Westchester County

County in southeast New York; area 1,134 sq km/438 sq mi; population (1990) 874,900. It lies to the north and northeast of New York City. Its administrative headquarters is White Plains. Suburban Westchester contains extremes of great wealth, as in Purchase, Scarsdale, and Bronxville, and poverty, especially in parts of Yonkers and Mount Vernon. Since the 1960s, corporate giants, including IBM and Pepsico, have established headquarters in the county; however, high housing costs and taxes have discouraged others, and even the giants reduced their presence in the 1980s and 1990s. The county offers many amenities, including beaches, parks, boating facilities, and cultural centres.