Port Chester

Those who know and love Port Chester (of Rye in Westchester County, NY) are proud of its boating and farming heritage, as well as being the birthplace of Life Savers and Hubba's, an awesome stay-up-late chili restaurant found at 24 Main Street, which caters to its patrons as late as 5 am on weekends. People come here for the amazing ambiance and the “legendary” chili (as hailed by the New York Times). Fun Fact: The “secret” ingredient in Hubba Water is good ol' Hawaiian Punch!

Port Chester High School is also quite famous for both the building itself as well as its marching band. Both have been seen in major films, as the High School was used in “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” starring Luke Wilson and Uma Thurman; the marching band played in “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Spiderman 3”, as well as starred in the 1997 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. The school is fairly descent; SAT scores could be a bit better, but overall the school district is just fine as schools in Westchester County go.

Port Chester has its own Metro-North train station that can take you to NYC in under an hour, as well as access to the Bee-Line bus system that runs throughout Westchester county and can take you to major metropolitan areas like nearby White Plains. Port Chester itself has a few great shopping options like a Costco, Walgreen's, Marshall's, A.I. Friedman (a wonderful store that sells both creative art supplies and office materials, even gifts and furniture to boot); Bed Bath & Beyond; Khol's, and a Verizon Wireless. Awesome restaurants include Sonora (an award-winning, 5-star restaurant of Latin food by award-winning Master Chef, Raphael Palomino, who is from the country of Columbia in South America); Tarry Lodge, where you can enjoy the warm, relaxing atmosphere with traditional Italian food with a twist: like Clam Pie or Pizza with goat cheese, pistachio and honey; the Q Restaurant & Bar (a great place for kids during the day; a fun place for adults at night); Inca & Gaucho's (South American food of Incan Empire old-world charm) and others like Edo Japanese Steakhouse, Bar Taco, Los Gemelos, and the Willet House. You won't be without great shopping and eating choices in Port Chester!

Port Chester is an upper-to-middle class area where most of the homes cost over $400,000, but the school district and amenities and easy-made commute make it all worth it. You'll be glad you came. You might not even want to leave!

Port Chester is located on the border of New York and Connecticut, not far from Greenwich. Unlike its surrounding towns, Port Chester has a working-class vibe and a selection of lower-priced housing.

By 1950, Port Chester was well-established as one of the region’s leading factory towns, with Lifesavers, Fruit of the Loom and Arnold Bread among the many businesses. However, by the 1970s most of the factories had moved to other locations, beginning a decline that the town is only recently recovering from. During the town’s factory heyday, immigrants from Europe arrived and put down roots. The town’s immigrant base has shifted today, with most new arrivals hailing from Central and South America. Developing new retail centers has been part of the town’s revitalization strategy. The Waterfront at Port Chester has a multiplex cinema, Costco, Marshalls, and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

The town’s diversity has resulted in a great selection of ethnic restaurants, drawing people from all over while serving to enhance the town. Some of the choices include Brazilian, Indian, Italian, and Mexican. Many eateries participate in Westchester’s Restaurant Week, which gives diners opportunities to dine out for great prices. The town also puts on its “Taste of Port Chester” event, whose proceeds benefit the school district.

The Port Chester Public Schools educate approximately 4,000 students. Nearly half of the district’s students live in poverty, according to the New York Times. However, the district performs impressively; while its scores are not as strong as neighboring, affluent districts, the district reports 90% of its students are college bound. The district is in good standing with the state, and has good scores on state exams despite the challenges that come with so many students in poverty.

Port Chester has excellent cultural offerings. The Capitol Theater, which hosted Janis Joplin in 1970, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theater has not held a concert in fifteen years, but is preparing to reopen and bring excellent music back to the area. The Port Chester Fest, held annually, is an outdoor event featuring art workshops, performances, and vendors.

The town’s real estate offerings include several multi-family towns. Many of the single-family homes are older, with charming details. There are also many condominium units available.

The Village of Port Chester is in the City of Rye. As the name suggests, the village originated as a port and harbor town in the 18th century. Today the village has a reputation as a relatively moderately priced section of Westchester County with a remarkably diverse population. Port Chester is more middle income than wealthy. The houses sitting on well-maintained lots are not sprawling and there is a sense of a neighborhood rather than those unseen estates which are par for the course in some other Westchester communities. Port Chester offers economic and ethnic diversity.

The diversity in population is reflected in the interesting restaurants and eateries of this village. This is a big draw for people who want to try varied cuisine, particularly South American. This budding image as a foodie destination has also be augmented by the many other new areas opening up here such as the Mario Batali venture mentioned by another reviewer. The water front setting also adds to the charm of some of the restaurants such as the Bar Taco.

If the promise of reasonably priced property and cultural richness intrigues you, it may be good to know that Port Chester is also commuter-friendly as it is a train station on the New Haven Metro North train line.

The school system here is the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District and it has an average rather than a spectacular reputation. There are three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Interestingly there is also one magnet school.

Port Chester also offers great shopping options – it has one of the few Costco’s in the Westchester area. DSW Shoe Warehouse is here also. There is a AMC Movie complex for those looking for an evening at the movies.

Port Chester is a village in the town of Rye, NY. It is well-populated with a relatively profound Hispanic population of hard-working immigrants who add a flair and spice to the neighborhood well exemplified by the amazing array of authentic Latin American restaurants in the area. People from neighboring towns come specifically to check out the varying regional cuisines in everything from tapas restaurants to fine dining establishments to mom and pop store front eateries. In that sense, Port Chester has shed some of its previous negative aura and become an appealing culinary destination. Proof positive of that is world-renowned Food Network and Iron Chef, Mario Batali, renovated an old restaurant in the area and adjoining corner to make the stunning Tarry Lodge and Tarry Market. Tarry Lodge serves delectable Italian cuisine, gourmet pizzas that can be taken-out and a slew of fine wines from the famed vineyards of Lidia’s son, Joe Bastianich. There are also pizzerias, a watefront gourmet seafood restaurant, a taco bar by the water, and a very cool chili cheese dog joint called Pat’s Hubba Hubba that has dollar bills affixed all over the walls and a tried and true silver lunch counter.

The housing is definitely more affordable here, at least in comparison to its more affluent neighbors and there are a good deal of condos, co-ops, rental properties, and multi-family and single-family homes here. Port Chester is a popular choice for blue collar workers, families, students, artists and young families looking to buy their first home in Westchester County.

The shopping here is pretty darn good, too, and is a close second choice to bustling metropolis, White Plains. The shopping area by the waterfront in the center of town has a Costco, a Famous Footwear store, a Marshall’s and a large Stop & Shop. Elsewhere around Port Chester you will find Home Depot, Kohl’s, an A.I. Friedman, a quality wine and liquor store, a great discount store and Salvation Army with pretty good furniture, Nine West, and of course, the very cool Empire State Flea Market, with discounted finds of all kinds that gets relatively busy on the weekends when it is open. There is also a nice multiplex which shows all the latest and greatest films.

Port Chester still has its pockets of crime but if you avoid the rougher areas at night and use the buddy system, you should be fine.

The school system hasn’t quite caught up with the burgeoning businesses, but hopefully it will get there in coming years. For now, it is decent at best.

The median household income is $59,224. The median home value is $353,484 and the median rental rate is $1,400.

Port Chester is 60% Hispanic, 32% White, 5% Black and 2% Asian which definitely makes it a more ethnically diverse melting pot of a village than most in the area.

The population is 28.967 with the median age being 32.

Port Chester is a village that has been struggling for years to shake its slightly negative image. The town is well maintained and has lots of diverse and affordable housing. However, its reputation keeps it from attracting higher income residents because it has mainly been known as a place for poor immigrants and low income workers. While there is a significant percentage of low income households here, the median income is still well above the American average. The people here just make less than the people in Westchester's more affluent towns. There is a strong immigrant working class community here; about half of the town's residents are Hispanic or Latino. Port Chester does have a lot of shopping; there is the relatively new shopping district by the river, and there are lots of small ethnic shops and family businesses on Westchester Avenue. There are a lot of great ethnic restaurants; there is better and more Spanish/South American food here than in any other part of Westchester. The housing is relatively cheap here; there are lots of condos, co-ops, rental properties, and multi-family homes. However, this certainly isn't to say that everything in Port Chester is cheap. There are some nice areas within Port Chester, where the houses cost more. The school district here isn't very good.

Port Chester is a pretty densely populated town with houses that are close together. This is a very diverse village with a lot of hispanic immigrants. It's known to be geared toward the working class community so there isn't a whole lot of funding. It's probably part of the reason the school system doesn't rank very high.

The town isn't the safest but is still lower than the national average. As long as you stay away from the bad areas you don't have anything to worry about.

The small area of Port Chester by the water has some nice bars and restaurants. It's becoming the new trendy area to go to and is nice for a low-key Friday or Saturday night. Since it's on the waterfront expect to pay a few extra dollars for drinks. Away from the waterfront there are some great ethnic restaurants. Port Chester also has some of the best Mexican bakeries in the state.

There are various programs and activities organized through the recreation department like arts, sports, and summer camps that take place throughout Port Chester. It's not the typical small village where everyone knows each other but there still seems to be a sense of community.