BRONX COUNTY 



Bronx County lies in the southeastern part of the state and 

 is bordered on the west by the Hudson River, and on the south 

 by the Harlem River. It forms a part of the city of Greater 

 New York, having been annexed to New York City in 1874. 

 It was set off from Westchester as a separate county in 1912. 



The name is taken from the river flowing south through its center 

 to Long Island Sound. The river itself was named in honor 

 of Jonas Bronck, the first settler. In 1640 Bronck, with his 

 wife and family, farm hands and their families, domestic 

 servants, cattle, and miscellaneous goods, landed on Manhattan 

 Island. As this island had been reserved for the private uses 

 of the West India Company, he crossed the Harlem River and 

 purchased 500 acres from the Indians. This property after- 

 ward came into possession of the Morris family, and was the 

 birthplace of Gouverneur Morris, the noted Revolutionary patriot. 



It is supposed that Anne Hutchinson and her family were 

 the first white settlers of the Bronx after Jonas Bronck. 



The death of Nathan Hale is commemorated by a statue 

 standing in City Hall Park near where the tragedy occurred. 



There are several parks within the borough of the Bronx, 

 seventeen having distinct names and covering an area of 3,916 

 acres. The three largest alone — Pelham Bay, Van Cortlandt, 

 and Bronx — cover 3,608 acres. 



Two well-known universities, New York and Fordham, are 

 located within the county. 



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