Distance to NYC: 50 Miles
Local Somers Neighborhoods:
Somers is a town in the northeast part of Westchester County. Somers is primarily a residential community and is known for being the "cradle of the American circus". It grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, after International Business Machines and Pepsi built large corporate facilities within it. The Metro-North Commuter Railroad provides service to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan with an average commute time of slightly over an hour to Manhattan The commute to New York by passenger vehicle is approximately between 50 minutes and 1 hour with convenient access to Route 684.
Recreational facilities include Reis Park with ball fields, playgrounds, tennis, picnicking and the town library; Koegel Park features nature trails and a woodland preserve; Bailey Park hosts fine concerts as does Lasdon Estate which is a Westchester County Park. Interesting programs are offered at The Muscoot Interpretive Farm.Jump to: navigation, search
Schools and Educational Facilities
The Somers Public School District is the public school district of the town of Somers. It is made up of an elementary, intermediate, middle, and high school for grades K-12.
Brief History of the Town of Somers
The town was established as Stephentown in 1788. Confusion with another New York town named Stephentown led the town to change its name to Somerstown. In 1808, the name was changed to Somers to honor Richard Somers, a naval captain from New Jersey that died in combat during the Tripolitan War.
Somers became known as the "cradle of the American Circus" after Hachaliah Bailey bought an African Elephant, which he named "Old Bet". Bailey intended to use the elephant for farm work but the number of people it attracted caused Bailey to take her throughout the northeast. Bailey's success caused numerous others to tour with exotic animals, and during the 1830's the old style circus and Bailey's attractions merged to form the modern circus.
Old Bet died on tour in 1827. Bailey later erected the Elephant Hotel in Somers in honor of Old Bet, and it was purchased by the town in 1927. It is a town landmark and was recently dedicated a National Historic Landmark. The elephant remains a symbol of the town to this day, the High School football team is even named the Tuskers. The Elephant Hotel is currently the Somers Town Hall.
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