Mount Vernon is one of the six cities located in Westchester County, New York, with an estimated population of 68,615 per a 2002 census.  The city is typically divided into two parts, North and South, with the dividing line being drawn by the New Haven Line commuter railroad tracks.  This division used to signify the segregation of the black and white communities in Mount Vernon, with the southern portion being almost entirely black and the northern portion mostly white, with mixed Jewish, Italian, and Irish backgrounds. However, since the late 1980’s the entire north side of the city has been integrated.

The division line remains due to the fact that much of North Mount Vernon contains Fleetwood, which is a neighborhood full of shops, apartments, and residential zones, while South Mount Vernon has been developed as a mainly industrial region and generates much of the income for the city.  Recently, however, a shopping mall opened in the south side in hopes of drawing visitors who wouldn’t normally be interested in this urban and industrial section of the city.

Mount Vernon is a diverse area, with the majority of its African-American population from the Caribbean or West Indies and its white population descending from a Portuguese or Brazilian background.  The city’s website lays claim to residents from 98 different countries.  Denzel Washington, Dick Clark, Art Carney, and P. Diddy were all either born or grew up in Mount Vernon.