# Timeline of town creation in Downstate New York

The towns and cities of Downstate New York were created by the U.S. state of New York as municipalities in order to give residents more direct say over local government. Present-day Westchester, Bronx, New York, Richmond, Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties were part of York Shire from 1664-August 1673 and again from February 1674 until 1683 at which point the Province of New York was divided into counties. From August 1673 to February 1674 New York was under Dutch control and English political units were suspended, then restored under English rule. York Shire was divided into three divisions called ridings, the East, West, and North ridings. In 1683 the colony of New York eliminated shires and ridings in favor of counties, the East Riding becoming Suffolk County, West Riding the counties of Richmond and Kings, while the North Riding became the counties of Westchester (including present-day Bronx), New York, and Queens (including present-day Nassau).
New York experimented with different types of municipalities before settling upon the current format of towns and cities occupying all the land in a county, and all previous forms were transformed into towns (or divided into multiple towns) in 1788 when all of the state of New York was divided into towns. Some early forms of government in earlier years included land patents with some municipal rights, districts, precincts, and boroughs. Though originally intended to be mere “…involuntary subdivisions of the state, constituted for the purpose of the more convenient exercise of governmental functions by the state for the benefit of all its citizens” as defined by the courts in 1916 (Short v. Town of Orange), towns gained home rule powers from the state in 1964, at which time towns became "a municipal corporation comprising the inhabitants within its boundaries, and formed with the purpose of exercising such powers and discharging such duties of local government and administration of public affairs as have been, or, maybe conferred or imposed upon it by law.”
The following time-line shows the creation of the current towns from their predecessors stretching back to the earliest municipal entity over the area. It represents from which old town (s) a particular new town was created, but does not represent annexations of territory to and from towns that already existed. All municipalities are towns unless otherwise noted as patent, township, borough, district, or city.

## Westchester and Bronx counties

| Bedford, Connecticut [A] Patent 1697–1704 | Bedford, Connecticut [A] Patent 1697–1704 | Bedford, Connecticut [A] Patent 1697–1704 | Bedford, Connecticut [A] Patent 1697–1704 | Bedford, Connecticut [A] Patent 1697–1704 | Bedford, Connecticut [A] Patent 1697–1704 | | | Bedford [B] Patent 1704–1788 | Bedford [B] Patent 1704–1788 | Bedford [B] Patent 1704–1788 | Bedford [B] Patent 1704–1788 | Bedford [B] Patent 1704–1788 | Bedford [B] Patent 1704–1788 | | | Bedford [B] 1788 | Bedford [B] 1788 | Bedford [B] 1788 | Bedford [B] 1788 | | |
| North Castle [B] 1788 | North Castle [B] 1788 | North Castle [B] 1788 | North Castle [B] 1788 | North Castle [B] 1788 | North Castle [B] 1788 | | | New Castle [B] 1791 | New Castle [B] 1791 | New Castle [B] 1791 | New Castle [B] 1791 | New Castle [B] 1791 | New Castle [B] 1791 | | | | | | | | | Mount Kisco [B] 1978 | Mount Kisco [B] 1978 | Mount Kisco [B] 1978 | Mount Kisco [B] 1978 | Mount Kisco [B] 1978 | Mount Kisco [B] 1978 |
| Cortlandt [B] 1788 | Cortlandt [B] 1788 | Cortlandt [B] 1788 | Cortlandt [B] 1788 | Cortlandt [B] 1788 | Cortlandt [B] 1788 | | | Peekskill [B] City 1940 | Peekskill [B] City 1940 | Peekskill [B] City 1940 | Peekskill [B] City 1940 | Peekskill [B] City 1940 | Peekskill [B] City 1940 |
| Eastchester [B] 1788 | Eastchester [B] 1788 | Eastchester [B] 1788 | Eastchester [B] 1788 | Eastchester [B] 1788 | Eastchester [B] 1788 | | | Mount Vernon [B] City 1892 | Mount Vernon [B] City 1892 | Mount Vernon [B] City 1892 | Mount Vernon [B] City 1892 | Mount Vernon [B] City 1892 | Mount Vernon [B] City 1892 |
| Greenburgh [B] 1788 ||||||
| Harrison [B] 1788 ||||||
| Harrison [B] 1788 ||||||
| Morrissania [B] 1788–1791 ||||||
| Mount Pleasant [B] 1788 | Mount Pleasant [B] 1788 | Mount Pleasant [B] 1788 | Mount Pleasant [B] 1788 | Mount Pleasant [B] 1788 | Mount Pleasant [B] 1788 | Morrissania [B] 1788–1791 | Morrissania [B] 1788–1791 | Morrissania [B] 1788–1791 | Morrissania [B] 1788–1791 | Morrissania [B] 1788–1791 | Morrissania [B] 1788–1791 | | | Ossining [B] 1845 | Ossining [B] 1845 | Ossining [B] 1845 | Ossining [B] 1845 | Ossining [B] 1845 | Ossining [B] 1845 |
| North Salem [B] 1788 ||||||
| Pelham [B] 1788 ||||||
| Pelham [B] 1788 ||||||
| Pound Ridge [B] 1788 | Pound Ridge [B] 1788 | Pound Ridge [B] 1788 | Pound Ridge [B] 1788 | Pound Ridge [B] 1788 | Pound Ridge [B] 1788 | New Rochelle [B] 1788–1899 | New Rochelle [B] 1788–1899 | New Rochelle [B] 1788–1899 | New Rochelle [B] 1788–1899 | New Rochelle [B] 1788–1899 | New Rochelle [B] 1788–1899 | | | New Rochelle [B] City 1899 | New Rochelle [B] City 1899 | New Rochelle [B] City 1899 | New Rochelle [B] City 1899 | New Rochelle [B] City 1899 | New Rochelle [B] City 1899 |
| Rye [B] 1788 | Rye [B] 1788 | Rye [B] 1788 | Rye [B] 1788 | Rye [B] 1788 | Rye [B] 1788 | | | Rye City 1942 | Rye City 1942 | Rye City 1942 | Rye City 1942 | Rye City 1942 | Rye City 1942 |
| Salem [B] 1788 (South Salem from 1806 Lewisboro from 1840) ||||||
| Scarsdale [B] 1788 ||||||
| Scarsdale [B] 1788 ||||||
| Stephentown [B] 1788 (Somers from 1808) | Stephentown [B] 1788 (Somers from 1808) | Stephentown [B] 1788 (Somers from 1808) | Stephentown [B] 1788 (Somers from 1808) | Stephentown [B] 1788 (Somers from 1808) | Stephentown [B] 1788 (Somers from 1808) | Westchester Borough 1696-1788 | Westchester Borough 1696-1788 | Westchester Borough 1696-1788 | Westchester Borough 1696-1788 | Westchester Borough 1696-1788 | Westchester Borough 1696-1788 | | | Westchester [C] 1788–1895 | Westchester [C] 1788–1895 | Westchester [C] 1788–1895 | Westchester [C] 1788–1895 | Westchester [C] 1788–1895 | Westchester [C] 1788–1895 | West Farms [C] 1846–1874 | West Farms [C] 1846–1874 | West Farms [C] 1846–1874 | West Farms [C] 1846–1874 | West Farms [C] 1846–1874 | West Farms [C] 1846–1874 | | | Morrisania [C] 1855–1874 | Morrisania [C] 1855–1874 | Morrisania [C] 1855–1874 | Morrisania [C] 1855–1874 | Morrisania [C] 1855–1874 | Morrisania [C] 1855–1874 |
| White Plains 1788–1915 | White Plains 1788–1915 | White Plains 1788–1915 | White Plains 1788–1915 | White Plains 1788–1915 | White Plains 1788–1915 | | | White Plains [B] City 1915 | White Plains [B] City 1915 | White Plains [B] City 1915 | White Plains [B] City 1915 | White Plains [B] City 1915 | White Plains [B] City 1915 |
| | | | | | | | | Kings Bridge [C] 1872–1874 | Kings Bridge [C] 1872–1874 | Kings Bridge [C] 1872–1874 | Kings Bridge [C] 1872–1874 | Kings Bridge [C] 1872–1874 | Kings Bridge [C] 1872–1874 |
| Yonkers [B] 1788–1872 | Yonkers [B] 1788–1872 | Yonkers [B] 1788–1872 | Yonkers [B] 1788–1872 | Yonkers [B] 1788–1872 | Yonkers [B] 1788–1872 | | | Yonkers [B] City 1872 | Yonkers [B] City 1872 | Yonkers [B] City 1872 | Yonkers [B] City 1872 | Yonkers [B] City 1872 | Yonkers [B] City 1872 |
| Yorktown [B] 1788 ||||||