taconic State Parkway, 104 miles (167 km) from Kensico Circle. Landscape architects such as Gilmore Clarke worked closely with engineers and construction crews during
1260-476: Is the notion of engineering as an art form that can in some way embellish or even improve upon nature: there is no radical disjuncture here but a sense of aesthetic progression and purity of form. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with sections of the road modified from its original design and the rest areas mostly gone, writers for The New York Times have variously described the Taconic as "a pleasure to use, evoking those bygone days when people went for
1344-643: The 1890 Census , in which the Census mixed unincorporated places with incorporated places in its products with "town" or "village" as its label. This made it confusing to determine which of the "towns" were or were not incorporated. The 1900 through 1930 Censuses did not report data for unincorporated places. For the 1940 Census , the Census Bureau compiled a separate report of unofficial, unincorporated communities of 500 or more people. The Census Bureau officially defined this category as "unincorporated places" in
1428-455: The 1950 Census and used that term through the 1970 Census. For the 1950 Census, these types of places were identified only outside " urbanized areas ". In 1960 , the Census Bureau also identified unincorporated places inside urbanized areas (except in New England , whose political geography is based on the New England town , and is distinctly different from other areas of the U.S.), but with
1512-483: The Hudson Highlands , Catskills and Taconic regions. The bridges and now-closed service areas were designed to be aesthetically pleasing. It has been praised for the beauty of not only the surrounding landscape and views it offers, but the way the road itself integrates with and presents them. It was completed in its present form in the early 1960s. In 2005, the entire highway, including its supporting structures,
1596-519: The Mexico–United States border , and unincorporated resort and retirement communities and their environs. The boundaries of any CDP may change from decade to decade, and the Census Bureau may de-establish a CDP after a period of study, then re-establish it some decades later. Most unincorporated areas within the United States are not and have not been included in any CDP. The boundaries of
1680-476: The NY 23 exit near the hamlet of Martindale. It bends from the northerly heading back to the northeast to cross into Philmont over the next three miles (4.8 km), where NY 217 comes to its eastern terminus at the exit with the Taconic. Past a rise beyond that exit, there are scenic overlook parking areas on both sides of the highway with panoramic views west to the Catskills. The road curves into
1764-586: The New York Central Railroad 's Putnam Division in 1958, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Yorktown Heights is at 41°16′38″N 73°46′53″W / 41.27722°N 73.78139°W / 41.27722; -73.78139 (41.277347, −73.781290). The Yorktown Heights Census-designated place (CDP) has a total area of 0.93 square miles (2.4 km), all land. Like much of northern Westchester County, Yorktown
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#17328441502621848-465: The State Senate in 1910, Roosevelt had toured the district in a car, still not common in the area, the first candidate to do so. He became more interested in the possibilities of automobile touring ten years later when, paralysis resulting from polio having cost the effective use of his legs, Roosevelt began frequently taking his friends on such trips around the region. During them, he began pondering
1932-724: The Taconic or the TSP ) is a 104.12-mile (167.56 km) limited-access parkway between Kensico Dam and Chatham , the longest in the U.S. state of New York . It follows a generally north–south route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines, much of its upper section along the westernmost flank of the Taconic Mountains . It is open only to passenger vehicles, as with other parkways in New York, and maintained by
2016-495: The 1940s. The Taconic's character changes with its surroundings. In the busy suburbs of its first few miles, it is a narrow at-grade roadway, paralleling a commuter rail line through a small downtown. Soon after that, it becomes a wide divided highway, with median strips and gentle turn radii similar to an Interstate Highway carrying much commuter traffic. In the Hudson Highlands , it narrows again as it curves back and forth and climbs up and down quickly to its highest point. When
2100-444: The Census Bureau considers some towns in New England states, New Jersey and New York as well as townships in some other states as MCDs, even though they are incorporated municipalities in those states. In such states, CDPs may be defined within such towns or spanning the boundaries of multiple towns. There are a number of reasons for the CDP designation: Taconic State Parkway The Taconic State Parkway (often called
2184-796: The IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center . First settled in 1683, Yorktown was of strategic importance during the American Revolution , with the Pines Bridge crossing of the Croton River guarded by the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, an integrated unit which included African Americans and Native Americans . Yorktown was incorporated in 1788 and named in commemoration of the Franco-American decisive victory at Yorktown, Virginia . The Yorktown Heights Railroad Station , which last had passenger service on
2268-530: The Interstate Highway, the parkway bends to the northwest and starts to assume the character it retains through most of Dutchess County, with a wider, intermittently cleared median and gentler turns (their radii reaching almost 23,000 feet (7,000 m), more than twice that of the widest curve in Putnam County ), taking it through the now lower hills. There are still no shoulders. A closed rest area sits in
2352-497: The Taconic "as lovely an integration of highway engineering and landscape architecture as one could hope to find". Commenting on this years later, architecture critic Matthew Gandy wrote: Clarke's design for the Taconic State Parkway, for example, provides a vivid example of a new kind of mediation among nature, technology and society, with what appears to be a delicate balance between the new infrastructural project and an imaginary natural order. Implicit within this aesthetic dialectic
2436-537: The Taconic New York State's longest parkway. The Taconic begins at Kensico Circle, just south of Kensico Dam , in the town of North Castle , also the northern terminus of the Bronx River Parkway . The roadway here is a narrow, four-lane expressway . It curves northwest to a traffic light at Cleveland Street in the hamlet of Valhalla . The Valhalla station on Metro-North Railroad 's Harlem Line
2520-571: The Taconic starts leveling out in Dutchess County, the largest county segment of any of the four counties along the road, entering the town of East Fishkill . Just south of the Miller Hill Road exit, the first in the county, the road widens, with grassy slopes on its east side. At this point the hills farther north are visible in the distance, and the valley to the west, between Hosner and Shenandoah mountains, opens up occasional scenic vistas to
2604-508: The Taconic's construction, often on site. Some features of the road's design address practical considerations and increase safety. Curves that climbed or descended were banked to increase vehicle traction and permit better drainage. Likewise the curves in undulating terrain are located to reduce blind spots at crests and keep the sharpest turns out of valleys. These also make sure that views of distant landscapes open up on downgrades and on long curves, when they are less distracting. Closer to
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2688-611: The automobile in American society and the demand for more public parks near crowded cities. Two separate agencies, the Taconic State Park Commission (TSPC) and Westchester County Parks Commission (WCPC), were its initial constructors, building different segments. In time a state authority would take over from them both, and then 18 years later itself yield up to its current administrator, the state Department of Transportation . It would take nearly four decades to complete from
2772-401: The average family size was 3.37. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP
2856-484: The boundaries for CDPs. The PSAP was to be offered to county and municipal planning agencies during 2008. The boundaries of such places may be defined in cooperation with local or tribal officials, but are not fixed, and do not affect the status of local government or incorporation; the territories thus defined are strictly statistical entities. CDP boundaries may change from one census to the next to reflect changes in settlement patterns. Further, as statistical entities,
2940-419: The boundaries of the CDP may not correspond with local understanding of the area with the same name. Recognized communities may be divided into two or more CDPs while on the other hand, two or more communities may be combined into one CDP. A CDP may also cover the unincorporated part of a named community, where the rest lies within an incorporated place. By defining an area as a CDP, that locality then appears in
3024-599: The change in its role from park access route and scenic drive to important regional transportation artery. Immigration and industrialization caused a major increase in New York City's population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the summertime, many of these newer residents began looking for places to get away from the hot city and the densely populated tenements they lived in. The city's own parks and beaches were often overcrowded. Automobiles became more affordable, and by 1917 there were more cars than horses in
3108-527: The city. Drivers began taking to low-quality roads in search of parks outside the city, but were often disappointed after long drives to find that most of those parks were closed to nonresidents. In 1900, New York and New Jersey had jointly acquired the Palisades , the cliffs along the west side of the Hudson in both states, to protect them from further damage due to quarrying . Making it a park for city residents to visit on hot summer weekends had not been part of
3192-409: The commission relied on state DPW engineers for the rest of the construction. Most of the original parkway was surfaced in reinforced concrete . Officials favored it despite its higher initial cost as compared to asphalt since it was less likely to need repair over its 50-year lifespan and reflected more light at night, improving safety. Asphalt was used for repaving of segments to the south; today
3276-578: The early days of construction. Some aspects of the original road remained consistent from end to end. The Westchester County sections were laid out by the county's parks commission based on the parkways they had already designed. Its engineers later worked on the design of the upper sections. In its early days, the Taconic State Parks Commission (TSPC) lacked the money to hire a full engineering staff, in spite of terrain that presented some major challenges. Its engineer, E.J. Howe, on loan from
3360-525: The east in the process then resumes its roughly northward heading up the Roaring Creek valley into Clarence Fahnestock State Park . For the next 5.5 miles (8.9 km) it will cross this 14,000-acre (5,700 ha) protected area of the eastern Hudson Highlands , with no development visible from the highway. The roadways begin to separate as the parkway's ascent continues through heavily wooded terrain past rocky cliffs and outcrops between two lakes. Next to
3444-447: The east. Just north of it, a short fork allows traffic to divert to NY 9A and 100, which split away toward Ossining . The Taconic continues north through a minimally developed area of low hills, past another exit serving Pleasantville, and then across another town line into New Castle . Route 100 returns to parallel the highway on the west again, then joins NY 133 at the next exit, serving Ossining and Millwood . About
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3528-788: The geographic extent associated with inhabitants' regular use of the named place. There is no provision, however, that this name recognition be unanimous for all residents, or that all residents use the community for which the CDP is named for services provided therein. There is no mandatory correlation between CDP names or boundaries and those established for other human purposes, such as post office names or zones, political precincts, or school districts. The Census Bureau states that census-designated places are not considered incorporated places and that it includes only census-designated places in its city population list for Hawaii because that state has no incorporated cities. In addition, census city lists from 2007 included Arlington County, Virginia 's CDP in
3612-473: The idea of a north–south parkway through the eastern Hudson Valley. In 1922, as part of its political reform efforts, the New York State Association (NYSA) published A State Park Plan For New York , the first such comprehensive plan for any state's parks. New York's few parks at that time had been managed by a loose combination of public and private interests, and all the land had been donated to
3696-490: The initial parkway proposal by TSPC chair Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1925 to the opening of the last segment in 1963, due in part to a lengthy hiatus resulting from World War II . Construction technology and highway design standards changed during the construction of the road, changes whose effect is still visible to drivers today. Since its completion it has been renovated, particularly in Dutchess and Westchester counties, reflecting
3780-447: The landscape." Albany-born novelist William Kennedy , whose family frequently drove the Taconic during his childhood to visit relatives farther south, called it "a 110-mile [180 km] postcard. It's the most beautiful road I've ever known—in all seasons." "You can drive it with confidence", said automotive writer David E. Davis . "There are no bad surprises about the way the road is engineered." Landscape architect Garret Eckbo called
3864-479: The last decades, with residential subdivisions and golf courses replacing the silos and haystacks as landmarks off the road. A long curve back to the northwest again takes the Taconic to the first of its two interchanges with NY 82 , at Arthursburg. Almost a mile to its north, the Arthursburg Road at-grade crossing was closed, and a southbound off-ramp and on-ramp were built. The road bends back north into
3948-543: The list with the incorporated places, but since 2010, only the Urban Honolulu CDP, Hawaii, representing the historic core of Honolulu, Hawaii , is shown in the city and town estimates. The Census Bureau reported data for some unincorporated places as early as the first census in 1790 (for example, Louisville, Kentucky , which was not legally incorporated in Kentucky until 1828), though usage continued to develop through
4032-473: The lower sections of the Taconic, save for sections like Fahnestock State Park where designers used them to enhance the scenic capabilities of the road and create recreational opportunities. As the road was extended north during the 1930s, it became clear that the wider medians improved safety without sacrificing beauty, and starting with the NY 52 exit in East Fishkill they were made a standard element of
4116-455: The median between I-84 and the NY 52 exit two miles (3.2 km) farther north. The road then bends back toward the northeast, reverting to a four-lane expressway , narrowing again through some wooded stretches over the next few miles to the Beekman Road ( County Route 9 or CR 9) exit. This area, rural and agricultural when the highway was built, has become more developed in
4200-469: The north separates that grade crossing from the one with Hollow Road ( CR 14 ) and takes the road into the town of Clinton . Another half-mile (800 m) north, at the next exit, NY 115 has its eastern terminus while Salt Point Turnpike continues. A slight western slant continues as the parkway traverses a landscape now thoroughly rural, with fields and woodlots alternating. Two more grade crossings, at Willow and Pumpkin lanes, follow through
4284-526: The north, after a small interchange with NY 141 , a three-level stack interchange allows access to the Saw Mill River Parkway northbound (and southbound from the southbound lanes). North of the interchange power lines and Saw Mill River Road ( New York State Route 9A or NY 9A and NY 100 ) on the west parallel the parkway past undeveloped Graham Hills County Park. The next exit, at Bedford Road ( NY 117 ), serves Pleasantville to
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#17328441502624368-451: The original concrete remains only between the US ;44 and northern NY 82 exits. The changes in the design of the northern Taconic also reflect higher speeds that mid-century automobiles were capable of, and improvements in construction technology. The track -equipped steam shovels that broke ground for the first section in Putnam County in 1931 were the most advanced excavators of
4452-472: The park leaving to the east at grade from the northbound lanes where the highway enters the town of Taghkanic . Another half-mile (800 m) to the north is the second interchange with NY 82. North of that exit, the parkway bends to the northeast again, paralleling the orientation of the county as a whole. It crosses briefly into the town of Claverack , then back into Taghkanic before reentering Claverack as it heads due east briefly, then north again into
4536-413: The parkway and carrying it over roads, were faced in native stone. Grade intersections, usually a feature engineers tried to avoid, which initially helped keep local east–west routes open and connect the parkway to the landscape it traversed, have since either been closed or replaced by overpasses. As a result, the Taconic has been the subject of much praise over the years not only for its vistas but for
4620-407: The parkway crosses into Putnam County . The road narrows shortly after the county line in the town of Putnam Valley , with the roadways reverting to two lanes and the shoulders replaced by soft curbs, in preparation for the rugged terrain of the next 12 miles (19 km). From this point north, the original design of the Taconic is still intact for the most part, aside from safety improvements like
4704-423: The parkway until it reaches one of its straightest stretches, which then curves to the first grade-separated exit in several miles, US 44 , the other main route to Poughkeepsie, between Millbrook and Pleasant Valley. The road passes through a much more wooded area as it makes a long curve into its next junction, the grade intersection at Hibernia Road. A bridge over Wappinger Creek 0.1 miles (160 m) to
4788-473: The parkway's design. Wider medians were also a lot easier to build in Dutchess and Columbia counties, as the land is much flatter than in Putnam County. When the parkway was modernized and widened in Westchester County, wide medians were installed for most of the length between the Sprain Brook Parkway and the Putnam County line. The Taconic came into being as a result due to the increasing presence of
4872-551: The plan, but it quickly became one. Many residents could not get to it because of insufficient ferry capacity. Its success as a park led to the establishment of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and the construction of Palisades Interstate Parkway to allow nonstop drives through scenic and wooded areas through Palisades Park up to the Bear Mountain Bridge . During his successful campaign for
4956-407: The population. There were 2,629 households, out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.0% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 15.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and
5040-534: The primary routes to northern New England and the Capital Region of New York from the Hudson Valley , New York City and Long Island . The southern sections, particularly in Westchester County, have become a commuter route into the city for residents who moved into towns that became suburbanized as a result of the parkway. The state and regional transportation planners have worked to adapt to this change since
5124-412: The purposes of gathering and correlating statistical data. CDPs are populated areas that generally include one officially designated but currently unincorporated community, for which the CDP is named, plus surrounding inhabited countryside of varying dimensions and, occasionally, other, smaller unincorporated communities as well. CDPs include small rural communities, edge cities , colonias located along
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#17328441502625208-568: The removal of all at-grade intersections. Curves become sharper, with the widest having a radius of 11,459 feet (3,493 m). It remains generally level for the first two miles (3.2 km), past the Bryant Pond Road exit serving Mahopac . The land around the road is heavily wooded and less developed than in Westchester. One mile (1.6 km) to the north, the road begins to descend 350 feet (110 m) in 1.1 miles (1.8 km) alongside
5292-538: The road returns to a northerly course, an exit allows entrance to Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park . It is followed by the Crompond Road ( U.S. Route 202 or US 202 and NY 35 ) exit, which serves Peekskill to the west as well as Yorktown. Just beyond it, the Bear Mountain State Parkway , a legacy of the Taconic's original planned route and purpose, leaves to the west as the road drops into
5376-499: The road, on the northern sections in Columbia and Dutchess counties, the road was routed to showcase a nearby view of wooded hillside or a farm. Since trucks were not permitted on the road—for some time, this even included privately owned pickup trucks used solely for personal use—in many sections tree branches overhang the roadways, creating a park-like canopy. The curve of the northbound AMVETS Memorial Bridge over Croton Reservoir echoes
5460-457: The same category of census data as incorporated places. This distinguishes CDPs from other census classifications, such as minor civil divisions (MCDs), which are in a separate category. The population and demographics of the CDP are included in the data of county subdivisions containing the CDP. Generally, a CDP shall not be defined within the boundaries of what the Census Bureau regards to be an incorporated city, village or borough. However,
5544-576: The southbound lanes via an underpass with on/off ramp. The two roadways descend and come together again by the Mountain Road grade crossing. It climbs a hill after the McDonnell Road crossing, then descends to the Rossway Road crossing. A quarter-mile (400 m) to the north, a dead-end road leaves the northbound lanes for the nearby Taconic–Hereford Multiple Use Area. Several other local roads cross
5628-423: The state Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the fourth agency to have that responsibility. Franklin D. Roosevelt , who had long envisioned a scenic road through the eastern Hudson Valley , was instrumental in making it a reality as a way to provide access to existing and planned state parks in the region. Its winding, hilly route was designed by landscape architect Gilmore Clarke to offer scenic vistas of
5712-428: The state's Department of Public Works (DPW), frequently complained about the commission's directive that he plan a route only where it had the land or expected to buy it, instead of planning a route and then buying the land. He also began negotiations with landowners, and his position was eliminated from the commission's budget after three years. His successor clashed with his superiors as well, and after he left in 1933
5796-506: The surrounding cemetery of that name. The road then becomes a four-lane freeway and crosses over the train line into a wooded area where the two roadways split wide apart, merging with the Sprain Brook Parkway . At the merge, the Taconic continues north as a wider, six-lane freeway. For the remainder of Westchester County, the Taconic has been rebuilt, widened, and modernized to meet the needs of commuter growth, bearing little resemblance to its original design. A thousand feet (300 m) to
5880-464: The surrounding hills. On the medians and berms, plantings were carefully planned to maintain continuity with the surrounding woods. On the descent into Peekskill Hollow in Putnam Valley , the trees and shrubs above the retaining wall on the east side were transplanted from the path of the highway, which retained the appearance of the local forest and saved money. Overpasses, both carrying roads over
5964-477: The terrain levels out again, it widens and begins to assume its scenic character in a growing, exurban area with at-grade intersections. Its northernmost section, located on the ridges between the Hudson Valley and the Taconic Mountains along the state borders to the east, offers mountain and hilltop vistas as the road itself continues to curve gently through bucolic surroundings. This winding route contributes to its 104.12-mile (167.56 km) length, which makes
6048-414: The time. Over the next decade, the cost of moving a cubic yard dropped to almost half of what it had been in the early 1920s. Later in the parkway's development, engineers began using aerial photographs to plan the route. The road's drainage system had some special features designed to avoid detracting from its scenic qualities. The roadway was crowned, with storm drain grates at the edge since there
6132-545: The town is the former railroad station, which was built in 1905, and had been a stop on the New York and Putnam Railroad Line (also called the "Old Put") . A popular hiking destination is Turkey Mountain , maintained by the Yorktown Land Trust. The North County Trailway is a popular running and bike path that can be accessed from Yorktown Heights. U.S. Route 202 passes through Yorktown Heights. The Taconic State Parkway
6216-420: The town of Ghent , with two more at-grade intersections, one of which being Rigor Hill Road, which features a gas station right on the side of the parkway. The Taconic continues to the north from here for five miles (8.0 km) more, crossing into the town of Chatham , with an exit for NY 203 shortly after. The parkway continues north through Chatham, where signs warn drivers that the NY 295 exit
6300-410: The town of LaGrange to the next exit a half-mile (800 m) beyond, at Noxon Road ( CR 21 ), a new exit accessible only to northbound traffic via an off-ramp. The road widens through a wooded area and then narrows past another service area just before Todd Hill Road. The road drops to cross a creek, then rises again to the NY 55 exit, one of two roads serving the city of Poughkeepsie to
6384-473: The town of Milan and climbs slowly through generally wooded area, passing another grade crossing at Cold Spring Road. The next exit, at NY 199 , is the last in Dutchess County. After another long bend east, the Taconic goes north again and crosses into Columbia County just past Roeliff Jansen Kill Multiple Use Area and the Jackson Corners Road ( CR 2 ) exit. The parkway terrain in Columbia
6468-539: The two bridges over New Croton Reservoir , part of the New York City water supply system . Once on the other side, in the town of Yorktown, they converge again to their previous width. The next exit, at Underhill Avenue, provides access to downtown Yorktown and the reservoir. Past the Baldwin Road exit a half mile (0.80 km) north of Underhill, the Taconic curves westward along the south side of Mohansic Lake . When
6552-501: The way it harmonizes with the surrounding landscape. Sociologist Lewis Mumford , who often criticized the effect of superhighway construction on contemporary cities, always advised friends traveling up from New York to visit him at his house in Amenia that they should take the Taconic. He described it as "a consummate work of art, fit to stand on a par with our loftiest creations". The engineers, he said, had avoided "brutal assaults against
6636-425: The west, near Freedom Plains . Its slow undulation with the landscape continues past the now closed Skidmore Road grade crossing as it heads due north into the town of Pleasant Valley and the less developed half of Dutchess County. The roadways separate widely (750 feet or 230 metres) again for a mile in the woods east of James Baird State Park . An entry road forks to the left from the northbound lanes and crosses
6720-522: The west. A grade crossing with a flashing overhead warning beacon was replaced in 2000 by a grade-separated exit, making the Appalachian Trail 's crossing here less hazardous. The Taconic levels off into a narrow section bearing due northeast along Hosner Mountain's steep west slope, with stone walls on either side. This ends after a mile with the Interstate ;84 (I-84) interchange. North of
6804-543: Was $ 108,648, and the median income for a family was $ 137,580. Males had a median income of $ 91,365 versus $ 80,261 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 41,349. Yorktown Heights possesses many historical landmarks, specifically related to Colonial times and the Revolutionary War. They include the Hyatt House, Lanes Tavern, and one of the first Presbyterian churches in the region. Another landmark famous to
6888-546: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historic importance in the development of parkways in the 20th century, and Roosevelt's role in creating it. It is the second-longest continuous road listed on the Register after Virginia's Skyline Drive , and the longest limited-access highway. The parkway continues to provide access to several state parks, including Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park . It has also become an important regional artery, one of
6972-473: Was no shoulder , to keep water from forming deep puddles that could cause accidents (these have been eliminated from modernized sections of the parkway in Westchester). The soft hand- fluted curbs also helped channel runoff to the basins, and in the median strips a central trench took water to underground pipes which drain into local streams. The median strips themselves were not part of the original design on
7056-477: Was reduced to 2,500. From 1950 through 1990, the Census Bureau specified other population requirements for unincorporated places or CDPs in Alaska , Puerto Rico , island areas, and Native American reservations . Minimum population criteria for CDPs were dropped with the 2000 Census . The Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) allows designated participants to review and suggest modifications to
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