Editing Valhalla, New York

{{Short description|Hamlet in New York, United States}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2011}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name                   = Valhalla
| name                            = 
| settlement_type                 = [[Census-designated place|CDP]]
| nickname                        = 
| motto                           = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline                   = Kensico Dam.jpg
| imagesize                       = 
| image_caption                   = Kensico Dam at the [[Kensico Reservoir]] in Valhalla
| image_flag                      = 
| image_seal                      = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map                       = Westchester County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Valhalla highlighted.svg
| map_caption                     = Location of Valhalla, New York

<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type                = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name                = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1               = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1               = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester]]
| subdivision_type3               = [[Municipalities in Westchester County|Town]]
| subdivision_name3               = [[Mount Pleasant, New York|Mount Pleasant]]
| government_footnotes            = 
| government_type                 = 
| leader_title                    = 
| leader_name                     = 
| leader_title1                   = 
| leader_name1                    = 
| established_title               = 
| established_date                = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                       = Imperial
| area_footnotes                  = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude                  = 
| area_total_km2                  = 2.15
| area_land_km2                   = 2.15
| area_water_km2                  = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi                = 0.83
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 0.83
| area_water_sq_mi                = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of                = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes            = 
| population_total                = 3213
| population_density_km2          = 1495.44
| population_density_sq_mi        = 3871.08
| pop_est_as_of                   = 
| pop_est_footnotes               = 
| population_est                  = 
<!-- General information -->
| timezone                        = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset                      = −5
| timezone_DST                    = EDT
| utc_offset_DST                  = −4
| elevation_footnotes             = 
| elevation_m                     = 78
| elevation_ft                    = 256
| coordinates                     = {{Coord|41|4|30|N|73|46|31|W|region:US-NY_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code                     = 10595
| area_code                       = [[Area code 914|914]]
| blank_name                      = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info                      = 36-76639
| blank1_name                     = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info                     = 0968353
| website                         = 
| footnotes                       = 
}}

'''Valhalla''' ({{IPAc-en|v|æ|l|'|h|æ|l|ə}} {{respell|val|HAL|ə}}) is a [[Hamlet (New York)|hamlet]] and [[census-designated place]] (CDP) within the [[administrative divisions of New York#Town|town]] of [[Mount Pleasant, New York|Mount Pleasant]], in [[Westchester County, New York]], United States, in the [[New York City metropolitan area]]. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=https://www.census.gov| title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Valhalla CDP, New York| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=November 22, 2011}}</ref> The name was inspired by a fan of the composer [[Richard Wagner]], and the hamlet is known both as the home of the primary hospital campus of [[Westchester Medical Center]] and [[New York Medical College]] and as the burial place of numerous noted people. ''[[Valhalla]]'' is named after the hall of the slain in [[Norse mythology]].

== History ==
{{expand section |information on the hamlet’s settlement and more actual history of the community|date=May 2024}}

=== Kensico Cemetery ===
{{Main|Kensico Cemetery}}
[[File:The Lake at Kensico Cemetery.JPG|thumb|right|Kensico Cemetery]]

The [[Kensico Cemetery]] was founded in 1889 in Valhalla at a time when many of the cemeteries in the city of [[New York City|New York]] were filling up, and several rural cemeteries were founded near the railroads that served the metropolis. Initially {{convert|250|acre|ha}} in size, the cemetery was expanded to {{convert|600|acre|km2}} in 1905, but reduced to {{convert|460|acre|km2}} in 1912, when a portion of its land was sold to the neighboring [[Gate of Heaven Cemetery]].

The Kensico Cemetery is the final resting place of numerous famous people, including legendary [[New York Yankees]] star [[Lou Gehrig]]; virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]]; the author [[Ayn Rand]]; and [[NBC]] founder [[David Sarnoff]]. It was also, after [[Suicide of Danny Chen|his suicide]], the final resting place of Pvt. Danny Chen.

Valhalla and neighboring Hawthorne are fairly densely packed with cemeteries, albeit not as densely as [[Colma, California|Colma]], [[California]].

=== Recent events ===
On July 12, 2006, the [[2006 Westchester County tornado|Westchester tornado]], an [[Fujita scale|F2]] event, touched down in nearby [[Hawthorne, New York|Hawthorne]] and proceeded to move into Valhalla, causing much destruction in the Stonegate section of the community. This was one of the strongest [[tornado]]es the area had ever seen, as tornadoes of this magnitude are mostly in the [[Midwest]]. Power lines were knocked down, and hundreds of trees were uprooted. There were no deaths, but much of Valhalla changed as a result.{{how|date=May 2024}}

On September 11, 2006, ''[[The Rising (memorial)|The Rising]]'' memorial to [[September 11 attacks|September 11]] victims was dedicated at the [[Kensico Dam]] by Westchester County and the Westchester County September 11 Memorial Committee. ''The Rising'' honors the 109 county residents who were killed in the terrorist attacks.

In July 2007, Valhalla hosted the opening ceremony of the 2007 [[Empire State Games]]. The ceremony was held at the Kensico Dam honoring the athletes and their families and was attended by Governor [[Eliot Spitzer]] among other politicians. [[ESPN]]'s [[Jeremy Schaap]] was a keynote speaker.

On February 3, 2015, in the [[Valhalla train crash]], a [[Metro-North]] train crashed into a Mercedes-Benz SUV<ref>{{cite news |last=Santora |first=Marc |last2=Flegenheimer |first2=Matt |url=http://nyti.ms/1EFSFeV |title=Investigation Underway in Metro-North Train Crash |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 4, 2015 |access-date=February 4, 2015 }}</ref> that was stuck on the tracks at Commerce Street near the [[Taconic State Parkway]]. The crash caused six deaths and 15 injuries, including seven seriously injured.<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |last1=Trott |first1=Bill |last2=Heavey |first2=Susan |title=Cuomo says death toll in commuter train accident revised to six |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-newyork-train-idUSKBN0L801U20150204 |publisher=[[Reuters]]|access-date=August 17, 2017|date=February 4, 2015}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the hamlet has a total area of {{convert|2.1|km2|order=flip}}, all  land.<ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.census.gov| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Valhalla CDP, New York| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=November 22, 2011}}</ref>
[[File:Valhalla train station.jpg|thumb|right|[[Valhalla (Metro-North station)|Valhalla train station]]]]
[[File:Hartford-hall.jpg|thumb|right|[[John A. Hartford House]]]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2020= 3213
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 5,379 people, 1,847 households, and 1,470 families residing in the hamlet. The population density was {{convert|2,010.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,886 housing units at an average density of {{convert|704.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the hamlet was 95.85% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.76% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.07% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.12% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.30% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.87% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.36% of the population.

Valhalla has a large Italian-American population. As of the [[2000 United States Census|2000 U.S. Census]], 34.2% of residents were of Italian ancestry, the 28th highest number of Italian-Americans per capita of all communities in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Italian.html|title = Ancestry Map of Italian Communities|date = October 2005|website = ePodunk|access-date = July 7, 2015|archive-date = May 12, 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070512200911/http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Italian.html|url-status = dead}}</ref>

There were 1,847 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% were [[Marriage|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.

As noted above, Valhalla's population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census, an apparent decline of 2,217 that may reflect the impact of the 2006 tornado, but more likely due to redrawing of CDP borders, which can change from one census to the next.

==Economy and institutions==
Valhalla is the location of [[Westchester Medical Center]], [[New York Medical College]], [[Westchester Community College]] of the [[State University of New York]], and the Westchester County jail.

In April 2017, Westchester County officials unveiled plans for an 80-acre, 3 million square-foot [[biotechnology]] hub to be built with US$1.2 billion in private investment on vacant land adjacent to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla; the bioscience center, a public-private partnership, is anticipated to create 12,000 new jobs and include over 2.25 million square feet of biotechnology [[research]] space.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whiteplains.dailyvoice.com/business/12b-westchester-biotech-center-deal-will-create-12k-jobs-officials-say/706041/|title=$1.2B Westchester Biotech Center Deal Will Create 12K Jobs, Officials Say|publisher=White Plains Daily Voice|date=April 3, 2017|access-date=April 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2017/04/03/biotech-research-valhalla/99974708/|title=Biotech research: Massive Valhalla center forges ahead|author=Richard Liebson|publisher=LoHud the Journal News - part of the USA TODAY network|date=April 3, 2017|access-date=April 3, 2017}}</ref>

== 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 hamlet.  Along this road is the [[Valhalla (Metro-North station)|Valhalla train station]]. The Valhalla train station is located right off the [[Taconic State Parkway]], across from the hamlet's commercial center. The train station is the next major stop of [[Metro-North Railroad]] after [[North White Plains (Metro-North station)|North White Plains]], when proceeding northbound from [[New York City]].

Columbus Avenue also contains the [[Kensico Dam]], and Holy Name of Jesus Church, as well as shops and restaurants.  The Valhalla ZIP Code (10595) includes portions of the towns of Mount Pleasant, [[Greenburgh, New York|Greenburgh]], and [[North Castle, New York|North Castle]]. The hamlet is bordered by the North White Plains area of North Castle, the northernmost portion of the town of Greenburgh, and the hamlets of [[Thornwood, New York|Thornwood]] and [[Hawthorne, New York|Hawthorne]], both within Mount Pleasant.  The Valhalla School District, comprising parts of the three towns, is served by the Virginia Road Elementary School, located in the southernmost part of the hamlet in Greenburgh, and the Kensico School and Valhalla Middle and High Schools, all located along Columbus Avenue in Mount Pleasant. Some residents with Valhalla addresses are in the Mount Pleasant Central School District, served by Westlake High School in Thornwood. The [[John A. Hartford House]] was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1977 as a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref> It serves as administrative offices of SUNY Westchester Community College.

==Education==
Public education in Valhalla is provided by the [[Valhalla Union Free School District]], which operates four schools: Virginia Road School, Kensico School, Valhalla Middle School, and [[Valhalla High School (New York)|Valhalla High School]].

Some areas of Valhalla are served by [[Westlake High School (New York)|Westlake High School]], located in nearby [[Thornwood, New York|Thornwood]].

The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York]] previously operated a Catholic school in Valhalla, Holy Name of Jesus School, which closed in 2013.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|author=Otterman, Sharon|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/nyregion/new-york-archdiocese-to-close-24-schools.html?_r=0|title=New York Archdiocese to Close 24 Schools|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 23, 2013|access-date=January 25, 2014}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Kevin Meaney]] (1956–2016), actor and comedian 
* [[Dalmazio Santini]] (1923–2001), composer
* [[Sal Yvars]] (1924–2008), Major League Baseball player

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Valhalla, New York}}

{{New York}}
{{Westchester County, New York}}

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[[Category:Census-designated places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Westchester County, New York]]
[[Category:Hamlets in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Hamlets in Westchester County, New York]]