NEW ROCHELLE, a city of Westchester county, New York, U.S.A., on Long Island sound, the Boston Post road and Hutchin son River parkway, 16 m. N.E. of the Grand Central station in New York city. It is served by the New York, New Haven and Hartford and electric railways. Pop. (1920) 36,213 (23% foreign born white) ; 54,000 in the year 1930. New Rochelle is primar ily a residential suburb of New York, with some fine old colonial dwellings still standing, and many beautiful modern residential districts of park-like contour. It is the seat of the College of New Rochelle (Roman Catholic ; 1904). The city has an area of 10.2 sq.m., 9 m. of water front, and a rolling surface reaching an altitude of 289 feet. Zoning ordinances are in effect, and there is a city-planning commission. Besides three city parks covering 83 ac., there are within the city limits parks, parkways and bathing beaches (including Glen island) aggregating 385 ac., owned by the county. There is comparatively little manufacturing, except for local consumption. The Knickerbocker Press is in the out
skirts of the city. The assessed valuation for 1927 was $134,200, 524, and the value of exempt property is estimated at $15,000,000. On the landward side the city is fringed by residential suburbs, including Larchmont, Pelham and Pelham Manor. The farm given by the State to Thomas Paine at the close of the Revolution is marked by a monument on the road to White Plains, and the farmhouse is now a museum. On David's island, 2 M. S.W. of New Rochelle, is Ft. Slocum, a U.S. army post. The New York Athletic club has a country clubhouse on Travers island, just east of Pelham Manor. The first settlement of importance on the site of New Rochelle was made in 1688 by Huguenots, some of whom came from La Rochelle. The village was incorporated in 1847 and in 1899 it became a city. In 1850 the population was 2,458. By 1900 it had grown to 14,720, and between 190o and 1910 it practically doubled.