New Rochelle, New York

About New Rochelle, New York

New Rochelle (French: Nouvelle-Rochelle /la nuvɛl ʁoʃɛl/ (help·info)) is a city in the south-east portion of the U.S. state of New York in Westchester County.

The town was settled by refugee Huguenots (French Protestants) in 1688 who were fleeing tyrannical Catholic pogroms in France. Many of the settlers were artisans and craftsmen from the city of La Rochelle France, thus influencing the choice of the name of "New Rochelle."

New Rochelle is 16 miles (26 km) from Grand Central Terminal in New York City and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the NYC border (Pelham Bay Park in The Bronx). The era of suburban living began in the late 1800s when the New York & New Haven Railroad opened a line with a stop in New Rochelle. It was during this period that the city became famous as a summer resort. New Rochelle soon became one of the country's first 'bedroom communities', with most residents traveling daily to New York City for work, and back home to the suburbs to sleep. The 1960s television hit The Dick Van Dyke Show popularized New Rochelle suburban life as an American ideal.