1701Civil Rights
== History ==
=== Colonial era ===
Caleb Heathcote purchased land that would become Scarsdale at the end of the 17th century and, on March 21, 1701, had it elevated to a royal...
1712History
The first local census of 1712 counted twelve inhabitants, including seven African slaves.
1721History
When Caleb died in 1721, his daughters inherited the property.
1774Civil Rights
The estate was broken up in 1774, and the town was officially founded on March 7, 1788.
1821Military
Scarsdale's wartime history formed the basis for James Fenimore Cooper's 1821 novel, The Spy: A Tale of the Neutral Ground, written while the author lived at the Angevine Farm i...
1830History
The true population climbed slowly from 317 in 1830 to 342 in 1850 — the vast majority farmers and farm workers.
1846Infrastructure
In 1846, the New York and Harlem Railroad connected Scarsdale to New York City, leading to an influx of commuters.
1891Culture
The Arthur Suburban Home Company purchased a 150-acre (0.61 km2) farm in 1891 and converted it into a subdevelopment of one-family dwellings, starting a transformation of the co...
1893Disaster
The Fire Department was founded in 1893, with the first station being located on Sprague Road.
1901Infrastructure
== Media ==
The Scarsdale Inquirer, a form weekly newspaper that reported on local issues, began publishing in 1901.
1904History
Civil institutions soon appeared: the Heathcote Association (1904), the Town Club (1904), the Scarsdale Woman's Club (1918) and the Scarsdale League of Women Voters (1921).
1909Government
=== Police ===
The Scarsdale Police Department was founded in 1909.
1911Government
== Government ==
Scarsdale selects its Board of Trustees using a nonpartisan system that dates back to 1911.
1912Education
Scarsdale High School and Greenacres Elementary School were built in 1912, and the Edgewood Elementary School opened in 1918.
1915History
By 1915, the population approached 3000.
1923History
Harrison in 1923 and Officer Charles Ackerly in 1956.
1928Culture
Scarsdale's public library, which had been housed in historic Wayside Cottage since 1928, moved to its present structure on the White Plains Post Road in 1951.
1930History
By 1930, that number approached 10,000.
1934Education
Leisure: A Suburban Study (Columbia University Press, 1934) in-depth sociological study of clubs in Scarsdale
O'Connor, Carol A.
1938Architecture
Spencer Scott, who raised $100,000 for the project after the village rejected a bond issue to fund the building in 1938.
1945History
=== 1945–present ===
Scarsdale became the subject of national controversy in the 1950s when a "Committee of Ten" led by Otto Dohrenwend alleged "Communist infiltration" in the p...
1953Education
The last of the town's five elementary schools, Heathcote School, opened in September 1953.
1954History
Scarsdale: From Colonial Manor to Modern Community (1954) online
Lundberg, George A.; Mirra Komarovsky; and Mary Alice McInerny.
1976History
Of Colonists and Commuters: A History of Scarsdale (Junior League of Scarsdale, 1976)
== External links ==
Official website
Historical records from Westchester County Archives
1985Government
Scarsdale (1985), that established the so-called "reindeer rule" regarding public nativity scenes and upheld the right of local religious groups to place crèches on public prope...
1991History
By 1991, many Japanese businesspeople with work assignments in New York City chose to move en masse to Scarsdale.
2000History
=== Ethnic groups ===
As of 2000 Scarsdale was a favorite location for Japanese expatriates working in the US.
2007History
=== Events ===
The Scarsdale Town Pool was the swimming venue for the 2007 Empire State Games.
2020History
== Demographics ==
As of the 2020 census, there were 18,253 people and 5,510 households in the village.
2021Architecture
The library was renovated extensively, and after operating at a secondary temporary location for several years, re-opened in 2021.
2022History
On January 1, 2022, the village of Scarsdale banned the sale of all tobacco and cannabis products as well as smoking on public property for people of all ages.
2024Culture
However, due to financial difficulties, the Inquirer released its last article on January 19, 2024.
2025History
Steven DelBene was appointed to serve as Chief of Police in January 2025, and assumed office in February 2025.