Rye Brook has been designated as a Tree City USA for 14 years.[3]
History
Rye Brook is located in southeastern Westchester County and shares its eastern border with Greenwich, Connecticut. The village was an unincorporated section of the town of Rye until its incorporation as a village on July 7, 1982.[4][5]
In 1982, 150 residents of the unincorporated area proposed to establish the village of Rye Brook and organized a petition containing 1,536 signatures. The petition drive, which contained the signatures of approximately 36% of the registered voters in the unincorporated area, was organized by the Independent Civic Association.[6] It was reported by The New York Times that one resident commented, "There is a time for a community to redefine itself," further stating that residents of the unincorporated area "should be able to elect their own officers" and "protect their tax base."[6]
The residents of the unincorporated area voted on June 23, 1982 to create the Village of Rye Brook. It was the first village created in New York State in 54 years.[7] The referendum to create the new political identity passed with 58% of the voters in favor (1,991 to 1,434).[7] The first election in the Village's history was held to elect a mayor and four trustees. The first village official was Lee Russillo, who was sworn in as Rye Brook's first Village Clerk, and was responsible for the first election day.[7]
In 1983, 800 Westchester Avenue, described as the "Taj Mahal of Rye Brook"[10] and the "contemporary equivalent to the classical villa," was constructed as the General Foods Corporate Headquarters.[11]
As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 8,602 people, 3,122 households, and 2,435 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,479.0 inhabitants per square mile (957.1/km2). There were 3,224 housing units at an average density of 929.1 per square mile (358.7/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 91.96% White, 1.03% African American, 0.21% Native American, 4.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.36% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.44% of the population.
There were 3,122 households, out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
Government
The village of Rye Brook is governed by a mayor and a five-member Board of Trustees, all volunteers. Jason Klein is the current mayor.[15] The board appoints a village administrator who runs day-to-day operations in the city.[15] Rye Brook has its own police and fire departments. The police department, led by a chief of police, consists of 28 officers and one support staffer.[16] The fire department operates one firehouse, and the Port Chester Fire Department has a contract with the village to respond to calls. Port Chester's fire chief also oversees the Rye Brook police department.[17]
Rye Brook residents have access to the historic Rye Town Park-Bathing Complex and Oakland Beach through the town of Rye, although the complex is located in the city of Rye, a separate municipality.
Rye Brook has six main parks totaling nearly 100 acres (0.40 km2):[18]
Pine Ridge Park: Contains two little league fields, four tennis courts, two basketball courts, and a playground. The park is located on the corner of Latonia Road and Mohegan Lane.
Garabaldi Park: Has two basketball courts, one tennis court, a Little League field, and a playground. Garibaldi Park stands on Garibaldi Place opposite to the Anthony J. Posillipo Community Center.
Harkness Park: This park contains four tennis courts and is the home of Blind Brook Tennis. Harkness lies next to Blind Brook High School.
Rye Hills Park: This park, which is next to Crawford Park, has a walking trail, game tables, a basketball court, and a lookout towards Long Island Sound.
Rye Brook-King Street Athletic Fields: This park contains a soccer/football/lacrosse/field hockey field and a softball field. These fields are made of artificial turf, rather than traditional grass fields. These are the first artificial turf fields built in the village. Ground was broken for the project in the fall of 2005 and construction was completed in September 2006. The scoreboard and bathroom/storage facilities were completed in October 2006. These fields are located next to Blind Brook High School on King Street. Parking for the fields are at the High School and a stairway has been built as an accessway to the fields from the high school.
Crawford Park is owned by the Town of Rye. The park is used for soccer, tee-ball, and softball by the village. There is a walking path along the perimeter of the park which is very popular among dog walkers and joggers alike.
The village has two alternative passive parks:
Magnolia Park: This park has an open grass field.
Rich Manor Park: This site is an open field and has views of Blind Brook.
Blind Brook High School is the only high school in the Blind Brook School District, and is ranked #22 in the state and #159 in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2018 "Best High Schools" rankings.[19]
Port Chester High School is the only high school in the Port Chester–Rye Union Free School District, and is ranked #134 in the state and #1481 in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2018 "Best High Schools" rankings.[20]
The median income for a household in the village was $98,864, and the median income for a family was $111,287. Males had a median income of $75,712 versus $45,698 for females. The per capita income for the village was $48,617. About 1.8% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.
