Things to do in Yonkers
Yonkers is the fourth largest city in New York State, at the border of The Bronx. When you visit this city, you may find that it has several attractions such as the Yonkers Raceway, a weekly flea market, and many large shopping centers. Yonkers is spread out over the hills from the eastern banks of the Hudson River. You can see the spire of Sacred Heart Chapel from Long Island, New York City, and New Jersey. The Bronx River separates Yonkers from Mount Vernon, Tuckahoe, Eastchester, Bronxville, and Scarsdale.
Give a little
When you visit, you may learn that the city was built on land that was part of a 24,000-acre land grant that ran from the border of Manhattan and the Bronx at Marble Hill, and from the Hudson to the Bronx Rivers. It was given in 1645 by the Dutch. For its first two hundred years, Yonkers was a small farming town with an active waterfront. Later growth depended on the developing industry, which lasted until just after World War II.
Since then, it has primarily been a commuter city with excellent infrastructure. Being only 15 minutes from Manhattan, it is an excellent place to stay. Interestingly, the first golf course in the United States was founded here in 1888 by Scottish immigrant John Reid – the St. Andrew’s Golf Club. It was also where the first FM radio broadcast occurred and where the longest-running pirate radio station operated in the 1970s through the 1980s.
Get to know the area
There are many small residential communities within Yonkers, but the area is easily divided into four quarters, demarcated by the Saw Mill River. When you visit your New York hybrid car rental you can explore them all. Northeast Yonkers is heavily Irish- and Italian-American. This is a mostly suburban area of the town, although not as much so as the Town of Greenburgh to the north.
Some of the landmarks here include St. Vladimir’s Seminary, the Tanglewood Shopping Center (where the Tanglewood Boys gang once made their home), and Sarah Lawrence College. Northwest Yonkers is a collection of widely varying neighborhoods. There are beautiful Victorian-era homes in this section.
Yonkers Attractions
Points of interest include the Hudson River Museum, Untermyer Park, and the Lenoir Nature Preserve. Southeast Yonkers bears more resemblance to parts of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Southwest Yonkers has suffered from economic, political, and social challenges in the past, but there is currently a decrease in crime and newly gentrified areas (similar to what is happening in Harlem and Brooklyn). In the 80s and 90s, Yonkers developed a reputation for racial tension which was largely due to a public housing project. Today, Yonkers has a lower crime rate than similarly-sized cities such as Buffalo and Rochester, so you can feel safe when you visit with your New York hybrid car rental.
When you visit Yonkers, you can explore some of the landmarks such as Sarah Lawrence College, or just drive around to see some of the Victorian homes.