Yorktown, a town in Westchester County, New York, was originally inhabited by several different American Indian tribes.  Named after the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia, it lies on the northern border of the county.  In 1683, Stephanus Van Cortlandt made the first land purchase from the American Indians, and by 1697, he had acquired about 80,000 acres.  He was then granted a patent to build Cortlandt Manor.

After the American Revolution, the township was officially incorporated in 1788 and designated Yorktown.

Today, Yorktown is home to the Jefferson Valley Mall, an attraction for surrounding communities.  It includes over 50 specialty stores, as well as a food court with favorites such as Burger King and Subway, and well known department stores like Sears and Macy’s.  The mall even includes an HSBC Bank.  Yorktown is also home to the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, making it a job center for many in Westchester County who do not commute to New York City.

For those who do commute, this one-time location of five separate rail stations now has no stops on the New York Central line (all the original stops were along the New York and Putnam Railroad, which failed).  However, nearby stations at Croton-Harmon, Mount Kisco, and Cortlandt are only above 15-20 minutes away, making them fairly convenient for commuters.