City Island

Overview

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City Island is a small island and a neighborhood approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long[1] by 0.5 miles (0.80 km) wide. At one time it was incorporated within the boundaries of Pelham, Westchester County, but it is now part of the New York City borough of the Bronx. As of the 2010 census the island had a population of 4,362.[1][2] Its land area is 1.023 km2 (0.395 sq mi, or 252.835 acres). The island is part of Bronx Community Board 10.

City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound, south of Pelham Bay and east of Eastchester Bay. The body of water between City Island and the even smaller and uninhabited Hart Island to the east is known as City Island Harbor. The small island adjacent to the northeast is High Island. The Stepping Stones Light, marking the main shipping channel into New York, is off the southern tip of the island, near the Long Island shore. It is part of the Pelham Islands, a group of islands originally belonging to Thomas Pell.

City Island’s history of European settlement began around 1614, when Adriaen Block claimed the land for the Dutch. Colonists from Europe began to arrive in greater numbers through the 1600s, forcing the local Siwanoy people off the land. In 1655, the Englishman Thomas Pell (ca.1608-1669) came to the island and purchased land from the Siwanoy. Dutch Governor Pieter Stuyvesant tried to eject him, but Pell refused to leave. He was eventually permitted to remain on condition that he swear an oath of allegiance to Dutch rule. The Pell family owned City Island until 1749.

Lesser Known Destinations Around NYC
updated 07/2015 by Rainforest Brazil