As part of New York’s Westchester County, White Plains is the eleventh-largest city in the Empire State. White Plains is also an inner suburb of New York City, and is just 25 miles north of Midtown Manhattan.
Here are five interesting White Plains, New York facts.
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- New York State was formed in White Plains. (source) It was on July 9, 1776 that one of the most historic events in the history of New York happened right in White Plains. It was on this day that a committee led by John Jay received a copy of the Declaration of Independence, which they would approved and read to the townspeople just two days later. With this approved, the colony officially formed New York State.
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- Among school districts across the United States, White Plains spends the 9th most on their students. (source) Per a recent study using census bureau data, it was found that White Plains City School District spends an average of $28,261 on each student. Across all United States school districts, this was the 9th highest amount in the country, and it’s also the 8th most across New York State.
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- The Jacob Purdy House is one of the most historic sites in White Plains. (source) In 1778, the Jacob Purdy House served as General George Washington’s headquarters. Nearly 200 years later, in 1973, the building was restored and transported to a new location in White Plains, and today exists as the headquarters for the White Plains Historical Society. Other historic sites in White Plains include the Percy Grainger Home and the White Plains Armory.
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- White Plains was purchased in 1683. (source) It was in 1683 that settlers purchased the 4,435 acres that would become known as White Plains, New York, from the Weckquaeskeck Indians. The land was named “White Plans,” as it’s the translation from the Indian word “Quarropas,” which means ‘white marshes or plains’
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- The tallest building in White Plains is the Residences at the Ritz Carlton. (source) The building, which was constructed in 2009, stands at 492 feet tall and has 44 floors, making it the tallest building in White Plains, New York.
White Plains has an incredibly storied history dating back to the 1600s. What other fun facts about White Plains, New York do you have to share?
Featured image photo credit: Steve Carrea, 2012. Originally found on Wikimedia.org. Image was resized and cropped. This image is in the public domain.
