Peekskill separated from the town of Cortlandt to become an incorporated city in 1940. The city's downtown commercial area suffered during the late 1960s and early 1970s because of social tensions and failing economics. Since then, the city has struggled to reinvent itself by creating a waterfront park, numerous condominium complexes and a downtown artists district, spearheaded by the restoration of the Paramount Center for the Performing Arts. The artists district, however, has dwindled in the past two years, said Bernard Molloy, president of the Peekskill-Cortlandt Chamber of Commerce. While small computer companies and law offices have moved in, many downtown retailers have moved out, he said.
Some storefronts remain vacant, leaving streets looking lifeless and abandoned.
Destination shops, he said, are needed to draw in customers from areas outside the city. Some non-retail storeowners say their businesses are doing fine and that they can definitely feel the city's population growth. I've seen a lot of new people in Peekskill in the last few years. Oh, boy, a lot of them. Interactive report from USA Today Overview Putnam Rockland Westchester Your hometown Census data on population and race, by municipality and community.