White Plains, city (1990 pop. 48,718), seat of Westchester co., SE N.Y., N of New York City; settled by Puritans from Connecticut in 1683; inc. as a village 1866, as a city 1916. The primary employment center for the county, the city has large shopping malls and light industries. The headquarters for several corporations and laboratories are located in numerous corporate parks ringing the city. The state convention that ratified the Declaration of Independence met (1776) in White Plains. The battle of White Plains (1776), a principal engagement of the American Revolution, followed Gen. George Washington's retreat from New York City. Washington briefly made his headquarters (1738) in White Plains at the Elijah Miller House, which still stands. Other buildings from the Revolutionary period are also preserved. The city is the site of a country cultural center, the law school and graduate center of Pace Univ., and the New York School for the Deaf.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography
