Rye

Distance to NYC: 40 minutes

Population: 14,936

Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York. The City of Rye is separate from the Town of Rye and is the smallest city in the county. The city has a total area of 20 square miles.

Established in 1660, Rye has a real sense of history about it. A group of farmers from Greenwich, Connecticut established the community and named it after their original home in England. In the early 19th century, Rye became a summer resort for wealthy New Yorkers who built estates on the water. Rye was the home and is the burial place of John Jay, a Founding Father and the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

With its location on Long Island Sound and renowned for its picturesque neighborhoods, Rye is primarily a bedroom community for New York City commuters. Rye has the ambiance of a small New England town like its neighbors in nearby Connecticut.

Rye boasts ample open space including a city beach. The Rye Nature Center offers wooded trails, a bird sanctuary and nature museum. The city also maintains parks with tennis courts, athletic fields and playgrounds. Rye has a municipal marina. Golf is available at the municipally owned Rye Golf Club. Playland Amusement Park, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, calls Rye home.

Purchase Street is the central shopping area with its assortment of specialty stores, coffee bars and delis. White Plains and Stamford, Connecticut offer more extensive shopping and are only 10 minutes away.

Rye is known to have a well established public school system with 3 elementary schools, one middle school, one high school and one alternative high school for students who learn best in a non-traditional setting. Rye is also home to Rye Country Day School.