White Plains, the county seat of Westchester County, New York since 1757, came into being in 1683. Men from nearby Rye, New York purchased 4,435 acres of land from the Weckquaeskeck Indians. They dubbed their purchase “White Plains”, translating the Indian “Quarropas” or white marshes or plains. Eighteen settlers were granted a patent to White Plains from King George II in 1721. At that time, homes, churches and businesses had already sprung up along the “Village Street”, now Broadway.
Urban Renewal changed the face of downtown White Plains between 1966 and 1980 with 130 acres redeveloped to facilitate growth of a modern central business district. By 2003, White Plains was undergoing a construction boom with $650 million in new development underway. The 2010 population of White Plains was recorded at 56, 853. However, it is estimated that several hundred thousand people come into White Plains every day to work, shop, and visit. White Plains has long had a reputation as a shopping and restaurant hub within the County and also offers exceptional educational, medical and cultural facilities. Learn more about White Plains, NY Geography here.
History of White Plains, New York
At the time of the Dutch settlement of Manhattan in the early 17th century, the region had been used as farmland by the Weckquaeskeck tribe, a Wappinger people, and was called "Quarropas." To early traders, it was known as "the White Plains," either from the white balsam (gnaphalium polycephalum) that was said to have covered it or from the heavy mist that local tradition suggests hovered over the swamplands near the Bronx River.
In 1758, White Plains became the seat of Westchester County when the colonial government for the county left West Chester, which was located in what is now the northern part of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. The unincorporated village remained part of the Town of Rye until 1788, when the Town of White Plains was created.
During September and October 1776, troops led by George Washington took up positions in the hills surrounding the village, hotly pursued by the British under General Sir William Howe, who attacked on October 28. The Battle of White Plains took place primarily on Chatterton Hill (later known as "Battle Hill," and located just west of what was then a swamp but is now the downtown area) and the Bronx River.
Following World War II, White Plains' downtown area developed into what amounted to a "destination" shopping district featuring branch stores of many famous New York-based department and specialty stores. Some of these retail locations were the first large-scale suburban stores built in the United States and ushered in the eventual post-war building boom. Beginning in the 1950s, many major corporations based in New York City relocated operations to White Plains and other suburban locations.