Scarsdale is both a town and village located in Westchester County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, it had a total population of 17,823.

Scarsdale has elected to operate as a village government even though the Village of Scarsdale is coterminous with the Town of Scarsdale. It is one of several villages in the state that have a similar governmental situation (see: description of town in N.Y. State).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 17.2 km² (6.6 mi²). 17.2 km² (6.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.15% is water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 17,823 people, 5,662 households, and 4,993 families residing in the village. The population density is 1,036.4/km² (2,685.7/mi²). There are 5,795 housing units at an average density of 337.0/km² (873.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 84.10% White, 1.52% Black or African American, 0.02% Native American, 12.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. 2.62% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 5,662 households out of which 51.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.8% are married couples living together, 5.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 11.8% are non-families. 10.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.14 and the average family size is 3.35.

In the village the population is spread out with 32.8% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village is $182,792, and the median income for a family is $200,000. Males have a median income of $100,000 versus $62,319 for females. The per capita income for the village is $89,907. 2.8% of the population and 1.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Many of the commercial buildings in the villages of Scarsdale, such as Harwood Court (shown above), feature an imitation Elizabethan half-timbered appearance.

Scarsdale Postal Zone

Scarsdale's zip code of 10583 is infamous for spilling over into nearly every other city, town, or village on its borders. Though this is intended to drive up real estate values in less prestigious locales (allowing people who technically live just outside Scarsdale to still claim Scarsdale residence), it also causes resentment among many in these towns who do not wish to be associated with the perceived snobbery of Scarsdale.

The 10583 zip code extends into the City of New Rochelle, the Town of Mamaroneck, the Town of Eastchester, the City of Yonkers, and the Edgemont hamlet of the Town of Greenburgh. Perhaps related to their proximity to Scarsdale, the areas of these municipalities within the Scarsdale zip code tend to be seen as the more "upscale" end of their respective towns, often blending in with their neighbor.

The population of the Scarsdale zip code is more than twice that of Scarsdale proper.

Notable People

People associated with Scarsdale include:

• Eric Alterman, columnist
• Billy Collins, poet laureate of the United States, raised in Edgemont.
• Linda Eastman, photographer. Later became the wife of Beatle Paul McCartney (Eastman was an SHS graduate)
• Eve Ensler, dramatist. Raised (http://talentdevelop.com/EveEnsler.html) in Scarsdale, attended SHS.
• Jeff Hoffmann Jeffrey A. Hoffman (Ph.D.), astronaut. Born Brooklyn but "considers Scarsdale to be his hometown", see bio (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/hoffman.html) at NASA website. (SHS graduate)
• Gish Jen (pseudonym of Lillian Jen), novelist. Born in Scarsdale, 1956. A thinly disguised version of Scarsdale is a subject of some of her works.
• Harold Krents, lawyer, whose life story inspired the drama Butterflies are Free. (SHS graduate)
• Liza Minnelli, singer and actress, lived in Scarsdale with her mother, Judy Garland and attended Scarsdale High School. She also toured Europe and Israel in an SHS production of The Diary of Anne Frank.
• Yoko Ono, singer. Her family moved to Scarsdale in the early 1950's; she later joined them from Japan.
• Aaron Sorkin, writer and creator of the TV series Sports Night and The West Wing. Raised (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0815070/bio) in Scarsdale.
• Benjamin Siegel, gangster and Las Vegas resort builder. He owned a house in Scarsdale from 1929 on; he was increasingly absent in later years but his family continued to live there.
• Ivan Sutherland, computer graphics pioneer. (SHS graduate)
• Nina Totenberg, NPR legal correspondent. (SHS graduate)
• Paul Heyman, television writer, wrestling promoter (Edgemont High School Graduate)

Scarsdale in popular culture

The Scarsdale diet

The name "Scarsdale" became more familiar in 1979 with the publication of The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet by Scarsdale physician Dr. Herman Tarnower and Samm Baker. The book became a bestseller, and the "Scarsdale Diet," a low-carbohydrate, high-protein weight-loss diet, is still popular today. "Scarsdale" again appeared in headlines in 1980 when "the Scarsdale Diet doctor" was murdered by his long-time lover, Jean Harris.

In song

Scarsdale is mentioned in a 1950 Frank Loesser song lyric, in which a Broadway man chides a woman's marital aspirations by saying "You have wished yourself a Scarsdale Galahad, a breakfast-eating Brooks Brothers type." The lyric is reportedly a reference to Lee Eastman (father of Linda Eastman) who was an attorney who represented Loesser and other people in show business. The town is also mentioned in the Steely Dan song "Hey Nineteen".

External links

• Scarsdale official website (http://www.village.scarsdale.ny.us/)
• Scarsdale schools official website (http://www.scarsdaleschools.com/)

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=40.992121&longitude=-73.787041&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=40.992121&lon=-73.787041&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=-73.787041&lat=40.992121&w=750&h=500)