Bronx County is a county located in the U.S. State of New York, coterminous with the borough of The Bronx in New York City.6.
It was named for Jonas Bronck, sometimes given as Jacob or Joseph Bronck, the first settler in the area. (Note that the borough name is officially The Bronx, but the county name is officially just Bronx, without the definite article.) As of 2000, the population is 1,332,650.
History
The territory now contained within Bronx County was originally part of Westchester County, an original county of New York State. Specifically, the present Bronx County was contained in four towns: Westchester, Yonkers, Eastchester, and Pelham. In 1846, a new town, West Farms, was created by secession from Westchester; in turn, in 1855, the town of Morrisania seceded from West Farms. In 1873, the town of Kingsbridge seceded from Yonkers.
In 1874, the western portion of the present Bronx County , consisting of the towns of Kingsbridge, West Farms, and Morrisania, was transferred to New York County, and in 1895 the remainder of the present Bronx County, consisting of the Town of Westchester and portions of Eastchester and Pelham, was transferred to New York County. In 1914, those parts of the then New York County which had been annexed from Westchester County were constituted the new Bronx County. New York City had also annexed the present-day Bronx County.
In 1997 the Bronx was designated an "All American City" by the National Civic Council. The Bronx cheer and a popular cocktail was named after this borough. The Bronx also has much affordable housing, as well as upscale neighborhoods like Riverdale and Country Club Estates. It borders on Westchester County. Famous Bronxites include Regis Philbin, Carl Reiner, Danny Aiello, Colin Powell, Penny Marshall, Jennifer Lopez, George Carlin, Garry Marshall, and Red Buttons.
The Bronx's attractions include Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees baseball club, the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden, Little Italy on Arthur Avenue, Wave Hill, Fordham University, Manhattan College, and the Bronx River - the only river that runs through an entire borough. The Bronx has the largest amount of parkland of any borough.
Law and government
Like the other counties which are contained within New York City, the Bronx is nominally presided over by a borough president. The borough is also served by various county courts, as well as a district attorney (public prosecutor).
Geography
As a part of New York City, Bronx County contains no other political subdivisions. It is located at 40°42'15" North, 73°55'5" West (40.704234, -73.917927)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 148.7 km² (57.4 mi²). 108.9 km² (42.0 mi²) of it is land and 39.9 km² (15.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 26.82% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,332,650 people, 463,212 households, and 314,984 families residing in the borough. The population density is 12,242.2/km² (31,709.3/mi²). There are 490,659 housing units at an average density of 4,507.4/km² (11,674.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough is 29.87% White, 35.64% African American, 0.85% Native American, 3.01% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 24.74% from other races, and 5.78% from two or more races. 48.38% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 463,212 households out of which 38.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.4% are married couples living together, 30.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% are non-families. 27.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.78 and the average family size is 3.37.
In the borough the population is spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough is $27,611, and the median income for a family is $30,682. Males have a median income of $31,178 versus $29,429 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $13,959. 30.7% of the population and 28.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 41.5% are under the age of 18 and 21.3% are 65 or older.
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